Religion’s Impact upon the Middle East

Christianity and Judaism are two of the largest religions being practiced today. In the United States alone, 85% of the citizens are Christian and 2% are Jewish. These numbers show that these two religions are practiced by millions of people, just as they have been for thousands of years. Judaism has been a prominent religion in the Middle East since King David’s rule in 1000-961

Religion in the Middle East had a very large impact upon the politics going on in the ancient civilizations. The link between the two ideas, both religion and politics was a very fine line in during these times. Unlike today where the government and religion are completely separate ideas, in these times it was incredibly common for the political figure to double as the God figure as well. This is seen in the Egyptian culture. A great difference between the Mesopotamian and Canaanite people as opposed to the Egyptians were the relationship the leaders had with the Gods. Egyptian pharaohs were seen as divine and as quasi-gods. When discussing the great power of the pharaohs, Dr. Craig S. Davis says that “The Egyptians blurred the line between pharaoh and God.” Religion obviously had a large impact upon these people because the citizens of Egypt were not only praying to a God but they were also praising their leader. This leader in turn ruled Egypt using the religious principles as well as the strict political ones. Such pharaohs as Ramses II clearly showed that the Egyptian kings were worshiped like gods. He built a temple in the red cliffs above the Nile River so that his figure and face could be carved into statues and placed in it. This suggests great idolism and worshiping just like a God would receive. Gods and political leaders almost had the same role. This c

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