Agnostic Rasta?

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[1tokeovrtheline]

First off I just want to quickly introduce myself- I grew up hardcore catholic but when I was fifteen lost my faith in the religious tyranny of the community I saw around me (but I am not condemning all catholics, there are many goodhearted people in all religions ime).  I began looking into all the religions I knew about, reading sacred texts of beliefs of the jews, muslims, zoroastrians, etc, but settled for a short while on rastafarianism.  By the way I am white, but I am welsh, irish and scottish, and to me rastafarianism is not bout black versus white (just read the words of selassie, I don't think he would ever encourage exclusion of whites, latinos, asians, or anyone based on race) but it is about equality, embracing and respecting the life in everything, getting down to your real, honest, self, etc.  finding your own philosophy and respecting others, and iditation.  Also I don't know if you guys know this, but the irish were actually sold into slavery in the bahamas (and their accent found its way into modern rasta, jamaican english, and patwa accents), and today the welsh still experience very harsh racism in britain so I suppose the empowering encouragement of rasta always meant something to me (but I do not mean I understand the black point of view, and I would consider it disrespectful to claim I do, but certain feelings of frustration with others completely trampling on your culture and who you are spanning back thousands of years, well it hurts deeply and I feel that all disadvantaged peoples of the world must band together for strength and support against babylon).  The problem though is that I always had an agnostic view towards jah, I mean maybe there is a god maybe not, maybe selassie is god, maybe not, but I just want to be a good person, and follow the other ideals of rastafarianism.  I kept searching until I found buddhism and followed that for years, and also experimented with "entheogens" extensively in meditation (I mean I wasn't really going out and partying with drugs, but more like taking some shrooms and laying back and meditating-oh I'm also on the shroomery btw).  Eventually I became a little disillusioned with some of buddhism, though I still agree with a lot of it.  Lately I started listening to more reggae and dancehall and certain artists that I would consider more spiritual like jah mason or capleton really get to me.  I haven't really been doing drugs much lately, just trying to straighten out my life (really the weed is no motivation towards rastafarianism and I find those who equate rasta only with marijuana to be extremely disrespectful and misinformed), but I feel that occassional experience with natural drugs ilke mushrooms or peyote could be useful but "sketchy", and I just don't feel the love for anything but weed. 



So here is my main point.  Lately I've just been feeling this very strong spiritual pull toward rastafarianism.  Its like when I was catholic and I always felt this doubt in the back of my mind and this attraction away from my religion, but now I just feel this magnetic pull, this outright respect and reverence for rasta.  My biggest problem though is that I still have agnostic feelings toward jah and the divine identity of selassie.  Do you think I could be considered rastafarian or is it essential that you believe in jah?

Thanks

[Nazarite I]

I and I are RastafarI. I and I put faith in His Majesty Haile Selassie I Jah RastafarI. All else in the Livity is connected to this. The Locks are I and I covenant. Separatation unto Jah. Herb is the meditation of the divine. Ital is to keep I and I bodies clean as the temple should be. The consciousness keeps I and I ever mindful of babylon and all their schemes set to trap people.  It is a Oneness of Livity.

Without faith in the Most High, what is the meaning behind all that? You might be able to live LIKE a Rasta without it, but would you be Rasta? Never. And if you were living so and calling yourself a Rasta without that dedication to and knowledge of the Most High then you would be a wolf in sheep's clothing.
I have no objection to you wanting to adopt certain aspects of I and I Livity in search of a good life. Many things about I and I Livity are very good things to practice in everyday life. Ital is a heathy way to eat and every man should treat the next man with love and respect and more people need to open their eyes to the evils of babylon. But without faith in the Most High Selassie I, it is not RastafarI from which those things stem.

Blessed love.

[1tokeovrtheline]

okay, thank you.  Like I said I have a great deal of respect for your beliefs and ways of life, and I will certainly adopt some of it, but I will not claim a rastafarian identity unless I find faith in jah through some spiritual experience or revelation which allows me to have true faith and not as you said act as a wolf in sheeps clothing.

[Nazarite I]

You'd be surprised, begin to adopt I and I Livity and you might start to see it. And I and I are always about to Reason.

Blessed love.

[1tokeovrtheline]

I've been meditating about this a lot, and what do you think of this: I feel that jesus and selassie are god in the same way buddha is to me-basically that in the first part of the bible God created the world out of love and the word, so through meditation I feel he basically created the whole world out of his loving consciousness, and certain "people" like buddha, jesus, and selassie are just a time where his consciousness directly incarnates into a living being in order to give us direction and guidance.  Jesus came and guided us back from the pharisees and their excessive focus on rules and technicalities-becoming babylon.  Buddha may have just been a spiritual man I suppose, but he spread a message of love that is unrivaled by anything else I have heard-believing that even if a man threatens you with death you should never turn to hatred, and to me he is the role model of iditation.  Selassie came into the world at a time of hatred and oppression, defending the only african country to retain its sovereignty in the face of british tyranny, giving words of wisdom, and defending those who were so oppressed at the time they were not even considered humans to some.  I feel I really believe all rasta beliefs and all buddhist, and I am working on living ital, so would you say I could consider myself rasta spiritually and buddhist philosophically? (because buddhism has religious traditions, but as a philosophy is really compatible with any religion)
Again, thank you for your help.  I feel that you are a spiritual guide/teacher for me in a way.

[Nazarite I]

Just carry on getting to know yourself. Iditate on whatever knowledge you can find and if that Iditation leads you to Selassie I then you'll know which way to take.

Blessed love.

[1tokeovrtheline]

Also this morning I was listening to the Itals and "too much religion" came on, and I just had to laugh at myself.  I am taking the denomination too seriously, trying to label my own beliefs, which I suppose is because I fear what others will think-most people I know, even my close friends, mostly just make fun of white rastas.  I'm defensive of my viewpoints, but there is no need for it beyond my own confidence in it and it does not need to be in opposition to anyone else.  I really do feel Jah is calling me down a path though, in iditation concentration on selassie just fills me with peace and strength in a way I can't explain.  I also have social anxiety problems from growing up with an abusive psychopathic father, but when I focus on selassie and living ital I feel that anxiety fade, like I can just be who I am naturally, who Jah calls me to be

[Nazarite I]

In that case, don't run away from yourself as Bob Marley put it.

Blessed love.

[ModernSavage]

I would like to join in this conversation.  I dont belive in god, as i stated, butt i am searching for him.  i definetly do not call myself a rasta man, in fact sometimes i have to tell people im not.  I am trying to live as natural as posible.  i do belive in the evils of babylon and i guess i sometimes talk about it as if i belived becouse i want to belive.  butt i have had a hard time growing upp with has definetly led to some psykoligical isues.  im also struggling with chronic back pains all that puu together i have a hard time beliving, butt im trying.

[Oskar]

make me think of the bob marley library tune name "running away" him say "everyone think their burden is the heaviest"

however bad you're having it somebody else is having it worse. can you feel for them?

[Nazarite I]

Yes I. Getting bogged down with problems will just be like a ball and chain on your mind.

Think of what you can do to solve the problems rather than wallowing in self-pity.

Blessed love.

[Oskar]

agnostic rasta is just a silly idea. there is no such thing

[ModernSavage]

what im saying is that i have been an agnostic all my life and the main reason has been  how i grew upp as in "how can there be a good when there is so much trouble in the world".  Like i said im trying hard to find god and some inner peace. . . .
Posted on: February 21, 2011, 07:22:25 PM* a god

[benjammin]

Just the few lines above about somebody suffering more than yuh, Whenever I feel tha pressure I listen to this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzYPMnWwc_g

'm sure you heard or you either read
What all these great scientists have said
Is a fact and I've been told
Worries is the worse sickness in the world
Oh yes, they further explain
If you let worries take charge of your brain
Ten to one, you'll end up like a louse
Stark staring mad in the crazy house

That's right
Never ever worry, don't mind how things looking hard...ah tell you
Never ever worry, don't mind how you suffering bad...ah tell you
Never ever worry, what I’m saying is true
Anywhere you turn, somebody suffering more than you.
Never ever worry, don't mind how things looking hard...ah tell you
Never ever worry, don't mind how you suffering bad
Never ever worry, what I’m saying is true
Always consider, somebody suffering more than you..

This is the thing with the youth today... always chattin and crying over their problems with homework, school etc. Never thinking that a child dies every 17 seconds.
When I login to facebook, the stuff I see, FML (f*ck my life)....
the reason that their so much bad stuff going on is because of man... all poverty is man made. How politics people, he claimed on a duck house from tax payers money.
The whole thing! all the big buildings. all the casinos. drug trade.
"nobody cares about God when life is sailing on the calm" - mike skinner
As soon as people round me have somthing bad happen its gods fault, not the fact that they have been sinning all day and night long!
Jah bless! 
Ben

[ModernSavage]

I feel i have to clarify.  I am not complaining i am simply trying to make you understand why  i have always had a very hard time beliving in god.  Like ive tried to say and il try again is that since last summer i have delved into rastafari, and i am apliing its filosophys on my life (some of with where definetly already there) And it has definetly made my life better, butt i still have not seen "the burning bush" so to speak. And i definetly know that there is always someone worse of, and i also understand youre thing about people complaining on facebook about "nothing", I can fel sometime about people "what are yuo complaining about youre not so bad off" but one should never lesson anothers burden, everyon can cope difrently with there problems.  Isent there i saying that jah willnever give you a heavier burden then yuo can carry?