ABSTRACT
Conceived from a religious perspective, the earth is a symbolic web of significance that includes its life-giving powers, ability to sustain life, and tendency to accept the bodies of the dead. In some religious cultures, the earth is personified as a mother goddess, although this tendency is not universal because there are counter examples such as the Egyptian god Geb. Moreover, the earth is not universally sacred because some religions conceive of the earth as sacred only in some locations, as is evident among Native American Indians.
