Rastifarianism: Christian?

[upbeatjonm]

Is the Rastifarian religion Christian? What are the basic beliefs. I listen often to Bob Marley, who I believe was a believer in that religion.

 

[Mirdath]

I suppose if you count Mormonism as Christian (admittedly a pretty big ‘if’), you’d count Rastafarianism too. They believe that the former Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I is the returned Messiah and God incarnate.

 

[aj830]

They believe that Emperor Haile Sellasie I of Ethiopia is God incarnate who they call Jah, so in short, they are not Christian. Some do believe that Jesus and even Melchizedek were former incarnations of God. It is a very loose religion where the individual Rasta sorts out the belief. Peculiar beliefs are of course that of smoking cannabis which they believes opens one’s mind and they usually accompany the smoking with Bible study. They are very anti-modern society referring to it as Babylon.

As for Bob Marley, he was a adherent to Rastafarianism for a long time. Many Rastas believe him to be a prophet. However a interesting note about Bob Marley is a year before his death he joined the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The local Orthodox Bishop said this about the occasion.

“Bob was really a good brother, a child of God, regardless of how people looked at him. He had a desire to be baptised long ago, but there were people close to him who controlled him and who were aligned to a different aspect of Rastafari . But he came to Church regularly. I remember once while I was conducting the Mass, I looked at Bob and tears were streaming down his face…When he toured Los Angeles and New York and England, he preached the Orthodox faith, and many members in those cities came to the Church because of Bob. Many people think he was baptised because he knew he was dying, but that is not so…he did it when there was no longer any pressure on him, and then when he was baptised, he hugged his family and wept, they all wept together for about half an hour.”

 

[Alexius]

They believe that Emperor Haile Sellasie I of Ethiopia is God incarnate who they call Jah, so in short, they are not Christian. Some do believe that Jesus and even Melchizedek were former incarnations of God. It is a very loose religion where the individual Rasta sorts out the belief. Peculiar beliefs are of course that of smoking cannabis which they believes opens one’s mind and they usually accompany the smoking with Bible study. They are very anti-modern society referring to it as Babylon.

As for Bob Marley, he was a adherent to Rastafarianism for a long time. Many Rastas believe him to be a prophet. However a interesting note about Bob Marley is a year before his death he joined the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The local Orthodox Bishop said this about the occasion.

I didn’t know that he became an Oriental Orthodox Christian. What was the feeling of the Ethiopian church toward his cannabis use and drug and anti-establishment influenced music? I know in some societies using cannabis is as acceptable as drinking coffee and that sometimes impacts the views of the clerics…

Prayers and petitions,
Alexius

 

[Alexius]

Is the Rastifarian religion Christian? What are the basic beliefs. I listen often to Bob Marley, who I believe was a believer in that religion.

It is inspired by a mix of Christian and African Islander beliefs. They exalt Ethiopia and Emperor Haile Sellasie I as God incarnate. He is called the Lion of Judah and the Christ (second return)…

Prayers and petitions,
Alexius

 

[upbeatjonm]

They believe that Emperor Haile Sellasie I of Ethiopia is God incarnate who they call Jah, so in short, they are not Christian. Some do believe that Jesus and even Melchizedek were former incarnations of God. It is a very loose religion where the individual Rasta sorts out the belief. Peculiar beliefs are of course that of smoking cannabis which they believes opens one’s mind and they usually accompany the smoking with Bible study. They are very anti-modern society referring to it as Babylon.

As for Bob Marley, he was a adherent to Rastafarianism for a long time. Many Rastas believe him to be a prophet. However a interesting note about Bob Marley is a year before his death he joined the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The local Orthodox Bishop said this about the occasion.

Thanks! This is very insightful.

 

[Auriel]

Actually there are many Rastifarians who love and worship the same Trinity, the same God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit that we do. They believe In Jesus Christ, Yesus Kristos, Yeshouah Mashiach, Most call him Yah, taken from **Psalm 68:4

4Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
**

Reggae Music is often called “Yah music”. They believe every time one says the word “HalleluJAH” they are saying praise to Yah.

Most (although there are a few) do not worship the Emperor, that is a misconception by those who do not understand the culture. I happen to know of a few myself who I believe to my Christian brothers.

They worship JAH Rastafari, which means God the Creator.
Before the Emperor became the Emperor his real name was Ras Tafari, They believe themselves to be sons of the Biblical King Soloman, The Emperor became known as Haile Selassie, which means Power of the Trinity. He never claimed to be any of the things that his name meant. In fact he defended Christianity and believed that there was One King, Jesus Christ, I have quite a few relatives named Jesus and Mary, they do not claim to be the originals either! LOL

Here is a quote from a Rastafari Leader:

“I am talking about the return of Christ who is going to sit on the throne of David. (…) I am making a differentiation (between Jesus Christ and Haile Selassie). Because Christ the same yesterday, today and forever. And even after His Majesty say, Him saved not by the man character but by the blood of Jesus Christ.”

The music is very important part of their spirituality, After all, David played his harp for King Saul and drove the demonic influences away.

It is not my culture but I can and do appreciate it, just like some of the traditions of my native ancestors side of teh family.

Of course there are those who have perverted the message, and promoted the music after twisting it all for profit, taking what it was originally intended (Jah creator) out of the message. Babylonian world system? Maybe they had a point there!

 

[aj830]

Actually there are many Rastifarians who love and worship the same Trinity, the same God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit that we do.

Most (although there are a few) do not worship the Emperor, that is a misconception by those who do not understand the culture. I happen to know of a few myself who I believe to my Christian brothers.

There might be some who do worship the same God, but it is a very very loose religion that varies from group to group and for the most part I would say that they do worship the Emperor as God Incarnate. Like I said, it is very loose so the people you know might be from a different group of Rastafarians that don’t partake in Emperor worship. I know though that in Jamaica it is so bad that when a Rasta converts to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church that the baptism includes a denunciation of emperor worship specifically.

Haile Selassie, which means Power of the Trinity. He never claimed to be any of the things that his name meant. In fact he defended Christianity and believed that there was One King

It is true that Haile Selassie did not claim to be divine, but what he said and what people believed about him were two completley different thing. He never made a public condemnation of the worship of him by the Rastafarians which led more to believe he might really be divine, however some say privatley he was deeply hurt by the Rasta movement.