Essay about Religion in Ancient China and Egypt

o Ancestors could intercede with Di (Shang deity), punish the kings, and provide clues about the future

There are some big differnces in the religious beliefs and practices in Egypt and China. Two similarites between the two countries are their gods and afterlife. A major difference is the ways that any individual can get to their afterlife.

People believed their ancestors controlled what went on in life and could guide them on the right paths, provided they kept them happy. Therefore, many people would use oracle bones to communicate with them, divining answers to their questions and foretelling the future using cracks fire made in the bones. This belief in all-powerful ancestors was so deeply held in Chinese society that when the Zhou dynasty began, in order to cement their legitimacy as rulers and prevent any possible revolts, they claimed they had the “Mandate of Heaven” and that the Shang had lost theirs by ruling poorly. The Mandate of Heaven was, essentially, the divine right to rule, but with ancestors in place of a single deity. This was readily accepted, for the Chinese people trusted their ancestors’ decisions (considering their omnisciency) and did not wish to go against their wishes, risking the consequences of displeasing them. The Zhou knew that this aspect of Chinese culture was ingrained and therefore took advantage of the fact that their claim was virtually

Another thing that the Shang people believed in was that there was an afterlife. For this reason, they put servants and emperors in tombs, so that the servants could still serve in the afterlife, and the emperors could still rule. The Shang people made sacrifices to the gods so that the gods would treat them with good things, such as a good season with an even amount of sun and rain, and so that the water God will prevent floods. In the Shang civilization, the religious leaders played a key role in their religion. The religious leaders were the kings and nobles.

Religion in Rome and Han China had several similarities and differences. Not only did both their religions support political loyalty, and involvement, but they also played a huge role in society. Confucianism in Han China emphasized how to act towards others, especially parents and elders, and how to know ones place in society. Daoism there also emphasized nature and harmony, as Polytheism in Rome also focused on nature and how to care for and understand it. Polytheism in Rome was truly the center of all Roman tradition, as the gods and goddesses required many sacrifices and festivals in their honor. However, Confucianism was more of a social/political mindset than an actual religion, as it had no true god. Polytheism, however, had an overabundance of gods and goddesses, who were to be feared and regarded as sacred. It did not, however, focus on ethical thought and how to live, as Confucianism did extensively. Both Han China and Rome did have high tolerances for other religions, as long as they did not get in the way of state loyalty. Both societies’ political structures focused on Confucianism and polytheism, respectively, but the people were not

Ancient Egyptians referred to their king as pharaoh. Document 3 explains that they believed that pharaoh is a god that controls everything and has an absolute power that nobody can came close to. According to document 6 the Sumerians and Akkadians practice polytheism, the worship of many gods. They believed that keeping the gods happy will be the key of their own happiness and prosperity but, if the gods were angry, they might bring suffering and disaster.the sumerians built temples that called ziggurats, they believed that the temples linked earth with the heavens and linked people with gods.

Egypt is considered the birthplace of many world religions. It contains some of the oldest religious artifacts, texts, and art that can be traced to modern religions. Signs of early Egyptian religion date back to the Predynastic period, beginning with evidence of polytheistic worship. Many scholars have researched the development of Ancient Egyptian religion over the centuries and have studied the direct correlation between it and the modern religions of Judaism and Christianity. Questions arise as to whe Judaism developed because of social and political conditions of Ancient Egypt or rather through conscious adaptation of Egyptian stories, values, and traditions. Was it through divine inspiration that the faiths formed, or was it simply

In conclusion, I have described the afterlife and the death rituals in Ancient China by describing some of their practices as well as what they believed in. I characterized the afterlife and the beliefs of Ancient China by explaining and describing the different concepts and perceptions that tie in with my topic. I also described that in Ancient China they do use the use of terror management theory by knowing that they are going to die because they know that they are promised an afterlife (C. Davis, personal communication, October, 2016). As ethical responsibly goes, it is the chore to follow and continue the correct path, which ties in with the people of Ancient China being promised an afterlife as well (C. Davis, personal communication, September,

In Ancient China the father of the woman decided who that his daughter would marry. There was no agreement between the two fathers. The father would talk with an astrologer who had a birth chart on every child. By looking at the time and date of their births he would then decide whether or not they would be compatible for one another. The father when then make the decision whether they would marry, the daughter’s thoughts and opinion’s did not count.(9) The woman was required to be completely devoted to her husband. After the marriage a Chinese women was expected to bow to her new in-laws and offer them tea. This showed them that she now belonged to her husband’s family. It was required of her to obey her new

Art that was connected to the afterlife typically was symbolic of objects needed for use after death and these were limited to the very wealthy. Although sometimes included on a grand scale, such objects spoke less about the beliefs of the afterlife and more about what was important to each individual before death. Additionally, the most common death-related art focused not on burial or the afterlife, but instead on the practice of the living honoring their ancestors. This lack of evidence linking the afterlife to the art of ancient China supports the thesis of this essay. There was, in fact, even less evidence of a correlation between the two than expected. In fact, art in ancient Chinese culture, even the art related to deceased relatives,

To start with, the ancient Mesopotamians and Chinese had fairly similar religious beliefs. Both were polytheistic, and their gods were anthropomorphic. The Chinese, however, primarily worshipped a supreme god. The first was Di and the second was Tian, a more benevolent god. In Mesopotamia, there were high priests and temples to preform religious rituals, while the common Chinese belief was that only the ruler could communicate with the supreme god through their ancestors. Alternatively, two relevant ideals present in both societies was the belief an afterlife, as shown through the possessions left in tombs, and the thought that gods demonstrated anger through natural disasters. The Chinese, especially, valued the idea of gods using natural disasters to show disapproval in the current ruler, and called it the “Mandate of Heaven”.

Religion is a fundamental element of human society. It is what binds a country, society or group of individuals together. However, in some instances it destroys unity amoungst these. Religion is a belief in a superhuman entity(s) which control(s) the universe. Every religion has its differences but most strive for a just life and the right morals. The three major groups are the primal regions which consist of African, Aboriginal and Native American religions, Asian which consist of South Eastern Asian religions and Abrahamic religions which consist of Middle Eastern religions. The foci of this essay are the differences between the Abrahamic religion, Christianity, and the Asian region Buddhism as well as making reference to the Islamic

Religion has been a major focal point in any society and in any culture. Starting from the first civilizations in Sumer and Ur to the vast metropolitans of today like New York and London, religion has been around and played a key part in lives of people. Possibly two of the oldest religions in the world, Judaism and Zoroastrinism share distinct qualities that are still alive today. Both religions are practiced but Zoroastrianism is not as popular as it once was. Meanwhile, Judaism is one of the world’s largest religions. These two religions are similar in the way that they are designed and practiced throughout history.

Through history, religion has shaped civilizations in several aspects. In ancient Indian and Egyptian civilizations it was very strong shaping force in political structures, but both the religious beliefs and the resulting political system were different, just like pharaohs were different from rajas.

Ancient Egypt (3000 BCE – 30 BCE) and Ancient Greece (1200 BCE – 146 BCE) based their entire lives around their religious beliefs. These beliefs led to their religious practices which were included in every aspect of their lives. Since ancient Greece’s and ancient Egypt’s beliefs differ greatly, endless differences can be shown between their religious practices. However, between the two cultures, many surprising similarities can be seen in these religious practices despite the tremendous differences. Through learning about where their religious beliefs and practices started, the bigger picture of history in general can be learned. As well, the similarities between ancient Greece’s and ancient Egypt’s religious practices can be seen as not