“Old-time Religion” Q. Jones III
“Old Time Religion”
by Q. Jones III
Ok I'm bout to talk about one of the most controversial yet popular topics in Black America: religions.
You ready? Take a deep breath, go get a pen and paper, and open your mind a little. Ready? Here we go
Religion and spirituality have always been strong forces in the lives of our people and humanity in general. Some of the oldest artifacts recovered by anthropologist have been of a religious nature; there have been movies, tv shows, comics and many books written about the world's religious traditions; not to mention that more wars have been fought over religious beliefs than anything else in history. Despite this, many of today's so-called African Americans know very little (if anything) about their ancestral religions. This is amazing when you realize that some of the world's largest religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam specifically) can all trace their roots back to Khemet (Ancient Egypt) and its spiritual systems. With that being said, what's so special about the Khemetian religion? And why is it so important that we reclaim our spiritual inheritance now?
Before we get into those questions, we must first understand exactly what a religion is. For some a religion is a set way of worshipping the Creator. To others a religion is a guideline for how to live one's life. Still, some people see a religion as being a restricting crutch that places unnecessary and exploitative limitations on people and their potential. Is any of this true? Let's see.
So the word religion comes from the Latin word “religare.” Religare is made up of “re-” and “ligare.” Re- is a prefix. It means “again” or “back.” Ligare is a verb. It means “to tie, bind or fasten.” Think of the word ligament: a set of tissues that connects (ties, binds or fastens) bones, joints, etc. Ligare is also related to another Latin word: legere. This is where we get words like logic and legal.
With all that being said, I think that whoever created the word "religion" was thinking of a collection of logical teachings to reconnect (or maybe just connect) people with God, the Universe, Self or whatever you want to call it these days.
Our old time religions fit this definition. Before the coming of Islam and Christianity (at least in their orthodox forms) Black people saw themselves as one with nature and God. In certain cases, the word(s) for God and man was either the same or very similar.
Our ancestors knew that there is more to man than
his conscious mind. They knew that there was a part of man that is not under his conscious control and this part was evidence of the Divine that lies within each of us. Think about your breathing, or your heartbeat, or the digestion of food; you do not have to consciously control any of these things–they just happen according to a natural law and order that is inherent in your being. When our bodies are operating according to this order it is called health; when a society is operating according to this order we get peace, prosperity, equality and justice. So it makes sense that if a person could tap into this Divine program of order, they could intuit the ways and actions that would create harmony in their lives and in society.
In the old time religions, spiritual growth was the most important aspect of an individual's life. Our old time religions were truly holistic. Unity was a fact of life. Even in our religions/cultures that seemed polytheistic on the surface, there was usually a one-God figure (or principle) that all others gods/principles derived from. Our people were just in tune with the way that nature manifests itself–one energy, many different forms.
In our old time religions, spirituality was not just something for Sunday. It was treated like a science. The world's first colleges were also spiritual temples. They were called Mystery Schools—places where students learned about the unseen forces of the universe operating through man and nature. The Temple of Luxor in Egypt is an ancient mystery school. Some of history's greatest minds were either students of these schools or taught by someone who was. People like Imotep, Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, Moses, Abraham, and even Jesus.
Our old time religions brought the light of civilization to the world. It was their holistic perspective that allowed them to build the pyramids and Sphinx that the world still worships today. If you ask me, it's the lack of unity and holistic thinking that's causing our problems now. I don't care if it's racism, classism, sexism, or religious intolerance—all of it comes from lost people not in tune with the truth of their nature; humans who think they're only humans.
I'm not saying that we have to get too caught up in the past but if we want better then we need to do better. Our old time religions contain a legacy of wisdom for us to use. I feel like any Black person that turns their nose up at their old time religions has to believe that Africans were savages before Christianity and Islam. Why else would you just disregard your people's teachings? You must think that they were wrong until some other people saved them. If you believe that, then you are a racist. I don't care if you are as black as night; if you believe that Europeans and Christianity saved Black people then you're a racist. I understand tho. It's what you were taught.
That's that new shit tho.
😂😂🤣😂🤣😂
P.E.A.C.E.
Properly Examine African Cultural Expression
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