Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem
your own reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company.
-George Washington
|
Religion in ancient civilization was not the same as we think of it today.
“A prevailing though is that Egyptian gods, like all gods and religious belief
systems, developed as a result of mankind attempting to explain the physical
world” (Religious History). The Egyptians believed strongly that the gods,
controlled everything from crop growth, to natural disasters, to death, as
well as who their pharaoh was to be. When they held true to their gods word,
good things would develop within their society. When they strayed from their
gods word, it would anger the god, and the society would be punished.
A common theme between today’s religious beliefs and that of ancient religions
is the idea of the after life. “Egyptians believed that the body was the link
to a spiritual existence in the afterlife” (Religious History). In ancient times
as like today, we take care in how we help the dead pass through the natural
life to the spiritual one.
|
This however created problems within the religious society. Those who were “chosen”
to speak for god, in ancient time the pharaohs priest, today priest, clerics,
and rabbis became extremely powerful and influential not only over the members
of the society but those who were in charge of it. This influence sometimes caused
division within a religious society for deviant gains.
Ancient religion does share several common aspects with religious systems
of today. Ancient religions were based on particular needs of specific tribes.
A tribe that fished for food and trade, would worship a different god then
that of a tribe that was agriculturally based. Today’s religions also have
secular beliefs, brought about through the changing times. The three major
branches of religious beliefs today, Judaism, Christianity and Islam all
have secular branches that have interpreted the old beliefs differently to
provide reason for what does and does not happen to the followers of that
specific branch.