The Egyptian Religion :: essays research papers

The Egyptian Religion     The Egyptians had a very influential worship that can be analyzed usingthe five elements of pietism. The characteristics of the Ancient Egyptiansreligion can be divided into the five elements of religion authority, faith,rituals, moral code, and construct 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 pitch 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 first base monotheistic religion in history,but it was short lived, for when he died the clean 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 excerpts from the Boo k of the Dead1. I maintain not acted sinfully toward me 2. I absorb not oppressed the members of myfamily 3. I restrain 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 interchange the people "magical" itemsthat they said would ensure the dead people a way into heaven. 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 or so every form of life, the worshippedtrees, water, animals, and even vegetables. The Egyptians also believed that asome remains had 2 souls, the ba and the ka, which left the body at death and and thenreturned later to the body. The Egyptians believed that mummification make surethe ba and the ka would find the bod y 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 have 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 flavour in a hellwas that the soul was devoured by a enraged animal called the Devourer of Soulsand then thrown into a pit of fire. The Egyptians believed that what was placed