Rastafarians

[Fretful Porpentine]

1) What do they actually believe?

2) If somebody wants to join (not me -- a friend), is there a formal conversion process and / or a rite equivalent to baptism? Or are a Rasta if you say you are?

[krish]

Here's where I dug up the information.

http://home.computer.net/~cya/cy00081.html

1) Aside from some strongly anti-white doctrines,
two overriding concepts that are key to the Rastafarian system.

First is the idea or teaching about Babylon which refers to the Jamaican government, the establishment or the white oppressors in general (Ibid, pp. xiii, 3, 89).

The second concept is that of I and I which has "become arguably the most important theoretical tool apart from the Babylonian conspiracy in the Rastafarian repertoire" (Rastaman, p. 66). Cashmore explains, "I and I is an expression to totalize the concept of oneness. `I and I' as being the oneness of two persons. So God is within all of us and we're one people in fact. `I and I means that God is in all men. The bond of Ras Tafari is the bond of God, of man. But man itself needs a head and the head of man is His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie of Ethiopia'" (Ibid, p. 67).



2) Apparently one is a Rastafarian is he/she says so because -Organization Structure: No official church buildings or leaders. Each individual group and person is autonomous.

[matt_mcl]

I understand aussi that Rastafarianism is one of the most caustically anti-gay religions around.

[Big Iron]

"One said to the other, 'no man see my face and live'."

[Fretful Porpentine]

Oh wow, somebody besides me listens to 80's Dylan. Whoever you are, I love you!

Thanks for the link, krish. I think it's safe to say that my friend will NOT be joining this religion if I have anything to say about it ...

[Big Iron]

I thought that ["Infidels"] was a really outstanding album -- and, I must say, I really dig that SN, FP.

Also, as a self-appointed Pope, I must remind everyone -- sometimes Satan comes as a Man of Peace. ;)