Reviews for Religion in America: An Historical Account of the Development of American Religious Life

The average rating for Religion in America: An Historical Account of the Development of American Religious Life based on 2 reviews is 2 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-10-30 00:00:00 Donald Leslie This book describes monotheism in ancient Egypt – the “One, self-begotten, and self-existent God” that can be traced, the author says, to at least 3800 BCE. Initially, the supreme God was Ra but, in time, Osiris, the “king of the underworld and judge of the dead…became the equal and, in certain cases, the superior of Ra, the Sun-god.” Osiris, supported by a polytheistic cast, increasingly takes on the paramount role for ensuring “everlasting life and resurrection” through his judgment of the dead. Eternal life centered on the soul and spirit, leaving the body behind. The practice of mummification, of preserving the body at death and of adding food, tools, and such for an afterlife, is initially puzzling the author notes, but then he concludes that resurrection in the next life takes on a new body form, with the old body serving much like a nurse log, as a seed bed, sprouting from dead bodies, for a new life. As the author notes, the parallel of the Osiris figure with Jesus and Christian theology is clear enough. While the author does not note this, a question is the degree to which Plato’s theological philosophy was influenced by ancient Egypt. There are also interesting parallels in this book with Indian thought.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-12-29 00:00:00 David Thornton Although the intention really was to illustrate the the academic side of the religion, I could not help but really absorb its spiritual qualities. Budge illustrated the various waves of religious sway over the years and discussed the changes of the main gods from Ra to Osiris (a mortal dying and rising)to Amen-Ra, to the cult of Aten and then back to Amen once more. His most referenced religious text is the Book of Coming Forth by Day which he refers to throughout the book in its more layman form the Book of the Dead which I presume to be out of convenience for both him and the reader to linkages a bit faster. The Book of the Dead makes sense when we are speaking about the souls of those who are deceased and are waiting for their hearts to be weighed in the balance. Overall an excellent text for any beginner on Egyptian Religion.