The Egyptian Christians are called Copts, a word .
derived from the Greek word for the country, Aegyptos. The new religion quickly spread .
from Alexandria into the hinterland, reaching Upper Egypt by the 2nd century. .
However, the Iconoclastic Controversy of the 8th and early 9th centuries caused religious .
disunity that weakened the Byzantine empire. .
The controversy was over the question of whether or not Christians should .
continue to revere icons. Most unsophisticated believers tended to revere icons but many .
political and religious leaders wanted to have them smashed because they believed that .
venerating icons was a form of idolatry. In 787, the controversy was settled and some .
restrictions were put on the use of icons. Another factor that resulted in the weakening of .
the Byzantine empire was their treatment of Egypt as a mere estate to be exploited for the .
benefit of the rulers. Stearns states, "The new empire benefited from the high levels of .
civilization long present in the eastern Mediterranean" (355). Egyptians were not satisfied .
with the Byzantine Empire's rule, making it easier for the Islamic army to overrun Egypt. .
Muslims invaded Egypt in 641 A.D. and brought with them Islam, the religion .
that is currently the main and official religion of Egypt. The origin of Islam is credited to .
Muhammad, who lived between 570 and 632 A.D. Muslims believed him to be the last .
and greatest prophet of God. It was through him that the Qur'an was dictated. Muhammad .
was born in Mecca, and as a result of his father's death, was raised by his relatives. .
According to Stearns, he was born in a respected clan and powerful tribe (284). In his .
early twenties, he married his first wife Khadijah and managed her wealth. According to .
Stearns, being a trader and traveler exposed him to the life outside of Arabia. He states, .
"His life as a merchant in Mecca and on the caravan routes exposed Muhammad to the .
world beyond Arabia and probably made him acutely aware of the clan rivalries that had .
About that same time, some mathematics of India was translated into Arabic. ... There are other places in the world that developed significant mathematics, such as China, southern India, and Japan, which are also interesting to study. Civilization reached a high level in Egypt at an early period. ... Religion was a central feature of Egyptian society. ... The Egyptian counting system was decimal. ...
Also in Egypt they treated their king as a god. ... India was advanced in many other areas as well. ... They were very into their religion. ... Finally because of their economy, religion, and culture they were known far and wide by many. ... Their Traditions such as their culture, religion and type of government still live on today and won't be forgotten for a long time....
The 3 are the main 3 religions until the spread of Christianity. ... Around 2000 B.C. they migrated to Palestine but famine forced them to leave to Egypt were they were enslaved. Mosses led the Hebrews to freedom from Egypt. ... The Hebrew beliefs evolved into the religion of Judaism. ... Although it took root in India it slowly declined and few Buddhist centers survived in India until the muslin invasion in the 1100s. ...
Indo-Europeans called Aryans migrated into India. ... The economy of the Indus civilization like that of the Mesopotamian and Egypt, was based on irrigation farming. ... By about 1000 B.C.E. area conquered known as Kuruk Shetra, this era have been a golden age for the Brahmins and their Vedic religion. 527 (447) B.C.E. ... During India's formative age, three major religions were evolving on the subcontinent. ... Buddhism challenged the Brahmin order and spread beyond the frontiers of India, ultimately to become a world religion. ...
Pretty simple to concept, but in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and India, the afterlife is not so easy to grasp. ... Egyptians had pharaohs that ruled the kingdom of Egypt. ... Nature and religion went hand in hand in Egyptian culture. ... There were two religions prevalent in India's beginning. ... The Sumerians were pessimistic about nature and religion because they had nothing to look forward to after death, just a life in the dirt, complete darkness. ...
In ancient Egypt, India, China, and Mesopotamia they survived by agriculture. ... Religion has been a human need since the beginning of civilization. For example the Egyptians had a very distinct religion they were polytheistic. ... Religion's purpose of faith is to tell the believer how to live. ... The people of Mesopotamia and Egypt, like the people of India and China built the first civilizations. ...
However, his condition is not comparable to that of the plebeian of ancient Rome, the thete of Athens, or the sudra of India. ... Contact with them was considered impure; society had been structured without taking their existence into account; they could not even live in the cities nor participate in religious ceremonies, nor at the ouset have a religion of their own. ...
In Ancient Egypt frogs and cats were looked upon as fertility symbols. ... Other animals that were worshiped for fertility were parrots and peacocks in India. ... In India plants were also used as a representation for fertility. ... In ancient Egypt and Persia colored eggs were given as gifts during spring festivals. ... In the traditional folk religion the egg is a powerful symbol of fertility, purity and rebirth. ...
Although Costa Rica and Belize have higher PPP's than Benin and India they are considerably lower than the USA and Norway. ... "The (Freedom House) Survey demonstrates that, in addition to in Europe and the Americas, there are free states with varying forms of democracy functioning among people of all races and religions in Africa, the Pacific, and Asia." Though several developing countries have high literacy rates and relatively high education spending (% of GNP) Costa Rica 96% and 5%, Mexico 91% and 5%, Philippines 95% and 3%, which is comparable to the USA 100% and 5%; others appea...
