King Tut

For the first time, King Tut is being revealed to the public...in person. 85 years ago, Howard Carter found the tomb, famous because it is the only one that has been completely untouched by grave robbers. Tut was found in the tomb with all of his belongings--a massive horde gold and artifacts. Only today, Tut has been put on display.

King Tut got a CAT scan in 2005 and the scientists found that his body had been broken in 18 places. It seems like he died due to an infected fracture in his thigh, but that is uncertain. Essentially, the destruction was so bad that the scientists decided to only put his head on display. The rest of his body was not displayed. The mummy is not well preserved, as far as mummies go.

I am reminded of the trip I took to Philadelphia to see the King Tut exhibit last semester. I went with Dr. Bleattler's Egypt class just for the experience. When I got there, I was disappointed that King Tut was not there, but I should not have been disappointed. The sheer number of things in the many rooms was spectacular. It ended showing a projected image of King Tut, as well as the coffin of someone else (his mother?) whose coffin was made of three layers of solid goal and weighed many hundreds of pounds. At the time, I calculated the amount of money that it would have cost to make it, and I don't remember now, but it was certainly in the millions. And that did not even take into account the fact that it is a priceless historical artifact. What a find!

At the museum, I also saw a show on the Kings in a planetarium. I've only been in a planetarium once or twice before, and it was fascinating. Staring up at the domed ceiling, it almost seemed like a gigantic IMAX theater. The video explained the Valley of Kings and how the Egypians were amazed by the stars. It gave me an interesting look into their culture.

At my old school, second grade was the Egypt year, where all of the students spent the year studying Egypt as their history class. I, unfortunately, missed that experience because of the way the school was structured when I was there. But as I have been learning more about Egypt in Western Civ last year and through trips and newspaper articles, it has made me wonder about the culture. Dr. Bleattler says, it's not that the Egyptians were obsessed with death, which is what it seems like to us today. Rather, they were obsessed with life.

The culture intrigues me. In a way, it is very similar to Christianity in that they believe in the immortality of the soul, the importance of life, and the existence deity. However, it is very misguided and dissimilar in that they were concerned about the pharoahs as gods and believed in many gods. However, I sense a seed of truth in their belief that eternal life is important and worth striving for. The interesting difference is that what happens in the afterlife depends on how the person is buried and treated AFTER he dies. In the Christian perspective, it all depends on what happens BEFORE you die. And clearly, there are many differences between the gods of Egypt and the I AM. But in striving for eternal life, as is evidence through the mummification and tombs and pyramids, they spent more effort toward it than potentially any other culture. I respect them for that. They were so concerned with what was transcendent that they spent much of their life seeking a way to gain a better life. What would happen if more people did that today? What if many Americans were not so concerned with sex, money, power, and the rest, and instead sought what was good for their souls? Would not more turn to Christ Jesus and live a life that is fulfilling, on earth AND beyond? But it does not happen.

How could one change culture in this way? How could people like you and me instill in the culture at large a desire to seek life? After all, there's only on thing that's absolutely sure (and in the case of every human being, save two), and that is death. Everyone dies. So why not spend a part of your life to determine what will happen after you die? Why leave yourself resigned to the idea that you are going to live your life and die, and that's all? What about the rest of eternity?

We occasionally hear about the whackos that have themselves frozen shortly after they die, with the hope that medicinal technology will get so good in a hundred-plus years, that they will be able to be brought back out of their state of hibernation and brought back to life. Some people are concerned about life...but they think medicine is the answer. The Egyptians believed that preparing a place for the deceased gave them the ticket to life. Christians, like myself, believe that Jesus is the answer. Why are we right?

Truly, the Bible is the only comprehensive, completely defensible worldview. It makes the most logical sense when viewed within itself. I coheres. What I mean by this is, if you grant the starting assumptions, such as a creation and the fall of humanity, then the rest follows logically. Like any worldview, it requires faith to believe the starting premises and certain points.

While that is a good rational reason for Christianity (albeit it takes volumes of explaning to express), the real way to prove that Christianity is true is by looking at how a Christian is supposed to live (and how Jesus Christ himself lived). The two commandments are to love God and love others. In a world filled with brokenness and hate, Christianity often comes as a welcome relief. As Dinesh D'souza said in the debate that was held by TKC, Christians are responsible for many of the great, loving things in the world. I agree. It's true that many Christians do not live up to the right standards. But if anything, that is further proof that what they say is right: the world is broken because of sin and not what it should be, but God has come to change that and is changing them. There is no more powerful a testimony than that of a changed life.

Well King Tut may have tried to get eternal life, but he did not find the one true God. Blessings be on all those who do find Him, whether they are kings or not.