to clear up any confusion.. i am God, i dont care about your stupid hair, i just want the tithe and the virgins
Do any of those religions celebrate Jesus Christ as their savior and as the only begotten son of God? Do they cherish the fact that Abraham(like the Jews, Christians, and Islam do) is one of their founding fathers? Do they call God by his holy names which appear in text as; YHWH, Jehovah, Allah, Jah? Is it not commonly known that Jews, Christians, and Islam celebrate the same Lord of Lords?
1) you're awesome. i don't know who you are, but you're my new e-hero. you completely missed vig's point. she didn't say anything like that... not to mention christianity stole shit from the Jewish faith, and Islam stole shit from both of them. So gee, no wonder they all believe in the same god- cause its got the SAME foundation. Vig was stating how biblical stories and facts are stolen from older/pre-existing religions. which is a fact, do some research.
watch this film natty; http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6736722752013377089&ei=MnywS7j4LJOcwgPRxPThBg&q=kymatica# then start your own research into ancient religions, and connect the dots the story of christ mimics the story of osiris... which isn't even unique to egyptian culture either it all comes from the sun/stars and archetypes that have pervaded human consciousness for aeons
Ahoy Ficks … sorry for the delay, the whole work thing on Friday and , shucks, then forgetting to post … ugghh, aghh, umm, hmm … ouch! I guess the best way to start a reply to your post is to acknowledge that the information that defines a culture varies from primary to secondary sources. I don’t think anyone can honestly make the claim that a given culture is based purely on primary sources of information … and naturally as time passes, what was once primary is also impacted by interpretation and traditions. In that sense I cannot profess that what I have learnt about the Vow and even Rasta is 100% accurate, it would really be an absolute academic flaw to claim absolutes. What I try to work with is the closest that I can get to information being validated, but even then, given how much time has past since the Vow first started being mentioned in texts … regardless if different texts can be cross referenced to prove validity. What is particularly problematic is when it is difficult to trace the texts that texts written in more recent years are based on. And a perfect example is the aspect of grooming hair, the legitimacy of maintained locs within the Rasta culture today. From what I know, this aspect is only referred to in the Mishneh Torah, which was compiled between 1170 and 1180. The English translation is: Mishneh Torah 5:14 ‘A Nazirite can groom his hair with his hand or scratch his head and needn’t be concerned if some hair falls out. However a Nazirite cannot comb his hair since it is a near certainty to pull out some’. What makes things even more problematic, from a strict academic perspective, is that the Mishneh Torah was consented by the Torah scholar / philosopher, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, also known as Maimonides, who saw the use of sources as being unnecessary in many instances, because the Mishneh Torah was viewed by many Rabbinical authorities during this period as being the official statement of the final decisions relating to Hebrew law / customs. But then there is the issue of alcohol and the Nazarite, which has two different interpretations, the Rabbinical one (Mishneh Torah 5:1-3), which is that a Nazarite should only abstain from grape derived alcohol and the Non- Rabbinical one which is that a Nazarite should abstain from all alcohol (Bamidbar/Numbers 6:3) … ‘Speak to the Israelites and say to them: If anyone, man or woman, explicitly utters a Nazirite’s vow, to set himself apart for Yehovah, he shall abstain from wine and any other intoxicant’. The first reference using the term ‘Nazarite’, is said to be in Numbers 6:1-21, in what is estimated as BC 1490, where the 3 aspects / conditions of the Nazarite Vow are listed and later Amos 2:11,12, estimated as BC 700 and Lamentations 4:7, estimated as BC 550 Other references of the Nazarite Vow include Leviticus 14, 1 Maccabees 3:49, Nazir 29b, Genesis 49:26, Deuteronomy 33:16 … and later references include Matthew 11:18-19, Luke 7:33-35 / 22:15-18, Mark 14:22-25 and Acts 18:18 / 21:20-24 LOL, there are many references, and I could sit for a week just listing and sourcing, by which stage everyone would have become bored and moved onto a different topic, but … seriously though, if you do some google searches you’ll see quite a lot pop up But personally, I find that the Nazarite Vow interpretation issues of time period, particularly the difference between Jewish culture in recent years and Israelite culture in the years prior to that, as well as the interpretation issues relating to Rabbinical and Non- Rabbinical differences, is no where near as problematic as the use of the term ‘Nazarite’ and specifically relating to the concept of temporary and ongoing ‘Nazarites’ And it is at this point, from my understanding that Rasta comes into the picture. Rasta is a combination of two very specific aspects … continuing His Majesty’s Works and living the lifestyle of the Vow. When Rasta refer to H.I.M. or His Majesty, like when I refer to these titles, it is a reference made to ‘His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and Elect of God’. I know peeps have heard this over and over, but Who is being referred to here is the direct descendent of King David, the original King of Kings, Elect of God … the initiator of the beginnings of the construction of the Temple of Jerusalem construction. What is referred to as His Majesty’s works, is outlined in all His speeches and documents. There are many issues that His Majesty addressed, and the onus on every Woman and Man that acknowledges the importance of His Majesty's approach to these issues, is to follow through with the guidelines that His Majesty provided … these guidelines are the Will of Jah, The Most High. My lifetime dedication is to contribute towards Land / Agricultural Reform in Africa and Food / Agricultural Trade amongst African countries. Now the second aspect of Rasta gets a bit tricky, because Iperhaps the original Rasta jumped too quickly at trying to box / label Rasta … the ‘Nazarite’. When Rasta say ‘I and I’ is the living Nazarite, then naturally all the headaches of the different interpretations of a Nazarite comes into play. However, when Rasta originally mentioned the connection to the Nazarite, the inspiration was actually specifically Samson, and this is the crucial part. I’m not sure if you noticed but I don’t refer to the term ‘Nazarite’ when I posted previously, instead I refer to the ‘Vow’, because it reflects the understanding of the more recent generations, and while previous generations found great value in the term ‘Nazarite’, many Rasta from the more recent generations found it to be complicating. So when Rasta, refer to the ‘Vow’, it is directly and specifically relating to Samson, who from what I was taught, read and understand, was labeled a ‘Nazarite’ in biblical text for the sake of convenience … ironically. The Vow that Samson took or the lifestyle that Samson lived, as described in various verses in Judges 13 started at birth and the aspects / conditions were no alcohol, no meat, and no cutting of the hair. This is where the complication comes in, if one reads through the various texts relating to the Nazarite, there are contradictions, some refer to no alcohol, other’s no wine … then there is the meat issue, and what is meant by ‘dead bodies / corpses’ … and not to even mention the sacrificing of an animal when the temporary Nazarite period has been concluded. But Samson’s life appears to have little, possibly no interpretation issues, no differences of opinion, no confusion relating to temporary and an ongoing Vow … even the meat issue is specifically addressed in His failure to His Vow in Judges 14:5-9, when he killed the lion and ate the honey that ran from it. And part of the Rasta expression of the same Vow that Samson lived by, is His locs, seven in His case, as referred to in texts like Judges 16:13-14. Hmm, you asked if I ever considered myself Rasta … well, no, never, not ever. From the first time I started to learn about Rasta, back when my reality was predominantly shaped by Punk and Anarchism, I had the fortunate opportunity of meeting what really is nothing short of genuine, authentic Rasta. Over the years that followed, I moved with Rasta Sisters and Brothers, a lot of incredible experiences … and met Rasta along the way that, wow, I mean Rasta that wore only sackcloth / hessian clothing and ate only food that they grew … Rasta that have studied so much literature, by candle-light and gas lamps, in the ghettos, in shacks, that they would make the average university student look illiterate … Rasta that worked so hard at their own small businesses so that they could eventually buy hectares of land in the Western Cape to give Rasta a Khaya … True Dedication To get more to the point, I’ve met Rasta that have been living life by the Vow for 10, 20, 30, years … and this is the difference between what many call ‘Nazarite’ and what Rasta I have interacted with refer to the as ‘Strictly’ … no compromise, no phases, just ongoing, to go even one step further than Samson … Strict Rasta … a Strict Vow. And it is for this reason that I would never, today and in any days before me, call myself Rasta. I know Twelve Tribes Rasta that call me by the relevant Tribe name, Reuben … Nyabhingi that would allow me to play the Thunder Drum, I know Rasta that have called me Rasta, called me ‘I-Man’ and ‘Jah-Man’ but I would never disrespect any of them by calling myself Rasta … … Rasta is the expression of the Priestly Order and perhaps, if I have the strength and will power, I can finally look back at many years past and say … ‘I’m living the strict life, ongoing, year after year after year, maybe then I’m finally home’ But until then, all I am is an African / Third World Punk, the Ronin Renegade type, who knows without any doubt that the only way to rebuild the continent is through the Teachings of His Majesty. Give Thanks And Praises To The Most High … Jah Ras Tafari!
Hey, Don, no problem about the delay in posting. Thanks so much for taking the time to respond again. Really appreciate everything that you've said. I personally am not 'religious', I am (again) at a point in my life where I am reconsidering beliefs that I have held and am trying to answer some questions for myself. I am also (always) an information oriented person, so when I hear a little about something I don't know about, I usually want to know more. That's also why I asked about sources, translations etc. Not because I'm attempting to poke holes, rather because I want to make sure I understand where a person is coming from. I'd rather ask a bunch of questions than assume I know what you're talking about and get it wrong Thanks, peace.
http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-ca&vid=a05be3af-e375-43cd-a65d-4570928d9e38&from=imbot_en-ca_f1824&fg=rss
Yeah, reading's for losers, who might research a belief set before claiming it as their own. Seriously, who would want the ability to speak with authority on a subject? It's much easier to talk sideways out your ass and then hide behind snide comments when someone calls you on it anyway. donBK, awesome post.
to be honest, i don't really care to prove anything to you cause you'll probably just try to claim i'm lying about it anyways. but for some random shits and giggles: no one knows when christ was born, yet christians celebrate it as Christmas.... Why you might ask. Because the Christians were trying to perversely convert pagans into their little circle of religion by creating christian events that coincide with pagan festivals. thus christmas = winter solstice type event that pagans celebrated. most christian holidays are based on older pagan rituals, basically only so they could further coerce pagans into their religion. so suck it natty. and to don bk, i really enjoyed reading your post i feel very educated, i honestly didn't know too much about The Vow or Rasta beliefs until then. thanks for writing so much
I see it as a race between getting closed for being to big and getting closed for being to damn ridiculous...
So i missed out on the first 46 pages of this thread (wouldnt exactly say ive been missing it bob) but would just like to say that DonBK is cool as hell. If he does not consider himself Rasta, i couldn't imagine meeting someone he did, as he is definitely the closest to a Rasta i have yet encountered. (Not surprising living in VA) They're just so damn chill all the time even if you do not have the same beliefs. Yeah i bet chillin with DonBK and smokin some ganja would be an adventure of a lifetime. That's all /threadjack