posted
The vast majority of blacks today are spiritually alienated maximally, in that their religious totems are not of their making and have been imposed on them under conditions of duress. Their religions are mainly Islam and Christianity.
But the paradox is that although blacks embrace the Totems of Islam and Christianity as subordinates, the foundations of both monotheistic faiths were set by Pharaoh Akhenaten of the 19th Dynasty.
The puzzle is why Africans/blacks have not adopted this genuine and original article of faith instead of its copies formulated by Jews then plagiarized Arabs. In this regard, the alienation and subordination experienced by Africans/blacks at the hands of Islam and Christianity would be negated.
A ready made religion for Africans/blacks is Atenism conjoined to the moral principles om MAAT. Again, the puzzle is why such has never been attempted? Atenism should be the spiritual affiliation, not Islam or Christianity
posted
Are all blacks African? I seriously hope ES can make up it's mind on this question because I keep seeing so many messages in contradiction it feels like it hasn't made up it's mind with how to define black. I don't understand why on one breath so many people argue that Jesus was a persecuted black man and then say because he wasn't African, his black followers are misguided because Christianity didn't come from Africa. So I am trying to see if this makes sense... you're putting down the veneration of a black man because he wasn't black African, but then venerate the Egyptians when they were probably NOT completely black African either? Especially not by Akhenaten's time.
Posts: 2508 | From: . | Registered: Nov 2011
| IP: Logged |
posted
The true religion of African people is really in Buddhism and Hinduism, ie in the core philosophical world view. The faith aspects have to be built on top of that.
Hinduism has been corrupted by the caste system, so the only way to follow it faithfully is within a non-caste based variant, which means basically outside Indian communities where caste reigns.
Buddhism is rather dry, but may work if its celebrations and culture are given an African flavours.
Christianity and Islam don't work for African people because the worship of African ancestors has been removed from the flavours introduced to African people, and Islam believes in worshipping Muhammad who disparaged African people.
They will be fine if the element of ancestor worship is introduced, ie the worship of a Madonna and a Jesus who are African.
Without ancestor worship, Africans are not going to get anywhere quickly.
If Africans are going to adopt Atenism, who are the priests of Aten who are going to introduce it to them, or are they just going to confabulate their own rites and practices?
-------------------- The Habsburg Agenda - Defending Western Christian civilization Posts: 890 | From: London | Registered: Apr 2014
| IP: Logged |
Tukuler
multidisciplinary Black Scholar
Member # 19944
posted
Should ES have an Overmind or use Groupthink?
Poster context can help tell if a person means a particular black people or black people in general. I use Black when I mean Black Americans. I use geography/nationality for all others.
I'm sure the blacks from Melanesia to Pakistan have their own indigine spirituality and religions and are in no need to import an African one.
Religion is a touchy matter. There is such a thing as origins and believers don't want to hear anything about human origins of their religion.
For instance do Christians follow the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth or Constantine of Rome and to what extent?
According to the Christian holy books in Jesus' generation but after his execution a Hebrew reading Sudani converted to 'Christianity'. So African blacks were in it from the get-go.
As a national or statewide profession Ethiopia (Abyssinia) has been Christian for some 1600 years and interlaced with pre-Talmudic Judaisms.
It's all about what a people make of it when in their hands. Survivors of the Middle Passage used the Christian Bible to their advantage, especially 'insurgents'. Much of their liberation philosophy was encoded in the "Negro Spirituals" as the plantation 'hymnal'.
posted
It's not really my place to tell people of African heritage what religious beliefs are best suited for their ethnicity. Nonetheless, I want to put it out there that nobody is obligated to be religious at all. I'm perfectly able to get through life without believing in anything supernatural or spiritual. All religion in my view is an archaic relic of a pre-modern time.
But if one wants to believe in Jesus, Allah, Amun, Shango, and/or Cthulhu, that's no skin off my nose. Just don't try to force your beliefs onto me or anyone else.
Tukuler
multidisciplinary Black Scholar
Member # 19944
posted
Ah that's what Jihadis do. Take the skin off your nose or kidnap your daughters out their school and random acts of violence.
Many suppose religion is about peace and love and tolerance but it ain't so.
There are proselytizing religions who will not leave you be.
Their are political activist religions successfully banning evolution from text books in Arizona.
Religion is a powerful force over people making them do things nothing else could.
Religion has even made one set of peoples despised by all the rest of humanity naturally fit for slavery.
In the Hindu Rg Veda Gods Indra and Agni slay black flat nosed subhuman Dasyu and redistribute their cattle and fine cities. And Manu regulated draconian measures for infractions by a Sudra, the first anti-black racism in religious holy books and laws.
posted
While not religious but believing in a "most high" I always felt the issue was not religion itself but the prominent people promoting it because the only thing different between scientific racism and inappropriate use of religion is one had a flawed gathering of information to prove a point while the other means of confirmation is a strong feeling.
Posts: 1123 | From: New York | Registered: Feb 2016
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Tukuler: Should ES have an Overmind or use Groupthink?
ES should arrive to some level of consensus about whose black. You can't sort the parameters of what black history, cultures, civilizations or religions are if you don't have some basic idea of what is black. Take for instance this talking about Egypt. One of the most common ways to remove Egypt from the realm of black history is to discredit Egypt's relationship to Sub Saharan Africa. And most pro black Egypt people will stick to that script and focus on proving Egypt's connection to Sub Saharan Africa to prove they're black. But then you have people on ES ALSO saying people with no recent relationship to Africa like Melanesians and indigenous Australians are black while deeply invested in this SSA=Egypt stuff. So which is it on the race issue?
Posts: 2508 | From: . | Registered: Nov 2011
| IP: Logged |
posted
I don't see the problem with your question.the late Dr. John Henrick Clarke said a name of a people should relate them to land, history and culture,the problem with the term "black" as used in the Americas is that it only describe what we call are selve,we didn't create a racial understanding of the world and had no knowledge how similar humanity is overall other what whites gave us,so in getting to understand the human family we classify from the region they call home and use acceptable terms to discribe them. As this relates to your comment they are saying the Egyptians are African and African like people exist.
Posts: 1123 | From: New York | Registered: Feb 2016
| IP: Logged |
Tukuler
multidisciplinary Black Scholar
Member # 19944
posted
What do colonial settler Anglos call indigenous Australians?
A New Guinea man told me of course I'm black but I won't join the African Student Association because it implies I'm no more native to Papua. He hung out with fellow nappy heads, Africans, African Americans, Afro sporting Arabs of the time. We were an international set of n*****s. Our perceived blackness united us across geographic divides without thinking we all were recently racially related. But there were Black Americans called us goucks.
The ASA refused to accept some born and bred East Africans. They told black as molasses applicants you're black but Indians have a bad track record with us. Nonetheless there were friendships with even East African Indians so Hindu them girls wobble walked.
What does Melanesia mean? Why'd it get that name?
It seems most everybody has an idea what black means.
In English black is a color. In English negro is a condition. USA people are the only people to identify solely as Black. But USA people can't dictate that peoples known to be black that existed for 100s and 1000s of years before there was a USA must hand over the name of a color to them just because in the USA some African folk unfortunately suffered an african neygur colored negro black nigga identity crisis. Stripped of language faith and name. Nor are the books and journals noting non 'African slave batch' [excuse me] peoples world wide as b l a c k getting revised.
But man you got me interested in this chat up so why don't we chat to understand (not agree with) each other in a forum where can speak we freely, iffen u wanna ? Respecting Lamin's Spirituality flavour thread, no hi-jack intended.
A ready made religion for Africans/blacks is Atenism conjoined to the moral principles om MAAT. Again, the puzzle is why such has never been attempted? Atenism should be the spiritual affiliation, not Islam or Christianity
Aten, the god of Atenism, first appears in texts dating to the 12th dynasty, in the Story of Sinuhe. During the Middle Kingdom, Aten "as the sun disk...was merely one aspect of the sun god Re."[1] It was a relatively obscure sun god; without the Atenist period, it would barely have figured in Egyptian history. Although there are indications that it was becoming slightly more important during the eighteenth dynasty, notably Amenhotep III's naming of his royal barge as Spirit of the Aten, it was Amenhotep IV who introduced the Atenist revolution in a series of steps culminating in the official installment of the Aten as Egypt's sole god. Although each line of kings prior to the reign of Akhenaten had previously adopted one deity as the royal patron and supreme state god, there had never been an attempt to exclude other deities, and the multitude of gods had always been tolerated and worshipped. During the reign of Thutmosis IV, it was identified as a distinct solar god, and his son Amenhotep III established and promoted a separate cult for the Aten.
Amenhotep IV initially introduced Atenism in the fifth year of his reign (1348/1346 BC), raising Aten to the status of supreme god, after having initially permitted continued worship of the traditional gods.[3] To emphasise the change, Aten's name was written in the cartouche form normally reserved for Pharaohs, an innovation of Atenism. The religious reformation appears to coincide with the proclamation of a Sed festival, a sort of royal jubilee intended to reinforce the Pharaoh's divine powers of kingship
Amenhotep IV officially changed his name to Akhenaten (Spirit of the Aten) as evidence of his new worship.
In the ninth year of his reign (1344/1342 BC), Akhenaten declared a more radical version of his new religion, declaring Aten not merely the supreme god of the Egyptian pantheon but the only God of Egypt, with himself as the sole intermediary between the Aten and the Egyptian people.
Akhenaten's reforms cut away both the philosophical and economic bases of priestly power, abolishing the cults of all other deities and, with them, the large and lucrative industry of sacrifices and tributes that the priests controlled.
At the same time, he strengthened the role of the Pharaoh.
Basically a king trying to centralize power and make himself holy, in my opinion, also looking at the biography of Akhenaten
Apart from that please give us the basic tenants of Atenism that make it more beneficial for Africans than other African religions
Posts: 42921 | From: , | Registered: Jan 2010
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Tukuler: Should ES have an Overmind or use Groupthink?
ES should arrive to some level of consensus about whose black. You can't sort the parameters of what black history, cultures, civilizations or religions are if you don't have some basic idea of what is black. Take for instance this talking about Egypt. One of the most common ways to remove Egypt from the realm of black history is to discredit Egypt's relationship to Sub Saharan Africa. And most pro black Egypt people will stick to that script and focus on proving Egypt's connection to Sub Saharan Africa to prove they're black. But then you have people on ES ALSO saying people with no recent relationship to Africa like Melanesians and indigenous Australians are black while deeply invested in this SSA=Egypt stuff. So which is it on the race issue?
So we should just ignore the following:
The fact that AE was created by Southern Egyptians that were closely related to Lower "Nubians" and Sudanese predynastic cultures.
The fact that the people of the South were demographically, politically, culturally, economically and militarily dominant from the predynastic until the New Kingdom period.
Why should AE be judged by demographic events (concentrated in the North) long after its founding and golden age? Everything that is AE was a product of the South; the North was a poor, disorganised, primitive backwater before Narmer conquered it.
The North was probably compromised from the very beginning, but they did not start the civilization; they were conquered, dominated and integrated, so AE really should not be judged on the demographic dynamics of the far less significant North.
Maybe we should judge Australia based on the demographics of Sydney's CBD in 2018 as opposed to the bulk of its history.
Unlike the Melanesians and the Aboriginals of Australia, the ancient Egyptians were not Eurasians thousands of miles away from Africa and were not separated by tens of thousands of years.
Posts: 1568 | From: Pluto | Registered: Sep 2008
| IP: Logged |
There was once a city called Crocodilopolis, where they worshiped the crocodile god Sobek. The people of Crocodilopolis paid devotion to an earthly representative of Sobek, a living crocodile they called Petsuchos and covered in gold and gems and kept in a temple, though it is unclear how they did this without loss of life or limb. When one Petsuchos died, they simply replaced him with another, like a fairground goldfish.
Crocodilopolis was established on the Nile, southwest of Memphis, about 4,000BC. The Egyptians called it Shedet (it was the Greeks who, wise to the city’s USP, gave it its name), and it was possibly the most ancient city in ancient Egypt. It is now part of the modern city of Faiyum – which makes Faiyum possibly the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world.
There was once a city called Crocodilopolis, where they worshiped the crocodile god Sobek. The people of Crocodilopolis paid devotion to an earthly representative of Sobek, a living crocodile they called Petsuchos and covered in gold and gems and kept in a temple, though it is unclear how they did this without loss of life or limb. When one Petsuchos died, they simply replaced him with another, like a fairground goldfish.
Crocodilopolis was established on the Nile, southwest of Memphis, about 4,000BC. The Egyptians called it Shedet (it was the Greeks who, wise to the city’s USP, gave it its name), and it was possibly the most ancient city in ancient Egypt. It is now part of the modern city of Faiyum – which makes Faiyum possibly the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world.
How does this refute the fact that culture ,political order [Nation-State], writing, architecture, science, medicine and more came from the South?
Did the people of this city invent AE writing?
At 4000bc the North was probably still ethnically like the South at that point and this is why predynastic North did not resemble nearby peoples and cultures in the Levant. In was around the 12th dynasty that Asiatics migrated into the North en mass.
Posts: 1568 | From: Pluto | Registered: Sep 2008
| IP: Logged |
quote: Basically a king trying to centralize power and make himself holy, in my opinion, also looking at the biography of Akhenaten
Apart from that please give us the basic tenants of Atenism that make it more beneficial for Africans than other African religions
Atenism is preferable because its foundational documents were written in a context of metaphysical thinking that was holistic in structure and universal in reach. Another context was that Atenism developed in a society that was sophisticated bearing the marks of a civilization that lasted 3,000 years.
Ir was on this basis that the concept of Monotheism developed, to spawn the ideas that nomadic people like the Ancient Jews adopted. Obviously, they discarded whatever forms of worship they may have had in favor of a more structured religion.
The patriarchal names of Moses and Abraham were woven into the monotheistic narrative. Whether they existed or not is besides the point. This was the basis for monotheistic Judaism which adopted a written expression. The Judaic tradition continued with the Jewish figure named Christ.
What we have here is the basic idea of monotheism developed by Akhenaten adopted by the Jews for their own religion. Christ carried on that tradition but with a more universalist approach.
The same for the Arabs who discarded whatever folk religions they had its multiplicity of Gods for the more structured and written Judaism and Christianity. They wanted a religion too that they could claim as their own.
In Europe Christianity caught on for the same reasons. The pre-Christian religions of Wicca, Celtic religion(with its Druids) were cast aside and the more structured monotheistic faith of Christianity was adopted.
Christians and Muslims have successfully adopted monotheistic Christianity and Islam to such an extent that they are in total control of such faiths. For Christians, head quarters are Rome and Canterbury, and for the Arab Muslims, Mecca.
Africans have been forcefully dragged into both Christianity and Islam as subalterns not as equals but downgraded by the apocryphal "Curse of Ham".
For Africans/blacks who are already absorbed into Islam and Christianity but as subordinates, and who aspire to the dignity of agency and control of their own spiritual lives, Atenism is the optimal choice the other African religions are not written down and are compromised by their localness--in the same way that Wicca in Britain was discarded for Christianity. Plus Atenism conjoined with Maat is strictly humane and universal and not compromised by negative witchcraft, which purports to bring harm to others--as was the case with traditional religions of Europe and West Asia/
The interesting thing is that Atenism is more authentic for Africans/blacks than Christianity and Islam. Europeans own Christianity and West Asian Arabs and Muslims own Islam--even though both faiths are the results of borrowing the original idea of monotheism from Africa. Africans own Atenism and it is already theirs. They can never own Christianity or Islam.
Th same principle was at work with the East Asian adoption of the teachings of the Buddha. Buddhism is now owned by East Asians just as Hinduism is owned by South Asians. More traditional religions were cast aside for more structured belief systems.
Posts: 5492 | Registered: Nov 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:If Africans are going to adopt Atenism, who are the priests of Aten who are going to introduce it to them, or are they just going to confabulate their own rites and practices?
Just develop rites and practices as is seen fit. Same way that the Arabs just copied elements of Judaism and Christianity and made up a new religion.
Such a set of metaphysical practices would have more authenticity than Kwanzaa.
Posts: 5492 | Registered: Nov 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by lamin: Atenism is preferable because its foundational documents were written in a context of metaphysical thinking that was holistic in structure and universal in reach. Another context was that Atenism developed in a society that was sophisticated bearing the marks of a civilization that lasted 3,000 years.
Members have made threads like this one before, encouraging people to adopt African religions on grounds of "loyalty to one's roots". Religion doesn't work like that. Most people inherit their religions, convert due to religious experiences or because something put the fear of God in them.
Have you ever seen an episode of Breaking Amish or a Scientology documentary where ex-members talk about leaving? Lol. People get deeply attached to their religions with things like peer pressure, salvation, fear of going to hell, etc. You can't expect people to contemplate switching religions like it's selling an old car.
Posts: 8785 | From: Discovery Channel's Mythbusters | Registered: Dec 2009
| IP: Logged |
quote:Are all blacks African? I seriously hope ES can make up it's mind on this question because I keep seeing so many messages in contradiction it feels like it hasn't made up it's mind with how to define black. I don't understand why on one breath so many people argue that Jesus was a persecuted black man and then say because he wasn't African, his black followers are misguided because Christianity didn't come from Africa. So I am trying to see if this makes sense... you're putting down the veneration of a black man because he wasn't black African, but then venerate the Egyptians when they were probably NOT completely black African either? Especially not by Akhenaten's time.
Living organisms develop their particular forms and characteristics because of the selective and shaping forces of the environment. One sees that phenomenon with both flora and fauna. Vegetation in dry areas differ from that in wetter areas. Polar bears and Artic foxes have adapted to their environments by developing white fur. Not so for Brown Bears and Red Foxes.
With humans, it's the same. The humans who evolved in the African environments developed certain phenotypical characteristics which mark them out for taxonomic classification.
In this regard Melanesians are African because they have retained the African phenotype gross modo. The displaced blacks who live in the Western Hemisphere are also African going purely on phenotype. When tney face racial discrimination, it's purely on the basis of phenotype.
In short, an African is anyone whose phenotypical traits are the result of being shaped in the African environment. In this regard, some groups may share certain traits but not all--as in the case of Asian Indians, East Asians and others.
Posts: 5492 | Registered: Nov 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by lamin: Atenism is preferable because its foundational documents were written in a context of metaphysical thinking that was holistic in structure and universal in reach. Another context was that Atenism developed in a society that was sophisticated bearing the marks of a civilization that lasted 3,000 years.
Members have made threads like this one before, encouraging people to adopt African religions on grounds of "loyalty to one's roots". Religion doesn't work like that. Most people inherit their religions, convert due to religious experiences or because something put the fear of God in them.
Have you ever seen an episode of Breaking Amish or a Scientology documentary where ex-members talk about leaving? Lol. People get deeply attached to their religions with things like peer pressure, salvation, fear of going to hell, etc. You can't expect people to contemplate switching religions like it's selling an old car.
In addition, while it is true that Christianity was forced upon enslaved Africans brought into the New World (and maybe the same happened to those brought into Islamic countries), it's not exactly unheard of for religions to spread beyond the population that founded them. Christianity and Judaism themselves didn't become the "white man's religions" until they spread into Europe from the Middle East during late Roman times. That's why you have certain white supremacists embracing ancient Germanic, Celtic, or other pre-Christian European religions as alternatives to Judeo-Christianity. In addition, I don't think all the Buddhist people in China, Japan, or Southeast Asia are going to give up their religion simply because it originated among the darker-skinned people of India.
Atenism, or the "Amarna heresy", refers to the religious changes associated with the eighteenth dynasty Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, better known under his adopted name, Akhenaten. In the 14th century BC, Atenism was Egypt's state religion for around 20 years, before subsequent rulers returned to the traditional gods and the Pharaohs associated with Atenism were erased from Egyptian records.
History of Aten before Akhenaten
Aten, the god of Atenism, first appears in texts dating to the 12th dynasty, in the Story of Sinuhe.
However, in the ninth year of his reign Akhenaten declared a more radical version of his new religion by declaring Aten not merely the supreme god but the only god, and Akhenaten was the son of Aten was the only intermediary between the Aten and his people. He even staged the ritual regicide of Amun, and ordered the defacing of Amun's temples throughout Egypt. Key features of Atenism included a ban on idols and other images of the Aten, with the exception of a rayed solar disc in which the rays, commonly depicted as ending in hands,
lamin, when Akhenaten decided to focus on Aten and went about banning things and defacing other objects of worship it was considered a revolution in Egypt. This Amarna period including Tutankhamen went on for 20 years and then the Egyptians rejected it, returned to their previous belief system and removed record of Akhenhaten including from the king's list.
What are the basic beliefs of Atenism?
Posts: 42921 | From: , | Registered: Jan 2010
| IP: Logged |
posted
Doesn't matter that Egyptians rejected Akhenaten's religious revolution. The Jews picked it up and it worked for them. Note too that the Jews rejected Christ but his teachings were later adopted by millions.
Atenism would mean that a universal and single spirit permeates the universe as a conscious metaphysical spirit--the fundamental idea of monotheism.
Western metaphysics has adopted this principle as in the case of Spinoza's Pantheism and Hegel's Geist.
Posts: 5492 | Registered: Nov 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
In addition, while it is true that Christianity was forced upon enslaved Africans brought into the New World (and maybe the same happened to those brought into Islamic countries), it's not exactly unheard of for religions to spread beyond the population that founded them. Christianity and
quote:Judaism themselves didn't become the "white man's religions" until they spread into Europe from the Middle East during late Roman times. That's why you have certain white supremacists embracing ancient Germanic, Celtic, or other pre-Christian European religions as alternatives to Judeo-Christianity. In addition, I don't think all the Buddhist people in China, Japan, or Southeast Asia are going to give up their religion simply because it originated among the darker-skinned people of India.
But you miss the point--which is that Africans don't have to borrow religions and ethics from Arabs and Europeans when in actual fact they are the ones borrowing from Africans and quickly putting their own seal on what they poached. And they slyly hide that fact. naive blacks/Africans are fooled in the process..
The obvious issue is why should Africans borrow what is theirs already--only as subordinates and subalterns.
The point I makes is underscored because Western Christianity localized that religion by placing its headquarters in Rome and Canterbury(England). The Arabs have maintained that the headquarters of Islam is in their homeland of Arabia and others who embrace Islam are in principle no more than colonial subjects.
Note that Buddhism has only a small following in India. It came into its own only in East Asia.
Posts: 5492 | Registered: Nov 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by lamin: Atenism is preferable because its foundational documents were written in a context of metaphysical thinking that was holistic in structure and universal in reach. Another context was that Atenism developed in a society that was sophisticated bearing the marks of a civilization that lasted 3,000 years.
Members have made threads like this one before, encouraging people to adopt African religions on grounds of "loyalty to one's roots". Religion doesn't work like that. Most people inherit their religions, convert due to religious experiences or because something put the fear of God in them.
Have you ever seen an episode of Breaking Amish or a Scientology documentary where ex-members talk about leaving? Lol. People get deeply attached to their religions with things like peer pressure, salvation, fear of going to hell, etc. You can't expect people to contemplate switching religions like it's selling an old car.
In addition, while it is true that Christianity was forced upon enslaved Africans brought into the New World (and maybe the same happened to those brought into Islamic countries), it's not exactly unheard of for religions to spread beyond the population that founded them. Christianity and Judaism themselves didn't become the "white man's religions" until they spread into Europe from the Middle East during late Roman times. That's why you have certain white supremacists embracing ancient Germanic, Celtic, or other pre-Christian European religions as alternatives to Judeo-Christianity. In addition, I don't think all the Buddhist people in China, Japan, or Southeast Asia are going to give up their religion simply because it originated among the darker-skinned people of India.
I think a lot of good can come from Africans getting back to religions/religious ideas originating in Africa. Especially for people who are more eclectic in their religious beliefs (e.g. people who are into mysticism) rather than strictly organized religion.
My only criticism re: this thread is how how can religion be contrived and not sincere? Seeking African religious ideas has to come from within and be self-driven and self-motivated. It has to come from a place visiting religious centers in Africa, becoming inspired and wanting to be a part of something. Anything less will just breed Nuwaubian Egyptian cosplay, or Snoop Lion fads. Which is just making a mockery of African religions.
As far as reviving AE religion/religious ideas, that will be very hard to do, since authentic passed down knowledge of Egyptian religion died out early in the beginning of the common era:
quote:By the late first century CE, at least some amongst the dwindling priesthood foresaw the loss of the ancient literacy. Egyptian funerary inscriptions usually ask literate passersby to pronounce formulae intended to nourish the deceased in the afterlife. An Egyptian priest during the reign of the Roman emperor Hadrian (117–138 CE) ignored such personal benefits and asked those who read his monument to attend to the preservation of the old knowledge:
quote:Set your hearts on what is therein (the monument); do not forget the text collection; make copies of it; adhere perfectly to the text.
Conflicts That Shaped Pharaonic Egypt--John C Darnell
Posts: 8785 | From: Discovery Channel's Mythbusters | Registered: Dec 2009
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Swenet: I think a lot of good can come from Africans getting back to religions/religious ideas originating in Africa. Especially for people who are more eclectic in their religious beliefs (e.g. people who are into mysticism) rather than strictly organized religion.
Well, more power to them, I guess. I do understand that the root desire of this entire "Afrocentric" movement is to reconnect Afro-Diasporans with the African heritage that was historically robbed from them. And even though I personally don't see any form of religion as necessary for anyone, I can't really blame them for desiring that reconnection.
I do think that various West African traditions (e.g. the Yoruba or Vodun ones) might be better suited for African-American "reconnection" purposes than dead Northeast African ones. Not only was West Africa the origin for most African-American ancestors, but their religions are still around in more or less unbroken form. You can't say the same for ancient Egyptian religion, which has to be translated and reconstructed from scrappy archaeological data.
That said, I must admit that I'm personally not crazy about scolding "Afrocentric" people for their enthusiasm about ancient Egyptian or Kushite culture either. Sure, since most African and Afro-Diasporan people outside of Egypt and Sudan aren't direct descendents of those two kingdoms, they can't really claim them as part of their ancestry. But the sad truth is that, outside a small number of academics (e.g. Keita, Ehret, and Sally Ann-Ashton), the "Afrocentric" crowd is one of very few who is willing to challenge Eurocentric narratives about AE and its African connections. That most of them come from a pan-Africanist "all Africans are one people with one heritage" angle does tend to cause problems, but you have to give them credit for stepping up to critique mainstream portrayals. Not many other people are willing to do that.
Mukuru is the name of the God worshiped by the Himba and Herero people of Namibia. They believe that He is an all powerful deity who delivers life-giving rain, saves sick people, and that all people are His children. Death is believed to be Mukuru's call to his child to return home. They also believe that all deceased people serve Mukuru. The Herero people believe that their tribal chief is an incarnation of God, who works to complete Mukuru's earthly tasks.
Chukwu
The Igbo people of Nigeria consider Chukwu to be the Supreme Being. He is primarily made of five facets, i.e., Chukwu (Force that created all living beings), Okike (Creator of laws that govern every tangible and intangible thing in the universe), Agbala (Fertility of the all living beings and the spiritual dimension of the universe), Chi (Spiritual Guide), and Anyanwu (symbolic representation of the sun which is the origin of all knowledge in the universe).
Waaq
The Oromo people who reside in parts of Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya, believe in a God named Waaq, who was prominent till Catholic missionaries attempted to convert the locals to Christianity, although he is still worshiped by some people in today's society. The concept of this religion explains that all of mankind are servants to Waaq, who have to live in constant fear of Him, and that they should always sing his praises. The God would get his bidding done by angels or spirits. The religion has a large prayer system, with long chants and rituals.
Posts: 42921 | From: , | Registered: Jan 2010
| IP: Logged |
what city in AE developed writing?
Posts: 42921 | From: , | Registered: Jan 2010
| IP: Logged |
Tukuler
multidisciplinary Black Scholar
Member # 19944
posted
The Gods and Spirituality of western Africa from Bini to Ngola have been worshipped since a time when all the peoples in that region shared one homeland and interrelated lects.
They crossed the Atlantic probably even before the maafa in the force that breeds Hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean Sea.
Their worship thrived more in Franco- Iberian America but many non-Caribbean Anglo Americans have embraced them in the last century.
I already gave reasons why Atenism is more suited for African adherence than any of the other African religions. It is written and more structured than the others. There is empirical evidence as to its contents. The same for the moral principles of MAAT.
More elaborate than the Judaic 10 Commandments--and most likely borrowed from the Principles of MAAT.
Why be a scorned--on purely racial grounds-- slave of Judaism/Christianity and a plagiarized Arab Islam--when the authentic thing is part of one's lienage?
Posts: 5492 | Registered: Nov 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:It's not really my place to tell people of African heritage what religious beliefs are best suited for their ethnicity. Nonetheless, I want to put it out there that nobody is obligated to be religious at all. I'm perfectly able to get through life without believing in anything supernatural or spiritual. All religion in my view is an archaic relic of a pre-modern time.
But if one wants to believe in Jesus, Allah, Amun, Shango, and/or Cthulhu, that's no skin off my nose. Just don't try to force your beliefs onto me or anyone else.
Even though religion may seem to be "an archaic relic from pre-modern times"--the vast majority of the people in the world still see religion as vital to their lives. Atheism and agnosticism still do not appeal to most humans.
Religious adherence is also of enormous political and cultural significance especially for people who are Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists. Thousands of Africans spend millions of good money running over to Mecca each year to bow down to their Arab religious overlords and would be much offended if asked to stop being so slavish. Same for blacks in the West and Africa who just make their pastors extremely wealthy while they suffer the ills of underdevelopment. And who is the Christian Totem? Someone from the lienage of Judaism.
Thus, for whatever reasons the vast majority of humans believe that there is some supreme being in charge of the universe and human affairs.
So if there are Africans/blacks who believe such, then why not choose the expression of such that is most appropriate instead of ones that demean and undervalue people of African lienage.
Posts: 5492 | Registered: Nov 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by lamin: lioness: Most Africans already believe this.
I already gave reasons why Atenism is more suited for African adherence than any of the other African religions. It is written and more structured than the others. There is empirical evidence as to its contents.
Other than focus on one deity as opposed to many what are some of the other beliefs of Atensism?
So far you have mentioned none other that are particular to Atenism that began in the 12th dynasty
Basically you are saying Africans should believe in God
And it should be one God, not many and they should reject Christianity and Islam which teach that also and instead follow a Nile Valley code of ethics the Ma'at which is not particular to Atenism and goes back to at least the 5th dynasty
Posts: 42921 | From: , | Registered: Jan 2010
| IP: Logged |
quote:Basically you are saying Africans should believe in God
All that is being proposed is that IF any black/African chooses to embrace any of the 3 MONOTHEISTIC religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, why not instead embrace the ORIGINAL Monotheism of Akhenaten of the 19th Dynasty than its derived copies.
Whether Africans should believe in God or otherwise is another matter altogether.
The refurbished Atensism should also include the moral principles of MAAT. Just as Christianity offers a new paradigm of belief as expressed in the New Testament and Islam poaches elements of Christianity and Judaism and welds together with inputs from Arab culture, so to Atenism could include both metaphysical and moral elements.
Pharaoh Akenaten of the 19th Dynasty--the Founder of Monotheism--later adopted by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic