Answer to Question Three

3. How do these societies depict their gods? How do their depictions differ from modern western societies? What has changed in between then and now to influence this change?

None of these societies had the modern-day technology and resources we have today. They didn’t want to just accept what they saw in the world, so they created reasons behind why certain things in nature are the way they are in the form of myths. Their Gods also had many imperfections, just like humans. This was a way of being able to say that faults are natural, and no one is flawless; if the Gods make mistakes, then it must be okay for humans too also. The most obvious difference between ancient Egyptian Gods and modern day society’s (mainly in terms of Christianity) are in their appearance; Egyptian Gods were portrayed as being half animal and half human. The connection between animals and humans has disappeared in a lot of religions because of the way our culture has changed. We are not as connected to the outdoors as we used to be because of our jobs and houses, and most people consider themselves to be superior to all other living things. Also, the afterworld in these ancient myths was located underground, possibly in the center of the planet. That has changed to the very distinct heaven (in the clouds) and hell (under the ground). The reason for that is because of our increased scientific knowledge of the world. Everything was much more mysterious because the ancient peoples were able to create whatever explanation they desired, no matter how strange or crazy.