Two Essays in the West Heritage

1) Religion and Death:

o How did these societies and individual authors/texts describe the divine? o What did they see as the relationship between the divine and humanity? o What functions did religion serve in society? o How did religious beliefs and practices affect the politics, philosophy,

literature, and art of a particular civilization? o What were their beliefs about death? o Was there some sort of immortality? If so, what did one need to do to

attain a happy afterlife? If not, what was the purpose of life? o How did the beliefs on religion and death of people in our readings affect

their actions and decisions in life?