• kronisk @lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    But you can’t control people with that concept, because you can’t control the sun.

    Oh, so Akhenaten couldn’t control people?

      • kronisk @lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Well, Michelangelo got paid for painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel as well. Who’s “they” and what’s your point?

        • rekorse@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          That people weren’t tricked into work. They were paid for it and likely held great pride in it.

          • kronisk @lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            I reacted to, paraphrased: “you can’t control people with sun worship”.

            During his reign, Akhenaten instated monotheistic worship of Aten - the sun disc - and did away with all other gods worshipped in Egypt at that time. Whether or not the workers who built his monuments were paid well I do not know - I suspect you have the Diary of Merer in mind, but remember that Khufu’s and Akhenaten’s respective reigns were more than a thousand years apart - as a pharaoh, Akhenaten could most certainly control people. And if you believe religion can be used as a means to control people, this is definitely a historic example of sun worship being used to this end, wouldn’t you agree?