Additionally, many of the inscriptions in the temples were written in a deliberately elaborate and confusing hieroglyphic script to safeguard their meaning against those who could read standard hieroglyphs. The language in these inscriptions is one that was dead even at the time that they were being written. It was not the spoken language of the period, but a priestly revival of a much older stage of the Egyptian language. This clearly illustrates that other world myths most likely existed even prior to the Egyptians belief in the after-life.
World mythology, religion and cultural beliefs will always remain an enticing mystery, as people search and yearn for something to believe in. Death and what occurs afterwards is one of the most fascinating aspects of any religion. The beliefs of the ancient Egyptians differ from many present-day theories of what occurs after death. Most people currently believe in some form of "heaven" or "hell," but very few actually spend their lives preparing for the after-life of their "leaders" or family members as the Egyptians did. I do not fully believe in the ancient Egyptians' concept of the after-life because my beliefs are comparable to those of the Roman Catholics, for that is the way that I was raised when I was a child. However, I do believe in a "heaven" and a "hell," ideas that originated with Greek philosophers who strongly influenced the early apostate Christian thinkers.
In the Christian/Catholic conception of death, Jesus frequently spoke of everlasting life. He was referring to such life either in the heavens as a transformed immortal spirit with him in his Kingdom, or hell. The resurrection of Jesus is one of the most commonly told biblical stories to illustrate the belief of heaven and life after parable to the Egyptians, who preserved the body of the dead, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that when a person dies, their body starts its process of decomposition. There are three possible destinations...
Those whose love for God has been perfected in this life have their bodies glorified and taken immediately to their eternal reward in Heaven (Robinson, at (http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_deat.htm).If they have committed a mortal sin, which has not been forgiven, or have rejected God, then they are taken immediately to Hell where they will be tortured forever without any hope of relief or mercy (Robinson, at (http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_deat.htm).For those that die in a state of grace, but loved God imperfectly, their souls immediately enter Purgatory. Here, they suffer for a time in order to cleanse themselves of their accumulated imperfections, venial sins and faults (Robinson, at (http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_deat.htm).
Similar to my beliefs, the mythology of the ancient Egyptians also seemed to involve a "passage-way" that one travels through to reach their destination in life after-death. Both believe in some type of "process' which occurs in the stages after one's death. Interestingly, we both believe that there is a life after-death, regardless of the form in which it takes. As a result, life-after death will always remain one of the most widely believed and written aspect of world mythology, and will continue to have some affect on mankind during our lifetime. It is through this belief that man is able to truly live to his fullest potential, as the knowledge of what potentially can happen in one's future can serve as a motivation or determent for certain actions during an individual's life-time.
Bibliography
Robinson, B.A. "What Happens at the time of our Death?" Religious Tolerance. 2004.
Religious Tolerance.Org. 07 Aug. 2006 http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_deat.htm.
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. Mankind's Search for God. New York: Watch
Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1990.
