Dreadlocks in church?

[Romeyo07]

what if they're wrong about believing that they're original hebrews....then what?

[1439/2000]

what if they're wrong about believing that they're original hebrews....then what?

What if is religion is wrong?

Thats the point, they have alot of references and they have many connections to it and they believe it.

Read Rastafari: Roots and Ideology by Barry Chevannes.

Its good and will have some more insight for you. If you look into it more it will interest you I promise.

[ISAtlanta300]

what if they're wrong about believing that they're original hebrews....then what?

Then YOU would not have to worry about it lol

[trini_gsr]

i'm not a rasta, but my dad was a rastafarian and several of my aunts and uncles currently are...so i've been exposed to the culture all my life, and and am very familiar with the teachings...

as far as the whole link of rastafari, or really Haile Selassie (who the rastas respect as a prophet or as Christ in his Kingly Character, depending on which sect you talk to) to Solomon, the Queen of Sheba and the Hebrews, check out a book called the Kebra Negast (sp). It explains how Solomon married the Queen of Sheba and the Ark of the Covenant was moved to Eithiopia from Israel before Jerusalem was sacked. Haile Selassie, if I recall correctly, is supposed to be the 225th descendant of Solomon. And the Ark supposedly still resides at some church in Eithiopia...

now there's also a political/revolutionary component to the origins of rasta as well. There's a book called Rasta and Resistance that goes into more detail about that. But basically, the first rastas were Jamaican revolutionary types fighting at the time against colonialism (this was an issue throughout the Caribbean).

as 1439/2000 mentioned, during the same time frame the Mau Maus in Kenya, led by Jomo Kenyatta, were fighting a similar struggle, and they wore dreadlocks, so the Jamaicans identified with that and emulated it as well. They revered the teachings of Marcus Garvey, founder of the UNIA in the early 1900s, who said "look to the east for the coming of a black king", among numerous other things. But Marcus Garvey is a whole different topic by himself, lol, so that's all i'll say about him. Anyways that's how the whole anti-white "punish the white man oppressor" business factors in. Although nowadays not all rastas are as...militant...lol.

So this is how Haile Selassie dropped in the picture . His original name was actually Prince Ras Tafari (LOL, see the connection) and he took the title Haile Selassie (which means Power of Trinity) when he was coronated. Once he took the throne, this was seen as the fulfillment of Garvey's prophecy and Selassie achieved this godlike status. The funny thing is, Selassie wasn't a rasta but an ethiopian orthodox christian. But then I guess Jesus was a Jew, not a christian, so...

There's several sects of rastafarianism now...you have the Bobo Dreads, Nyahbingi, Twelve Tribes...just to name a few. some rastas do believe in the entire bible, and most accept the old testament and revelation. there are some rastas who believe rastafarianism is more of a lifestyle than a religion, so you can believe whatever you want as long as you abide by the basic teachings.

bottom line, you are right about Jesus, Moses, John the Baptist and the rest taking the Nazirite vow, so the people in your church have no grounds to be hating on you. as you said, growing locks is supposed to symbolise a special relationship with God and is a spiritual experience...