Quote:
| Originally Posted by Fr_Chuck Great question, what do you think, tell us your views and we can discuss them. ** saying this because this is a obvoius homework or church school project |
you're right! it is a homework
. Here's what I think. Let me know your views and we can discuss them.** I am good with constructive critism.
In Mesopotamia, unifying elements of religious culture for Sumerians included a polytheistic belief system in which gods were "incredibly powerful and antropomorphic" creator gods that often regretted the creation of human life and sought to destroy it. The Sumerians also sought ways to "discover what the gods help in store for them" through the use of astrology and the study of the organs of sacrificed animals and believed that there were no rewards or punishments beyond the confines of human life; when life ended it ended. Sumerians were also unified by the philosophical questions whose answers they often attributed to the Gods; the story of Enki and Ninhursag, for instance, did "double duty as both a creation story and commentary on the cycles of nature," stressing the importance of the ordered world and the ability of nature to bring forth life.
In Egypt, unification of the people can be seen through shared beliefs of the importance of the social order and an emphasis on the afterlife. As was seen in the Middle Kingdom of Egypt, the people tended to prefer the theriomorphic gods and placed great importance on the "privileges" of the afterlife and participation in ceremonies once suited only to the kings, such as mummification. Importance was often placed heavily upon death, the sun and resurrection throughout Egypt with little preference for "divination or myths of primal chaos".
In early Iranian civilization (Persia), unifying religious elements included "marriage between blood relations... descent through the female line" and in certain areas, female military leaders, each perhaps in honor of a Goddess whose son doubled as her mate. Early Iranians appear to have believed in the afterlife, a belief in animistic polytheism and, at times, an ultimate reality that included "good celestial spirits". Persia was a strict caste system with 'many of its ritual practices" cutting across class lines.
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