Not a beast

Man - somewhere along the evolutionary trail - took a turn from the way of the beast. What distinguishes man from the animal is his conscience. Way before Biblical tradition introduced the concept of sin, the ancient Egyptians recognized the existence of gods and consequences. Re was the supreme sun god. Sekhmet in Egyptian religion was the goddess of war and destroyer of enemies of Re. A fierce goddess, Sekhmet was called the "Eye of Re." She reminds me of the concept of conscience. An inner voice, a conscience in human consciousness, like an eye of God, differentiates right from wrong. The fact that Sekhet was associated both with disease and healing is reminiscent of the duo of sin and repentance A black marble statue to her in 1300 B.C. depicts a woman with the head of a lion, wearing headgear of a sun disk and a serpent. The Bible extends the tradition of a serpent in religion by making it the symbol of the devil. Winston Churchill said that "The only guide to a man is his conscience; the only shield to his memory is the rectitude and sincerity of his actions." From the former must flow the latter. Even ancient civilizations reveal that spark that distinguishes man from the beasts and elevates him to a higher calling.