I don't believe that there is any conspiracy surrounding Haile Selassie's death. He was a man, and men die.

If you look at the way the religion formed though, you will see that it has it's counterparts.
Is it not an exact copy of Christianity? It revolves around a messiah figure, is based on Biblical history and is aimed at a society under oppression. It's basic tenets are love, peace and harmony yet it still has the contradiction of another society as it's enemy.

If Rastafarianism had formed 2000 years ago around a shadowy figure lost in history, instead of one whom we have been able to well document, would some people here still be questioning it?

aaahhh bob marley and his cancer..
now this one, i have heard lots of stories about from Rastas and Jamaicans. It seems their distrust for Babylon plays big into this.

Bob was about to play soccer, when he put on his shoe, something pricked his toe, he brushed it off...his toe got infected...the infection spread to thru his body and finally into his brain. now rastas claim that Babylon actually poisoned bob and infected him with the cancer.

I have some books on the life of bob, I will research and come back with more details for you, since there are a few variations of this story..but Rastas firmly believe that Babylon intentionally killed Bob Marley to try prevent him from becoming the hero he is, and to stop him from spreading his rastafarian message.

one love!

leveller, sorry dude, I totally overlooked your post. You made good points.. I would think that if this happened centuries ago..more people would have been accepting of Haile Selassie being the Christ, because we wouldn't have been able to prove otherwise.

Rastafarianism isn't an exact copy of Christianity, it is influenced by many other religions including Eastern Hindu philosophy. The dreadlocks and weed smoking was borrowed from the Shiva sadhus of India, who also grow dreadlocks and partake in smoking the herb. Rastas base their religion more on the Ethiopian Orthodox sect of Christianity with emphasis that Babylon and Satan corrupted all other versions of the religion and the bible to hide the prominence of Blacks and keep them in slavery and the slave mentality. They feel that the King James Version is the only version that comes closest to what the original message was.


[Edited on 3-25-2004 by worldwatcher]

Originally posted by worldwatcher
lRastafarianism isn't an exact copy of Christianity, it is influenced by many other religions including Eastern Hindu philosophy.

That's what I meant by a copy. Christianity didn't just spring up overnight. It also took a lot of it's structure from other religions. I should have made myself clearer.

I meant a copy in as much as how they both came about to exist.

Worldwatcher are u Jamaican?
i thought i was the only J'can on this board

as far as i know the rastas was mistajlkken in fact selassie was merely a descendant of king david, and he came from the same lineage of jesus christ. now case in point, why were they mistaken? was it because they were reading a bible translated full of errors, it bears in mind of the fact also, that throughout history, that man has always look for a saviopur like himself.peace out

I agree the Rastas were mistaken in their proclamation of Selassie being the god on earth. Personally I see HIM Selassie as a man of inspiration for the people, but from all of my readings about his life, there is no case to support his "divinity".

Just like all other religions, Rastafarianism has various sects. Even today within their own culture, there are various groups who still argue this point. There is a sect who acknowledge Selassie and sing songs in praise of him. There is another sect who points out Selassie himself denied any "divinity" and therefore should be listened to and do not put him in the same regard and then there is another sect which follows more of the Ethiopian Orthodox practices.

[edit on 3-21-2005 by worldwatcher]

Originally posted by crusader
as far as i know the rastas was mistajlkken in fact selassie was merely a descendant of king david, and he came from the same lineage of jesus christ. now case in point, why were they mistaken? was it because they were reading a bible translated full of errors, it bears in mind of the fact also, that throughout history, that man has always look for a saviopur like himself.peace out

Born 1892 in Ethiopia, in the royal house of David, his bloodline is descendent from Solomon and Sheba and related in the family bloodline to Jesus Christ. Source BBC

Interesting stuff.

Does anyone have a family tree that shows the lineage of Haile Selassie from Solomon and Sheba?

I found this text about a possible bible contradiction involving Solomns father Kind David

1 Samuel 16:10-11 clearly implies that Jesse, the father of Israel's King David, had at least eight sons, of which David was the eighth. But 1 Chronicles 2:13-15 indicates that Jesse had only seven sons, and that David was the youngest. Which text is correct? How many sons did Jesse really have? And how can the Bible be trusted if you read one thing in one place and a totally contradictory statement in another place

Selassie is allegedly decendent of Solomon ( Davids Son, Jesse's Grandson) but what of the other Sons and Daughters of Jesse and David...is there any individual/Family today that claims they are decendents?

Just as an aside I was also wondering...Jesus ( it is claimed ) was a decendent of King David but was that on his mother Marys side or Josephs?

I only ask because if it is on Josephs side....As none of Josephs blood flows through his veins ( Because he was the product of an Immaculate conception) he is not a decendent of David...therefore...he is not the Messiah of Prophecy!!

Anyway, maybe that is for another topic but Ladies, it may be worth investigating the role of Women in Rasta culture before you start singing Redemption songs....






[edit on 22-3-2005 by BobDylan]

great post

I maybe wrong, but I think the entire royal bloodline of the Ethiopian monarchy all claim to be direct descendants of Solomon and Sheba. got to go look for that link now

Nice research worldwatcher!

I agree that Haile Selassie is the Christ, a living God, H.I.M. for all the rastafarians, and his struggle to fight for his country has given hope to the young rastafarians in Jamaica. They saw him as a descendant of King David and King Solomon, and therefore was a divinity for them, not a human.

But he was also a man. While he was wearing fancy uniforms and gold, his people of Ethiopia were starving. He wasnt the perfect ruler, and he was far away from Christ. But he gave alot of hope to the people and therefore many reggae artists consider his name sacred and ofthen used in songs of praise. The real miracle was the prophecy of Sir Marcus Garvey, that foretold, that this empereor Ras Tafari Makonnen will arise, a bloodline of King Salomon and Queen Sheeba.

Well he has visited our country of ex-Yugoslavia for numerous times, and was a great friend of our ex-leader Tito. They liked to talk and to smoke togather.

wow what a great thread all together...can't beleive i missed this one

don't really have much to add but as you can see I'm a huge Marley fan

and now this makes more sense when i hear bob say "god is a living man" in his one song get up stand up...i'm not intotal agreement of that but i do not disrespect it either..."preacher man don't tell me heaven is under the earth, I know you don't know what life is really worth, its not that all the glitter is gold, have the story has never been told"

I do not see why this is a conspiracy. You explained their beliefs after you said you'd explain why it is a conspiracy.
Please explain the conspiracy. There is no reason that I can see why this is a conspiray, but you are welcome to explain it now, please.

Ah, the conspiracy is that they want to punish the white man, right?

Kill me, maybe?

Is that the conspiracy?

Interesting.

And, why go back to Africa after they rid the world of the white folk? The Africans have been doing a good job and fatally damaging the African ecosystem, why go back there? Makes no sense.

Originally posted by TheBandit795
Rastafari is a religion.

All I have to say about that is I hope that Bob Marley is around when I get out of this world, I'd love to hear what he has to play and say now. I once thought him a great man, maybe even a prophet. His apparent adherence to a religion that an earlier poster says teaches "hatred of the white race" (of which I am decidedly a part), has not changed my mind. I just think now that he was even more severely deluded than I imagined.

There sure were (and are yet) a lot of white people who buy, love and play his music endlessly and he did sing of togetherness of the races, unless one is prepared to say his music was in code.

Which I have to admit that back in the day, when I was engulfed with reggae music, I often thought I detected something just beyond understanding that gave the lie to the mangled English words. I pushed those thoughts away because, first, I didn't want it to be true, and secondly, because I was usually high, and thought I was being paranoid.

Once I "put away the childish things" having become a Christian, I still found I enjoyed the rhythm but the intensity of the enjoyment is definitely diminshed and more so since reading previous posts here.

Rastafarianism, imo, is an earth-bound religion, adhered to by those who desire earthly "princehood" more than the heavenly. Religious, yes, but truly spiritual, no.