ABSTRACT
The power of the religious influence that shapes our lives determines certain attitudes and actions when we are confronted with death, whether it is our own or the death of someone else. The most ancient and traditional dispositions for dealing with death and dying were, and are, firmly based on the concepts and values of religious systems. In concept and practice in many cultures today, it would seem difficult to distinguish religion from magic since they frequently appear to be synonymous. Religious beliefs in Egypt also embraced the expectations that its rulers and persons of nobility were immortal. In addition to the practice of burying the noble dead with vast amounts of wealth and food, they used incredible skills to embalm and mummify their dead because they believed the soul would return to the body. To be effective religion needs to be understood in terms of the role it plays in the circumstances of everyday living.
