The political condition of the kingdom has great influence over the religious beliefs of the Egyptian people.
Explanation:
Politically, Egypt during the Old kingdom was a polytheistic theocracy. The kings, called as Pharoahs, ruled as agents of God. But after the unification of Egypt under the Old Kingdom, the political as well as guardian deities came to be fused together. The worship of the sun god Re/ Ra became the official state religion, embodying righteousness, justice and truth, defending the moral order. The beliefs or worship of gods are greatly influenced by the political changes in the kingdom. For example, when the capital was shifted to Memphis in 3000 B.C., Ptah became the state god, Aten when On (Heliopolis) was capital, and Neith, a Sais goddess became the deity during the seventh century and so on. Therefore, the worship or deity depends on where the capital was and accordingly, the state deities are decided.
