Ancient Egyptian Religion

Religion is a way of life for many people and is still relevant until this day. When looking back to early civilizations their way of worship or how their religion works is different than the ones seen in present day. Ancient Egypt is one of the first civilizations that arose about five thousand years ago. Ancient Egypt held polytheistic beliefs and their rituals were an integral part of society. Not too far away was the Sumerian civilization, which rose in Southern Mesopotamia. The Sumerians practiced a polytheistic religion, with deities that had human like qualities representing cosmic and terrestrial forces in their world. Being near each other could cause similarities and differences within their own religions. The presence of religion …show more content…
They really believed that the different deities they worshiped controlled the forces of nature. Whether the Egyptians would have good harvests or whether their crops would die all depended on the mood of their gods. They also believed that the deities had the power to give and take away life over everyone. An article written by Joshua J. Mark states that “The Gods of Ancient Egypt were seen as the Lords of creations and custodians of order, but also as familiar friends who were interested in helping and guiding the people of the land.” Egyptians were polytheistic based on their abundance of Gods. Since there were a variety of gods each city had the opportunity to worship their own god. The main god was the sun god, Amon-Re Nile. A majority of ancient Egyptian people prayed in their own homes. The main priest's job was to serve the deity or king, who was represented by a status in the temple. The king that was reigning at that time was considered the chief priest of Egypt. The people would even consider him a god sent to govern them. The Ancient Egyptians also believed in an afterlife. They believed that the people who were in the afterlife were happy because they could enjoy the same daily routines that they did when they were alive. Their strong beliefs led to the preparation for the death and the burial of the body. They filled the tombs with the materials they thought the deceased …show more content…
The religion practiced by the Sumerians was a polytheistic one. They worshiped other gods along with the god worshiped in their city-state. The deities were extremely powerful and anthropomorphic. Sumerians believed that there was a specific group of god that created the entire world and everyone who lives in it. Many of these gods controlled natural forces. The gods would punish the Sumerians by sending floods or famine their way. In order for them to worship their gods the Sumerians built Ziggurats that were used as their temples.
When comparing the two religions there are a few differences that can be found. One being that in Ancient Egypt the religion really did have a presence in the government. A pharaoh who is thought to be a god himself ruled the people. According to World Civilizations: It is important to recognize that the pharaoh was not like a god. Instead, he was a god- a god who chose to live on Earth among his favored people for a time. From the moment that his days-long coronation ceremony was completed, he was no longer a mortal man. He had become immortal, a reincarnation of the god of order,