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Voodoo or voudon like everything else from the motherland has been misunderstood ,deliberately misinterpreted and slandered by everyone from 'experts'to Hollywood with their zombie bs. The truth is its possibly the worlds oldest religion. As far back as 70,000 years the importance of the snake,a central figure in voodoo ,due to its shedding of skin and seeming immortality is seen.
In the late Neolithic snake worship was taken by African emigrants to the Americas,Europe and in Asia as the Naga cult from India to S.E Asia. Eurocentrists say voodoo has borrowed Catholic saints but it would appear the truth is upside down. Catholicism is a perverted form of voodoo which was and still is matriarchical-most likely in the period after the black and mulattos lost Europe the change to modern catholicism happened. The belief systems,saints and major gods were whitened with a suitably Judeochristian complexion. [IMG]http://castinet.castilleja.org/private/faculty/peggy_mckee/africaweb/images /fest6.jpg[/IMG] Away from fakery and commercialism genuine voodoo in its many forms is practiced in W.Africa,S.America and the Caribbean
Posts: 433 | From: nairobi | Registered: Oct 2011
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The real challenges of African religions and their practitioners is looking beyond the religious discontinuity brought by colonialism and make our religions evolve with the current time. Many African religious groups already made that step. Shinto religions in Japan, a similar ancestral based religions than the ones in Africa, also have taken this step. Ancient Kemet religious practices hint us also about similar step that can be taken by African traditional religion due to the urban multi-ethnic setting in Ancient Egypt. (They used the same techniques used in later African empire to combine religious practice of many different people).
I personally encourage all people in the world at least for curiosity or fun or academically to learn about traditional religions. Whether it's Celtic, Romans, Druids, Indian, Greek, Kemet, African, Chinese or Japanese traditional/ancestral religions.
The foundation of the religion in all the ancient great civilization (before the abrahimic religions fascist doctrine of one god one religion and the following horrible middle ages and witch hunts and heretic hunts) was based on unity in diversity. As all people have their own path toward God through their ancestors.
Posts: 2981 | Registered: Jan 2012
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posted
World's oldest religion discovered in Botswana
quote:"That was the first solid archaeological evidence to demonstrate that early Homo sapiens were thinking abstractly and behaving like modern people long before it was thought to be possible. It became clear that Africa was not just the place that people became physically modern, but that many culturally modern practices were present in Africa long before they appeared in Europe," says Ms Coulson.
posted
^ Actually, the form of Voodoo that is practiced in the Americas is a distorted form of Catholicism. When slaves were converted to Catholicism, they did not completely give their traditional religion and merely created a mish-mash or hybrid.
Though I fail to see what snake worship around the globe or European traditions have to do with voodoo. It sounds like more diffusionist nonsense.
Posts: 26318 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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While I disagree with Kikuyu's claim that Voodoo itself goes back to the paleolithic, I do believe its roots may well have. Vodun is just one of many forms of traditional African religions that have survived into the present. But to shift this more to the subject of Ancient Egypt there are in fact MANY elements that ancient Egyptian religion shares with Vodun obviously no doubt to the African commonality:
And the above is just a few of the commonalities! There are many more I have discovered.
Posts: 26318 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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There were sympathetic snake deities in ancient Egyptian religion, but Apep isn't the best example. He was actually even closer to our idea of an evil deity than Sutekh/Set.
Posts: 7099 | From: Fallbrook, CA | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Arwa: Thanks kikuyu22 for starting this topic. I hope we can engage civilized,and continue this discussion, and respect every ones beliefs.
I am reading at the moment Frazer's the golden bough.
Yes, I've got that one it's good reading...I've got some titles in my personal library you might find to be interesting reading as well ( if you haven't read them already, that is):
Albert Churchward: THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF RELIGION
SIGNS & SYMBOLS OF PRIMORDIAL MAN- THE EVOLUTION OF RELIGIOUS DOCTRINES FROM THE ESCHATOLOGY OF ANCIENT EGYPTIANS
Godfrey Higgins THE SAITIC ISIS
Dr. Ben's AFRICAN ORIGINS OF THE MAJOR 'WESTERN RELIGIONS'
Gerald Massey: THE NATURAL GENESIS, VOLS 1 & 2
A BOOK OF THE BEGINNINGS VOLS 1 & 2
ANCIENT EGYPT THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD VOLS 1 & 2
I also recommend the Metu Neter volumes...
Posts: 3446 | From: U.S. by way of JA by way of Africa | Registered: Jan 2010
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quote:Originally posted by Djehuti: ^ Actually, the form of Voodoo that is practiced in the Americas is a distorted form of Catholicism. When slaves were converted to Catholicism, they did not completely give their traditional religion and merely created a mish-mash or hybrid.
Though I fail to see what snake worship around the globe or European traditions have to do with voodoo. It sounds like more diffusionist nonsense.
You are absolutely correct - just like modern Christianity in black churches. There is a major difference from black to white churches in America - many of the things they do in the black churches can be found in vodoun today.
Posts: 951 | From: where rules end and freedom begins | Registered: Jun 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Djehuti: While I disagree with Kikuyu's claim that Voodoo itself goes back to the paleolithic, I do believe its roots may well have. Vodun is just one of many forms of traditional African religions that have survived into the present. But to shift this more to the subject of Ancient Egypt there are in fact MANY elements that ancient Egyptian religion shares with Vodun obviously no doubt to the African commonality:
And the above is just a few of the commonalities! There are many more I have discovered.
Well the oldest religion known to man is Animism know by Shamanism to many. Even the 70k snake found in S.Africa share the same elements of Animism which modern science know it as Quantum Physics. All African religions/traditions share this likeness possible due to the common migration from the ancient wet lands found in the Sahara desert.
Posts: 951 | From: where rules end and freedom begins | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
^ Just a slight correction. 'Animism' is the belief that spirits can and do reside in not only living things but inanimate objects as well. This is different from 'shamanism' which is a practice where certain individuals communicate with or commune with spirits. The two are distinct concepts but no doubt can be related in a way.
One thing I've noticed is the obvious bias in Western literature to describe or lump all traditional African religious beliefs as 'animism' which is nothing more than a dismissive and derogatory act. In the minds of most scholars animism is nothing more than a simplistic belief that spirits are everywhere and reside in all, and that's it. They on the other hand try to distinguish more "classical" religions (including Ancient Egyptian which in their minds is separate from Africa) as more complex and sophisticated. Yet what are we to make of Greek religion where every tree, stream, and meadow was possessed of a spirit?!
Posts: 26318 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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There were sympathetic snake deities in ancient Egyptian religion, but Apep isn't the best example. He was actually even closer to our idea of an evil deity than Sutekh/Set.
True. Though Apep wasn't really 'evil' per say than a principle opposite force of Ra. Just as Ra represents light, so does Apep represent darkness. The two are opposite poles of the same cosmos. Sutek/Set is also ambiguous where he is one of the warriors called to defend Ra but himself is guilty of crimes against his brother and nephew. I believe the Egyptian deities really symbolize both forces in nature as well as humanity for either 'good' or destruction.
Though in regards to serpent veneration, Apep may be the exception as most serpent deities were worshiped like Uadjet.
Posts: 26318 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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quote: Catholicism is a perverted form of voodoo which was and still is matriarchical
I really cant see the link between Catholicism and Voodoo. Do you have materials I can read more?
Years ago I read both volumes of Fraziers' and Massey which first formed the idea that later crystallised after reading up on voodoo.There are a whole pantheon of saints,baptism,rebirth and ideas of heaven which are strangely reminiscent of Catholicism leading to the usual Eurocentric conclusions which as usual are upside down. Btw,the snake is everywhere a symbol of rebirth.
Posts: 433 | From: nairobi | Registered: Oct 2011
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