Did the Ancient Egyptians worship animals as gods?
Gods are attested to from the earliest time of Egyptian civilization. A single deity could be represented in human form, in zoomorphic form, or in a mixed animal-human form. Although the animal forms and therianthropic (ie., part human, part animal) forms slightly predate anthropoid manifestations, it is unlikely that the gods were derived from totemic animals or that the Egyptians practiced zoolatry (ie., worship of animals). Rather, animal forms were probably used to suggest metaphorically something about the characteristics of the god.
To a great extent, gods were patterned after humans--they were born, some died (and were reborn), and they fought among themselves. Yet as much as the gods behavior resembled human behavior, they were immortal and always superior to humans.
Is there an Egyptian Sacred Book?
Most Egyptian literature has been lost, and what we know of the religion has been put together from many diverse and fragmentary sources. Surviving Egyptian religious literature is written in an ecstatic, symbolist style that is totally unlike, say, the Sermon on the Mount, and is comprehensible only after a great deal of study. Don't expect the "Book of the dead" to mean much to you right off. top
Was the Egyptian religion overly preoccupied with death?
The Egyptians were not afraid of death, realizing that it was as natural as birth. We have an exaggerated idea that the Egyptians were obsessed by death because their funerary structures have endured while other structures, originally much more numerous and conspicuous, have disappeared. Recognizing that death was unchanging and lasted longer than life, they built eternal tombs and less permanent structures for their living experiences, thus most of what survives for us to see are mortuary temples and tombs. But if we were to visit living historical Egypt, we would experience one of the most vigorously life-affirming cultures that ever existed. top
Were the Egyptians monotheistic?
No. The Egyptian religion is an unlimited polytheism—not monotheistic (or monolatrous), duotheistic, trinitarian, or Qabalistic.
HUMAN DIVERSITY IS A SACRAMENT IN THE IMAGE OF THE DIVERSITY OF THE GODS.
"...monotheism is but Imperialism in religion."
James Henry Breasted, Development of Religion and Thought in Ancient Egypt, Pg. 315
Some Gods (Ma’at, Amen, Ra) had the task of keeping things in balance. Other Gods (Nun, Atum) had particular responsibility for Creation. Another God, Seth, represented the uncreated part of the universe in the company of the Gods. Gods could form fleeting dualities, trinities, quaternities, &c., but always retained Their individuality. Older writers such as Budge and Morenz misunderstood this; Frankfort and Hornung have more clearly described the situation. top
Neo-Paganism (capital N hyphen capital P) is a term used by various modern groups engaged in reviving and restoring the pre-Christian classical Eurafrican religions. (See Encyclopedia Britannica.) It is also called "Pagan Reconstructionism" (see Margot Adler's "Drawing Down the Moon."). "Pagan" is a Greek word meaning "hick" and was used by sophisticated Christians of the Roman Empire as an insult to refer to rural peoples who still cherished the old Gods.
Neo-Paganism should not be confused with "neopaganism" (small n and p, no hyphen) a term applied in the late 1940's by various French Catholic intellectuals to describe Nazism. top
People who agree about matters, especially about something so important as religion, can help each other greatly by forming an association. A Church offers a study library of expensive books, priestly assistance in studies, help in performing birth, marriage, and funeral rituals, and companionship. A Church guarantees the regular and correct performance of important rituals to establish and maintain contact with spiritual reality. A Church with sufficient financial resources can offer medical and social services. In particular, a church organization can build, own and maintain a temple for worship. Building and consecrating an Egyptian temple in this modern age would be a vastly important undertaking. At this time CES is a long way from being able to accomplish this, and this is one reason why we need your help. top
Is the Egyptian religion a "goddess" religion?
The ancient religion in theology as well as in practice was completely balanced sexually. Men and women had equally important sacraments, duties, and responsibilities to perform and we keep to that balance as well as we can. Since men did not dominate the ancient Egyptian religion there is no imbalance to be redressed in this age. We have always been and remain balanced. top
Do you perform Egyptian ritual exactly as it was done in Egypt in the ancient times?
So far as is practicable, yes. But no one can be sure to be exactly authentic because the Egyptians did not leave complete records of rituals—only prayers, wands and spells. The primary purpose of any religion is to meet the current spiritual needs of its practitioners and in our daily work we use those elements of ancient practice which most directly accomplish this. Priests and Priestesses in private approach the authentic practice as closely as anyone possibly can. top
No, while some Rosicrucian groups claim an Egyptian origin, they draw more on philosophical alchemy, mystical Christianity, and panspiritualism. Rosicrucians may or may not be members of any church. top
Isn't tameran or kemetic the "real" name of the ancient Egyptian religion?
Using made-up words based on ancient languages can be useful within a group, but in the public forum they can cause more confusion than communication. CES tries to avoid jargon wherever possible. top
Shouldn't Egyptian gods really be called neters?
See the answer to the previous question. R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz invented this word neter because he didn’t want to offend the Catholic Church or his royalist patron. Persons who feel uncomfortable using the word "God" to refer to polytheistic Deities will probably be happier in the Christian churches. top
"Why follow the ancient Egyptian Religion today?
The mystical, devotional and philosophical core of the Egyptian faith is the Eternal Source which we perpetuate. We have carefully evaluated the Egyptian faith and feel that some aspects of it—for example burial practices, which are particular to the ecology of the Nile Valley—are not necessarily appropriate for modern times. The greatest difference lies in the enormous wealth and popularity of the Church in historic times and our poverty and small numbers in the modern world. No one approaching CES should fear being trapped in a useless, nostalgic, repetition of obsolete or irrelevant practices. But persons approaching CES who want to become involved in Ancient Egypt as intensely and accurately as it is possible in the light of up-to-date modern scholarship will find their expectations completely fulfilled. top
Haven’t philosophers proved there are no Gods?
Materialistic philosophers argue that human personality is the result of natural processes. Why then should it be unreasonable to argue that human personality expresses something that is fundamental to those natural processes, that intelligence is the cause as well as the result of Nature? The vast majority of persons of all times and faiths who have thought about this problem have come to know the reality of the Gods. This is not to say that materialistic philosophies are not useful in a restricted context, or to test or analyze philosophical and religious ideas, or as a preparatory stage in spiritual awakening. top
Why do we need religions? Isn’t it better just to study and think about things?
Religious systems are hypotheses formulating answers to the fundamental questions of life land death which are so important to us and yet about which we have so little concrete knowledge.
Like any other forum of human knowledge, religion proceeds by recording what is known, constructing an hypothesis, and formulating conclusions based on that hypothesis. A religious system brings together many speculations about spiritual matters. It is a proposal to explain things about which we know relatively little, but about which we must have answers.
Unguided personal study can lead to bewildered confusion instead of wisdom unless one is required to form clear ideas, compare them with observations, and discuss them with others who are concerned about the same matters. In the Egyptian religious system you find the benefit of many thousands of years of accumulated observation and wisdom. top
Isn’t polytheism primitive and superstitious? Isn’t monotheism more advanced intellectually?
Monotheistic religions, particularly the Jahvisms, have been responsible for the cruel murders of millions of innocent people. Most religions attempting to be monotheistic actually worship three to five or more deities or have fragmented into a variety of warring cults. The intellectual climate of polytheism, which includes the concepts of monism, dualism, trinitarianism, etc., is more harmonious with our diverse human community as well as with the latest findings of modern physics. top
Do you ever find it difficult to connect with a religion that is so ancient?
By modern standards almost all religions are ancient so the answer is no. Those who follow the Egyptian path do so with the same ease as everyone else. Although It might seem difficult to find Ancient Egypt anywhere in the modern world except inside yourself: if you look carefully around you, reminders can be found everywhere.
The culture and the religion of Egypt in the past is more readily accessible today than it ever was. Through television, movies, museums,the Internet, and even the grocery store, we have an entire picture of what life was like for the ancient Egyptians from the pharaoh to the lowest worker. In modern Western civilization we pride ourselves on our"Greek and Roman heritage" but the Greeks and after them the Romans assimilated much of the Egyptian culture and religion of the time into their own. There are differences of course,cars instead of camels, the refrigerator and indoor plumbing, but much is still the same; wealthy Egyptians had air conditioning (evaporative cooling towers), and their bathrooms had shower stalls and toilets similar to ours.
The religion of ancient Egypt was different than most modern religions it is true but that is part of the appeal, not a detraction. Many people no longer connect with the religion they grew up in-they are looking for something more fulfilling, and many of those people turn to the past for a clearer meaning in their lives. Many of us remember past lives in Ancient Egypt and want to connect with these, and for still others the hymns, private worship, public rituals and festivals with those of like mind are the beginning of a life long spiritual commitment and a home. Spiritual values are timeless and as you study the Ancient Egyptian religion, all religions make more sense, for you can trace their roots. top
For more information or if there are questions you might have that were not covered please contact us at: cesoregon@yahoo.com or Horus@ceswebhq.org.
CES copyright 2005-11/09/2009 all rights reserved