A god's presence in the temple linked the human and divine realms and allowed humans to interact with the god through ritual. These rituals, it was believed, sustained the god and allowed it to continue to play its proper role in nature. They were, therefore, a key part of the maintenance of "maat", the ideal order of nature and of human society in Egyptian belief. Maintaining "maat" was the entire purpose of Egyptian religion, and thus it was the purpose of a temple as well.