Rastafarian question

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Originally Posted by devlore

I have recently been reading about the rastafarian relegion and i was just wondering if it also applys to white men, or is it a discrace to be of rasta when white

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I was a Rasta at one time, but am not any longer. I made a personal decision that it was better to leave it to actual descendants of the Middle Passage. While nobody has a monopoly on God, I believe there is a cultural aspect to Rastafari that should be maintained. It is a religion of African suffering and I feel it is downgraded by people like me who were not stolen from Africa.

I have found it more beneficial to come from my own background than to infiltrate. You have to remember that rastas are very on the guard about outsiders. The persecutions and murders continue to this day in Jamaica and elsewhere. This is not a fanciful religion of smoking dope and looking at the ocean. This is a religion formed by oppression, slavery, and murder...built upon the Ethiopian Orthodox Church--the most rich and valid branch of the Christian Church in the World.

There are many schools of Rasta Bredrin...but what is important to the majority of them is that in order to be a Rasta you must follow the law of H.I.M. Haile Selassie I...which in turn demands that one follow the Bible, therefore, as long as you are comfortable worshipping Jesus, you may be consider yourself a Rastafarian...and it does not matter what color Jesus was, if he even existed. As a white person you should be able to find yourself worthy of any religion, just as any black person would. If somebody will not let you into their religion based on physical attributes, then it is not a religion dealing with the worship of God, but a club based on fashion.
Good summation by Exodus Herbman...but watch out for that ISM on the end or the rasta elders will put a fire on you! Kidding...

Read a lot and talk to Rastas even more. Many of them will not be true rastas, but it is for you to decide. The true one's will all tell you that it is a personal thing. Every rasta must walk a unique path of worship. There is not a church hierarchy like many other religions. If you are in the reading mode: The First Rasta is a Good starting point. It is the Biography of Leonard P. Howell. I can reccommend many books, and if you have any other questions, I will be happy to answer them.

My homeboys, these are elders im talking about, are from the virgin islands, (im moorish american by the way it sounds better than african american or black, because black represents death, were(ethiopic descendants) various shades of brown), anyway they told me His imperial Majesty's priciple ( soul) is what is divine, just like all humans. there is one Supersoul and all other souls are part and parcels of that one soul, simultaneously one and diffrent.there is the changing and the unchanged, the body changes from baby to child to teenager to adult to old man, and at death changes to a new body if one is not liberated. the soul or ParaAtman or Jah is eternal and cannot die. So is His imperial majesty (body)dead? yes . Is his priciple (soul)? No. thats why true Ras Tafaris worship the principle (soul) and not the personality ( body) which just gave the teachings. SEEEEN!!! read bhagavad Gita it has alot to do with Ras Tafari. Also im not Rasta. Peace.

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Originally Posted by devlore

I have recently been reading about the rastafarian relegion and i was just wondering if it also applys to white men, or is it a discrace to be of rasta when white

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Originally, the religion founded was to unite the african people against western imperialisation and their governing bodies and laws (babylon) Haile Selassie 1 does NOT condone racism of any kind, what so ever. It is perfectly acceptable for a white person to follow the Rastafari movement.

I'm forever avoiding these threads but always end up stopping in, and this energy drink got me typing like a damn receptionist today...

While Selassie I speech say without equality there can only be war, Prince Emanuel was about Black Supremacy, and a lot of those dudes on Bobo Hill who have lived their lives surrounded by nothing but Africans won't accept a white Rasta. Where as here in the states where I live our ghettos are diverse, Blacks, Asians, whites, Europeans, Arabic, etc., so when Rasta see me it isn't "no white Rasta" it is always "yes lion" "yes mi lord", my struggle was no different than the next man's. It pisses me off that the sect of Rastas that is the most organized to the point of having a government and priests seems like they don't want to move forward and accept that the only thing that can kill hatred is love.

True, people can come on the internet and claim ties to Bobo Hill and spread their own ignorance around like a plague and that don't mean a thing, this is the internet, religion has no place here or little significance when it comes to anonymously preaching, not to mention, yo your on a computer, ya trying to tell me ya live in a grass hut on the Bay? I'm lucky to be in a situation where I can have a computer and internet, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for hand outs, but that isn't the case with everyone so I am overly suspicious of everyone on the internet.

Yes,
Ethiopia IS the Garden of Eden,
Adam and Eve were Africans,
But I don't see how holding one race supreme over another is going to further anything besides ignorance, the thing we are supposed to be fighting against, and I'm not going to put Prince Emanuel before Jah! Love who you are, and who your people are, but don't hold yourself above another is my idea of how things should be.

::disclaimer:: this post was fueled by caffeine ::disclaimer::

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Originally Posted by Reefer Rogue

Originally, the religion founded was to unite the african people against western imperialisation and their governing bodies and laws (babylon) Haile Selassie 1 does NOT condone racism of any kind, what so ever. It is perfectly acceptable for a white person to follow the Rastafari movement.

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First, Rasta is NOT a religion... ISMS create SCHISMS and as such Rastas specifically refrain from calling their beliefs/movement a "religion".

Second, as Tea Party pointed out there are many houses of Rasta. For example TTI (Twelve Tribes of Isreal) Rastas do allow whites while many of the more fundamentalist rasta houses like the Nyabinghi frown on it.

I've never met a true Rasta who would be upset by a white man trying to live a spiritual/Rasta way of life... but to call one self a Rasta whitout having to endure the I-story of it is (I thing) sacriligous.

I believe it is OK for a white person to "follow the Rastafari " as you so aptly put it... but NOT OK for a white man to call him/herself a Rasta. I am a follower of Rasta livity and live as close to the lifestyle as InI can here in Babylon. Even though I was given the name Ras Bardhylis by a couple Rasta brothers after saving their lives when their boat sank, I do not and would not call I-self a Rasta as I see it as stealing their culture. Besides who cares wat you "call" yourself... just be good and be true and don't worry about what label you put on yourself.

Here is the beginning of an article InI wrote some time ago... also a link to some postings by some Rasta brethren & sistren.

What are the Rasta beliefs... and can white people be Ratsas ?

Posted by: Ras Bardhylis (aka Capt Jim)

Raspects and Greetings brethren & sistren in the name of Jah (God) almighty, His Son Jezu Kristy (Iyesus Kristos, Jesus Christ) and His Imperial Majesty Haille Selassie I.

I lavdëruar qoftë Zoti. (Praise be to Jah),

This question a subject that has raged on an on in other Rasta reasoning rooms for quite some time. I like to think of myself an Albanian I-merican follower of Rasta livity (but do Not call myself a Rasta for reasons you'll soon overstand). Rasta is not something you wake up one day and say "I'm a Rasta" or "I wanna be a Rasta" or "I'm gonna convert to Rasta". It's something you feel... something that calls to you & comes over you... something you are constantly striving to achieve, always a work in progress. I have ALWAYS been a Rasta at heart... always had "the positive vibrations", just didn't know what it was until my friend turned me on to Bob Marley in 1973. Since then, as I said, it's been a slow progression... a constant learning curve. I wasted many years and have done many wrongs in the eyes of Jah... only in 1990 beginning getting truely serious about Rasta livity. It is defItely NOT something you do to smoke weed, grow dreads, listen to reggae or just be different!

clicky clicky... AQUA SHACK

Peace Out & Jah bless all His Idren

Good post but why isn't it a religion? What does that have to do with scisms? I thought it was a religion and philosophy. Every rasta must follow their own path. InI nah expect to be justify by the laws of man or man, I praise Jah, not the downpressor man. So if you are bull bukka, lemme tell ya this, i'm a duppy conqueror :rasta:

'Rasta, or the Rastafari movement, is a religion that accepts Haile Selassie I, the former Emperor of Ethiopia, as God incarnate, whom they call Jah.'

Rastafari movement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I think too many people assume white people are just trying to be cool or trying to be a Rasta to smoke weed but that's not how it is at all for me and probably a lot of people. It's what i feel in my heart, true say.

I know InI don't say Rastafarianism.

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Originally Posted by Reefer Rogue

Good post but why isn't it a religion? What does that have to do with scisms? I thought it was a religion and philosophy. Every rasta must follow their own path. InI nah expect to be justify by the laws of man or man, I praise Jah, not the downpressor man. So if you are bull bukka, lemme tell ya this, i'm a duppy conqueror :rasta:

'Rasta, or the Rastafari movement, is a religion that accepts Haile Selassie I, the former Emperor of Ethiopia, as God incarnate, whom they call Jah.'

Rastafari movement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I think too many people assume white people are just trying to be cool or trying to be a Rasta to smoke weed but that's not how it is at all for me and probably a lot of people. It's what i feel in my heart, true say.

I know InI don't say Rastafarianism.

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Because man creates religions. Jah don't need no single religion. Jah needs no big churches, mosques or whatever. Jah is everywhere and in all things.

And what does religions have to do with schisms??? Take a look at the world today and all the war. Most all the major conflicts/wars going on now have their roots in religion. The powers that be use religion to turn us against each other.

Also don't believe everything you read in wikipedia... Peace Out brothers & sistas!

Ras Bardhylis

ps: Reefer Rogue... my wife is fron the Hague!

Awesome, i live in London currently but i'm moving to the Netherlands by next september i hope. Thanks for that explanation, i shall never call it a religion again, just my way of life. I overstand the livication to Jah and i will try my best to live in peace and Inity. I'm not allowed to grow my hair long or my beard rite now because of my job (babylon lol) so rite now i am a bald head. However, Jah is in my heart, i shall keep the faith, and tread without my dreads for now. The time will come for my spiritual journey of livication, that time will be when i move to the Netherlands so i can fully fulfill my spirituality. I am now trying my best to uphold an Ital diet also, a FEELING has overwhelmed me. I'm on this earth to give Jah praise and all i ask is for longer days.

After days of reasoning and pondering, i have come to the conclusion that i have the utmost respect for anyone who is a Rasta. However, i feel more comfortable believing in Jesus Christ and being a Christian. I love reggae music, i love cannabis, but i can't personally believe that Haile Selassie is God incarnate and i can't follow an Ital diet because i like meat. I shall not be a hypocrit and i shall not degrade the philosophy. Instead, i shall follow my own path and seek my own truth and continue to listen to Peter Tosh and Bob Marley as much as i can. Jah bless and one love.

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Originally Posted by Reefer Rogue

After days of reasoning and pondering, i have come to the conclusion that i have the utmost respect for anyone who is a Rasta. However, i feel more comfortable believing in Jesus Christ and being a Christian. I love reggae music, i love cannabis, but i can't personally believe that Haile Selassie is God incarnate and i can't follow an Ital diet because i like meat. I shall not be a hypocrit and i shall not degrade the philosophy. Instead, i shall follow my own path and seek my own truth and continue to listen to Peter Tosh and Bob Marley as much as i can. Jah bless and one love.

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Bless up, Reefer Rogue! Not being a hypocrite is the what it is all about! Do not walk in the footsteps of the elders; seek what they sought and teach what they taught!:thumbsup: It is so difficult...but on we trod....