The Egyptian Religion :: essays research papers

The Egyptian Religion     The Egyptians had a very influential piety that can be analyzed usingthe five elements of religion. The characteristics of the Ancient Egyptiansreligion can be divided into the five elements of religion government agency, faith,rituals, moral code, and concept of the deity.     First, the authority of the Egyptian religion. The main authority ofthe Egyptian religion was the Pharaoh, he had divine office over the tidy sum andwas considered a god. Also, he could change the religion whatsoever way he wanted, forexample in the 14th century BC Akhenaton, the Pharaoh outlawed all gods but Aton,who was the sun god, and this became the first monotheistic religion in history,but it was short lived, for when he died the new Pharaoh overruled the law andrestored the other gods. The Egyptians Sacred literature was the leger of theDead which consisted of 42 negative confessions , spells and prayers. Hereis a excerpts from the Book of the Dead1. I have not acted sinfully toward me 2. I have not oppressed the members of myfamily 3. I have 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 sold 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 Faith was an important characteristic of theirreligion. First, they believed that the Pharaoh was a god, and what he spokebecame law. The Egyptians worshipped around every form of life, the worshippedtrees, water, animals, and even vegetables. The Egyptians also believed that aperson had 2 souls, the ba and the ka, which left the body at death and thenreturned by and by 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 owned 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 belief in a stone pitwas that the soul was devoured by a savage animal called the Devourer of Soulsand then thrown into a pit of fire. The Egyptians believed that what was placed