Bahahism & Rastafari~ WARNING: long post!! :)

[knottyganjagirl]

Bahahism & Rastafari~**WARNING: Long Post!!!!!

*****WARNING & Apology~ for the length of this post! I didn't realize how long this would get when I began, but things really started to "flow"...hope you don't mind! But, as this is an indepth topic, it is difficult to express w/ more brievity!!*******



Greetings, friends!!

I hope that this finds all of you doing & feeling well!!

I'm still rather new to this site~ But, I was just wondering if anyone practices, 'considers themselves to be' or has read about the Bahai or Rasta philosophies/ways of being/religions...

These are the two religious philosophies that I identify w/ & find most express or mirror my own personal spiritual beliefs. For myself, spirituallity is far too personal to just blindly follow what someone else has believed or just b/c I was raised as a certain denomination.

During my 'spiritual quest', I've been trying to read, research & explore many different religious philosophies. & I've taken & learned from each perspective that I've studied. I particularly find Buddhism & Hinduism to be beautiful & enlightening. I see truth in it all~ It just might not completely fit my overall philosophy.

I'd been searching for many years, I didn't know what I was looking for~ now I know that it was Bahai & Rastafari! The things I learned & took as my own, forming what I thought was my own personal spiritual truths, actually had names!!

I've found that most of the major religions tend to be far too 'judgemental', absolute & confining for me. I also hate to see everyone split into small groups that really have more in common that not...(ie: Chrisitanity> has ooddles of segments. That's why I think that Non-denominational churches seem to have the right idea, as far as that goes at least.) I think it is these divisions often have created the petty prejudice & hostilities, eventually resulting in the vast majority of the wars throughout history. This is just one of the many reasons Bahia & Rasta fit my personal perspectives & beliefs. Violence in the name of JAH, 'God', Allah...is truely blasphomous & profane!!!


This is not to say that I dont respect other ppl's religious or spiritual beliefs...I honestly do. The view that all religions are fundamentally the same & are devine in origin, is one of the tenents of Bahai that I very much believe & try to embody. Moses, Jesus, Zoroaster, Buddah, Confucius, Mohammed, Haile Sellaissie I & Baha'u'llah "are all manifestations of 'God', the same 'God'."

As William Sears, author of" Theif in the Night", states, "There is but one God, & therefore one religion. There is no exclusive salvation for the Jew, Christian, the Muslim, the Hindu, the Buddhist or the Baha'i, or for the ppl of any of the great religions of the world. God is not in competition w/ Himself. His religion is one. He is the Father of all, & we are all children of this one human family. That He, (God), should compete for the souls of His children on separate corners of great city streets is a man-made invention."

Bahai embodies the "elimination of all forms of prejudice w/ an emphasis on race unity, the equality of men & women, the importance of family cohesion & the establishment of world peace."

This parallels the teachings of H.I.M. Haile Selassie I, King of Zion & founding Father of Rastafari. We are all desendents of Africa, for it is the birth place of all man-kind. Therefore, we are all Africans & "creating divisions, ie. among races, is the rule of BABYLON." So, understanding this, one can see that racism has nothing to do w/ Rastafari, a wide spread myth. Rastafari works to re-unite all cultures for we are all Brothers & Sisters.

There is also the myth that caucasions can not be Rasta. If you are pure of heart, have an honest soul & have played no part in the capture or enslavement of Africans "& accepted no benefit thereof, then it is only left to consider the humanity of knowing what is happening & doing nothing or something to change the situation. Doing something to help makes you a good person reguardless of colour or race...Unification is the key." [Unification is yet another shared principle of Rastafari & Bahai.] If you live your life in this way, you are RASTA!!

The way I see it, Rasta is goodness & LOVE~
These things should not & are not be reserved for only some ppl. Although there are many ppl today who take advantage of Rastafari & have the wrong idea about this way of being. True, it isn't taken seriously by some & is merely an "excuse" to smoke mj, but once one sees the "truth" it can't be denied.

Would it be right to deny the truth once seen just b/c others see them as somehow less-deserving & prejudge their intentions, honesty, faith, genuineness & sincerity? Is one deserving only based on skin color, ethnicity, race & therefore, is a birthrite? This would be against the teachings of H.I.M. Haile Sellassie I & of Baha'u'llah.

I see this as just a test of one's Faith. Haile Sellassie I teaches us that "No one should question the faith of others, for no human can judge the ways of God." So, being Rasta is also about acceptace of all those who knows themselves to be Rasta.

Haile Selassie I, Himself said that, "We must become members of a new race, overcoming petty prejudice, "Owing our ultimate dedication or allegiance not to any nation or country, but to our fellow men w/in the human community & become a member of a new race, the true race: The Human Race." It was He who said that skin color should have no more significance than eye color.

Both Bahai & Rastafari teaches us to unite & not to be judgemental of others or their faith. In an appeal to the League of Nations in 1936, saying,
"Apart from the Kingdom of the Lord, there is not on this Earth any nation that is superior to any other....God & History will remember your judgement." For me, this speaks not only to the context in which it was stated, but also holds true in everyday life as well.

My search has led me to accept both Rasta & Bahai & to take them as my own...Though some may question how one can be both Rasta & Bahai, but when one studies both disaplines, it is evident how much the two practices have in common. They both work to the same goals & follow many of the same principles. & though there are differences, they are more alike than not. & as I said, to me it is so personal, while I can't say that I take every principle or belief as literal or even necessarily as true for myself, I AM RASTA, I AM BAHAI!! It is in my heart & I see more TRUTH in these two philosophies, than in anything else. Afterall, how many Catholics do you know who follow every teaching of the Church or Pope? How many Christians or folks of any major religion, (w/ the exception of some of the more fundamentalist or Orthodox denominations), takes every word in the Bible or Koran or Torah to be a literal recording of history? It is what is in each of our hearts!


****This is not meant to offend or hurt anyone who's not of the same mind set as myself!! I'd love to hear your thoughts or perspectives! I hope however that this will remain a gentle, KIND discussion....& bottom out into another "us vs. them" kind of thread!! Lets be gentle!! This could be beautiful~

**~sending healing energy & loveing kindness~**

Take care,
stay safe &
be peacefull!!
--naughty knotty ganja girl



Better a bleeding heart
than none at all.

knottyganjagirl Reviewed by knottyganjagirl on 06-16-2004. Bahahism & Rastafari~ WARNING: long post!! :) Bahahism & Rastafari~**WARNING: Long Post!!!!! *****WARNING & Apology~ for the length of this post! I didn't realize how long this would get when I began, but things really started to "flow"...hope you don't mind! But, as this is an indepth topic, it is difficult to express w/ more brievity!!******* Greetings, friends!! I hope that this finds all of you doing & feeling well!! Rating: 5

[robert42]

excellent post really good indepth views

kudos my friend

JAH BLESS :P

[sugarmagnolia]

well I am not very sure about the beliefs of Rastafari or Bahai after that post, so I can not judge either of htem. But i can tell u that I live within 5 minutes of one of the 7(?)
Bahai temples. I live near the beautiful Bahai Temple in Wilmette, Il. U may have interested me enough to take that short trip there. All the people that mention Bahai around here talk about the temple and say that it is a place where anyone of any religion may go and pray. I am an atheist though so I doubt I will fit in with any religion unless it is a philosophy on how to live