This seems Buddhist. Also, the description of Atenism in this update sounds very Zoroastrian.
Living on Ma’at: An Atenist Egypt TL
- Thread starter Merovingian
- Start date
IOTL, many Greek philosophers came up with ideas similar to those in Dharmic religions. While Classical Greece as we know it will not exist ITTL, similar ideas might still emerge. That said, the belief system alluded to here is in many ways different from OTL Buddhism; while I don’t want to go into too much detail, as it won’t come into existence until several hundred years later, it is better viewed as TTL’s equivalent of Orphism with Stoic-inspired ethical teachings rather than Buddhism(although the part about the gods being bound to the cycle of rebirth is inspired by Buddhism). As for Atenism coming across as Zoroastrian, that is because Zoroastrian-esque beliefs were present in Ancient Egyptian religion IOTL. The Egyptians viewed the world as a struggle between cosmic order(Ma’at) and cosmic disorder(Isfet). With the introduction of monotheism under Akhenaten, the Aten becomes the originator of Ma’at and mankind is given the ability to choose between Ma’at and Isfet, similar to OTL Zoroastrianism.
What was Akhenaten's replacement for the Hall of Judgment and Ammit the Devourer ITTL?
In OTL, Atenism says very little about the afterlife, although tomb depictions seem to imply a form of rebirth, and magic bricks set in the burial chamber at the cardinal points to protect the deceased from evil seem to have become important in Atenism. It's theorized that the concept of the ba being a common aspect of the people's souls came from Akhenaten's reign to explain what souls were doing if there was no afterlife (traveling out from the tomb but having to periodically return to the tomb and be reunited with the mummy).
This is a great TL but my nerd and music loving ass always thinks of Akhnaten by Philip Glass as I read 
That normal?
That normal?
In TTL’s Atenism, the ka descends through the Duat(underworld) after death, where it is judged. If judged to have been good in life, the ka ascends to live alongside the Aten in the paradisiacal realm of Aaru for all eternity. If not, it spends one year in the Duat for every sin that they had committed in life before being reborn to start again. The ba, meanwhile, remains in the tomb and is sustained by offerings by family members. The bas of deceased ancestors serve as protective spirits, warding against isfet.
Sounds similar to Buddhist/Hindu concepts of reincarnation.
My reasons for including it are that everyone will eventually accept the Aten’s light, it just takes some longer than others. In the Duat, they are purified of their sins, and given a chance to try again. Rather than being seen as something to escape like in the Dharmic religions, the process of rebirth is seen as an act of mercy so that even the most sinful will be given a chance at redemption. I will go into more detail about the Atenist conception of the afterlife in a future update.
Sort of a blend of the Dharmic and Abrahamic views of the afterlife.