Baha'i Rasta

[lionofjudah4iver]

Greetings
I was wondering what members of the Baha'i faith think about Haile Selassie I. From what I understand which is little, you regognize all or most world religions as one. With one goal, one God, and that Christ has returned several times, Rastas belive that Haile Selassie I is Christ return. I was just wondering if he is "included" in your faith at all.
Blessed Love

 

[BruceDLimber]

I was wondering what members of the Baha'i faith think about Haile Selassie I. From what I understand which is little, you regognize all or most world religions as one. With one goal, one God, and that Christ has returned several times, Rastas belive that Haile Selassie I is Christ return. I was just wondering if he is "included" in your faith at all.

Hi!

No, he's not on the list, and in fact can't be because the Baha'i scriptures state explicitly that no new Divine Messenger will come for at least a thousand years, which excludes anybody in the Twentieth Century (among others) from being one. He's simply a man like others, although he may have been an especially spiritual one. . . .

Many regards,

Bruce

 

[lionofjudah4iver]

Where can I find that scipture that says that? And when did that thousand years start? What would you say about Rev 5:5 "Then one of the elders said to me,Do not weep! See, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals." When I read that I see in these times that if refers to Haile Selassie I. On Nov 2nd 1930 that prophesy came true.
Blessings

 

[BruceDLimber]

Where can I find that scipture that says that? And when did that thousand years start? What would you say about Rev 5:5 "Then one of the elders said to me,Do not weep! See, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."

It's in the "Kitab-i-Aqdas," which you can find on www.bahai-library.com among other sites. The starting point was in the late Nineteenth Century, so we're roughly a century and a half along. And we see Baha'u'llah, our Founder, as the Lion of Judah Who opened the seals: this unsealing was His writing of "The Book of Certitude," (aka "Kitab-i-Iqan"), the primary Baha'i theological work (which you can also find at the same web site). (Baha'u'llah fulfilled many prophecies in the Bible and elsewhere.)

Best regards,

Bruce

 

[JAHLion]

lionofjudah4iver,

Just so you know, many Rastas have different beliefs concerning Haile Selassie I, some see him as Christ returned, some see him as a man, and some see him as the one and only. I'm pretty sure you knew some examples I gave.

Jah Bless.

Ras Evan

 

[lionofjudah4iver]

JAHLion,
Tru tru, I should have said that some Rasta belive that Selassie I is Christ return. Thats the great thing about Rastafari is that there is no set way, no rules, no specific doctrine that you have to follow. Some may see HIM as this others in other eyes may see ina differnt way.

Bruce
Thanks for that link I am checking it out now. The reason I have asked is because my sister considers herself a Baha'i Rasta. I was never really concerned about the Baha'i part unitll recently so I have never talked to her about it. I have no way of getting ahold of her for the next couple of months either so this is the next best spot to learn.
BLesssins

 

[BruceDLimber]

Iver, if you like, send me an email at [email protected] and remind me to send you a list of Baha'i websites and an overview; you might find these helpful!

Best,

Bruce

 

[Cosmos]

Although I respect Rastafarians as individual practitioners, I have major criticism of the man Haile Salassei I. It is a little known fact that Salassei persecuted the Ethiopian Jews of his own country and the actual origins of the Rastafarian religion is in Freemasonry, as I have read Traditional African Religion (TAR) forums on this matter where memebers admit to the founders being Freemasons. Also it should be kept in mind that the Baha'i Faith all ideologies of Racialism or Nationalism, which is also the origins of this religious movement.

 

[BruceDLimber]

"Baha'i rasta" is a gross contradiction in terms, the more so given that rastafarianism heavily employs marijuana and the Baha'i Faith strongly prohibits and condemns drug use (other than medical), especially illegal drugs!

Bruce

 

[The Khan]

Yeah, the Baha'i faith makes it clear that there will be no messenger after Baha'u'llah for 1,000 years.

Use of cannabis apart from medical purposes is prohibited for Baha'is.

Also, regarding Freemasonry - Masons are from many different religious backgrounds, and even agnostic backgrounds. Masons have been accused of creating many religions and such by conspiracy theorists My father and great-grandfather (who were never Baha'is) were high ranking Freemasons. I can assure you, discussing religious (but not spiritual) and political issues in a Masonic lodge is completely prohibited. Rastas and Baha'is have nothing to do with Freemasonry.

 

[Ria23]

the actual origins of the Rastafarian religion is in Freemasonry, as I have read Traditional African Religion (TAR) forums on this matter where memebers admit to the founders being Freemasons.

strictly from a Bahi'i perspective, why would present a problem?

 

[Ria23]

Also, regarding Freemasonry - Masons are from many different religious backgrounds, and even agnostic backgrounds.

when I went on a tour of a Masonic temple (an impressive one BTW, not one of the small ones you find in a lot of towns) our guide told us that you must swear that you believe in a higher power (sounds like a Twelve Step program the way I put it, doesn't it?) so that would rule out open agnostics. or so I thought he seemed to indicate.

 

[arthra]

What Bruce mentioned above is correct..

Haile Selassie is not recognized by us...

We accept the Bab and Baha'u'llah as fulfilling the prophecies of the return of Christ .. The declaration of the Bab occurred in Shiraz, Iran on May23, 1844 and Baha'u'llah revealed His Station on what we call Ridwan Garden an island in the Tigris River outside Bagdad, Iraq around April 21st 1863.

In 1873 while Baha'u'llah was imprisoned in Akka He revealed the Kitab-i-Aqdas which has the following:

The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh will last until the coming
of the next Manifestation of God, Whose advent will not
take place before at least "a full thousand years" will have
elapsed. Bahá'u'lláh cautions against ascribing to "this verse"
anything other than its "obvious meaning"

The intimation of His Revelation to Bahá'u'lláh in the
Siyah-Chal of Tihran, in October 1852, marks the birth of
His Prophetic Mission and hence the commencement of the
one thousand years or more that must elapse before the
appearance of the next Manifestation of God.

(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 195)

There is a Rastafarian Forum here at Religious Forums located at

Rastafari movement DIR - Religious Education Forum

 

[BruceDLimber]

strictly from a Bahi'i perspective, why would [a connection between rastafarians and freemasons] present a problem?

It wouldn't present ANY problem for Baha'is because it's completely irreleveant to us and our teachings & beliefs!

The only sense in which masonry would present a problem is the fact that Baha'is are prohibited from being members of secret societies, and masonry qualifies as one such.

(And I already explained the problems we have with rastafarianism: drug use and the Baha'i thousand-year exclusion period.)

Bruce

 

[The Khan]

when I went on a tour of a Masonic temple (an impressive one BTW, not one of the small ones you find in a lot of towns) our guide told us that you must swear that you believe in a higher power (sounds like a Twelve Step program the way I put it, doesn't it?) so that would rule out open agnostics. or so I thought he seemed to indicate.

Freemasons do indeed make it necessary to believe in a higher power, since they are very strict on morales and such. However, there are even agnostic and Buddhist Masons. What interpretation of a 'higher power' a person has is left to himself. It's only strict atheists who are not admitted into that fraternity.

 

[Tanuki]

Freemasons do indeed make it necessary to believe in a higher power, since they are very strict on morales and such. However, there are even agnostic and Buddhist Masons. What interpretation of a 'higher power' a person has is left to himself. It's only strict atheists who are not admitted into that fraternity.

In Masonic parlance the term is 'Great Architect of the Universe' and it is not regarded as merely a 'higher power', which can carry a number of connotations. To become a Mason one must categorically state a belief in the Supreme Being ie God, however one chooses to look on Him eg as Krishna, Christ, whatever.

Buddhists can also declare a belief in the Supreme Being and become Masons, as to my knowledge the Buddha never said there was no God, simply that it was not important to salvation and so he never spoke about it.

 

[lionofjudah4iver]

I am happy to say that after reading these old posts I can see clearly spiritual progress within myself.. no longer Bahai rasta... just Baha'i... and I love this faith so much... i love the service.. what other religion has this type of guidance?.....

Bruce... thank you for your patience and loving-kindness...

It is a bounty accorded to the followers of the Ancient Beauty that this longing, which wells up inexorably from the human spirit in every land, is able to find such eloquent expression in the work the Baha’i community is carrying out to build capacity for effective action amongst the diverse populations of the planet. Can any privilege compare with this?
-ridvan 2011