The Birth of Religion:
Egypt:
* In Egypt, the people used physical objects as a representation of Godly power (i.e. the Sun and the Aten) * The author explains how as human began to engage in ritual-like activities, they ceased to wish to belong with the earth, but to be able to control it. They alienate themselves from the forest and dangers around their campfire. This divide in ‘worlds’ is what could have led to the representation of animals as symbols of gods (ex. Cat in Egypt) * “Those who rose to power were seen to have a connection with the gods”: This is a very basic component of the Egyptial civilization. Birthright was only part of the handing down of power. More importantly, a heir had to show that he had a strong connection with one of the Gods of Egypt * The architecture is Egypt revolves around religion. Pharohs built massive tombs and monuments in tribute to the Gods. Egypt is in the middle of the desert, its only saving grace being the flooding of the Niall annually. However, one must wonder whether or not the Egyptians founded the basis of their society off the massive, flat area available for temples and monuments, or whether thy saw the potential in the river
Mesopotamia: * In Crete, there is no great emphasis onagriculture, other than the raising of animals, which does not require a permanent location. The emphasis was on the textiles made by the women, who would sit together and weave. Remarkably, the Mother Earth is a woman too. This aspect of Cretian society is definitely derived one from another. * This weaving part of their economy only came after their settlement. * Mother Earth: clear link with nature, cycles of her body moved in perfect rhythm with the phases of the moon * She was the first real interpretation of ‘God’: sacrifice, offerings, and blessings were all part of her worship * She controlled life and death as well as agriculture * Already at the early stages of God, there was a close relationship between agriculture and religion. The fact that the earliest form of god in Near Eastern society was responsible for agriculture suggests that the society was settled before the idea of god came to be * Achillies shield: This idea is repeated in the Achillies shield. The mythical shield depicts two sides of the seasons, one good and one bad. The bad contains mostly agricultural
