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| Atenist Doctrine | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 17 2014, 12:22 AM (621 Views) | |
| Meryre | Aug 17 2014, 12:22 AM Post #1 |
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I would like a list of the core beliefs of Atenism. It can be as random as you want it. I want to get a feel for what you believe in. For example should Atenism emulate the core beliefs, customs and traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam? or should it stand alone with it's unique doctrine. |
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| AmarnaGirl | Aug 17 2014, 12:39 AM Post #2 |
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Personally,I think Atenism should stand alone. Why emulate Judaism,Christianity,and Islam, when Atenism is and was none of those? I suppose some things could possibly be borrowed (after all,the 3 Abrahamic religions borrowed from many other traditions themselves.) One of the problems facing Atenism today is that there are currently so few adherents that there's really no cohesive system in place. Every Atenist I've ever come across each has their own ideas/beliefs and ways to worship/honor. This in itself is not necessarily a bad thing,but can lead to some confusion. For instance,should Atenism be the way it was during Akhenaten's time,or should it have a more modern approach? We've got a few tidbits on how Akhenaten did things (though not much) and I'm not sure it's enough to base a whole system on. Plus,the Atenists I know of today aren't in Egypt, and it's 3,000 some years later. Times and things have changed. Spirituality must "go with the flow." A stagnant system can bring many problems (just look at some other religions today - things are out of control )Hmm, I can't speak for any others who may still be here,but for myself,I'd have to sit and think out my own system (as my ideas have a habit of changing,based on new things I learn ) I will give this some thought and post my ideas (hopefully in a couple days,when I get a bit more time.)
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| Meryre | Aug 17 2014, 12:57 AM Post #3 |
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I have to fully agree with everything you said. Thank you AmarnaGirl!!
Edited by Meryre, Aug 17 2014, 12:58 AM.
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| AmarnaGirl | Aug 18 2014, 12:41 AM Post #4 |
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Maaritaten gave a good overview and I agreed with a lot of what she said (she titled her post "My Personal Beliefs",also in this Religion of Atenism section.) The thing about Atenism - I have come across some people who take a more "as Akhenaten had it" view,and a few who add more modern ideas that most likely weren't part of his system. For my own views, I'd have to say (at this point in time anyway ) that I like to keep things pretty simple:1. Keep to the 42 Laws of Ma'at (or similar) as this is a good code of moral conduct. 2. Aten is more of an impersonal god,rather than a personal one. The Aten simply just "is." It is complete in and of itself. 3. Aten is not the sun itself,(that's a star in the sky),but the symbolism of the sun disc is an excellent representation for the abstract concept that is god itself. (The sun disc provides a tangible reference for us,without becoming fixed on detail.) 4. Akhenaten can be seen as a prophet (of sorts),but was not himself divine (except in relation to how the Egyptians viewed their pharaohs) - he was a mortal human with faults like anyone. 5. I do not at this time subscribe to Atenism as it would have been in Egypt,therefore I do not see Akhenaten as needing to be the sole mediator for the Aten. The Aten really is accessible to all of us (unlike in ancient Egypt.) 6. Neither do we need Akhenaten to provide any form of "salvation." Atenism is not Christianity,Akhenaten wasn't Jesus. There is no need for any kind of "savior" in Atenism. This is a Christian concept (and may very well have been borrowed from an earlier religious system,at that.) 7. As far as any kind of afterlife,well, I think that's a tricky one for Atenism. Akhenaten didn't leave behind many details,if any (I read a paragraph in a book on Nefertiti,that mainly said there wasn't really any kind of description of an Atenist afterlife for people,save for Akhenaten alone.) So as to what there may or may not be,I can't say. I think this is another "sketchy" thing with Atenism - every religion out there promises some kind of eternal view for its followers. It's supposed to be seen as a comfort to the followers of said systems. (well,if you're good,anyway ) Why? Because people really don't like the idea of death being the end and want something more. Hence the myths of Osiris and the eternal Field of Reeds for the ancient Egyptians. When Akhenaten took those away,he failed to replace it with some other comforting belief for his people. Therefore,we don't really have an idea what the Atenist view of the afterlife is supposed to be,if anything. And as I've said,there really aren't enough Atenists to hammer out a set doctrine,like you get with other faiths that have developed over the centuries.(Though,I once read a quote from Will Rogers in a book on Spiritualism: "Believe in something for another world,but don't be too set on what it is,and then you won't start out that life with a disappointment." Good advice,I think )Hmmm, I suppose when you get down to it,Atenism really is kind of hands-on basic,no theological "fancies." What you see is what you get,which is probably at least part of what Akhenaten was trying for. Logic,not fantasy. Simplicity is always a good thing: the more complicated a religions' beliefs become,the more room there is for error and misinterpretation,people disagreeing,and all sorts of hocus-pocus begins. It's probably a safe bet to say at least half the religions out there today are NOTHING like what their original founders had intended to start out with. |
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| Meryre | Aug 18 2014, 04:58 AM Post #5 |
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AmarnaGirl, I agree with everything you've stated. I also agree with Maaritaten's 'My Personal Beliefs' in this Religion of Atenism section. Again thank you so very much for your contribution to Atenism & to this forum. You are a very critical part of what we are trying to achieve. You inspire me!!!
Edited by Meryre, Aug 18 2014, 05:03 AM.
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| AmarnaGirl | Aug 18 2014, 08:10 AM Post #6 |
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Thanks Meryre,I do try But I don't want to overlook anyone else either. Some people may not post much here,but when they do you can see where their hearts are (I give credit to Maaritaten and Ankhesenamun here as well - they are both quite devout in their ideas,I just wish they were around more )
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| Ankhesenamun | Sep 27 2014, 12:03 PM Post #7 |
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A very interesting topic indeed. To start my reply off, I don't believe that the Aten is impersonal. I don't believe we need to see the Aten as someone who is far away from us, somewhere in the distance. The Aten is everywhere, around us, with us, and I certainly communicate with the Aten in prayers. I believe that the sun is a symbol of the Aten because the Aten is indeed life giving, energy giving, and without the Aten - or without the sun - there would be no life. With this, I also hold the Ankh symbol very dear as it represents the meaning "life". I absolutely believe in the 42 Principles of Ma'at, and also in the 3 Laws of Ma'at, which are widely misunderstood or rejected, especially by followers of Christianity. The 3 Laws of Ma'at are very important as any misinterpretation will result in chaos in life, and the chaos will continue unless Law 3 will get applied. To give an interpretation of the 3 Laws of Ma'at - which one could also call an eternal truth - they basically say that, 1) as long as there is Ma'at (as in, order, peace, balance, justice), all it needs for balance to continue is for Ma'at to continue, 2) if this balance is destabilized through the adding of chaos, then Law 3 needs to be applied, which is 3) by applying a negative energy or force or situation equal to that which destabilized Ma'at in the first place, then Ma'at can be achieved again. This is a principle that I found to be very true, but most people would hesitate to apply it as they believe that with the adding of a positive force to a negative force or situation, balance can be achieved again. This is however not so. Chaos is balanced with chaos. With regards to the afterlife, I know that reincarnation is true, but I don't believe that we reincarnate countless times. I also don't believe that we reincarnate a set number of times or into a set order of life forms (like the Hindus believe). We get reincarnated as often as is necessary for us, either in order to learn a particular lesson, or to achieve wisdom, or to teach. We can therefore get reincarnated either only a limited number of times or many times. The fact that there is not much in Atenism about reincarnation or the afterlife is most likely due to the fact that physical death does not change anything really. We are still the same person, the same soul after the death of the physical body. Circumstances don't change that much during subsequent incarnations, but most importantly, if we don't get reincarnated but stay in the spirit realm (Amenti, the Field of Reeds), then we will find that everything is the same as during our original earthly life. Therefore there is no change, no death, merely a transfer to another dimension. The important fact here is though that everything will be the same as during our original life, ie the time our soul originates from. This might well be Ancient Egypt for many of us. Maybe we understand Atenism because we are from that time. It was not by coincidence that the Pharaohs built their monuments "for eternity" - not because they are indestructable, but because they continue to exist in the spirit realm for all eternity. With reincarnation comes the belief in karma - this is something that I do believe in, though I have never seen it in action. It is logical however when one considers that every action, word or thought creates a certain energy - thereby creates re-action. From a logical point of view that does indeed mean that what we send out comes back to us - ie, if we are positive, we attract positive, if we are negative, we attract negative. Unfortunately throughout my -current - lifetime I have found this not to be so straightforward, and indeed people who are positive, but have experienced injustice, abuse or anything else negative must also be wondering how they could have attracted such negative energy. The negative energy however never lasts long, it eventually disappears as it cannot stand being surrounded by positive energy. I don't believe that Christianity, Judaism or Islam have anything to do with Atenism. These three religions are weak copies of Atenism but have been severely corrupted. All three teach fear, blind faith without questioning, rituals without spiritualism, and they deny truth and wisdom. All three simply exist to control their followers, to get blindly following "sheep" who do as they are told and provide an income for their "leaders". Worse, their "leaders" also use their "sheep" to carry out the destruction/chaos that the "leaders" wish for. Truth, wisdom and independent thought is discouraged, even described as "evil". This is a system that is equal to turning humans into zombies. So many people follow because they wrongly believe that it is easier to follow rather than think for themselves. Independent thought is often painful and means the realization of often painful truths. I think this is why Atenism as such has not survived as a world religion. Because the majority of people choose to be told what to do and what to think - which is a way of life that is provided by the modern religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. |
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)
) I will give this some thought and post my ideas (hopefully in a couple days,when I get a bit more time.)
) that I like to keep things pretty simple:
) Why? Because people really don't like the idea of death being the end and want something more. Hence the myths of Osiris and the eternal Field of Reeds for the ancient Egyptians. When Akhenaten took those away,he failed to replace it with some other comforting belief for his people. Therefore,we don't really have an idea what the Atenist view of the afterlife is supposed to be,if anything. And as I've said,there really aren't enough Atenists to hammer out a set doctrine,like you get with other faiths that have developed over the centuries.(Though,I once read a quote from Will Rogers in a book on Spiritualism: "Believe in something for another world,but don't be too set on what it is,and then you won't start out that life with a disappointment." Good advice,I think
)
8:33 PM Jul 10