http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5285368.stm pretty neat. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I'm investing in Babylon, seen?
You'd think they'd actually make a coin that, you know, looked like him. I mean, what the fuck? Just because it's got natty dreads it's supposed to be Marley? It looks nothing like the man. Rastafarians, by the way, are freaks. It's funny how people can look up to Marley so much when he belonged to a cult which believed the King of Ethiopia was God. If he was born in latter day USA, he'd have worn a track suit and cut his nuts off to hitch a ride on the flying saucer hiding behind the comet.
Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! This is the face they should have used. I wonder if the coin would sell out...?
Solomon, King of Jerusalem had a child with Queen Sheba, of Ethiopia;he was named Menelik.Haile Selassie is a blood relation of this line.Luckily, history was recorded in those parts.Check your library,or the Kebra Nagast In a nutshell the basic story is; not to long ago, there was a guy on this rock who was a verifiable blood descendant of King Solomon, of Jerusalem.Tafari Makonnen, at birth: later known as Ras (Prince) Tafari - he is meant to be a fulfillment of a prophecy that the King of Kings will be from the tribe of Judah. God or Jah is a different entity altogether.
What makes a religion a cult? As far as I can see, the Rastas are the coolest Christians on the planet.
The classifications of cults and religions is a minefield - It's beset with dogma, disinformation, phobias & such-like that I refrain from it altogether; but I'll agree with you on the latter part of your post.They don't preach to convert, are not holier than thou, most importantly NO WARS aahhh, you're so right :m: Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! You bring up a good point though.The other royal families rule(d) by "God given right" & enjoy unrivalled popularity till this day. Songs are made imploring God to save them, they are included in official church matters & prayers - are then people in those churches in a cult? Cult of Diana ??? Hardly; the people worship God, but revere the royals. Similiarly, nexus, rastas look at Haile Selassie, all it takes is a shift of perception & an inspection of the events from when Italy was defeated by Italy on March 1st 1896, at the Balttle of Adwa (Adowa). Menelik was emperor during this time & Selassie still young, but well known.It was he who succeeded Menelik when the "Scramble for Africa" was at a feverish pitch.Italy's 1935 invasion would destroy the "League of Nations" & precipitate WWII. Personally leading the fight with a barefoot army against Italy, he won great support from symapathisers, mostly black, worldwide.So then, in the caribbean islands where slaves were once held - this represented to them, something with which to identify. Ethiopia, by the way, was one of, if not the last of African nations to be conquered. This was not unnoticed by Africans worldwide.It was the beacon of hope, freedom & resistance." Rasta is not a religion, it's reality & revelation" - Bob's words - not mine Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! BTW - nice coins, I would'nt mind one myself.It's a geat tribute to the man.
Rastafarians don't put much of their energy into contemplating the supernatural aspect of their religion. I've never met one who was even interested in talking about it. It's all about the way you live while you're here. They believe in peace and brotherhood. It's hard to argue with that. Besides, they do not equate Haile Selassie with God the way the Christians equate Jesus with God. They regard him as a prophet and maybe there are a few miraculous things attributed to his life so perhaps he's analogous to a saint in the Christian denominations that have them. Selassie looked forward to a day "When the color of a man's skin is no more important than the color of his eyes." It is REALLY hard to argue with that! That's a really rude thing to say about a man who on the balance made a very positive contribution to human culture. Every religion is a collection of metaphors, and like virtually all of the Hindus I've ever met, Rastafarians seem to have very little trouble distinguishing metaphor from truth.
