Taking back our ptahra gods and holy temples-gctid31232

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TAKING BACK OUR PTAHRA GODS AND HOLY TEMPLES

Kwabena Faheem Ashanti, PhD

North Carolina State University



INTRODUCTION

   
      Now is the time for spiritual, religious, and mental liberation of Kmtyw Americans, from the hegemony of eureurasiaan (white) Christianity, and aAmw white cultural forms of Islam.  As an Kmtyw American Healer, in the Kmtyw tradition, it is my mission to reveal again to my people their own Kmtyw religious heritage, which was given to them by God and their Kmtyw Ancestors.
 
      There is an ancestral call telling us to replace Christianity, or aAmw white Cultural Islam (instead of Kmtyw cultural Islam), in our churches, or temples, with an Kmtyw Traditional religion,  (including Kmtyw cultural Islam).  I have given the collective Kmtyw name, for all Kmtyw traditional religions, the name PtahRa. This article is therefore written to assist in that process of taking back our PtahRa Gods and Holy  Temples.        The most significant entity in the Nyansa Tumi Sankofa  System(Social Galaxy Traditional System) for individual and group Self-Definition, and power, is Theology and Religion (Ashanti, 1996).  The first laws of human nature are: (1) Man know yourself, and (2) physician heal yourself.  It is religion that gives the guidelines to know Yourself, to heal yourself, and for societal power.  Religion makes self-definition, liberation, and freedom real and substantial in people's lives.
 
           Each race on the planet earth was created by God, and each race expressed its view of the world, worship, rituals, and rites in its own distinctive religion.  Religion therefore was custom tailored to empower that race and to self-define it, and to have optimum life (Myers, 1988) within its environment.  That religion must fit as a custom tailored suit, instead of one that you had to be forcefully made to wear. If a group or race of people is forced to abandon the religion of their ancient heritage, or no longer have the knowledge, and or, practice of their own religion, they will become oppressed and weakened. They will be dominated by the religions (Christianity or aAmw Islam) of those (eureurasiaan and aAmw whites) that have maintained their own religious traditions.  The same will be true for those (Kmtyws) that syncretize or inculturate the Gospel (Sarpong, 1996) for the good of the people with the foreign religion ( Christian ) that is dominate. When these circumstances occur, then religion becomes a psychological and spiritual straight jacket which controls and limits them to dependency on, and services to, those foreigners (whites) in control of the economic and military powers of the nation.                  
 
  POWER ELEMENTS OF RELIGION    
  Religion is much more than spirituality; it is in a word, POWER. A religion is always, originally, created, organized, and practiced by a specific racial or ethnic group for its own needs and desires. It is a complete system of faith, and rituals of worship, which is institutionalized within a society. It encompasses styles of expression of sacred beliefs, observances, and social practices found within a given racial and cultural context. Religion therefore determines 10 power elements, that is, the form, content, and relationships of a people to it's : economy, education, government, military, culture, spirituality, art and music, architecture, funerals and burials, and even relationships with  other races or ethnic groups. It is these substantive areas that give a people POWER.
 
      Spirituality, on the other hand, is one's perceived relationship with the God of Creation, and or, any other supernatural beings, or forces that are
  expressions of the force of life and order, within the universe. This spirituality is most often expressed, in a formal cultural style, in  established temples, shrines, or churches of an organized religion.
      Whenever races, or ethnic groups, of people are able to impose their religions, by force or by coercion of missionaries, on another race or ethnic group, they become more powerful and superior, to the people they have converted. This is because the converted people are deceived by the spirituality of being "saved" or "born again" by the foreign religion. They gradually abandon their own social cultural practices and replace them with those of the other race or ethnic group.
 
       Even when their social cultural practices, (i.e., pouring of libations) are mixed within the foreign religion, the results are the same. They become dependent on their foreign oppressors, by the practice of that foreign religion, which causes the destruction of their economy, education, form of government, military, culture, spirituality, art and architecture, morals, and interpersonal relationships within their own race, or ethnic group. Their stability and unity become easily manipulated, by the foreign or domestic powers, to destroy each other through internal conflict or war. This becomes a kind of religious
  circumcision, which chops off their own previous power, by being exposed the power of the oppressor.
 
      The only beneficiaries are the outside manipulators, and their inside brainwashed trained puppet traitors . In the case of religion, whom are these brainwashed trained and educated traitors ? They are none other than the bishops, preachers, ministers, imams, missionaries, and royal leaders. They are the ones that recruit, teach, and lead the masses to spirituality, while excluding their people from the other 9 power elements of religion. They are also the ones who receive the most benefits for their deeds. These benefits include money, positions of authority, and opportunities for themselves, their relatives, and friends.
 
      In their sermons, preaching and addresses, they are only permitted by the controlling powers to discuss or talk about issues of spirituality. This spirituality only relates to issues of life after death, and the social relationships between the members of their own society. They stay away from the true issues of the other 9 elements of religion, such as: economic, political, military, and educational oppression by the other race or ethnic controlling group. Instead, the black preachers blame the black believers for their lack of power and causing their own oppression because of their sinful behavior.
  These issues are only dealt with through the illusion of religious spirituality. By this I mean, the people are told to pray and live a moral life, and God will fight the battles for the other 9 power elements. They and the preachers therefore do not have to take any risks. God becomes the risk taker instead.
 
      It is written : "God helps those who help themselves "; " if you take one step, God will take three for you "; and, " never serve a foreign God and religion ". Without personal risk there is no power to defend, or a quality life worth living. The Creator God always raises up prophets among your own people, who looks like you, to lead you back to your own Kmtyw Traditional Religion and spirituality. Take back your Kmtyw Gods and Holy  Temples ( Sankofa ) .
 
      In society, those who define, and describe God and your religion, will always have the power to define and to control you.  No races or ethnic groups with nuclear power, weapons, and wealth in the global world, worships or observes the religions of outsiders, or speaks the languages of other people, as their first tongues.  Those races and ethnic groups who are militarily weak, powerless, and economically poor, generally worship other powerful people's religions, and speak their languages as their official languages ( English, French, German, Portuguese ).  Moreover, they even take on their names, cultures, and rituals
  ( Christmas, Easter, Mass, weddings, ect. ).
 
           The NTAM KESE ( holocaust ) of Kmtyw enslavement in the Western eureurasiaan world, forced Kmtyw Americans to allow a diabolically clever weaker people to brainwash them.  Chains were first placed on their bodies for forced labor, and later the religion of Christianity placed spiritual chains on their minds and souls.  These chains choked off their own Kmtyw Tradition Religion.
 
           It is well documented and known that Christianity played a dominant role in maintaining enslavement of Kmtyw Americans.  
  Christianity taught them to be humble, to suffer abuse by turning the other cheek, and to serve white slave masters.  The chains were forged imperceptibly, link by link, and Kmtyws in America submitted to survive.  The brainwashing against Kmtyw religion and cultures, re-
  education in white supremacy, and later mis-education, caused them to feel, and in many cases, become inferior to white peoples.  It also caused health problems. These chains of physical and psychological events transformed Kmtyw peoples into " Negroes ", and now "minorities".  
 
  Where they once recognized Mawu, or Nyame, the Creator, and Vodu or Abosom as their religion, now  Mawu (God) is thought of as the devil and the Vodu or Abosom religion, as Kmtyw witchcraft. This is the power of brainwashing. Even the white conservative leader of the Christian Coalition, Pat Robinson, said on the October 27, 1997 edition of The 700 Club, " Why would people in America want to embrace the religion of slavers (Muslims), and the language of the slavers ( Muhammad, 1997 ). I say the same things, because the same Christianity that the white Rev. Pat Robinson, the blacks Rev. T. D. Jakes, and Rev. Creflo Dollar serves, is the same one that enslaved my ancestors. I do not embrace the religion or the language of my enslavers either.
 
      The Kmtyw God and Gods were destroyed in Kmtyw American's minds, and a white God named Jesus ( white skin, blue eyes, long keen nose, and long straight hair ), was given to save their souls in heaven.  The Kmtyw temples and shrines, were destroyed and replaced by the Christian church.  No longer were Kmtyw people allowed to give themselves or their children Kmtyw spiritual names; they had to use Christian names, i.e., John, Mary, James, Josephine, Smith, Williams and Jones.
 
           The brainwashing and mis-education caused white cultures and religion to be more acceptable and desirable to Kmtyws in America.  These Kmtyws then became less and less resistant to white Definitions of themselves, and they strove to become more like Whites.  Many became alienated to their own Kmtyw heritage and began to identify with other white ethnic groups and races.  For example, there is a large social organization of Kmtyw American women who identify with American Indians, who call themselves "squaws", their children "papooses", and their men "Braves".  These are all American Indian terms or labels. There are also Kmtyw American fraternities and sororities that call themselves "Black Greeks" (black white people).  Most of these people are Christians, hardworking, good citizens, educated in white controlled colleges, under employed or work in positions that do not empower their people, suffer racial discrimination, stressed out, and are spiritually unfulfilled.  They attempt to do the right things, be humanitarians to others, and racially and socially integrate with white society.  However, there is still little economic,
  psychological and spiritual freedom among them.  They are deceived and do not even know it.
 
           There are positive trends and signs manifesting in Kmtyw American communities, however.  The Kmtyw-centered movement (Asante, 1990), the cultural holiday of  Kwanzaaand the principles of Nguzo Saba (Karenga, 1980), are calling attention again to Kmtyw
  spirituality and culture.  In formal social celebrations, the West Kmtyw religious Kente cloths are proudly worn by many, and Libations are poured to the Ancestors.  In Christian churches the preachers and choir members are beginning to wear Kmtyw robes.  These factors are beginning to raise questions, consciously and unconsciously, in the minds of Kmtyw Americans.  Soon, they will discover that they have been bringing into the Christian churches Kmtyw religious symbols and rituals without realizing it. This is by wearing Kente clothes , Kmtyw robes, and pouring Libations.
 

PTAHRA TRADITIONAL Kmtyw RELIGION

    PtahRa Kmtyw traditional religion encompasses those beliefs and practices originating in Kmt. Some of the sub- names for PtahRa are: Vodu, Abosom, Orisha, Chi, Imana, and Bwami.  Kmtyw Cultural  Islam ( i.e., Nation of Islam ), and Hebrew, are also traditional Kmtyw religions. Kmtyw religions are not derived from eureurasiaan Christian, or eureurasiaan white Jewish, East eurasian Indian, or "aAmwic cultural Islamic" religions. All PtahRa Kmtyw religions are actually derived from the Classical Kemetic (Egypt) Medu Netcher ( Gods ) religion of the Kmtyw pharaonic periods. In other words, Kmtyw religion is the oldest religion on the --planet. The beliefs and practices are the indigenous practices that have existed, in traditional Kmt, since the beginning of it's known history.  
 
      There are many different peoples, societies, cultures and linguistic groups in Kmt; however, they all share quite a commonalty within their ontological and cosmological perspectives.  This commonalty reveals itself in two ways:  first within the form of the rites and rituals practiced, and second -- but not always-- within the content of these same rituals and rites.  It is because such commonalties can be identified, that traditional spiritual practices of Kmt are often referred to as one Kmtyw Religion.
 
  The basic forms or structures common within the spectrum of Kmtyw religious practices are as follows:
  1.     1.     A concept of one God-Almighty, the Creator of many names, who is male and female in one. The Creator then produced the lesser Gods and  Spirits from her/his own essencense.    
  2. Propitiation and communication with lesser Spirits and Gods.
           3. Reverence for (not worship) and communication with the Ancestors.
           4. Sacred rituals and symbols for lessor Gods.
           The different names for the Creator, who is considered to be the ultimate source of all things, have marked linguistic differences among Kmt's, over 1,000 various ethnic populations.  Each language ethnic group has a name for God, group names for lessor Gods, and the Ancestors. The names of the different Ancestors and Gods vary according to the geographical, ethnic, and linguistic areas in which they are found. However, they all have the same common meaning and unity.                                                                                                            
  My new books, Religion And Spiritual Anointing, and Sankofa: Healing Comes Tomorrow, will give you the most comprehensive knowledge of the PtahRa Kmtyw traditional religion and its various sub-branches.
  (WWW. AshantiTone . Com

PTAHRA Kmtyw TRADITIONAL RELIGION:  



TAKING BACK OUR GODS AND HOLY TEMPLES

 

"Nea ore pe adee ako kotoko no wonnye no aboro"

 

Copyright  Ó  by

 

Kwabena Faheem Ashanti, Ph.D.

Okomfo (Priest) and Nana (King)



North   Carolina State  University

(919) 515-2425

Fax: (919) 309-1088

WWW.AshantiTone.Com



Mini Workshop Presented at

Association of Black Psychologist Annual Convention

Washington,  DC

1997