Rastafarianism

[Oso]

Anyone know any really good reads on the subject?

Gotten a bug about this subject recently and wish to read the history.

Something objective if at all possible.

TIA

[Kristoffer]

http://www.swagga.com/rasta.htm

[Tak]

Gotten a bug about this subject recently and wish to read the history.

AKA - I suddenly feel the need to justify my habit... :p

[David Jamieson]

Here's a whack of links in regards to Selassie and Rastafarianism.

http://web.syr.edu/~affellem/raslinx.html

Probably be in your best interest to read a little about the emperors history...just to get an even perspective.

It ain't all about praising Ja and smoking pot.

[Oso]

Tak, if you knew me you would know how rediculous a statement that is.

However, that is one of several reasons I'm curious about what it's supposed to be about versus what rich white kids seem to make it about.

Not saying that anyone of any particular background couldn't become a true Rasta but around these parts you get a lot of the 'trustafarian' white kids who just tend to **** me off. ;)

[Oso]

thanks K and KL

[Kristoffer]

Wasn't it Marley who said:

"White reporter - what would I have to do to become a rasta?
Bob - be born again"


I thought no whites could be Rastas, that it was a cultural thing. I dunno

[Oso]

there's an awful lot of posers around here then.

[Starchaser107]

there are white rastas and chinese rastas etc. but its not all that common @ home. these days rastafarianism is becoming more and more integrated into our culture, which i think is a good thing , because for a while we were struggling with an identity, and there was this upper and middleclass contempt for rastafarians. but through positive teachings and through reggae and dancehall the rastafarian views are being expressed and accepted by our generation and some before and increasingly more after mine.
oso, i'm sorry that i can't be of much help. if you're still interested then when i get home if you have any questions i can ask around for you.

back on topic, Bob Marley was half white and probably the most famous rastafarian to date. the lyrics to his song war i believe came from a speech delivered by haille selassie @ his coronation

"BOB MARLEY - War Lyrics
What life has taught me
I would like to share with
Those who want to learn...

Until the philosophy which hold one race
Superior and another inferior
Is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned
Everywhere is war, me say war

That until there are no longer first class
And second class citizens of any nation
Until the colour of a man's skin
Is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes
Me say war

That until the basic human rights are equally
Guaranteed to all, without regard to race
Dis a war

That until that day
The dream of lasting peace, world citizenship
Rule of international morality
Will remain in but a fleeting illusion
To be persued, but never attained
Now everywhere is war, war

And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes
that hold our brothers in Angola, in Mozambique,
South Africa sub-human bondage
Have been toppled, utterly destroyed
Well, everywhere is war, me say war

War in the east, war in the west
War up north, war down south
War, war, rumours of war

And until that day, the African continent
Will not know peace, we Africans will fight
We find it necessary and we know we shall win
As we are confident in the victory

Of good over evil, good over evil, good over evil
Good over evil, good over evil, good over evil"

I don't believe anyone subscribing to this reasoning would dare to say rastafari is a black thing, or even a jamaican thing.

[Oso]

My interest was sparked by a reread of Gibson's "Neuromancer" which has an orbital colony of Rastas and a pretty major character self described as a 'rude boy'. Gibson seems to use Rasta terminology correctly and a couple of terms caught me, "I and I" for one.

After the reread I realized I didn't really know squat about the subject.

After talking with my brother who is a big Marley fan but really no help with my questions (for which I ragged the **** out of him since he has around 30 Marley CD's) I talked with another friend about it some and he was able to answer some questions but still left me thinking.

anyway, I tend to get obsessed about things I don't know sometimes, this is just the latest.

SC107, would you say that it started as a 'black thing' but has morphed into something cross-culteral? I still kind of doubt that the number of white kids in this area are truly 'rasta' although I have met some white dudes in their 50's and 60's around here who have some serious dreads.

I'll probably hit the used book stores around town this weekend but I'll hit you up with anything that I don't get, Thanks !

[Tak]

Originally posted by Oso
Tak, if you knew me you would know how rediculous a statement that is.

Hence the smiley.

[Starchaser107]

yeah, i'd say that it started out as a black thing for basically what has been described as the "black diasphora"
but just like any other movement it grew and incorporated its own iconography and symbolism and integrated other ideas.

rastafarians are/were referred to as natty dreadlocks, but as my neighbour who is a rastafarian once said to me
"dread is something you fear , i am a rasta"


good luck in your research, if you find anything interesting, feel free to share.

[Oso]

Tak, no worries, sorry I bristled, smoking of any kind is a bit of a peeve of mine.



SC107, will do. I'll probably hit you with a PM here in the next day or so when I have some more time to write.

[Starchaser107]

kris
we all are one people

[Tak]

Oso - pet peeve of mine, too - at least among friends/loved ones, everyone else I could give a **** less.

Truth be told, though, I don't know **** about rastafarianism except that a lot of people do use it as an excuse.







----------------
"Now get outta my and my site - you're bogartin' my patience!" --Hermes

[Oso]

I agree, as I noted above, around here there is a segment of that population refered to as 'trustafari': rich white kids rebelling against their parents once grandpa's trust fund becomes theirs.

dated a girl several years back who had been in that scene for about 7 years while dating a guy and learned a bit about the locals from her.

[Kristoffer]

Originally posted by Starchaser107
kris
we all are one people

this, I knew :)
guess I was wrong about Marley.
bless

[Chang Style Novice]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rastafarianism

[Oso]

thanks, bro. seems a fairly objective of a site.


Rastafarians believe that standard translations of the Bible represent changes created by the racist white power structure.

while I won't go quite as far as to say 'racist white power structure' I do not understand how poeple who KNOW that both the Romans and then the English had their way with the words in the Bible can believe something so edited can be the true word of 'god'.

so I can see the Rasta's point there.

[Oso]

is a cool term for the belief that we are all one.

A good book, if taken as just that, is R.A. Heinlein's "Stanger in a Strange Land"

A small cult was established in the late 60's after this book was released. Heinlein was publically emberassed that some people chose to go to such extremes with a work of fiction. ;)

A predominant phrase in that book is "Thou art God"

I see a parallel between what I take as Heinlein's character's intent and the intent of "I and I"

[Oso]

and Happy Belated to Marcus Garvey !

[Former castleva]

I thought I knew my "ism"´s.

[Oso]

ok, so I'm bored.....



I really think that the Rasta interpretation of these scripture verses is stretching things a bit.

Exodus 10:12 "... eat every herb of the land."
Genesis 3:18 "... thou shalt eat the herb of the field."
Proverbs 15:17 "Better is a dinner of herb where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred there with."
Psalms 104:14 "He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man."


I have a(nother) pet peeve of people that find excuses for doing things that get them high...if you're gonna drink, smoke, snort or whatever at least have the balls to say "i'm doing it cuz I like to get high"

all other excuses are hogwash.

[Former castleva]

I have a(nother) pet peeve of people that find excuses for doing things that get them high...if you're gonna drink, smoke, snort or whatever at least have the balls to say "i'm doing it cuz I like to get high"
And those are well reasoned reasons.

[Oso]

and thank you all for reading my friday evening rant before I go get high on some gin and tonics.


: )

[Chang Style Novice]

There's nothing wrong with getting high for fun.

Or with getting high to facilitate a spiritual experience.

Just don't drive, 'k?

[Oso]

There's nothing wrong with getting high for fun.

I agree, a lot of people don't have the chutzpah to say that though and will excuse it away somehow.



Or with getting high to facilitate a spiritual experience.

was going to say 'don't agree' but really, if that's what someone needs to do to facilitate the experience that's fine.

but, don't you think it's sorta cheating?

I mean, how much of a reward is spiritual enlightenment if one doesn't work to get there?

It's like in mountain biking...i can't stand the pure downhillers because they will drive to the top and rush down and drive to the top again...you need to sweat to earn the rush, IMO.

[herb ox]

good grief... a man has to know what is in his heart - dreadlocks don't make a Rasta. In fact, most Rastafari prior to the reggae boom of the late 60's/early 70's did not lock their hair. At the time, only a few in the hills were doing it. I believe it was Chris Blackwell who suggested more of the upcoming reggae musicians dread their hair for a more memorable look. And so it went...

I had locks to my waist. I was a roots bassie in a reggae band... I've spent a good deal of time with Rasta from the islands, and I realize its about keeping your head straight when in "Babylon", or the distracted, materialistic society around us... and so much more. It's pretty complicated - you can spend hours "reasoning" with the bredren. Rasta is in your heart, not on your head or in your lungs.

Judge a man by actions - not his hairstyle.

as for the wisdom weed of solomon, why can't the plants (and I mean ALL the plants) of the Earth be used to our benefit? (Watch your step, I think I just spilled some worms out of this can I just opened...:p ) The Chinese use huo ma for moistening fire and as a laxative. Some eat it, some drink it, some smoke it... the most harm comes from the legal ramifications and paranoia.

peace to all

herb ox

[GeneChing]

Bruce Lee used marijuana. Surely, the overt use of marijuana is the most outstanding aspect of rasta, but this exists in other cultures too. There was marijuana use in early zen, although it wasn't so formative and isn't very present anymore. Actually the roots of rastafarian marijuana use can be traced back to Indian saddhus and Shiva worshippers. They were dreadlocks too and have done so for centuries. Common rasta terms like 'chillum' come from India. "Ganga" comes from the Indian word the the Ganges, their most holy river. You don't hear about people busting on shiva saddhus - that's just because most people aren't very educated on world religion.

Rastafarianism is a fascinating religion. Sure a lot of people use it as an excuse to smoke pot, but I find that a lot better than Christians who use Christianity to kill Muslims and vice versa. What I find fascinating about rasta is that, like Buddhism, there are doctrines - the bible, the Kebra Negast, the writing sof Garvey, but no central text. Much of it is transmitted through music, which strikes me as real old school, like the Mahabharata or Psalms. And as religions go, it's one of the largest expanding groups in modern society worldwide, considering that it's only a few decades old. In all my travels, I've always been able to find Marley. Often, that's the only western influence at all.

As for non-black rastas, most people don't realize what an integrated culture Jamaica is - there are many Chinese, Indian, white, black and native Arawak. Each culture has contributed to make Jamaica the unique land that it is.

[Christopher M]

Originally posted by Oso
I do not understand how poeple who KNOW that both the Romans and then the English had their way with the words in the Bible can believe...

You can get pre-Latin and pre-Anglo editions of the Bible.

[Starchaser107]

who edited those?
Jesus perhaps?

[Christopher M]

No. The New Testament was assembled via ecumenical council from a selection of extant works three and a half centuries after Jesus' death.

[Oso]

Gene, good thoughts, thanks.

Chris M, sure but none of the major western religions use them do they?

Christianity has just had the best marketing plan. ;)

Never got out to find those books...work is bending me over and not even giving me the reach around...just one more week and school will be open and I can take a breather and do something I want to do.

[Christopher M]

Originally posted by Oso
Chris M, sure but none of the major western religions use them do they?

That depends on whether you consider Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and/or Assyrian Orthodoxy to be 'major western religions.'

In any case, these texts exist as a standard against which the later Anglo- and Latin-influenced versions may be compared, such that allegations of textual manipulation are not open-ended.

[Oso]

:)

**** you....


http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Eastern_Orthodoxy

and I haven't even really begun my study of Rasta....

so you have me, again...

my dad was an raised Greek Orthodox...wouldn't of guessed it would be classified as Eastern Orthodoxy...

need to find that sugar momma so I can do kung fu and read...

[Christopher M]

Bwahaha... I know the feeling man. :p

Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page) is a good resource, and a good cause.

[Oso]

wow...bookmarked, thanks.