The Egyptian Religion :: essays research papers

The Egyptian Religion     The Egyptians had a very influential holiness that can be analyzed usingthe five elements of righteousness. The characteristics of the Ancient Egyptiansreligion can be divided into the five elements of religion authority, faith,rituals, moral code, and conception of the deity.     First, the authority of the Egyptian religion. The main authority ofthe Egyptian religion was the Pharaoh, he had divine right over the people andwas considered a god. Also, he could compound the religion any way he wanted, forexample in the fourteenth century BC Akhenaton, the Pharaoh outlawed all gods but Aton,who was the sun god, and this became the starting monotheistic religion in history,but it was short lived, for when he died the brand-new Pharaoh overruled the law andrestored the other gods. The Egyptians Sacred literature was the Book of theDead which consisted of 42 negative confessions , spells and prayers. Hereis a excerpt s from the Book of the Dead1. I stimulate not acted sinfully toward me 2. I be in possession of not oppressed the members of myfamily 3. I pick out not done wrong instead of what is right 4. I have known noworthless folk (Encarta 96)Their were also what we would call "Priests" who sell the people "magical" itemsthat they said would ensure the dead people a way into paradise. Therefore, theauthority of the Egyptian religion was controlled heavily by the government.     Second, the Egyptians credence was an important characteristic of theirreligion. First, they believed that the Pharaoh was a god, and what he spokebecame law. The Egyptians worshipped almost every form of life, the worshippedtrees, water, animals, and even vegetables. The Egyptians also believed that a someone had 2 souls, the ba and the ka, which left the bole at death and whereforereturned later to the body. The Egyptians believed that mummification make surethe ba and the ka would find the body when they returned to the body totransport it to the underworld. The Egyptians also believed that they were the cattle of the gods, and were controlled by them. They also believed that thegods own all the land, so they sold all their crops at the temples.Furthermore, their idea of heaven was that it was in the milky way, that stoodfor a fertile Nile and where good crops grew every year. Their vox populi in a hellwas that the soul was devoured by a nail animal called the Devourer of Soulsand then thrown into a pit of fire. The Egyptians believed that what was placed