Post by Marcus on Jul 22, 2006 18:24:28 GMT -5
Kemetic Reconstructionism is a form of reconstructionist religion which recreates the Ancient Egyptian religion. A Kemetic Reconstructionist will attempt to practice the religion as close to the way we believe the actual Ancient Egyptians did, using scholarly texts as well as primary documents such as the Book of the Dead.
Basic Beliefs
The Gods
As in Ancient Egyptian belief, modern Kemetic Reconstructionists honor a wide variety of Gods. These include, but are not limited to:
It should be mentioned that these names are Greek. Many Kemetic Reconstructionists choose instead to use names as close as we can get to the ancient Egyptian language, instead. For example:
Osiris may be known as Ausar, Wesir, and many other names. Isis may be known as Aset, Iset, and many other names. Horus may be known as Hor, Heru, and many other names. And the list goes on.
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The Concept of God
How these Gods are viewed depends on the individual beliefs of the Kemetic Reconstructionist. A very common belief is that all of the Gods are Names of One God, known as "Netjer" or "Nutjer." Although each of these Names has His or Her own personality and preferences, they are all parts of one being. This belief is common in Kemetic Orthodoxy and Kemetic Traditionalism.
This is not the only way of believing, however. Kemetic Reconstructionism does have its share of hard polytheists who view each God and Goddess as a seperate entity.
It is likely that the Ancient Egyptians had diverse beliefs, as well.
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Creation of the World
The Ancient Egyptians had a variety of different myths to describe Earth's creation. Modern Kemetics are likely to have a scientific view of creation, but do not feel science contradicts their religion.
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Ethics
The ethical system of Kemetic Reconstructionism is based on Ancient Egyptian texts. The most commonly used of these include the Declaration of Innocence (also called the "Negative Confessions"), which contain a list of sins a deceased person claims not to have done, and the Wisdom Texts, which are pieces of advice written by Ancient Egyptians.
The Declaration of Innocence reads much like the Ten Commandments, only much longer, including such sins as murder, muddying the rivers of the Nile river, adultery, theft, eavesdropping, and sexual perversion (often translated in older texts as committing homosexuality, although Kemetic Reconstructionists in general consider this a mistranslation and are open to homosexual members). To do good is seen as doing Ma'at, or what is right, just, and orderly.
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Afterlife
Kemetic Reconstructionists vary in their views of the Afterlife, much like they differ in most other views. The Ancient Egyptians viewed the afterlife as a journey through several "tests," the climax of which is the Weighing of the Heart. The deceased has his or her heart (ib, yib, ieb) weighed against an ostrich feather (Feather of Ma'at). If his or her heart is too heavy with sin, it is fed to Ammit, a monster/Goddess, and the person is destroyed forever.
Those who pass this test become Akhu, or Blessed Ancestors. They reside in Duat, the land of Osiris, and can be communicated with by humans on Earth.
Things can go wrong, however, and if a person flees judgement or gets lost on the way, he or she may become a Muet, or angry dead person, terrorizing living descendants.
For a person to survive death indefinitely, he or she must be remembered. The person's name and/or image must be remembered past death, which is the reason mummification was used.
Views of the afterlife amongst modern Kemetics may be much different. For example, many believe in Reincarnation, whether continuous or until all lessons are learned. Most deny the necessity of mummification to keep the soul alive, and instead rely on photographs and family memories instead of physical preservation of the body.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kemetic_Reconstructionism
Basic Beliefs
The Gods
As in Ancient Egyptian belief, modern Kemetic Reconstructionists honor a wide variety of Gods. These include, but are not limited to:
It should be mentioned that these names are Greek. Many Kemetic Reconstructionists choose instead to use names as close as we can get to the ancient Egyptian language, instead. For example:
Osiris may be known as Ausar, Wesir, and many other names. Isis may be known as Aset, Iset, and many other names. Horus may be known as Hor, Heru, and many other names. And the list goes on.
--------------------------------------------------------
The Concept of God
How these Gods are viewed depends on the individual beliefs of the Kemetic Reconstructionist. A very common belief is that all of the Gods are Names of One God, known as "Netjer" or "Nutjer." Although each of these Names has His or Her own personality and preferences, they are all parts of one being. This belief is common in Kemetic Orthodoxy and Kemetic Traditionalism.
This is not the only way of believing, however. Kemetic Reconstructionism does have its share of hard polytheists who view each God and Goddess as a seperate entity.
It is likely that the Ancient Egyptians had diverse beliefs, as well.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ --------
Creation of the World
The Ancient Egyptians had a variety of different myths to describe Earth's creation. Modern Kemetics are likely to have a scientific view of creation, but do not feel science contradicts their religion.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ --------
Ethics
The ethical system of Kemetic Reconstructionism is based on Ancient Egyptian texts. The most commonly used of these include the Declaration of Innocence (also called the "Negative Confessions"), which contain a list of sins a deceased person claims not to have done, and the Wisdom Texts, which are pieces of advice written by Ancient Egyptians.
The Declaration of Innocence reads much like the Ten Commandments, only much longer, including such sins as murder, muddying the rivers of the Nile river, adultery, theft, eavesdropping, and sexual perversion (often translated in older texts as committing homosexuality, although Kemetic Reconstructionists in general consider this a mistranslation and are open to homosexual members). To do good is seen as doing Ma'at, or what is right, just, and orderly.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ --------
Afterlife
Kemetic Reconstructionists vary in their views of the Afterlife, much like they differ in most other views. The Ancient Egyptians viewed the afterlife as a journey through several "tests," the climax of which is the Weighing of the Heart. The deceased has his or her heart (ib, yib, ieb) weighed against an ostrich feather (Feather of Ma'at). If his or her heart is too heavy with sin, it is fed to Ammit, a monster/Goddess, and the person is destroyed forever.
Those who pass this test become Akhu, or Blessed Ancestors. They reside in Duat, the land of Osiris, and can be communicated with by humans on Earth.
Things can go wrong, however, and if a person flees judgement or gets lost on the way, he or she may become a Muet, or angry dead person, terrorizing living descendants.
For a person to survive death indefinitely, he or she must be remembered. The person's name and/or image must be remembered past death, which is the reason mummification was used.
Views of the afterlife amongst modern Kemetics may be much different. For example, many believe in Reincarnation, whether continuous or until all lessons are learned. Most deny the necessity of mummification to keep the soul alive, and instead rely on photographs and family memories instead of physical preservation of the body.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kemetic_Reconstructionism