Hymn To Amun-Ra

In order to separate itself from other schools of thought, religion needs a distinguishing feature that is unique to it. The authors of The Sacred Quest: An Invitation to the Study of Religion use the term “sacred” as this defining aspect. The word in and of itself is a complex word that describes a variety of spectacles. To simplify this concept more, sacred reality can indicate something “(1) specially distinctive or ‘set apart’ from everything else in the world, (2) to some extent, beyond the volitional control of human beings, (3) specially prominent with respect to human welfare, and (4) properly determinative of various aspects of human existence (Cunningham 27).” The “Hymn to Amun-Ra” is an Egyptian hymn worshipping Amun-Ra who is best
With the sacred, we get a sense that they are especially different by being transcendent or immanent describing the natural reality. Transcendence is the existence or experience beyond the natural reality. Immanence is less of a divide between the sacred and this reality; it is more indwelling in our mind and being. However, these characteristics are still set apart. In the Hymn to Amun-Ra there are a few excerpts that can characterize Amun-Ra and the religion in general as transcendent. The hymn says, “Lord of the thrones of the earth, the oldest existence, ancient of heaven…” The words depict a God that has existed since the beginning of time and reigns over the earth and heaven. He is standing above human existence. It continues, “Lord of wisdom, lord of mercy; most loving, opener of every eye…” These words sound very close to the Christian God with the notion of all-loving, all-wise, revealer of truth. Similar to Christianity, Amun-Ra also has a characteristic immanence. In Christianity, many of the believers would say that God is within me or always with me. In the last line of the hymn, it says “we worship thy spirit which is in us.” The spirit is not completely separate from the world that the Egyptians lived in, but has an element of itself that is in the human reality. It is hard to find a religion which is purely
In short, this means that the sacred suggest how people should order their lives to be in line with sacred. For example, Nirvana is sacred and properly determinative to the aspects of humans. You can reach Nirvana by ordering your life to the Buddha’s teachings. With respect to the hymn of Amun-Ra, there is no direct indication on how he wants you to order your life. However, in the second to last line, the hymn says “the spirits thou hast made extol thee…” This could be suggesting that you should be praising him because that is the right thing to do. It would be best if other hymns or readings were available to continue