Ancient China Religion

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Religion is an almost universal institution in human society. It is found in all societies, past and present. There is no primitive society without religion. All the preliterate societies known to us have religion. Religion can be understood as a social system in which there is common faith, worship, rituals, customs and traditions in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greek and Ancient China. The crucial concept and chief ethic Maat which ensured the harmony of Ancient Egyptian society, the engaging Greek Mythology which included a dazzling array of deities, and the devout veneration of ancestors that deeply rooted in Ancient China had long been studied by fascinated scholars all around the world. The highly-developed and sophisticated religious systems …show more content…
Particular animal qualities like the strength of the lion, the ferocity of the crocodile or the tender care of the cow for her young were revered and came to be associated with human ideals. For instance, cats represented Bastet, the goddess of fire, cats, of the home and pregnant women; cobras represented Wadjet, the goddess of justice, time, Heaven and Hell . It was thought that some gods and goddesses represented themselves on earth in the form of a single representative of a specific species, and honoring that species of animal would please the god or goddess associated with the animal. Symbols of common animals was necessary for Egyptians to be able to recognize depictions of the major gods since they were used as a recognition aid and a device to visually convey the powers, identity and attributes of the gods and goddesses. In Ancient Egypt, Maat was the crucial concept and chief ethic within Ancient Egypt society which represents order, truth, justice and righteousness. Furthermore, Maat was also the daughter of the Egyptian sun deity Ra and wife of the moon god Thoth in Ancient Egypt Mythology . She decided whether a person would successfully reach the afterlife, by weighing their soul against her …show more content…
He had a dual role, serving as both a priest and working directly in the law courts and justice system. He would rule on the earthly punishment according to the nature of the law that had been broken. It was considered a crime against Maat if a person engaged in jealousy, dishonesty, gluttony, laziness, injustice, and ungratefulness. The guilty Egyptian was deemed to have violated the ''Spirit of Maat'' and would face a further judgment in the Underworld. The existence of Maat in Ancient Egypt supported certain types of social conduct by placing the powerful sanctions of the supernatural behind them. It made certain forms of social behavior as offences not only against society but also against God. Hence, any violation of the acceptable norm is punishable not only by society but by Gods. In addition, the sophisticated mummification process of Ancient Egypt was driven by a complex set of religious beliefs in the afterlife. All ancient Egyptians believed in the afterlife and spent their lives preparing for it. The Egyptians developed a procedure known as mummification, which was the process of drying out and preparing a body to ensure preservation. However, the elaborate mummification were so expensive that only the pharaoh, royal family, and very wealthy individuals could afford to be preserved in this fashion. Throughout the history
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