What is Religion?

Religion is defined as an organized collection of beliefs and practices, cultural systems, and world views
that relate humanity to an order of existence.

It is the glue that binds local communities into nationhood and create common understandings and
shared values that are essential to the growth of a civilization (Canadian Museum of History)

It is a concept of universal harmony between people and their gods.

It is also said that Religion is not fully developed at its foundation.

> According to some estimates there are roughly 4,200 religions in the world.

Introduction
85 to 90 percent of Egypt's population are Muslims with a small minority of Jews and Christians.

Egypt has one of the longest documented histories of any country in the world.

*It highlights a rich and varied set of religious belief systems that have helped shape the nation today
and through to subsequent periods of global recognition.

Hieroglyphic writing- a form of writing used by the ancient Egyptians. The individual characters are
called 'hieroglyphs'.

HISTORY OF ANCIENT EGYPT RELIGION

Egyptians seen life as only one part of an eternal journey and to continue that journey after death, one
needs to live a life worthy of continuance.

> Before the concept of God existed, the Egyptians evolved into different stages of Religious
Development

1. Magical

- the first stage of religious development

- they did not worship a personalized form of God

- they believed on the powers that control natural phenomena

2. Mythical

- second stage of religious development

- Every Egyptian in town had their own deity or God represented in the shape of an animal

Examples:
cat-goddess, cobra-goddess, ibis-god or jackal-god.

Gods and Goddesses

> Egyptians believed in many different gods and goddesses.

> Each one has their own role to play in maintaining peace and harmony across the land.

3. Monotheistic Religion

> Monotheistic Faith- they believed in a single creator, symbolized by the sun god

> Monotheism

- is the belief that only one God exists

- derived from the word "mono" meaning "one"and "theism" meaning "God"

Examples: Islam and Coptic Christians

Religious beliefs in ancient Egypt were a formal set of practices known as Ma’at that followed the
concepts of truth, balance, order, harmony, law, morality and justice. The aim was to ensure order in
the cosmos, and they were sometimes practiced through cults praying to individual gods.

Religion in Egypt
• controls many aspects of social life and is endorsed by law.

• Egypt hosts two major religious institutions.

1. Al-Azhar Mosque, founded in AD 970 by the Fatimids as the first Islamic university in Egypt and

2. the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria established in the middle of the 1st century by Saint Mark.

• Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Egyptian constitution, according to Human Rights Watch,

Section II. Status of Government Respect for Religious Freedom

• Freedom of belief is absolute

• Freedom of Practicing religious rituals and establishing worship places for the followers of Abrahamic
religions is a right regulated by law

Recognized religions
ISLAM
has been the state religion in Egypt since the amendment of the second article of the Egyptian
constitution in the year 1980, before which Egypt was recognized as a secular country.

- it estimated that 85%-90% of the population is Sunni Muslim- largest denomination of Islam

- Abrahamic monotheistic religion teaching that there is only one God and that Muhammad is a
messenger of God.

- World's second largest religion

- Muslims

Muslim- derivation of muslim is from an arabic word "submitter"

Two denominations

Sunni- comes from the word "Sunnah" means behaviour of the prophet

-out of 1.4 billion this is the majority of muslims

Shia- considered as heretics. Among the poorest done the Sunnis as they often see themselves as being
victim of discrimination and some forn of oppression.

CHRISTIANITY

The Coptic Christian population in Egypt is the largest Christian community in the Middle East and North
Africa standing at between 10% – 15% of Egypt's population according to different statistics. - Based on
the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth

(The church is headed by the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy See of Saint
Mark, tracing some of its roots back to the age of the pharaohs.) “wag na basahin ilalagay ko lang toh sa
ppt na may kasamang picture

- Believe that Jesus is the Christ

- Christians

JUDAISM

Jews participated in all aspects of Egypt's social, economic and political life. - Ethnic religion, considered
by religious Jews to be the expression of the covenant that God established with the children of Israel.

- Jewish people
Unrecognized and persecuted beliefs

HINDUISM -There is a small community of Indians in Egypt, the majority of whom are presumed to be
adherents of Hinduism.

Ahmadiyya Islam- Ahmadiyya movement in Egypt, which numbers up to 50,000 adherents in the
country, was established in 1922 but has seen an increase in hostility and government repression as of
the 21st century.

Bahá'í Faith - The state-sanctioned persecution of Baháʼís started to emerge after the 1953 dissolution of
the monarchy, culminating in Law 263 in 1960, banning all Baháʼí institutions and community activities in
Egypt.

Atheism and agnosticism - It is however difficult to quantify their number as the stigma attached to
being one makes it hard for irreligious Egyptians to publicly profess their views.

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN GODS AND GODDESSES

Egyptian religious beliefs and practices were closely integrated into Egyptian society of the historical
period (from c. 3000 BCE).

Its religious behavior encompassed contact with the dead, practices such as divination and oracles, and
magic, which mostly exploited divine instruments and associations.

2 essential foci of public religion

1. King 2. Gods

*Kings

- center of human society -the guarantor of order for the gods -responsible for the cults of the dead
both for his predecessors in office and for the dead in general

IN GENERAL: - had a superhuman role, being a manifestation of a god or of various deities on earth

(SOME KINGS NOTABLY : *Amehotep III-(1390-53 BCE) *Ramses II - ( 1279- 13BCE) *Amenemhet III -
(1818-c. 1770 BCE) become minor god after its death) wag na basahin ito

COSMOS- a place where the gods, the king, humanity and the dead existed together

GODS- they partook in the world of the gods, and constructed great, religiously motivated funerary
monuments for his afterlife.
POLYTHEISM IN ANCIENT EGYPT

In Ancient Egyptian there has more than 2,000 gods and goddess. Most of the ancient gods have a
human body and the head of bird or animals. Since, ancient Egyptian civilization believes that animals
represent the power of the gods.

-The ancient Egyptians were a polytheistic people who believed that gods and goddesses controlled the
forces of the human, natural, and supernatural world.

EGYPTIANS BELIEVED CATS WERE MAGICAL CREATURES, CAPABLE OF BRINGING GOOD LUCK TO THE
PEOPLE WHO HOUSE THEM. WHEN CATS DIED, THEY WERE MUMMIFIED.

*IMPORTANT GODS AND GODESSES*

RA (DIYOS NG ARAW)

-He was often considered to be the king of the gods and thus the patron of the pharaoh and one of the
central gods of the Egyptian pantheon. He was also described as the creator of everything.

OSIRIS AND ANUBIS (MGA DIYOS SA KABILANG BUHAY)

-Later in ancient Egyptian history, the god Osiris rose to prominence and replaced Anubis in myths as a
ruler of the dead.

THOTH (DIYOS NG KAALAMAN)

-A god of the moon, of reckoning of learning, and of writing.

AMON RA (HARI NG LAHAT NG DIYOS AT DIYOSA)

-Is the ancient Egyptian god of the sun and air. He is one of the most important gods of ancient egypt.

BASTET (ANG PUSANG DIYOSA)

-Bastet was the goddess of protection, pleasure, and the bringer of good heal. She had the head of a cat
and a slender female body.

HORUS (DIOYS NG HIMPAPAWID)

-The falcon-headed god, is a familiar ancient Egyptian god. He has become one of the most commonly
used symbol of egypt, seen on Egyptian airplanes and restaurants throughout the land.

PTAH (ANG LUMIKHA NG MUNDO)

-Ancient Egyptian deity, the god of craftsmen and architects.

SET (PANGINOON NG BAGYO)

-Also known as Seth and Suetekh, was the Egyptian god of war, chaos and storms, brother of Osiris, Isis,
and Horus the elder, Uncle to Horus the younger, and brother-husband to Nephthys.

TAWERET (DIYOSA NG PAGPAPAANAK)

-The great female - was the ancient Egyptians goddess of maternity and childbirth, protector of women
and children.

HATHOR (DIYOSA NG PAGIBIG)

-In ancient Egyptian religion, goddess of the sky, of women, and of fertility and love.

TENENET (DIYOSA NG ALAK)

-Was an ancient Egyptian goddess of childbirth.

HEKA (DIYOS NG SALAMANGKA)

-Heka is the god of magic and medicine in ancient egypt and is also the personification of magic itself.

SHESHA (DIYOSA NG SULAT KAMAY)

-Was an ancient Egyptian goddess of wisdom, knowledge, and writing.

ARI-EM-AUA (DIYOS NG IKA-ANIM NA ORAS)

SHENTAYET (DIYOSA NG MGA BYUDA)

Other Gods and Goddesses:

MUT: The Mother Goddess.

OSIRIS: The King of the Living.

HORUS: God of Vengeance

THOTH: God of Knowledge and Wisdom

HATHOR: Goddess of Motherhood

SEKHMET: Goddess of War and Healing

GEB: God of Earth

1. Amun - one of the most powerful gods in Ancient Egypt - was called King of the Gods The Hidden One.

2. Anubis - the god of embalming and the dead. the god of mummification, He guided the dead to the
following life through the court of Osiris in the Hidden world.

3. Aten - a form of the sun god Ra

4. Atum - a creator god - believed to be the first god to exist

5. Bastet - a protective goddess

6. Bes - the protector of pregnant women, newborn babies and the family

7. Geb - the god of the earth

8. Hapy - the god of the inundation - he brought the flood every year

9. Hathor - a protective goddess. - she was also the goddess of love and joy

10. Horus - also known as The One Far Above - god of the sky

11. Isis - a protective goddess. - she used powerful magic spells to help people in need

12. Khepri - also known as He Who Is Coming Into Being - a god of creation, the movement of the sun,
and rebirth

13. Khnum - a creator god, and a god of the innundation. - he as known for moulding people on a
potter's wheel

14. Ma'at - the goddess of truth, justice and harmony - she was associated with the balance of things on
earth

15. Nephthys - was a protective goddess of the dead - she was often shown on coffins, or in funerary
scenes

16. Nun- according to an ancient Egyptian creation myth, Nun was the waters of chaos - it was the only
thing that existed on Earth before there was land

17. Nut - the sky-goddess, whose body created a vault or canopy over the earth

18. Orisis - the god of the dead, and ruler of the underworld - as well as being a god of the dead, Osiris
was a god of resurrection and fertility

19. Ptah - the god of craftsmen

21. Ra-Horakhty - 'Horus in the Horizon' - a combination of the gods Horus and Ra.

- Horus was a god of the sky, and Ra was the god of the sun. Thus, Ra-Horakhty was thought of as the
god of the rising sun

22. Sekhmet - 'The Powerful One'- the goddess of war

23. Seshat - the goddess of writing and measurement

24. Seth - the god of chaos - he represented everything that threatened harmony in Egypt

25. Shu - 'He Who Rises Up' - the god of the air - he held up the figure of Nut so that the earth and the
sky were separated

26. Sobek - a nile god - was connected with the Nile, and protected the king

27. Tawaret - 'The Great One' - a goddess who protected women during pregnancy and childbirth
28. Tefnut - the goddess of moisture

29. Thoth - the god of writing and knowledge

- the ancient Egyptians believed that Thoth gave them the gift of hieroglyphic writing

◾Principle of Ma'at

Ma'at is goddes of myth, justice, harmony and balance.

-it first appears during c.2613-2181 BCE or OLD KINGDOM

-she weighed the hearts of deceased

(go back to the principle)

Principle:

-during one's life on Earth, he/she should understand that one's action could affect not just one's life but
also the other's lives.

-People were expected to depend on each other to keep balance as this was the will of the gods to
produce the greatest amount of pleasure and happiness for humans through a harmonious existence
which also enabled the gods to better perform their tasks.

Egyptian religion has a deity that was present in the act of creation named Heka and was the underlying
principle for Egyptian religion, he was the power which enabled gods to perform their functions, as for
the Egyptian civilization lived their life walking among their gods and goddesses praising them and
asking for their guidance in their everyday lives.

Ma’at, the personified concept of harmony, as one of the most important goddesses of this civilization,
people honors the principle of Ma’at that teaches them the importance of residing to their gods and to
the forces of light against the forces of darkness and chaos. Osiris, one of the most important and
worshiped gods in Egypt , the king of the dead himself , killed by his jealous brother named Seth .

Osiris is the first god that has died and brought back to life by his wife, Isis and their sister, Nephthys.
Osiris became the first ever god that is mummified and brought back to life and lived to rule forever.

His son Horus ruled as a divine king after killing his uncle Seth .

Anubis, the former god of the dead and the underworld stepped down to his title and gave it to Osiris,
Anubis became the guardian that leads the souls to the hall of two truths and to the balance where the
heart of the dead is weighed against a feather that represent as Ma’at, as for the dead who’s heart is
heavier than the feather will not be granted passage to the afterlife and will experienced their own
second death.
These gods were the most known deities out of hundreds of gods and goddess that Egyptian peoples
that they praised and worshipped . This beliefs and practices propelled their civilizations advancement
prosperity that lasts over 3 thousand years and became the most powerful and iconic civilization in
history.

Modern Egyptian religion

◾Modern understanding of Egyptian Religion

-a belief in a higher power and life after death

> Today, the majority of the Egyptian population is Muslim, with a small minority of Jews and Christians

• In 2002, under the Mubarak government, Coptic Christmas (January 7) was recognized as an official
holiday,[4] though Christians complain of being minimally represented in law enforcement, state
security and public office, and of being discriminated against in the workforce on the basis of their
religion.

Islam and Modern Egypt

Exact numbers are difficult to access, but the most recent census of the country revealed that roughly
85% of the general population of Egypt today practices Islam, and the vast majority of those are Sunni
Muslims. A 1971 constitution declared that Islam was the national religion, and it has been the official
state religion since 1980.

Why was religion very important to Ancient Egyptians?

Religion was very important to the Ancient Egyptians. Their religion was strongly influenced by tradition,
which caused them to resist change. "Egyptians did not question the beliefs which had been handed
down to them; they did not desire change in their society. Their main aim throughout their history was
to emulate the conditions which they believed had existed at the dawn of creation" (Pg. 81, David,
1988). One of the very strong traditions was that of Divine Kingship. Divine Kingship is the belief that the
Pharaoh was not only the King (political ruler) but also a god. The Pharaoh was associated with Horus,
son of Re the sun god. Later it was believed that at death he became Osiris, or an Osiris, and would help
the Egyptians in their afterlife.
•The ancient Egyptians' religious system was built on a combination of beliefs, rituals, and the practices
within a complex society that they came up on the notion of polytheism and linked by their focus on
interactions between the humanity and divine realm.

•The ancient Egyptians believed that the life on earth was part of the eternal life, just a steppingstone
for their next life and must live a life of purpose in order to continue to the afterlife.

•Their religion is centered on various deities that they interact with that believed to be in control of the
world, so they would pray, provide offerings, and builds temple and honor them in every way possible to
win favor to way of the Gods.

•The rulers of Egypt were believed to possess divine as they were viewed to be intermediaries between
their people and the gods whose main duty was to sustain the gods, so that they can maintain peace
and order in the universe.

•Everyone in Egypt was expected to uphold the order of the cosmos and to be perfectly aligned with the
forces of the light in order to thrive in the afterlife or the principle of Ma'at of Harmony.