What is Rasta

First of all overstand that Rasta is not a religion it is a way of life.

Rasta are those that follow the words of His Emperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I, King of Kings, the Conquering Lion Of the Tribe Of Judah, Rastafari, the Power Of The Trinity, Elect of the Father.

Rasta are those that follow the Word of the Father according to the Bible by doing what the Father says. Rasta is the way not a religion. Rasta is not bound to religion. Religion is just beliefs. Beliefs are just doubts. Rasta is knowledge. Rasta know. Rasta is freedom. Rasta is every other thing. Rasta is the future.

One Love
Prophet7

 

Prophet... like in my post from another thread, these two things (should) go hand in hand (even though sometimes people dont pracrice what they preach)... it is still a religion

Not sure if you are aware rasta also beleive His Emperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I, King of Kings is GOD!

 

That is where you've made ur mistake. Rasta do not believe that His Emperial Majesty is God. We know that HE is Christ in his return. The Father is far too great to be born in a body of sin. For as the Bible says everyone (every body) is born in sin. Jesus is the one that conquered that sin.

The Bible speeks of how He shall return and what titles He shall take upon His 2cnd coming and only one has filled it i.e., H.I.M. Emperor Haile Selassie I and no-one else.
Once again the Father is too great to be reduced to the status of humans.

Why I say it is not a religion ? Religions are based upon beliefs, beliefs have doubts - Rasta is based upon knowing, I and I have no doubts.

Hope u overstand what I am saying...

One Love
Prophet7

 

ok so answer me this, if Selassie is Christ?? How would he not be God... The Trinity, father son and holy ghost, they are all the same....

 

No they are not. Jesus Himself says it. "I can do nothing except of the Father." Even better : "I can of myself say nothing except of the Father. Whatsovever I hear (i.e, whatsoever the Father tells me) that shall I speak." Now what does that mean ?

Answer : He never spoke ahead of the Father but, spoke that what the Father gave Him to speak.

I mean Jesus would be a hypocrite if were to call out "Eli, Eli why hast thou forsaken I ?" if He were the Father - or not ? Was He then calling out to Himself ?

As the Jews asked Him a question saying : "Good Master..." would He then reply : "Why calleth thou me good. There is none good but, the Father ?" if He was/is the Father ?

There are many more examples to proove this but, I think those 3 are enough - don't u ?

If not I will be willing to give u many more examples...

One Love
Prophet7

 

P.S. when Jesus talks about "I and the Father are one" he is talking on a spiritual level i.e., one in the spirit, one in the thinking (for he does not think ahead of the Father), one in the doing (for he does nothing ahead of the Father). What the Father gives Him to say and do, that He does....

One Love
Prophet7

 

I'm interested in your interest, funkyphreshmama. I have many views on rasta, but, i am often not taken seriously because i am white and don't worship selassie. To put it simply, this is what I see rasta to be:

Love. and from that all things come. Respect, peace, understanding. all good things come from love.

 

@lunatic

The name Rasta itself is derived from Selassie name = Ras Tafari. Rasta are those that follow Ras Tafari.

Ur are right about ur view on Rasta but, in order to be a Rasta u have to follow H.I.M. or else u are not. Like I said before we do not worship Selassie - I and I follow H.I.M. examples = very big difference. Maybe that is why people do not take u serious because u have not overstood it yet...

Being white has nothing at all to do with it. I and I accept everyone that follow in truth. It was Selassie words that Marley used for his song "War." Listen to it. Here some words :

Until the philosophy which hold one race superior and another inferior - war
Until the color of a mans skin is of no more significance to the color of his eyes - war.

Rasta do not look at color : Rasta search what is in the heart...

One Love
prophet7

 

I understand these things you mention, prophet. I use rastafarianism as the base of my spiritual views (as well as the core beliefs of many other 'religions'). I'm not what one would call a true 'rasta' by a long shot. Rasta encompasses 90% of the things that I believe and I found out about rasta only after I had formed my belief system. It's a good place to start when explaining what I do and don't believe to people.

I'm glad you do not look at color because many do and not everybody realizes that it's the Love that's important and not the color. Including many so-called 'rastas'...

 

What if you have one of those hats with dreads and couple bob marley CDs...

(Haha.. Ali G)

 

Rasta does not mean a lot to me. I am not a part of the religion, even though I honor the beliefs of many religions, and fit them into my everyday life. There are a lot of things I do not yet grasp about Rastafarianism (its the ism schism). I believe in Babylon. I believe in Zion. Maybe not much like the Rastas, but I do not really restrict myself to one world view

 

^nirmalamaya, what do you believe Zion to be? in the physical or spiritual sense? because many rastas believe Zion to be a state of mind, others say it is heaven, others say it is a physical place (ethiopia...or less commonly, israel).

 

I dont really BELIEVE Zion to be anything. Its more like I have a few theories on what it may be...
Physically...Zion is Israel to me. The "Holy Mountain." The Promised land.
Spiritually, Zion is Heaven to me.

I believe Babylon is the Western Civilization, the Western state of mind. The USA.

 

^interesting. so you believe Israel to be the holy land, blessed by god? do you have any desire to physically enter this place?

i used to believe in Zion as a spiritual place, like a heaven or a perfect afterlife. now, to me, Zion seems like more of an internal place to be rather than external.

if Babylon is the external, evil, physical world, then Zion must be inside of our minds, an internal state of existence, very far from Babylon spiritually, but very close physically, since we find ourselves surrounded by Babylon's influences every day. it's hard to physically escape Babylon to go to Zion, but we can do it spiritually.

To me, Babylon is more of the mindset of desire and gratification. To transcend these things and to express perfect Love is to enter Zion.

 

Rasta isnt a religion it is spirtual. its from the heart. it has its roots in Judism and in Christanity, but it can not be classifised as being a branch on either religion. It is simply a way of life a way of acting and His Majesty Jah Rastafari is the role model in which we should all try to act like. JAh Love

Peace

 

For me Rastafari is about victory, redemption, justice and bringing down babylon internally and externally.

 

Great response Shaman420!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

much thanks!

 

Well said! I think this is along the lines of what I think rasta is.

I see Babylon and Zion as more spiritual places - you're there depending on what you are doing and what you believe in, rather than worshipping the 'correct' god or being the 'right' colour etc. People should all be one and if this happens and materialistic things are not considered the most important things in the world - but love, peace, freedom, friendship and happiness are then we will reach Zion. Plus the world would be a much better place in my opinion!

 

rasta to me.......means truth.

This world is a world based on confusion and lies, From governments, from the press, from media at large....and it can really get you down. you see so many people listening to what the latest rapper, or the latest rockstar has gotta say and then just copying them ya know? people are trying to mimic alot more today rather than trying to find who the person inside themselves is.

rasta to me.....roars truth. rasta says you shouldnt care what anybody thinks of you, and you shouldnt wear things or say things or act a certain way just because 'i'll look weird if i dont' because rasta to me...is about being true to yourself.

i dont like to say 'THIS IS RASTA!!!' because i believe its different for every person and its really not the rasta way to say 'this is rasta, if you dont do this your not rasta' because it should be about.....how you feel inside ya know?

There is a rasta holy book, of course the bible, but also the kebra nagast (the glory of the kings) which is basically the story of king solomon, and how the ark of the covenant went from him to his son menelik and it went to ethiopia where it now sits and it says of the rebirth of christ (haile selassie, jah rastafari) and i believe that book, and the belief that jah is the almighty are central to the rasta beliefs. If you dont believe jah rastafari is jesus reborn...then technically you wouldnt be rasta, but hey im no authority haha

if i could sum up 'what is rasta' in one sentence....it would be that rasta is truth, if you always do what feels right and always be true to yourself and be trustful in jah's wisdom above all else, thats rasta.

The kebra nagast it states 'he who feels it, knows it'

one love people, zion train is coming.