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Topic subjectCan Whites Be Rasta?
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=22&topic_id=8650
8650, Can Whites Be Rasta?
Posted by jumanji3000, Tue Mar-19-02 12:35 PM
Matter of fact, can anyone who isn't Black be a Rasta? 'Cause from some people I hear strictly Black folks can be Rasta, and from others I hear that everyone can, and should, be Rasta. So which is it?

=================================================================
The ink of the scholar is holier than the blood of the martyr
-Prophet Muhammad

I was raised on two value systems: one was the ethical code and the other the tribal code, and I naïvely believed that the two could coexist.
-Asaf Oron

Isaac and Ishmael were brothers born to the same man. Now their sons are killing eachother over territory and land.
-Subliminal

Love from June to June

8651, RE: Can Whites Be Rasta?
Posted by guest, Tue Mar-19-02 12:38 PM
Being Rastafari = Being member of a religion? If this is so, you know my answer.
8652, i've spoken to Rastas before about this
Posted by tohunga, Tue Mar-19-02 01:08 PM
the Jah Love Soundsystem boys and i had some reckoning.

Rastafarianism preaches tolerance. teaches you to love your fellow man regardless of the skin they are wrapped in. in fact, one of them was straight-up "i used ta hate de white man till Jah taught me how to love".

and yeah, it's a religion. has any religion ever 'banned' anyone from joining?
8653, RE: i've spoken to Rastas before about this
Posted by noalarms, Tue Mar-19-02 01:10 PM
christianity and gays?
8654, Christianity
Posted by sudelhof, Tue Mar-19-02 01:16 PM
Christianity doesnt deny membership to their faith to homosexuals? where do you come up with an idea like that?
It stresses love everyone around you including your enemys and friends as much as you love yourself.
8655, RE: Christianity
Posted by docIllenstein, Wed Mar-20-02 05:09 PM
>Christianity doesnt deny membership to their
>faith to homosexuals? where do
>you come up with an
>idea like that?
>It stresses love everyone around you
>including your enemys and friends
>as much as you love
>yourself.

they're encouraged to make atonement with the almighty. they will be going to hell otherwise. they're allowed in the church, but only under the auspices of sinners. not banned - just not accepted entirely.


In Funk and Love,
The only Doctor who heals the sick by making them Ill.

I am BoSuzuki (n.r.d.s.b)
8656, churches ban people
Posted by mareva, Thu Mar-21-02 08:35 AM

christianity doesn't


blessings and favor.

http://members.blackplanet.com/yeldahs/

"americans like war because we're good at it. we aint good at shit else. we can't make a good car, a good vcr. we can't educate our own children. but we'll bomb the shit out of your country, ESPECIALLY if its full of brown people!" ---George Carlin

"I've been scarred and battered...
My hopes the Wind done scattered...
The Snow has frizzed me, The Sun has baked me...Looks like between them, They done tried to make me...Stop LAUGHING, Stop LOVING, Stop LIVING,...
But I dont care, 'CAUSE I'M STILL HERE!!"
~Langston Hughes, 1947

8657, they usually don't 'ban' them
Posted by tohunga, Tue Mar-19-02 01:18 PM
but they don't believe that it's normal human behaviour.

Rastas wouldn't accept gays either. this is another discussion right here... basically, a religion would accept who you are, but may not accept what you do with your spare time. especially if its perceived as going against their beliefs.

if you're having sex before marriage, that'd be the same thing.
8658, RE: they usually don't 'ban' them
Posted by ebisu, Sun Mar-24-02 01:58 PM
I never thought I'd hear of gay Rastas but, lo and behold, <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/samegenderlovingrastamen/">here they are</a>! It surely seems odd to me but who am I to judge? <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/samegenderlovingrastamen/message/383">This sister</a> doesn't get it either and asks for some clarification! She received a <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/samegenderlovingrastamen/message/387">humorous reply here</a>.
8659, RE: i've spoken to Rastas before about this
Posted by jumanji3000, Tue Mar-19-02 02:23 PM
>and yeah, it's a religion. has
>any religion ever 'banned' anyone
>from joining?

NOI and white people?

=================================================================
The ink of the scholar is holier than the blood of the martyr
-Prophet Muhammad

I was raised on two value systems: one was the ethical code and the other the tribal code, and I naïvely believed that the two could coexist.
-Asaf Oron

Isaac and Ishmael were brothers born to the same man. Now their sons are killing eachother over territory and land.
-Subliminal

Love from June to June




8660, Islam doesn't
Posted by tohunga, Tue Mar-19-02 02:33 PM
i don't know about NOI. that's some 'only-in-america' stuff there... anyone?
8661, RE: Islam doesn't
Posted by jumanji3000, Tue Mar-19-02 02:39 PM
I know Islam doesn't disqualify based on race. In fact, ethnicity and race don't even exist in Islam (according to my super-intelligent friend). However, I don't consider NOI Muslims.

=================================================================
The ink of the scholar is holier than the blood of the martyr
-Prophet Muhammad

I was raised on two value systems: one was the ethical code and the other the tribal code, and I naïvely believed that the two could coexist.
-Asaf Oron

Isaac and Ishmael were brothers born to the same man. Now their sons are killing eachother over territory and land.
-Subliminal

Love from June to June

8662, yeah, basically
Posted by tohunga, Tue Mar-19-02 02:40 PM
i thought it was more of a political movement than a religion, per se
8663, RE: yeah, basically
Posted by blackelephant, Thu Mar-21-02 08:29 AM

ANYONE WHO SUBMITTS THEMSELVES TO THE WILL OF ALLAH ARE MUSLIM. YOU DON'T NEED NO CERTAIN MASQUE OR CERTAIN WAY OF DRESSING OR ANY OTHER MAN MADE RULE OR LAW. ALL YOU NEED IS TO RECOGNIZE THERE IS A HIGHER POWER AND HUMBLE YOURSELF TO IT. PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





"Punk motherfuckers who sit in a fucking armchair trying to articulate the Revolution while black people are dying in the streets."
-Bobby Seale-
8664, NOI are muslims
Posted by , Wed Mar-20-02 07:34 AM
they are becoming alot more orthodox lately...especially within the last year...get some info..before you diss the most important group in the history of the american negro
8665, NOI still NOT Muslims!!!
Posted by DeRayeMustafa, Wed Mar-20-02 11:50 AM
>they are becoming alot more orthodox
>lately...especially within the last year...get
>some info..before you diss the
>most important group in the
>history of the american negro
>

No matter how "orthodox" they become, or how much of REAL Islam they adapt to their interpretation or brand of Islam, It'll never be considered Islam and they'll (My Bros. & Sis's in the N.O.I.) never be considered Muslims as long as they continue to praise and worship Fard Muhammad as "Allah in person"! (Mustufallah!!!) There is only ONE God, One Allah, and he is not a man. Shirkh or worship of anything besides Allah is the biggest and gravest sin in the eyes of Allah. I'm not trying to offend you, but I've done my studies and research, and am fully aware of the change in views or theology within the Nation and with Bro. Minister Farrakhan. I pray Minister Farrakhan does come closer to Islam. I think he would do a great service for Islam, but until that moment he and the Nation only do injustice and a disservice to Islam by not staying true to the teachings of Prophet Muhammed ibn Abdullah. The N.O.I. is nothing but an innovation, and that's the truth!

Salaam,
DeRaye Mustafa Miller

8666, one more thing,
Posted by , Thu Mar-21-02 06:50 AM
its not up to you to judge who is or isnt a muslim...unless your ALLAH(and i dont mean that dipshit on the boards).you cannot say who is or isnt a muslim....no one is a muslim...we all are trying to become a muslim...thats the point of al-islam
8667, I understand.....but
Posted by DeRayeMustafa, Thu Mar-21-02 12:46 PM
>its not up to you to
>judge who is or isnt
>a muslim...unless your ALLAH(and i
>dont mean that dipshit on
>the boards).you cannot say who
>is or isnt a muslim....no
>one is a muslim...we all
>are trying to become a
>muslim...thats the point of al-islam
>

regardless of what anyone thinks or how anyone views Islam, there is only suppossed to be one Islam, one Ummah, and that is the one of Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him). He even said himself that every innovation is error.

"Say (O Muhammad): 'O people of the Scripture, come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship NONE but ALLAH, and that we associate NO partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allah.' Then, if they turn away, say: 'Bear witness that we are Muslims.'" Al-Qur'an 3:64
8668, my last point isnt
Posted by , Fri Mar-22-02 08:25 AM
an innovation...its fact...read your qu'ran. who would i be to add my innovations(which would mainlybe an opinion) to al-islam.
8669, All that I'm saying is.....
Posted by DeRayeMustafa, Fri Mar-22-02 12:16 PM
that until the N.O.I. practice Islam the way Allah and Prophet Muhammad(s) prescribed, it isn't Islam. And about Fard Muhammad, even though Louis Farrakhan doesn't say anything about him, in the What we Believe section, in the back of every Final Call, it still says that they believe that Fard Muhammad is Allah in the person of Fard. Plus some other beliefs, basically listed in the Message to the Blackman, and the Theology of Time are in direct opposition to the Qur' an and the Sunnah of Muhammad.(S) I'm not trying to argue with you over who's right and who's wrong, but at the same time, I'm not ignorant of Islam and the Nation of Islam, and I am fully aware that I am not in the position to decide who is a Muslim or not, but when fundemental beliefs such as life after death, the judgement, fasting the month of Ramadan (which recently, I heard they are changing now, Salaat, and the belief that all mankind are equal in the eyes of Allah are basically thrown out the window, or another twist to the meaning is made, then that itself distances itself from Al-Islam. That's all Akhi! Assalaamu Alaikum!


P.s. Just food for thought
Does the Qur'an say anything about Yacub creating or grafting the white race?
8670, answer to your foood
Posted by , Mon Mar-25-02 05:56 AM

>P.s. Just food for thought
>
>Does the Qur'an say anything about
>Yacub creating or grafting the
>white race?

the Qu'ran also doesn't say that h20 = water, but we know how water is grafted/created


8671, Also that FARD
Posted by , Thu Mar-21-02 06:52 AM
Shits been put to rest, slowly but surely...that was prevelent way before Farakhan took over...Fards never even mentioned amongst the N.O.I. unless its an old speech by Elijah M.
8672, NOI will not accept white men
Posted by , Wed Mar-20-02 07:35 AM
until the black man himself has been lifted up from the bottom of humanity...plus its not our(as in black people) duty to teach the devil
8673, RE: NOI will not accept white men
Posted by Odyseuss, Wed Mar-20-02 11:29 AM
Odyseuss = Ody (Odysseus, a great Greek warrior on an even greater journey) Seuess (Dr. Seuss, the great poet)


White people are not the devil...humanity is the devil...sin is the devil...we are all sinners who killed god...racism is the devil...
8674, RE: NOI will not accept white men
Posted by jumanji3000, Wed Mar-20-02 12:27 PM
>White people are not the devil...humanity
>is the devil...sin is the
>devil...we are all sinners who
>killed god...racism is the devil...

How can a human "kill" God? If what you thought was God was killed, then how could that be God?

=================================================================
The ink of the scholar is holier than the blood of the martyr
-Prophet Muhammad

I was raised on two value systems: one was the ethical code and the other the tribal code, and I naïvely believed that the two could coexist.
-Asaf Oron

Isaac and Ishmael were brothers born to the same man. Now their sons are killing eachother over territory and land.
-Subliminal

Love from June to June





8675, According to N.O.I. doctorine
Posted by , Thu Mar-21-02 06:54 AM
and the actions of the gov't, the whiteman is the devil...
8676, there are white NOI members....
Posted by bluetiger, Wed Mar-20-02 05:45 PM

♀¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤♀
8677, RE: there are white NOI members....
Posted by redflag, Thu Mar-21-02 06:23 AM
Hmm. Yeah ok.

You must have never read The Final Call, the official NOI newspaper. The first and last time I read it (which was a few months ago), there was a table provided of what "the Blacks wants from America", as claimed by Elijah Muhammad. It was basically a list for reparation, and one of the demands was for a segregated (but equal) system for Blacks and Whites. Also, alot of the material was just spitting about White people being evil, though this was not said literally.

A White NOI member would just be like Danny Burros, a Jew who joined the KKK... self hate and confused.

>
>♀¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤♀



8678, regardless of what we may think of them...
Posted by bluetiger, Thu Mar-21-02 09:38 AM
they are there.....

♀¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤♀
8679, yes they can
Posted by Solarus, Tue Mar-19-02 01:38 PM

8680, Corny white people
Posted by Pete, Tue Mar-19-02 03:24 PM
Seriously, I don't care if you're accepted, or even welcome... white rastas are corny. lol-worthy levels of corniness.
8681, RE: Corny white people
Posted by docIllenstein, Wed Mar-20-02 05:15 PM
>Seriously, I don't care if you're
>accepted, or even welcome... white
>rastas are corny. lol-worthy levels
>of corniness.

White suburbanites with dreads they decided they wanted over the last weekend - yes. But from what I know of the Rastas, they theoretically shouldn't be considered corny.

And any group doing anything can be seen as corny. Seen any rappers lately? That's some damn comedy.

Take for example some very old school Hinduism when it was being developed. White folks played a part in it, now a giant chunk of brown people follow it, and the white guy talkin about Vishnu is considered a clown. Things will always change like this.



In Funk and Love,
The only Doctor who heals the sick by making them Ill.

I am BoSuzuki (n.r.d.s.b)
8682, Nothing stops them
Posted by k_orr, Tue Mar-19-02 03:25 PM
But they are not always accepted by folks in the Rasta Community.

Rastafari is not a strict regime.

one
k. orr
8683, RE: Can Whites Be Rasta?
Posted by ebisu, Tue Mar-19-02 04:06 PM
Yes, anyone can be Rasta. Jah's love is not exclusive to anyone, it is for all people.

From the Rasta FAQ at http://www.earthcultureroots.com/ -

-Do you need to be black to be Rasta or is it prefered ?

Rastafarian faith originated in Jamaica and has its roots in Africa. But it doesn't mean that Rasta is only for black people. Rastafari is for all humanity, all people who accept it.
Rasta is goodness and love, how could it be reserved to only some people?
HIM Haile Selassie said that africans will fight "until the color of the skin has no more significance than the colors of the eyes". HIM said also that "until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned...there will be war". So racism has no place in Rastafarian faith.
All humanity, black, white, whatever colors come from Africa. So how could man divide something that Jah has not divided, that Jah made to His own image, with one unique blood?



peace,
ebisu
8684, In my understanding...
Posted by Kemet_Ibutho, Tue Mar-19-02 04:17 PM
Rastafari has a strong basis in the Honorable Marcus Mosaih Garvey's teachings and the Back to Afraka movement. The Back to Afraka movement implies that you have a direct connection to Afraka (a.k.a are Black) and are therefore returning to your original home/Motherland/whatever you want to call it.



AIM: KemetIbutho

CALM DOWN, IT'S ALL A JOKE: http://www.freeopendiary.com/entrylist.asp?authorcode=A683979

You'll see me again.-Big Baby Jesus

"Never question
who i am
god knows"
and i know god personally
in fact, he lets me call him me
-Saul Williams "Amethyst Rocks"

Wherever the negro face appears a tension is created, the tension of a silence filled with things unutterable-James Baldwin

i will never, for as long as i call myself a man, compromise with tyranny.-George Jackson.

i specifically can remember invaluable lessons that my father taught me, and i strive today to carry forward his teaching. He would say:"You don't get no credit for what you do for yourself; you supppose to do that. You get credit for what you do for other people."
What is life" Life is a chance-not a certainty, just a chance-to do some good for others, to create some beauty of what is at hand. Death is a certainty, life is a chance. How fat or slim our chances are, that is left to luck and circumstance. What we do with our chance, that is up to us.-Kalamu Ya Salaam "What is Life?"

8685, tell that to ebisu
Posted by k_orr, Tue Mar-19-02 04:21 PM

8686, understood
Posted by ebisu, Wed Mar-20-02 07:08 PM
But it is also my understanding that original man did, in fact, come from Africa. Therefore any of us returning to Africa would be returning to our homeland.
8687, i understand your point...
Posted by Kemet_Ibutho, Sun Mar-24-02 02:57 PM
but that don't mean i agree with it. i think whites are faaaar seperated from Afraka (not that that makes whites any lesser than anyone else) and therefore while i'm returning home, whites are going back to their great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-etc. ancestors home. Whites are indirect descendants from thousands of years back, where-as Blacks (in the Western hemisphere) have a max of about 5 generations (and normally less than that).



AIM: KemetIbutho

CALM DOWN, IT'S ALL A JOKE: http://www.freeopendiary.com/entrylist.asp?authorcode=A683979

You'll see me again.-Big Baby Jesus

"Never question
who i am
god knows"
and i know god personally
in fact, he lets me call him me
-Saul Williams "Amethyst Rocks"

Wherever the negro face appears a tension is created, the tension of a silence filled with things unutterable-James Baldwin

i will never, for as long as i call myself a man, compromise with tyranny.-George Jackson.

i specifically can remember invaluable lessons that my father taught me, and i strive today to carry forward his teaching. He would say:"You don't get no credit for what you do for yourself; you supppose to do that. You get credit for what you do for other people."
What is life" Life is a chance-not a certainty, just a chance-to do some good for others, to create some beauty of what is at hand. Death is a certainty, life is a chance. How fat or slim our chances are, that is left to luck and circumstance. What we do with our chance, that is up to us.-Kalamu Ya Salaam "What is Life?"

8688, RE: i understand your point...
Posted by ebisu, Sun Mar-24-02 10:43 PM
I can't disagree with that.

Personally, I don't even know where my ancestors are from as I was adopted at two weeks old. I suppose they are from somewhere in Europe. In any event, I do believe in the modern-day presence of Babylon and I don't really identify with European culture. I can't identify with any people that would steal a whole group of people from their homeland and create such an oppressive society... no matter what color their skin is, even if it is the same as mine.

I still think of Africa as the homeland to all, where the human race started (in my experience most white people disagree with that). Not only that but it is the holy land, location of the Ark and Mt. Zion, seat of Jah.


Peace,
Ebisu
8689, in my opinion
Posted by , Wed Mar-20-02 07:32 AM
why would a white guy wanna be rasta,or not hindu' but who dem at the airport? or sikh..but all religions are for everyone
8690, RE: in my opinion
Posted by blue23, Wed Mar-20-02 07:56 AM
>why would a white guy wanna
>be rasta,or not hindu' but
>who dem at the airport?
>or sikh..but all religions are
>for everyone

I'm white and while I would never claim Rasta some of the overlying tenets do have appeal, esp. being a vegetarian. Searching for truth through self-knowledge, consuming only what comes from the earth, accepting others as your brother and of course openly partaking of ganja have appeal to many people, myself included.

1,
BTW

8691, just be a cool white-guy,
Posted by , Thu Mar-21-02 06:55 AM
dont be a wigger!
8692, RE: just be a cool white-guy,
Posted by blue23, Thu Mar-21-02 07:45 AM

No need for advice on that. I walk my path. But good looking.

1,
BTW
8693, RE: Can Whites Be Rasta?
Posted by Thero, Wed Mar-20-02 07:50 AM
I think it is a pretty conditional issue. Since there is not really any concensually agreed upon Rasta doctrines, one cannot point to that for evidence of code of conduct, acceptance, etc.

I have had Rastas shout fyah on me, simply for the color of my skin (lily white). They did not know me or from where my heart/mind was coming from. Yet they could be considered perfectly righteous in their thoughts/actions according to many Rastas. According to many other Rastas, they could be considered just as bad as other "Babylonians" for making baseless judgments and prohibiting the flow of knowledge and love.

The beauty and the trouble with Rastafari is that it is, more or less, a constantly evolving mind-set/religion (whatever you want to call it) through which individuals are empowered to interepret life in order to uplift themselves, and hopefully the community. This individualism and self-definition makes it nearly impossible to definitively answer the question of whether non-blacks can claim Rastafari.

Personally, I think non-blacks can claim Rastafari. For me, it is not the most valid belief system, and I do not come to that conclusion through my own lack of blackness. I still hold true to the overarching beliefs of Rastafari: such as love, connection with the Truth and the Roots, tolerance and progress. But there are many details of Rastafari that I cannot accept: such as general intolerance towards women, homosexuals, people of different cultures/ethnicities. But notice how I can list tolerance and intolerance as two distinct notions of Rastafari, which speaks to my views that Rastafari is not a set belief system, but one to be interpreted and experienced.

Dare I bring it to Marley who said, and I paraphrase: "Who am I fi say - How 'im a gwaan so?"

Leave all judgment unto HIM.

~Everything is Everything~
8694, RE: Can Whites Be Rasta?
Posted by Mesnjah, Wed Mar-20-02 07:09 PM
This is one of the best responses in this thread because it recognizes the complexities and ambiguities of rastafarianism. It is a 'livity', meaning a way of life and spiritual outlook, that's very different than a religion where one must follow received knowledge word for word. I look at rastafarianism, like everything in life, as existing along a spectrum, not as black and white.

This same question was posed on a website that I write for, JahWorks.org, and I wrote the following response:

Rasta is about a lot more than race. There are certainly race-based movements and ideologies in which white people do not have a place, but Rasta is not one of them. But Rastafarianism has to be explored and debated before we can talk about how race comes into the picture. There is very little common understanding of what we mean when we use the word Rasta.

Rasta means many things to many people. To many it is a way of life, a set of guiding principles. Some call it a religion, others a political movement, others a millenarian cult. For many more the term Rasta just evokes a symbol: reggae, locks, ganja, peace and love, Afrocentrism, Jamaica, Africa. The key to understanding Rasta, in my opinion, is to realize that it can't be understood in the conventional sense, because it means different things to different people. No matter how much you study Marcus Garvey, Leonard P. Howell and Haile Selassie, there is no singular, great truth to be discovered. Rasta itself is a path of self-discovery. To me it is about challenging received wisdom and charting ones own path, personally and spiritually.

So Rasta means many things to many people, that should be clear by the diversity of Rastafarian sects and by the movement's disparate influence around the world. I'm sure the visitors and contributors to this website realize that to be Rasta is not an either/or proposition. Rastafarianism is a way of life, not an organized religion, and nobody decides who is and is not accepted. That Rasta is a fundamentally personal experience is perhaps the one generalization it is fair to make.

That said, who is debating whether or not members of one or another "race" can be Rastas? We should remember that the use of socially constructed racial classifications for purposes of division is against what nearly all Rastas -- and especially the vocal spokesmen of the movement, our roots reggae artists -- are against. Lest we forget that Bob Marley's father was white. Some of his children are lighter than he was. Do we question their ability to claim Rasta? What is achieved in doing so?

To me, the people who we should examine are those trying to say who can be a Rasta and who cannot. In my experience I have never heard this from true Rastas. It would more likely come from someone outside the culture who is trying to make Rasta out to be something it is not. What is to be gained by placing boundaries around Rastafarianism? Maybe agendas can be advanced, but they are not the Rasta agenda. The message of Rasta does not seek to limit, constrain and bind. It is one of liberation, upliftment and unity, and these are causes fit for us all.

Nyabinghi! - "death to all black and white oppressors"


Check this link to read other people's responses to this question of the month: http://www.jahworks.org/special/question/answers2.html#august

Mesnjah

I could go on and on the full has never been told ~ Buju Banton
8695, livity
Posted by Thero, Thu Mar-21-02 04:42 AM

Well reasoned. Respect.

~Everything is Everything~
8696, RE: Can Whites Be Rasta?
Posted by TROM, Wed Mar-20-02 11:41 AM
Yes half of my family is Nyabinghi and if you travel to Jamaica or other parts of the globe you will find authentic white rastafari......They exist primarily in a peaceful and diversed sense where everyone is gods child regardless of color or race. However you have some rastas who are so pro-black that they exclude white rastas and any rasta who isn't jamaican. It's a complex question with a even more complex answer. I've seen bonafied rastas that are chinese,dominican,cuban,haitian,panamanian,white,indian...shit i've seen it all. These people are rasta meaning they believe in the divinity of HIM and have disciplined ways of living. White boys who look like Korn with those bullshit dreads dont count. Rasta is a very spiritual thing and the only leader of the movement is jah. No one who is rasta can tell someone else they can't follow the life style. The only exceptions are that you can't be a homo are be a carnivore. Remember that bob marley is half white and has half white children who are rasta. Hope I helped
8697, half white children??
Posted by Ijaba, Wed Mar-20-02 06:46 PM
>a carnivore. Remember that bob
>marley is half white and
>has half white children who
>are rasta. Hope I helped
>

Do you mean some of his kids are half white because their mom is also half white? (2 half whites mate and make a half white baby) Or are you saying all his kids are half white just because he's half white?


8698, RE: half white children??
Posted by TROM, Thu Mar-21-02 07:05 AM
Remeber that Bob Marley Cheated on his wife Rita with Cindy Breaksphere who was white. His son Damian is half white.
8699, RE: half white children??
Posted by MissQuoted, Fri Mar-22-02 08:35 AM
>Remeber that Bob Marley Cheated on
>his wife Rita with Cindy
>Breaksphere who was white. His
>son Damian is half white.
>

Not to be too technical but wouldn't that make him 2/3 white? And don't say he cheated--he just had a different interpretation of monogamy :-)

8700, NAW HE CHEATED
Posted by , Fri Mar-22-02 09:02 AM
HE HAD 8 BABY MOMAS...7 WERE WHITE
8701, How many children? n/m
Posted by ebisu, Sun Mar-24-02 02:02 PM

8702, i think 11
Posted by Stan_Smith_II, Sat Mar-30-02 05:38 AM
if i ever went back to pimpin, my favorite mack would be me bragging sig:
"How great is stan smith II live that pimp live? His b!tch slap. oh my god, he's such a great
pimp. He's so good. So good! Such a great mack. Is he one of those
pimps that knows how to play every aspect of the game? He's such a great pimp. I
love him."
-don magic juan

8703, RE: Can Whites Be Rasta?
Posted by Mesnjah, Wed Mar-20-02 07:14 PM
What do you mean exactly when you say your family is half "Nyabinghi"? Descended from the East African warriors mentioned in this definition? Or half the people in your family are rastas? just curious...

1. 'Death to all black and white oppressors'. 2. East African warriors who resisted colonial domination. 3. Large Rastafarian meeting and spiritual gathering. 4. Referring to orthodox, traditional Rastas. 5. A variety of drumming.

Mesnjah

I could go on and on the full has never been told ~ Buju Banton
8704, RE: Can Whites Be Rasta?
Posted by TROM, Thu Mar-21-02 07:18 AM
W/ Rastafari you have three known sects or groups. You have the Bobo Dreads-they are the ones that you see with their heads wrapped in a turban and usually wear grabs. They great each other byt saying "Blessing my Lord" They believe in a holy trinity which is comprised of Haile Selassie, Prince Emanuel, And Marcus Garvey. Then You have The NYabinghi Theocratic Order of Rastafari. They believe soley in the divinity of Haile Selassie I. They have the strictest diet, and are the ones that you usually see drumming and chanting(called nyabinghi festivals). You're right about your research. Nyabinghi is a name taken from a warrior tribe in africa named after Queen Nyabinghi who lost her life in fighting off colonialist oppressors from europe. Nyabinghi rasta invoke that spirit and drive into their lives. Because biblically the Seat of David is the crown of the earth , rasta place Haile Selassie as earths rightful ruler. Also the head of the Nyabinghi. Bob Marly was a Nyabinghi, also Peter tosh and BUnny wailer. THen you have 12 tribes.... the are the most casual of them all. Some of them have been known to consume fish and chicken which is outlawed for nyabinghi and bobo dreads. They see Selassie I as a bIblical figure not as a messiah incarnate like the Nyabinghi or bobo dreadz. I have alot of family who live in the hills or by bullbay near the water in jamaica. It's a very natural life. Oftenb people look at the ways of rastafari and feel thats it's positive and it is. But that doesn't always reflect the individual who claiims ratsa as their way of life. You can read some books on it, but the best way to find out about rasta is to go to jamaica or shashamane ,e thiopia. Remeber that rastafari is an autonimous way of life and that everyone involved sets their own standards and disciplines. Like me I chose the strictest one which is nyabinghi. Oh you also have the ethiopian Federation which is another sect of rasta. THe heart of rasta is in Ethiopian Tewahedo Orthodox christianity(all of the bibles books including enoch and the apocrypha-maccabbees,etc). Hope I answered your questions.
8705, RE: Can Whites Be Rasta?
Posted by justafanaticthought, Thu Mar-21-02 08:19 AM
> Like me I
>chose the strictest one which
>is nyabinghi.

This is not really on the subject but.....
I found myself dealin with the rasta community alot...
I play reggae keyboards and love the culture but...
I'm mainly a Hip-Hop enthusiest. I'm not white
but only partially black. I'm multi racial.
For some reason beyond my control, I've experienced
"love at first sight" or an obsession even, over two
or three different rasta men....binghi drummers.
I was so infatuated by them but they never would give
me the chance to reason with them on a deeper level.
I dont cover...I dont even have dreads. They
all prefered the young white girls who wore sarongs,
wrapped they're heads and have dreads etc.
Whats up with that and is it me or what? :-(




~justa fantastic fanatic frantic f$#&ing thought!~
8706, RE: Can Whites Be Rasta?
Posted by Melik, Thu Mar-21-02 02:54 PM
Nyabinghi means "death to white oppressors" "Black" was just added as thing evolved. But the literal translation cannot be changed so "DEATH TO WHITE OPPRESSORS"

And can we have some real rootical rasta come into this thread. . i'm tired of this "one love/hold hands across the world Bullshyt"


8707, RE: Can Whites Be Rasta?
Posted by FrancisX, Thu Mar-21-02 07:15 AM
It seems that black organizations, political, social or religious should be just that, Black. Like the poster said above, isn't it enough to just be a cool white guy? It is for me.

The infiltration of whites into Black organizations in the past have led to difficultities, i.e. SNCC, NAACP, Black Panther Party.

Message to all whites, let Blacks have their own thing! For years whites have attempted to strip culture from blacks, since whites no longer possess the absolute power to do so, they want to be "down." Hell no. Little bit late. You may think joining a "black" group displays your willingness to live as one, but to me it just appears to be your feelings of guilt taking over and leading to assimilation.

We can be one, without being a singular entity.

peace
FXS
26+6=1

"Talking about a revolution sounds like a whisper." - Tracy Chapman
8708, 26+6=1? hahahaha
Posted by , Thu Mar-21-02 07:42 AM
1+9-5 = dre allah
8709, RE: 26+6=1? hahahaha
Posted by FrancisX, Thu Mar-21-02 07:48 AM
I find it amusing that people attempt to mask ignorance with laughter, thanks for the chuckle.

26 counties in The Rep. of Ireland
6 counties in Nortern Ireland
equal One Ireland


peace
FXS
26+6=1

"Talking about a revolution sounds like a whisper." - Tracy Chapman
8710, RE: 26+6=1? hahahaha
Posted by redflag, Thu Mar-21-02 07:54 AM
Yeah, that dude was pretty ignorant.

>I find it amusing that people
>attempt to mask ignorance with
>laughter, thanks for the chuckle.
>
>
>26 counties in The Rep. of
>Ireland
>6 counties in Nortern Ireland
>equal One Ireland
>
>
>peace
>FXS
>26+6=1
>
>"Talking about a revolution sounds like
>a whisper." - Tracy Chapman
>



8711, oh i thought you were
Posted by , Fri Mar-22-02 08:27 AM
clowning dre allah...wow everyone on here is so touchy and emotional...
8712, RE: Can Whites Be Rasta?
Posted by DolemiteConvention2001, Thu Mar-21-02 06:48 PM
I'm a white African American studies major and embrace black culture. What is wrong with me wanting to be a part of,learn and spread the rich culture that is the black experience. I am also extremely attracted to more afrocentric black women who are down with their heritage and sport wild,savage,nappy,not quite afro but close to type of hair. I see no harm in doing any of this
8713, RE: Can Whites Be Rasta?
Posted by FrancisX, Fri Mar-22-02 04:18 AM
I am also extremely
>attracted to more afrocentric black
>women who are down with
>their heritage and sport wild,savage,nappy,not
>quite afro but close to
>type of hair.

Please tell me that is a joke. Pleeaaaseeeeeee!

peace
FXS
26+6=1

"Talking about a revolution sounds like a whisper." - Tracy Chapman
8714, tha fuck???
Posted by LexM, Tue Mar-26-02 06:39 AM
>I am also extremely
>attracted to more afrocentric black
>women who are down with
>their heritage and sport wild,savage,nappy,not
>quite afro but close to
>type of hair.

ummmm....

ok....



_________________________________________________________

your firearms are too short to box with god... (c) T. Kweli

need a hero? http://www.ghettosake.com
wanna say hi? AIM: LadyDay78
8715, the all gods children thing
Posted by guerilla_love, Thu Mar-21-02 04:52 AM
as k_orr says, nuthin stops a white person frum callin themselves rasta

but much of rasta idealism is about resisting and rising above opression

unfortunately, too many white ppl who call themselves rasta are eager to call everybody gods children and say that we all struggle together when in reality their struggle is very different from black struggle

if a white person won't acknowledge the scope of the opressor and isn't willing to look inside themselves and stop declaring themselves safe and equal, they really have no business getting their hands dirty with the struggle

if they do, then they may realize that they are treading on sum hallowed ground and have no business claiming black power traditions as their own

whether or not they shd respectfully participate is debatable

but, no matter what my opinion is, ppl gonna do what they gonna do

==**peace**==

"the skilled binder uses no strings or knots, while to unloose what he has bound would be impossible." Lao Tzu


DomePoem Poets; redefining the third dimension of spoken word
8716, RE: question.
Posted by justin_scott, Thu Mar-21-02 06:59 AM
Isn't the lead singer from P.O.D. a Rasta. I saw one of their videos and I think he mentioned it (although I could be wrong).
8717, RE: question.
Posted by jazzboy00, Thu Mar-21-02 07:24 AM
bob marley was half white!! yes and damian is one ugly dude!!
anyway, there are various strains of rasta belief, some are anti-white. rasta isn't as structured as say the catholic church so the answers to your question depends on who you ask.
8718, RE: Can Whites Be Rasta?
Posted by BMWK, Sun Mar-24-02 02:14 PM
This is about equivalent to asking "Can blacks be mormon"?
8719, RE: Can Whites Be Rasta?
Posted by MrGosh, Mon Mar-25-02 08:30 AM
If you look at the bible, quran, torrah and the main books of faith. there are people that conect them all to each other. we all worship the smae god by a different name.

the wars of god will soon come to an end because of media. the new war will be fought across the world.

The people who love puf daddy will raise arms and fight the people who worship P-Diddy. the followers of P-diddy and Puff daddy will both unite to wipe clean the followers of Sean Combs.

Your body is a temple, I need no buildings of brick and wood to help me to find god. people bring god and faith in a church/mosque/ etc, it is not the building that brings it to us.

not sure where i read it but malcom x said about one of his trips to mecca of the peacefull feeling of praying to allah in the company of different race, colour of the peopkle there.

"why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends?" Forgot the name of the groups that sings this song)
8720, ARCHIVE!!!
Posted by izzattafakt, Mon Mar-25-02 03:58 PM
Lotsa good info in here...

peace

Iz
________________________________________

"I am the IZ equals IZ..."
DOVE

"I don't give a fuck who you are / so fuck who you are"
STYLES

"I'm to(o) fly not to(o) fly"
SAUL WILLIAMS
8721, i second that n/m
Posted by ebisu, Mon Mar-25-02 09:40 PM

8722, RE: Can Whites Be Rasta?
Posted by PAZRasta, Tue Mar-26-02 12:16 AM
ONE love and Bless to all on this message board. I'm a member of the Lion of Judah group on yahoo and saw this discussion so decided to write. I am white, born in Babylon USA and I'm a RastafarI daughter. No MAN, no matter his color can tell me what I can and can't be. I know what is in my heart and that is my ultimate love of GOD/Jah and for the divine King Haile Selassie I who helped me along my path in RastafarI. It is NOT about the locks on your head, it's about the LOVE in your heart. GOD/JAH created us ALLLLLLL, and we ALL originated in Africa/Ethiopia. That's INCLUSIVE. ALL. NOT just BLACK Africans, white Africans, ALL HUMANS across the entire WORLD. Rastafari is a way of life, not a "religion". It is based on the BIBLE, on recognizing the oppression of BLACK Africans ESPECIALLY and about regaining Ethiopia as the promised land. Rastafari was started by Africans in Jamaica but has grown across the world. A LOT of white people have heard the messages from Bob Marley and throughout reggae music and if that's the way they've learned about Rasta, it's just another path to living for JAH. I personally found Rasta in my heart through learning about Africa, realizing the lies I was taught by my Catholic upbringing and reading the BIBLE for what it is.... the beginging and HISTORY of ALL people, which took place in Africa. I LOVE ALL and LIVE that way every day of my life. I recognized I was Rasta over 16 years now, didn't grow my locks until about 5 years ago and will never ever be told I am not or cannot be Rasta. I hope this opens up some discussion and anyone who has questions for InI please feel free to send them. ONE BLESSED LOVE to all, Sistren in PEACE Patti I
8723, Blessed...
Posted by Thero, Tue Mar-26-02 05:58 AM

I was engaged in a reasoning with some friends, at a point in my life during which Rastafari permeated every thought in my head - it was how I saw life. It provided me a connection to the divine and a connection to my fellow man.

During this session, we were listening to a recording of a nyabinghi drum and chant. We were all really feeling the raw energy of word sound, and power. Singing along, dancing. Then I come to realize that I am singing: "White bwoy a follower!" Right. There I was, a white boy, realizing that the very culture I was embracing and living through was calling me out as a follower, a sheep. A rough situation.

Question to the masses: How does one reconcile these mixed emotions? The binghi men on record, in my opinion, can claim Rasta in a more genuine sense than I, yet they were, in effect, bringing the judgment fyah upon me simply because my skin is pale. As I noted above, my interpretation of Rasta relies on the phrase of "Leave all judgment unto HIM." By that notion, the binghi men would be in the wrong. Can a white bwoy scorn these binghi elders for not being true to the Rasta ethos? I think not.

I guess the true question to be answered is: What does it mean to be Rasta?

Anyone with the "right" answer gets a gold star.


~Everything is Everything~
8724, RE: Blessed...
Posted by PAZRasta, Tue Mar-26-02 11:57 AM
That is one of the beauties of RastafarI, that we get to reason on issues and come to our INDIVIDUAL interpretations because we do not have to look at the lifestyle through any other "man's" eyes. The Bingi Elders have their individual but collective knowledge of how THEY AS black Africans have been oppressed and treated. That is something we, as white Rasta, can NEVER know like them. WE may know oppression in other ways, but not due to our skin color. I TOTALLY overstand their reasonings and views and how they feel. I'm happy being a sheep and a follower of Rastafari if that's what JAH has chosen for me. I know, as a white Rasta Woman I feel the guilt of what people of my color have done. I can easily say "it wasn't me"...but it might as well have been. I WANT to do whatever I can to correct it, even if it's uncorrectable in some's eyes. I KNOW Jah put me here, as a white woman and Rasta for a reason. I can't change or deny it. I KNOW what is in my heart, as a matter of fact, I'm in a NYABINGI band. Preacha, Sheppard and Ozzie are chanters/drummers percussion, there's a white bass drummer and white bongo drum player and I play flute and piccollo. Preacha, sheppard and ozzie are all Jamaicans... Preacha is a LONG dreadlocked Rasta, the other 2 are Rasta w/no dreads, the white bass drummer is not Rasta and Sherry the bongo drummer is a 60 year old white dreadlocked Rasta. Maybe people can bun fiyah pon it.. maybe they can laugh, call us JahFakin'... but those MEN and WOMAN do not know the heart's of us all. AND INI will only deal with JAH's judgement anyway, the only thing that really matters. Clean heart, pure mind, loving ALL, recognizing Selassie I as the Defender of the CHristian Faith.. King of Kings , that's Rasta. What do you think?
8725, you seem nice but,
Posted by Stan_Smith_II, Sat Mar-30-02 05:37 AM
you probably went to an intergrated highschool got some rasta dick n flipped...its silly for whites to be rasta to me..but to each hisown...but obviously you were put on earth as white n rasta for a reason...
8726, well said my sister
Posted by ebisu, Wed Mar-27-02 12:14 AM
I first heard Jah's message in the words of Bob Marley and Lee Perry when I first gained an interest in reggae music. I remember asking a friend about Rastafari and he told me, "it's the same God, they just call him Jah." This increased my interest... As you, I was also raised as a Catholic... I did much research on Rastafari and it gave me a great feeling and felt right in my heart. I knew that it was a real thing and what I had been searching for. It was always inside me... I just had to realize it.

As for the issue of one's skin color, a Rasta brother once put it to me like this: "Rastafari is FOR I. It is for everyone!" If someone wants to tell me otherwise, that person does not truly understand Jah's message.


One love,
Ebisu
8727, InI
Posted by Thero, Wed Mar-27-02 04:59 AM

Rastafari is a vehicle. In my opinion it is not the end all and be all, but it is a beautiful way to get closer to that totality.

InI. The realization and connection with the self, the community and the divine. This is not just a Rasta thing. But can be overstood through Rasta.

The most important thing is that you come with love and sincerity. All else is trivial.

~Everything is Everything~
8728, seen
Posted by ebisu, Fri Mar-29-02 02:30 PM