Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
What do you believe?
Topic Started: Dec 22 2008, 12:18 PM (813 Views)
Astennu
No Avatar

What are your beliefs in relation to Atenism?

How do you view Akhenaten?

What is your view of the afterlife?

How do you view Aten?

I will post my beliefs by the end of the week, as time permits. (Sorry I'm low on time and heat right now.)
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Astennu
No Avatar

Astennu
Dec 22 2008, 12:18 PM
I will post my beliefs by the end of the week, as time permits. (Sorry I'm low on time and heat right now.)
It may be a little longer before I post my beliefs, as I have to fix a broken pipe today (and I have never done that before).
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Astennu
No Avatar

This is what I believe, please hold that in mind.

Atenism

To me modern Atenism is based on the religious practices of Ancient Egypt, particularly those developed under Akhenaten. It is not, however, a reconstructionist religion and is instead an evolving religion that combines old and modern practices to create a new, living religion. It has various tenets and precepts that are held together by a belief in Ma’at. However, these tenets and precepts are not to be considered dogma. While they form the basis of what Atenists believe, individual member’s beliefs may vary. The modern Atenist religion does not require that all of its members practice in the exact same way, and different views are simply seen as different ways of understanding God.

Aten

Aten is the one and only God who is also a loving and protective God. Aten is not here to punish us or demand our allegiance and sacrifice, but to support us with His presence. Aten is the giver of life, and the source of all life on Earth, and his presence, as represented by his symbol the sun, vivifies and nourishes all creation.

His image/symbol is that of a rayed solar disc with the rays (which can be depicted as ending in hands) representing the unseen spirit of Aten. A variation is the rays ending with hands holding Ankhs.

Akhenaten

Akhenaten is the founder of our religion, and is seen as a great prophet. I believe Aten inspired him create the orginal religion of Aten. I also believe that he was well intentioned, but being human made mistakes.

Ma’at

Ma’at is believed to be the force that keeps the world balanced and is considered to be a concept of balance, justice, and truth. It is believed that this standard must be upheld in all aspects of our daily life and we must act accordingly. This does include not being deliberately harmful to any living thing as well as oneself. There is no codified list of rules and laws that one must follow to uphold Ma’at.
Edited by Astennu, Jan 1 2009, 01:44 PM.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Astennu
No Avatar

On Ma'at:

Balance

Balance is the path between two extremes, much like the Middle Path of Buddhism. On one side is self-mortification/asceticism which some use to try to deny themselves pleasure in order to achieve salvation or peace of mind. On the other side is sensual indulgence, which others have also used to try to achieve salvation. However, indulging or denying the body or the world is not the way to salvation. The body is the temple of the soul, and to harm the body is to harm the soul.
Instead we must choose a path between the two where we can find Balance. Instead of eating too much or too little, we eat what is needed to keep the body healthy. It goes on to other things as well, as we do not need millions of dollars when much less will do nor do we need closets full of clothing when much less will do.

Justice

Every time a person does something there is an intention behind it which is what determines the effect. As an example: If a person outwardly professes piety and virtue but acts with greed, anger, or hatred (hidden behind a display of well-meaning intent) then the fruit of the actions will show the fundamental intention behind them.
The effect of all our deeds actively create past, present, and future experiences, which means that we are responsible for our own life (as well as the pain and joy it brings to us and others around us). The concept of Justice as defined within Ma'at is thus impartial and cannot be appeased by faith or regret, and each action cannot be undone.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Astennu
No Avatar

On Ma'at:

Truth

I often hear people say that Truth is transitory, and that one cannot truly know the Truth. I disagree quite entirely.

When I hear people say that the Truth is different depending on who you talk to, I am reminded of the blind men and the elephant. Each blind man touched a different part of the elephant and thought that part represented the whole elephant. Each spoke the truth as they knew it, but did not know that their truth was part of the larger Truth. I think this is happening when people say the Truth changes depending on who you talk to. Each person see's part of the larger Truth, and may not realize that they only see a part of it.


Sometimes on the search for Truth we become disillusioned, and come to believe that we cannot know the Truth. The path to Truth is often hard, and it is easy to stumble and fall. We must always remember that we are not alone on that path, and that Aten will always be there with us (even if we do not realize it).
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Astennu
No Avatar

On Aten:

I cannot say that I truly understand Aten, and I'm not even sure such a thing is possible. But I have experienced His presence, and the love that exists there. I know that He is here with me at all times and at all places. He is there to support me in my times of need, and there to share in my times of joy.

His love does not stop with me, or only those who worship Him. His love and care go to everyone, no matter where or when they are. He is here for all of us, no matter what color our skin, no matter what we believe or don't believe, no matter who we choose to sleep with, no matter what our politics are, basically no matter what He is there for us.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Ankhemmaat
Member Avatar

I don't know if it ok for me to post here since I am an atheist, but I want to share kind of my opinion as an outsider. So I guess I'll just run with it.

What are your beliefs in relation to Atenism?
Kind of the reason I am here is because of all the religions I have studied only Atenism and Jainism hold something in the world no other religion has. For Atenism it is its purity as a religion that was (unfortunately) frozen in time and that as far as we know, was a very rational religion and lastly, was a religion of peace. Maybe I am drawn to Atenism because of my long standing interest in ancient Egypt. Or its from my love of Savitri Devi Mukherji's writings on Ankenaton.
In the past I have always been drawn strongly to Reconstructionist traditions, because for me, following it as close to the original as possible is the closest we can get to what was first revealed in its truest form.
Atenism is an ancient Kemetic religion first revealed by Ankenaton. I believe in the beginning he used Atenism as a way to return power back to the Pharaoh and the royal family because the priesthood was becoming too powerful and was holding too much of the people's faith, using it for their own gains. I think eventually it became much more than that, to an extent we may never know. Atenism became more than a religion, it turned into a whole cultural revolution and created one of the most memorable and most frightening eras in Egyptian history.
Atenism is not a dogmatic religion (as far as we are aware), nor does it seek followers, for the sake of numbers. It seeks the truth in whatever form that may be, and only the truth, which is the central theme of Atenism, Aten.

How do you view Akhenaten?
I think Ankenaton was only a man, divinely inspired, but a man. He probably believed himself to be a son of god as all Egyptian Pharaohs were conditioned to believe. He saw himself as the only way to the Aten, which as this was originally a revival of the power of the kingship, but I don't see him as particularly as relevant now as a Messiah figure, only as a founder of Atenism, nothing more.

What is your view of the afterlife?
Me personally, I am happy being plant food, carrion, or as scattered ashes (although the former would be the most environmentally friendly) going back to the bowels of the Earth and giving back the resources I have consumed all my life.
But I doubt Ankenaton believed as much, we have no record of what Atenism held for the afterlife, but I doubt it was plant food. Since Ankenaton was originally buried in the traditional way of Pharaohs (I believe it was his wishes?). So he had some concept of an afterlife, probably similar to what the Egyptians already had. He believed in the concept of Ma'at. I think it may be probable that he held some credence in some afterlife beliefs of the Egyptians, through abbreviated, with out Wesir, Yinepu, and other deities.
I don't think reincarnation is an appropriate belief about the afterlife in Atenism, since reincarnation only has its appearance in Eastern Dharmic religions, and is not a part of any ancient Egyptian lore. And I think if you don't have a ritualized belief in karma, then reincarnation doesn't belong as it serves no purpose.

How do you view Aten?
Aten is the sun disc. Aten is the sun who which, without, we would not be here. Aten is the life and the driving force behind the universe. As in Ankenaton's time he was represented by a red disk, which implies he was probably more than just the sun. He is "gracious, great, glistening, and high over every land" who "givest breath to sustain all that he has made." He is the essence of peace and truth, he does not judge nor exclude anyone, regardless of who they are or what they believe. He is not vengeful or jealous, nor unforgiving.
He is NOT YHVH, NOT Jehovah, NOT Allah, nor any other monotheistic deity, he has no connection to them only that he is a monotheistic deity. He does not deserve to share the debt of pain, suffering, torture, murder, genocide, or wars in the names of those other gods or their followers. Frankly, I fail to understand why many insist on connecting Aten to other monotheistic religions. Especially since there is no historical evidence. By extension, it makes Aten responsible for the many crimes of other monotheistic religions.
Edited by Ankhemmaat, Apr 10 2016, 01:54 AM.
The concept of "self" as a singular and coherent entity is a fictional construct, and an individual rather comprises conflicting tensions and knowledge claims (e.g. gender, class, profession, etc). The interpretation of meaning of a text is therefore dependent on a reader's own personal concept of self.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
« Previous Topic · Religion Of Atenism · Next Topic »
Add Reply

www.atenism.net
atenism.blogspot.com