Am I able to be a rasta?

I've been smoking weed for years now and have always had hippie/rebelious ways, always wanting peace and hating politcs. I'm white but i was raised not ever gonig to church or anything and the way christians beliefs are scares the shit outta me, liek stuff about if you don't love god or jesus you are going to hell and all the god squad people freaked me out too at my high school. They were like robots. And I feel as if people use God as a crutch, always saying they can't do anything without god and dedicate their whole lives to worshipping and shit. Sorry if anyone feels offended by any of that but its just how i feel, the other day on fb i saw some girl post "without god, you can't do anything. With god, you can do anything." This is why i am not a christian, basically this girl is saying that my whole 19 years of life is a waste and i can't do anything. This is why i am not christians, christians remind me way to much of the government and coruptness, I'm always seeing shit on the news about priests and pastors doing crazy shit.

Now to the point. I kinda feel like something is missing in my life but don't know what it is. The other day i got stoned and watc ha bob marley documentary on netflix. That shit changed my life. Him, the wailers, and peter tosh are amazing and I love all the lyrics and messages/beliefs they try to get through on their songs. So i started further looknig into bob marley and came across rastafarianism. I looekd into that too and the whole religion made so much sense and it seems so perfect. From what i gather, anyone can be rasta, there is no formal baptism or whatever to become rasta, and none of that weird worshipping and acting liek a slave. Please correct me if i'm wrong. Also the their god Jah loves everybody no matter what race and everything about it seems so chill. One love and all that stuff. So being a white 19 year old, I really want to become a rasta, is there some official thing i have to do to become one cause i'm not really sure about everything. And is there any other tips anyone can give me on being a rasta? Thanks for any help, greatly appreciated.

 

You can be anything you want to be.

 

haha well yeah that's easy to say, but is there like any official way to convert from aithiest to rastafarian? And like how to practice rastafarianism? I don't know much about it and need help. Although i do know smoking weed is one of the practices lol

 

Yes There Is, Tis Simple, Just Grow Dreadlocks....

Problem Solved...



Cheers Glen.

 

and put bob marley poster on wall

 

and you must use rasta slang

 

Ha already did that, been up for years now. Is there a specific book the Rastas study like how christians/other religions study the bible or do the rastas use the bible too? If so then what sections

 

I do think you could be if you wanted to. Might help if you lived in or around an area where you could meet others with similar interests so you arent flying solo. I may be wrong but I read that rastafarians do not pollute their bodies in any way. No ciggarettes, prescription medications, or foods that are not good for you. Not sure how strongly that is enforced, I dont really know much about it but I did look it up before.

 

Yes, the bible.

Old testament, I think. And maybe some of the books that got cut out of the christian cannon.

 

You realize Rastas follow the Old Testiment right? That they are into "worshipping and acting like a slave" as you so delicately put it. The term "jah" is referring to the same God that Christians worship.....it came from the word HalleluJah. You might hear Rastas say "I and I." Which is referring to the holy spirit of God (Jah) that lives inside of us.

Rastas also worship a man named Haile Selassie (originally named Ras Tafari) who they believed to be the second coming of Christ.

 

Also no alcohol, they cannot shave the corners of their beard, bring baldness upon their heads, or wear blended fibers. A lot of what they believe actually lines up pretty close with orthodox Judaism.

 

Well true I suppose most religions have some form of worship, I'm just not turned on by the way Christians do it

 

By the by, the locks are generally related to numbers:6 (the nazerite vow), though often grown by those who have not taken the vow, and who may or may not live as if they had, in general.

 

Smoking weed and listening to Bob Marley and growing dreadlocks does not make one Rastafarian, and never will.

The road I took to Rastafarian was a long one. I first started listening to Bob Marley at aged 10. and 13 I was learning and reading Rastafarian philosiphy and learning the lifestyle until I was around 18. by 20 I was living life fully as a Rasta man, along with a complete Ital diet. I started growing my dreadlocks at aged 25, 12 YEARS after starting to learn the religion.

Living as a Rastaman is not easy, and don't fool yourself into thinking Marley + weed + locks = Rasta, in fact among the real Rasta community these people are seen as hindering our progress.

btw...I havent smoked weed for over 10 years, and have been told by many, many Rastafarians who helped me along my journey that some of the strongest Rastamen are those who can see Jahs beauty without the aid of the plant...keep that in mind if Rastafarianism is a way to condone smoking weed. Smoking weed is a practice for some, not ALL, do not stereotype Rastafarians(ism).

If you truly are dedicated to the believe then I wish you all the luck, and feel free to contact me if you need aid brother. Remember, Ital isn't an option, your body is Jahs creation, not liveing Ital is poisoning your soul, so to claim Rastafarianism but feeding on non Ital products makes one a hypocrite who will, and in your current readings you should know what Rastafarianism teaches on hypocrisy.

 

damn thats some real talk right there. Yea i guess i wouldn't be able to fully commit to the Ital diet. Lol i just like smoking weed, listening to some good reggae, meditating, being peaceful, and i really like rastafarianism's philosophies and all that but i guess i'll just make up my own little thing
cause ik i won't be able to fullly commit to rastafarianism

 

no

 

Lotta ism for a Rasta thread.

 

My thoughts exactly.

But I only know this because of a now-distant wikipedia rampage.

Speaking of which, I've been meaning to look up "ketchup" for a while, going to do that now...

 

you can find your own spirituality without committing to a religion if you feel like your life lacks spiritual depth. Keep meditating and look inside yourself

 

Hey bro you need a mind to love jah jah. In the bible it sais

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

I agree with you about the christians. And they are almost like robots