Monday, June 26, 2006

More than Pyramids


Egypt was in the news this spring: Killings in Alexandria on Good Friday, suicide bombings in Sinai resorts after Easter, and democracy marches in Cairo in May.

But that isn't the whole story. If you come to Egypt, you'll encounter all the usual images: pyramids, sphinxes, one very long river bounded by desert, camels, the gold and glitter of King Tut's famous treasure. But you may also learn of the power of ancient Egyptian religion.

You might know about Mesopotamian religion with its human sacrifice and male and female temple prostitution. But Egyptian religion, the other religion of the Bible, was very different. Human sacrifice was rare and not reported much at all after 3000 b.c. Temple prostitution didn't exist. Nor did God command the Israelites to destroy the Egyptians as he did the child-sacrificing Mesopotamians.


Read the rest of the story at World Magazine's website.
photo © World Magazine