Rasta faith comes from Ithiopia, but...
Posted: Thursday, February 27, 2003

Posted By: Ayinde

In Response To: Rasta faith comes from Ithiopia, but...
(Ras Mandingo Jahson.)

Rasta was the earliest form of human existence in African. Africans also first realized the processes for higher development and it is from these indigenous lifestyles true meaning can be grasped. It is in Africa especially Ethiopia the term Ras/Rasta evolved.

The modern Rastafari movement developed in Jamaica. It developed from the Jamaicans who took to the hills to escape a corrupt society. Having already witnessed the carnality in societies and through directly depending on nature for their survival they learned major aspects of the laws of nature and hence grew the inner Ras, which allows one to retain natural wisdoms.

Many others, 'mostly poor Africans' who were disenfranchised by the system tried to emulate the elders. They copied the outward form but retained their former colonial teachings. Some of them saw the simple truth of a Black Christ so while they generally stay within the colonial Christian teachings, they interpret the main characters in Christianity as Africans.

But the elders from the hills who inspired many others were following a discipline that was as old as the oldest humans in Africa, India and later on the Aborigines in Australia.

I believe the word 'Ras' evolved from the Coptic. I read a long time ago that the ancient Coptic word for wisdom was Ras or Rasti and the processes the Coptic used for developing this Ras/Wisdom ability was the same as the lifestyle practiced by the elders who took to the hills in Jamaica. It is the same lifestyle of many indigenous people who depend on nature for their survival. Ras evolved to mean head/ruler in Eithopia. So in truth Ras Tafari is a legitimate head of a people having gained that title from a recognized process at the time. In many parts of Africa the leader was also considered to be the divine head/ruler/Saviour/KRST. This shifted in Egypt, which evolved two leaders, one spiritual and one political.

If you chat with IanI who reasons on this board, he is similar to the ancient Rasta. However, many others on the forum are the offshoots of colonial mental and material poverty and the diverse conducts and confusion are manifestations of that.

They all have some form of legitimacy but in ignorance people think the whole universe fits into their limited understanding and fail to grasp that their limited understanding is just a small part of the Whole. So they remain polarized. 

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