February 6th marked what would have been the 67th birthday of Jamaican reggae legend Bob Marley, widely considered one of the greatest and most influential musicians of all time. Marley, who hailed from a lower class area of Kingston, the capital city of Jamaica, saw his rise to prominence in the 1970’s with a musical group known as The Wailers, with their new brand of Jamaican ska music and reggae. His album, Legend, released 3 years after his death, is still the greatest-selling reggae album of all time. In addition to turning reggae into a global music phenomenon, Marley was also the chief promoter of the Rastafarian religion worldwide (an upcoming documentary called “Marley”, to be released in April, will certainly highlight his amazing career). While he is famous for his dreadlocks, Rastafarian ethic and signature voice, what very few know is that Marley converted to Christianity over one year before his death.
Several independent sources confirm the account of Marley’s conversion from Rasta religion to Christianity. Rastafarians use the Bible as a Holy Book but believe that deceased former Emperor of Ethiopia, Haille Selassie, is the Messiah of the Bible and worship him. The title “Ras Tafari” was a title given to Sellasie in his home country as a political ruler. The Rastafarians adopted the name for themselves. Marley became a Rasta as a youth and infused the Rasta lifestyle and beliefs into his music. With his trademark dreadlocks, socially conscious lyrics and Afrocentric consciousness, Marley put the Rasta movement on the global music scene. And some of the lyrics were anti-Christian. Biblical Christianity was often perceived in the Rasta movement as a product of the White race and Western society, also known as “Babylon.”
Marley, center, pictured with the Wailers in 1973.
A sampling of the Wailer’s thoughts on Christianity are seen in the song “Get up, Stand up” one of the Wailers’ greatest hits. The entire song is addressing the issues that the group has with the Christian faith:
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don’t give up the fight!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don’t give up the fight!
The idea of the Second Coming of Christ and a new Earth that is ruled in righteousness by Jesus is being objected to. Rather than looking to eternal life with God, the song implores the listener to look for the present life for true value. This is the exact opposite of what Jesus Christ preached. Jesus said: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust does corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust does corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21). The point being made is that the life on Earth is temporary and fleeting. Anything anyone owns in their lives on Earth cannot be taken to the grave. And all the treasures and goods of today will rot and decay and be trash in the future. What is truly important is where your soul will spend eternity. This is why Jesus emphasized looking to eternal life in Heaven – where treasures never decay and life never ends.
Dreadlocks were worn to honor the Nazarite vow written in the Book of Numbers 6:5.
Marley’s bandmate Peter Tosh, in his perhaps his most popular singing role, again attacks Christianity in the following verse:
We gonna stand up for our rights! (yeah, yeah, yeah! )
As we have detailed in several other articles, many music artists specifically target Jesus Christ by name in their lyrics. This song is no different as Tosh declares that the group is “sick” of the Gospel message and calls it all a “game.” In interviews, Marley was adamant about his rejection of Jesus. It is ironic that despite being a movement of peace, harmony and love, that there is such animosity towards Christianity and Jesus Christ specifically. But this is a part of Satan’s plan. The Great Deceiver will use any ploy to get people to turn from Biblical Christianity and in this case it was the pro-Black, Afrocentric political nature of Rastafari. Inspired by Jamaican civil rights activist Marcus Garvey, much of the Rasta movement was infused with a rejection of a white American culture that had just finished implementing almost a century of race-based segregation and oppression of people of African descent. Thus Jesus was perceived as the “White Man’s God” and thus a part of the “Babylon system”. For the Rasta, “God is a “living man”, a reference to Emperor Selassie, who the Rasta believed would return them back to Ethiopia and rule as god on Earth (following the destruction of America, Europe and Western/Caucasian society). Hence the Rasta’s use of the Bible was done to point their followers to Selassie. So while Marley’s lyrics make scriptural references, they were not done in a way that reflected the true Gospel.
Selassie’s Actual Beliefs
Emperor Haile Selassie
Despite having literal worshipers, Selassie himself was a Christian and member of the Ethiopian Orthodox church. “He always rejected the view that he was the second Christ,” explains the Reverend of Holy Trinity Church, where Selassie attended later in life. “He always remained a Christian.” Unlike many false prophets and messianic figures who have come and gone through the years, Selassie never claimed to be the Christ or God. He also never followed or led the Rastafari movement. It was the rare case where one was basically “selected” as messiah. In an interview with Canada’s CBC news in 1967, Selassie stated: “I have heard of that idea [that I am divine]. I also met certain Rastafarians. I told them clearly that I am a man, that I am mortal, and that I will be replaced by the oncoming generation, and that they should never make a mistake in assuming or pretending that a human being is emanated from a deity.” Selassie died in 1975, prompting many Rastas to proclaim his death was a hoax, while others claimed Selassie was still existing, just no longer in bodily form. Despite his death proving that he did not fulfill the Bible’s prophecies about the Second Coming of the Messiah (who will come and rule and reign on a His throne forever), and Selassie’s own personal denials, many Rastas today still insist on Selassie’s divinity.
Selassie commissioned Abuna Yesehaq to start a church in Jamaica to specifically preach to the Rasta community and turn them from worship of him and towards worship of the true Jesus Christ of the Bible. In a 1984 interview with the Jamaica Gleaner’s Sunday magazine titled “Abuna Yesehaq Looks Back on 14 Years of Ministry in Jamaica”, Yesehaq spoke of Marley’s desire to convert to Christianity. “Bob was really a good brother, a child of God, regardless of how people looked at him,” Yesehaq said. “He had a desire to be baptized long ago, but there were people close to him who controlled him and who were aligned to a different aspect of Rastafari. But he came to church regularly.”
While the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Jamaica preaches that sacraments are required to receive God’s grace, which is an unbiblical stance (Christians are saved by their faith according to the Bible and not by any actions), Yesehaq’s confirm’s Marley’s converson to Christianity based on his faith and never mentions Marley being confirmed in the church, wearing a Mateb necklace or other Ethiopioan church ordinances. In the interview, Yesehaq also addressed claims that Marley’s terminal cancer was the motivation behind his acceptance of Jesus Christ as his personal savior.
“When he toured Los Angeles and New York and England, he preached the Orthodox faith, and many members in those cities came to the Church because of Bob,” Yesehaq said. “Many people think he was baptized because he knew he was dying, but that is not so. He did it when there was no longer any pressure on him, and when he was baptized, he hugged his family and wept, they all wept together for about half an hour.”
Judy Mowatt’s Testimony
Judy Mowatt, left, singing with the "I-Threes" (Rita Marley, center, and Marcia Griffiths).
Judy Mowatt, a reggae singer who formerly sang backup for Marley in the group the “I-Threes” (which also included Marley’s wife Rita and Marcia Griffiths), recalled learning about Marley’s conversion to Christianity in an interview with Cross Rhythms radio. Marley, who died of cancer at the age of 36, was severely ill in his final days. Mowatt spoke with her former bandmate and Marley’s wife, Rita, about the late musician calling out to Jesus Christ on his death bed.
“When Bob was on his dying bed, his wife Rita called me on the phone and said to me that Bob was in such excruciating pain and he stretched out his hand and said, ‘Jesus take me.’ I was wondering to myself, ‘Why is it that Bob said Jesus and not Selassie,'” Mowatt questioned. “Then I met a friend of mine and he said his sister, who is a Christian, was a nurse at the hospital where Bob was before he passed on, and she led him to the Lord Jesus Christ. So when Rita saw him saying ‘Jesus take me,’ he had already received the Lord Jesus Christ in his life.” (source)
So Mowatt confirms that it was not the Orthodox Ethiopian Church that led to Marley’s conversion but a nurse during one of his hospital visits. After hearing of Marley’s conversion, Mowatt soon found herself on her own spiritual journey:
“I was a Rasta for 22 years and I was genuine. I embraced the objectives of Rastafari, knowing that one of the aims and objectives were to repatriate to the land of our ancestors. And also to make music to let people be aware of who they are as a people and knowing that the western hemisphere is only a place for them to pass through, but we should return to our father’s land. That was my plan, but God had a different plan! After 22 years I became very unfulfilled, dissatisfied; not by any one thing or by any one person but I started to search inside because I [realised] that there was something else that I needed that I could not put my hand on. I knew that God was calling me into deeper waters. I was a little bit fearful because I was wondering what my brothers and sisters would say and what would be their reaction. So I was a bit fearful.”
Soon family problems led her to the Lord and learning the Gospel of Jesus Christ:“I was at a place where I thought I wanted to die but I never had the strength to take my own life. I started praying and I said, ‘God, I really don’t know you because if I knew you, then all of this would not have been happening to me.’ Not knowing that God had used that situation to draw me to him. I started reading my Bible. I had read my Bible three times from cover to cover and I started reading, but the things I was seeing this fourth time were what I never saw in the three times I read my Bible.”
She continued, “I was seeing it through another pair of lenses. I read, ‘Wherein, there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved, but by the name of Jesus Christ.’ That flew out of the Bible and into my spirit and that really turned the key. Whenever you have a mindset and you seriously believe something, you’re not going to open to anything else, and I wasn’t open to anything else. But God opened me to start seeking and searching.” (source)
Mowatt is now a Gospel reggae performer. When asked why the story of Marley rejecting the Rastafari for Christianity is not more well-known she stated: “If people knew, they would be drawn to Jesus Christ. Nobody wants to promote that in Jamaica. I said it on a popular television programme over there and a Rasta man met me and asked me why did I have to say that? I told him it was because it’s the truth! But he never wanted me to reveal that and I think that nobody wants it to be revealed because so many people would be drawn to Jesus.” Bob Marley’s official website doesn’t even mention his conversion, (although a number of fan sites do.)
Tommy Cowan, a legend in the Jamaican music industry, was Bob Marley’s business managers for years while Marley was touring the world. Cowan, who was a very staunch rastafarian, recalls the time of Marley’s conversion:
“Bob Marley himself, before he died, he got baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,” Tommy says with much conviction. “What does Selassie teaches That Jesus Christ is the way. As a matter of fact, in one song you would have heard him militantly (saying) ‘how they crucified my Jesus Christ and they sold Marcus Garvey for rice.’One of his songs said, ‘Give us the teachings if his majesty because we dona’t want the devil’s philosophy.’ Bob, Tommy recalls, called the bishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and told him I need to be baptized now. Just recently Tommy was speaking with the said bishop who described Bob’s baptism. “At one point he (Bob) cried for 45 minutes non-stop; his tears wet the floor. And the Holy Spirit came down upon his body and he cried out Jesus Christ three times ‘Jesus my Savior, Jesus Christ…’” (source)
Like Mowatt, Cowan too eventually left the Rastafari movement to become a born again Christian:
“When I pursued the teachings of Rasta which is Haile Selassie, basically, Rasta would have had to be a Christian religion,” Tommy reasons. “Haile Selassie himself was a very, very committed Christian and somehow through that whole faith it led me back to that place that I had to realize that it’s not about Islam, it’s not about Buddha, it’s not about Mohammed, it’s not about Selassie but at the name of Jesus that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess.” (source)
Conclusion
While Bob Marley spent most of his legendary music career promoting the worship of Selassie and railing against Christianity, his final year of life is a testament to God’s grace and the fact that no matter how far someone moves away from God, they can always come back to The Lord in repentance and receive Jesus Christ as their Savior. Bob Marley made music that promoted peace, racial equality and love among all people. Yet he still did not find spiritual fulfillment in his message. Instead he found it in Jesus Christ, the true God in the flesh, who not only preached a message of peace and love but showed the world its sin and the consequences of it. As the book of Romans states: “the wages of sin is death.” But by giving His life on the cross, Jesus Christ paid the price and punishment for those who choose to believe in Him. And praise The Lord that Marley seemed to have learned all of this and professed it before he met his own untimely death. And in Marley’s conversion, not only was his soul saved, but he set an example for Judy Mowatt, Tommy Cowan and hopefully many others. Let the reader learn from Marley’s journey. Believing in peace and love is admirable but will not save your soul. Only forgiveness of sins through the one who came to Earth to give Himself for all of us (for more on what it means to have eternal life and be a born again Christian, see here). Hopefully more fans will get to know the Savior who Marley called: “my sweet Jesus Christ.”
Thanks so much for this research and revelation that you have brought to my notice.
I use to weep if this good man ever made it with Jesus and today i am happy for the witness.
shalom
Can You imagine going to Heaven and meeting Jesus and, among many other great people, Bob Marley?
are you being sarcastic??
Hallelujah what a saviour, he isJesus Christ the Lord and I will look forward to meeting others in Heaven likeBob Marley
I recall reading about Bob’s Transformation in Christ in 2004 I think it was. The Article was in a Christian News Paper called the SON In London” Quite a few people were saying no they did not believe that Bob became a Christian..
I only met Bob once in person forty years ago” I shocked his hands with just a few words between us as I were Introduced to him by an old friend.
I liked some of the songs , Quite a lot of his music especially that about Love and Justice” One would say if you don’t have God you don’t have Love but even from a hand shake you could tell that he knew that Christ exist” his Lyrics I’ll never forget no way THEY CRUCIFIED JESUS CHRIST ” That told you he was sitting on the fence as many of us were in those days.. I heard an Interview with TOMMY MC GOWAN’ Over a year ago on one of these Jamaican Radio station,, I think it was Love 101” He said he Read a book which The king of Ethiopia wrote ” HE SAID SELASSIE SAID IN HIS BOOK” A MAN WITHOUT CHRIST IS LIKE A SHIP WITHOUT BOTTOM”’ JESUS CHRIST THE NAZARINE LIVES WITHIN THE HEART OF ALL OF US WHO BELIEVE IN GOD And do his sayings” LOVE GOD .LOVE OTHERS & LOVE OUR SELVES…..Time to Praise his Holy Name To all you Singers out there who are being Worshiped’ and for those of you who have not set any example for the youths of today’ PLEASE REMEMBER THIS. ” YOUR SOUL” PEACE
As they converted from Rastafari, i converted to it when i saw the right whats the difference? christians convert to islam and verse versa but these are individuals. the religion of his imperial majesty is intact.
Mu own contribution to the Marley debate.
Let the music speak for itself.
Here is ‘Zion Hut’ from I Jahman’s 1978 album ‘Haile I Hymn’.
It is a classic reggae track directly inspired by the Beatitudes.
(Steve Winwood is credited as Hammond organ player).
‘Listen ye who have ears to hear with…’
https://youtu.be/-SvL0pp3fIc
Jah Blessings
Nice article.But you must know that the word Ras and Tafari is a title and not a religion.There are many kinds of Rastafarians organizations.And many of them like the Twelve tribes of Israel preach Yeshwa as the true savior.
Rastafarians reject the image of Christ as a white man with blue eyes.Because even the Bible said so.
There are lot of misunderstanding about rastafarian culture and the truth about the history of the black people in the bible.Marcus Garvey who set the foundation of the Back to Africa Movement was a Baptist Preacher.
Haille Sellassie I comes from the Salomon bloodline…you can find one of the oldest Jewish Christian church in Ethiopia.
So the Rastafarian Movement it’s a blackmans people movement.
I believe that everyone who seeks knowledge will find that the concept of Rastafarian movement are come from the vow of nazarite.Who dont cut the hair dont eat no alcohol and dont touch no dead flesh.
Im a Christian and a Rastaman and I believe that Only Yeshwa is the savior and as a blackman I must know about my culture and history and teach my people about the truth.
So anyone who promotes the image of Christ or GOD as a white man is promoting the antichrist message.And this is what the true Rastaman fight against
Hi Junior Dread,
Thanks very much for your comments and excellent insights. I do agree wholeheartedly that there are many different “denominations” in the Rasta Movement and not all Rastas in the world believe that Selassie is the Christ. However, Bob Marley and the Wailers certainly did. The form of Rasta theology they had was directly centered on Haile Selassie being God (as is still the case for many Rastas today).
You may notice that I mention the Nazarite vow in the article (in the caption of the 3rd photo), so I do understand where the devotion to grow dread locks comes from. From a more Biblical standpoint, while I do not think that Jesus looks like the depictions from Renaissance paintings (with long hair, blue eyes and fair White skin), I do not find Biblical significance in race-based Christianity. I think it is wrong that historically the image of Jesus was used to promote racial superiority by some groups of people (i.e., some of the 18th century colonial White Europeans over African people). But we cannot let correcting that injustice guide our faith. The Bible instructs us to put “no confidence in the flesh” (Philipians 3:3). Our ethnicity whether Black or Hebrew will not get us salvation. Only faith in Jesus Christ will. It is Jesus who does all the work to save our souls, not our actions or our heritage.
Thanks again for your thoughts and may God bless you abundantly.
To Beginning and End,
It seems that you are trying to prove your point as different than that of the Rasta’s on this page such as JahPikney, JrDread, and Tim down below… but what you need to see here is that you are speaking in circles and you are almost all saying the same thing, you just need to tie it all together which I will do for you now:
Rastafari is a form of Christianity, they are not blaspheming Jesus himself, just the religion which itself has become a vessel for lies and confusing the masses. Rastafari is bringing light to what Christianity truly is at it’s roots; the fact that Bob turned to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and not a modern form of “Christianity” is significant!
For example, the “Christians” who claim Jesus came 2,000 years ago, and our entire world calendar is based on this false “fact”. The Ethiopian Christian Church is 9,000 years old! How could the Christian church be established and worshiping the Messiah so far ahead of time? Jesus came long before the modern church has led us to believe, just one of many signs of it’s misleading the people… again it is not Christ who is at fault here, but the mere mortals of modern Christianity who have been propagating lies for thousands of years.
Next, the name “Jesus”. In the song “Get Up, Stand Up”, they are not blaspheming the Christ, but the name Jesus which is but the white washed version of his true, original name, as Junior Dread stated above: Yehoshua. Sure, it’s okay to have different ways of saying the same name in different languages, but it is important to know which was FIRST and ORIGINAL.
Look at the next part of the song lyrics “if you know what life is worth, you will look for yours on Earth”. Yes I see that you quote Matt. 6:19-21… but what did Jesus say just prior to that, in Matt. 6:10?? “Thy will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven.” This is what the song refers to, words of Jesus, or Yehoshua himself.
Who cares if the powers that be whitewash the name you may say, or who cares if they hold up the false image of a white, fair Jesus, you may say? As you make a good point by quoting Phil. 3:3 above. But this is the main point of it all… the True purpose or Rastafari AND Christianity… it comes back to the 5th commandment, to “honor thy mother and thy father”.
In this day of enlightenment, science and religion are coming closer together and upholding the truths of the other, even as it may seem otherwise to the masses. Rastafari is Christianity without the dogma and falsehood, it is using the truths of science to uphold and PROVE the foundation of Christianity… when I say FOUNDATION of Christianity, I mean the 9,000 year old churches in Ethiopia, the exact church Bob went to in the end, and the one that is pointed to by the Rastas, see:
Amos 9:7 “Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, oh children of Israel? Saith the Lord. Have I not brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? And the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?”
This is exactly the truth being shown by not only Rastafari, but every school of science known to man.
The schools of archaeology, anthropology, biology, and any university of higher learning on Earth will tell you, man, the first human, the entire human race came from Ethiopia. This is what Rastafari is saying, it is pointing to the truth of humanity and Christianity, the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church! Every Christian on Earth owes their beginning to this church, but I bet 90% of them have no clue of this.
This is what not only Rasta but also the 5th commandment is pointing to, and this is what we need to learn to understand the root of the rampant racism that we have on Earth to this day. If we truly “honor our mother’s and our father’s”, all the back to the beginning of time, which were the original BLACK people, then we must know we are all descendants of the Ethiopians, Africans, and how could we permit hating and dishonoring our ancestors in such a way?
This is the eternal truth of not just True Christianity, but Rastafari, Science, and “oneness” and “unity” which has been such a growing and prevailing theme of our world culture in modern times. This is what it all means.
It is spelled out verbatim in the Bible. In science books and university. And yes, Rastafari.
This is already a huge “comment” (lol, article in itself maybe…) but I will leave on one last note:
Haile Selassie neither affirmed nor denied his divinity. When asked when he would tell the Rastafari people that he was not God, he is quoted as saying “Who am I to disturb their belief?” He is well documented to be a direct descendent of Solomon, David, and “Jesus”/or Yehoshua himself. I will leave you with this:
Rev. 5:5 “And one of the elders saith unto me, weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.”
Bless up to you and to all and of course, the Most High Jah. I gratefully await your response, and am very grateful you wrote on this subject to start this conversation 🙂
Well Said Brother” IF ONLY THIS IMAGE HADN’T TAKEN UP IN THE MINDS OF THE OPPRESSED” There would be a different mind set for some ,,,Who knows better must do better, Faith without works is dead as it where people do good work as they see it but have no FAITH”
FAITH’ LOVE HOPE CHARITY & MOTIVATING THOSE WHO ARE NOT WISE OR HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE FOR WHAT EVER REASON”
The work for Born again–BAPTIZES Followers of Christ must Teach that which is JUST & RIGHT..
selah!!there is no more to say !! selam
I am not black or rastafari but i agree with you. Thank you for the explanation.
Children of the creator, we were put on the earth to multiply and provide more bodies(flesh) for the souls/sprirts that come from God, let us all see and understsnd that a human spirit can live in any skin color and that these skin colors are creation itself.
let us not promote the hatred that the devil has swon through a few white men’s bodies, a few blac kman’s bodies or whatsoever.
let us have a deep understanding that whatever belongs to God belongs to all of us as His creation/children: we do not like it when our children fight over our superiority, do we? or when they hate each other. that is what we are subjecting The Creator to. Hatred among his children.
Bretherens, let us refrain from saying or doing things that hurt creation especially human beings, for that pains their Great parents as well i.e God and His chosen Son, Jesus Christ.
But most important of all, i have come to the realisation through my prophet (dreams) while i was growing in the Rasta beliefs that doing all the good things but not accepting Christ as the savior is equivalent to refusing to make a travellors document. you can go to the place but you will not be accepted.
God (The Word) who is in Heaven, the Word beeing in that men whose Words bring forth good deeds, and so God beeing in Men by the word, so Heaven is in men(the flesh) cause God is in Heaven.
Let us see the differences in creation as a variety that God’s creation, especially skin color cause that is where the devil is getting us.
Jesus Christ is the Lord and the saviour, whether he was Black or White or colorless is of no importance.
Amen.
Nice article but it seems like you didn’t do any research into Rasta’s Beliefs. Instead of believing what the internet says, why don you interview some Rasta’s. I’m Rastafarian and I believe Jesus Christ was the son of God and died on the cross for my sins. I also believe that Haile Selassie I was the second coming of Jesus Christ. Bob Marley doesn’t reject Jesus as his savior. He rejects that Babylon has raised us saying Jesus is white , when in the bible it specifically says he’s not. And one question to ask yourself before denying Haile Selassie was the second coming of Christ is, If Christ was living today, would you believe he was the son of good? Most so called Christians wouldn’t.
Hi JahPikney,
Haile Selassie specifically said he is NOT divine or a Messiah. He never claimed to be a Savior and was a member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church which does not recognize rastafarian belief. Additionally, he is DEAD. Jesus Christ, is alive!
I have researched rastafari beliefs and I well-aware that it is centered on the belief that Haile Selassie is Messiah. But the simple facts (stated above) show this not to be true. What are your thoughts on Selassie being dead or denying to be a god?
a stranger can be a angel so i feel jesus can come to this earth an take man form when ever he wants and haili never calmed to be a god and nether did jesus im juest saying i belive in jesus i dont belive in worshiping everman that comes on this earth to do good things i respect it tho now the rastias chose to do other i think they should except jesus and keep doing there movement the way they have
The Lord Jesus Christ most definitely preached that He IS The Messiah. He left no question about it. Haille Selassie specifically said he was not a Messiah, he was not god and zero affiliation with the Rastafari movement. And he died. He’s been dead for decades. Rastas have made him their messiah, but he never, ever once claimed to be that person. On top of it, he was a Christian.
If this is wrong, just provide some actual proof of Selassie doing anything remotely close to proclaiming himself to be Jesus or leading the Rastafari, etc.
There is no doubt that HAIL SELASSIE IS AN AFRICAN KING BUT HE IS NOT CHRIST” HE Wouldn’t have claim to be because he too was a BELIEVER…
You sound more like a race baiter than a Christian. Just saying.
Insightful. Thank you for this article. Love your measured response to Junior Dread. I come from the Caribbean and have family members who were part of the Black Power movement inspired by Garvey and Rastafarianism. While they did not take the Nazarene vow, they have rejected the Truth of Jesus Christ because like many advocates of Repatriation, they see it as part of the white man’s oppression system.
The irony is that Christianity today is portrayed as the ‘white man’s religion’, where the ancient Israelites were people of colour, as was Jesus. I am not a stickler for race-based faith, but we cannot ignore the irony of the truth; that Jesus’ descendency as outlined in the Bible proves he was by today’s standards, a black man. He might have looked more like Halle Berry than Whoopi Goldberg, when you consider the migration and mixing patterns of Semitic people in the bible, but he was black nonetheless. While this statement seems superficial, it supports the idea that the one is more palatable than the other- not because this writer says so–because that’s how our society thinks. The accuser satan must love this irony, that many African people reject Christianity on the premise that it is/was pushed as part of the ‘white is superior’ meme and most white people of faith would (and have, and do ) scoff at the idea of Jesus’ blackness.
Here are two authors who have researched and laid out a bibliography on the subject:
http://www.angelfire.com/ill/hebrewisrael/printpages/phys.html
http://www.godonthe.net/wasblack.htm
On another note: I used to find Garnett Silk so uplifting and when I grew more conscious of the potency and influence of music, I started paying closer attention to lyrics. I love his ‘Blessed be the Almighty Jah’. If memory serves, it is not ambivalent about praising the Almighty where some of his other music like other conscious reggae, is praising Selassie. Of course I am not certain he and I thinking of the same Jah/Jehovah, but the spirit of the music seems genuine. I sometimes wonder if he was murdered because he accepted Christ and was pushing the idea through his music.
Whatever color Jesus Christ was when He was on the earth is irrelevant. Paul said it best in 2 Corinthians 5:16,
“Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.”
Jesus Christ is glorified and shines brighter than the sun. His mortal flesh died on Calvary for the sins of the world. Now He has a new and glorified body. Anybody and everybody who is found in Him will also receive new body, which will be spiritual, immortal, and incorruptible! Hallelujah!
I just find the talk of race so foolish, especially when it comes to God! God is no respecter of persons. The believers faith rests in the risen Christ! The one who we no longer know after the flesh! We come to the glorified Christ as sinners in need of mercy, forgiveness, grace, and love. Looking back at what He did on Calvary and forward for the hope that He has promised to all who come to Him by faith.
Excellent article by the way. Thanks for sharing.
Great article, and as you say, is a wonderful testimony to the grace and forgiveness of a loving Father. Thanks!
God doesn’t exist. All this is bull. Christianity is a cult.
You cannot logically state that there is no God because you cannot know all things so as to determine that there is no God.
Why do so many non-Christians (even Anti-Christians) spend so much time on Christian sites attacking Christians? Could it be that “it’s hard to kick against the goads?” (That you’re fighting with the inevitable?)
I think it may be that many of us including myself were raised in christian homes and became critical about it once we became educated. Most christians don’t know their religion from what I’ve seen. You have enlightened christians who understand and are mature enough to realize that everyone is entitled to worship god in whatever form they feel is right for them. But, then most often as illustrated in this blogg have what I consider to be a childish, tribal view that says it’s jesus or you’re going to hell. Where is the basic respect dew to everyone made in the image and likeness of god which is humanity.
It is more than evident you have not thought very far past your own nose. Perhaps, if you’re sincerely interested, you will ponder the “laws” of thermodynamics, the Big Bang theory, the Kalaam argument and a few other such topics and come to the only conclusion permitted by logic. Hint: It’s not the one you currently embrace.
PSALM 1
PSALMS 2
PSALMS 14 THIS IS A GOOD READ” I DARE YOU TO READ THIS CHAPTER” This is a PSALMS of David
The King ” The Father of KING SOLOMON Who’s Family tree is CHRIST..IF YOU SEEK TO KNOW YOU WILL FIND”
They who seek and know the LORD WILL NEVER WALK IN DARKNESS OR LIVE IN BONDAGE….GOD LOVE ALL SOULS’ Even those who don’t love him.. ”.WALK GOOD”
the foolish says in his heart there is no GOD
Bob Marley in a way is a messenger of lord.. No matter how many Gods there are and no matter who the lord is, marley was only one, he was Bob Marley..
i wouldn’t go so far as to say the late, great Bob Marley “railed Christianity” but i would say he did believe in Salassie I as Christ come again to rule over the Earth.
i wouldn’t go so far as to say the late and great Bob Marley “railed Christianity” but i would say he honestly believed that Salassie I was Jesus Christ reincarnated and come again to rule over Earth from Ethiopia.
Look i just want to say im not into the whole race issue of what Jesus is or isnt, what he may look like or not…i think its rather simple though to see in a round about idea what he may have looked like in the flesh.
Abram(Abraham) was Chaldean.(Assyrian)
He was the father of Jewish people.
Chaldeans and Assyrians have big populations in California. They look the same today as they did thousand of years ago(based on drawings and such) they speak the same language and also Aramaic
Google Chaldean or Assyrian people
i would imagine nothing else needs explaining.
everything else is just pride
How did this become a “color” issue. Color really is the absence or presence of melanin-that which protects the skin from harmful radiation from the sun. We’re all (every one of us) the color of sand and dirt, which we are made of. What does it matter what “color” our skin is?
Sometimes IT APPEARS (I’m not saying it is!) that people with more melanin in their skin are angry at those who are not as free to ramble in the sunshine as much as they are!
I think I’ll be red for summer!
Winter is coming: so soon I will turn blue!
Does that mean in the spring and fall I’ll be violet/purple/lavender?
“White” people are not allowed to say the “N” word, but “black” people are allowed to say the “H” word! (honky or whatever the current term is, I don’t keep up!)
I AM THE “COLOR” OF SAND!
wow thanks for another a revelation
I appreciate this article. Im a white girl:) who has found much spiritual healing and hope in Bobs music. From an early age my parents couldnt understand why I loved reggae music so much. I had many trials that led me to drug, alcohol abuse. Bob was the one who would lift my soul especially during this time. As I accepted Christ at age 17 and started going to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints I found that Bobs music still spoke to me when I was peaceful. I didnt know much about his beliefs but through his music and his energy through that music I knew he believed as I did. I have since been able to work with a few clients doing energy work and have felt Bobs hands helping guide. I can feel his deep desire to do what is right and to help many while he is on the other side. I know he has accepted Christ because it was revealed to my spirit. Its interesting to me that even though it is a man I never knew I could have this understanding. I feel that is what has happened in my life with Christ. In him I am whole and complete. Only through him can this happen. I feel only because of my belief in Christ can I know some of what Bobs heart is pulsing out to all even though passed on to the other side. No need for us to be seperate only unconditional and loving to one another. That is our power, that was his power. Im so grateful for this article. It helped me to understand more about the man I admire. Much love to all
What will be will be and only time will tell..people should wait for the truth rather than push their agendas onto other people as you are free to do what you want..there is alot of resentment from jamaicans towards Whites involving the slave trade understandably..this obviously coincides with religion and Christianity..Jesus Christ was not of White decent in the bible, not only this but most of the bible is based around the middle east, Africa and all over so the myth that Jesus was White and it is a White mans religion is false..as for slavery no one can ever justify the evils of the slave trade and the repacussions it has left. But it is not a race related issue as slavery has taken place by many races and religions throughout history..it was even common in some African cultures to inslave other Africans way before the White man set foot in Africa..if Jesus Christ exists would he have a colour or would he see all people as equal..believers in Christ believe that the soul is eternal not the flesh..Bob Marley was a rebel since a young age! Rebels question everything which led to Marley’s conversion to Christianity questioning selassies role..Marley’s involvement with Rastafarianism is obvious as he along with many other Jamaicans believed that selassie was black god and would rebel against White oppression..however haile selassie never claimed to be a prophet..Selassie fled the Italian invasion of Ethiopia and went into exile in Britain..when British troops eventually came to their aid the Ethiopian people had suffered for years under Italian rule due to selassies exile..as the Italians were humiliated by the British they mercessly murdered many innocent Ethiopian civilians..selassie forced his way back to lead the country again however during his reign of power he personally commanded the murder and torture of thousands of Eritreans, mostly young school boys and was considered boardaline genocide. Years of corruption, starvation and famine
under the rule of selassie led to him being overthrown and was executed in 1975 in a military prison.. for me personally it is hard to believe this man is a messiah and more importantly do Rastafarians know all this information? If not they should research their god and please justify the crimes against humanity selassie committed and what miracles he acheived by abandoning his people, murdering innocent people and leaving them to starve? Bob Marley must have figured out that his saviour was a mere mortal and possibly found out the corruption of selassies reign leading him to question his religion..Rastafarianism was originated in the 1930’s however the bible is an ancient text..I am not telling you what to believe I hope you have your own opinion I’m just asking you to research your religion before preaching it..selassie never claimed to be a prophet and was a member of the Ethiopian Orthadox church and was Christian..surly that is the foundation of the religion blown to bits instantly? If not please explain as it is only my opinion..Jesus preached love as did Bob Marley did through his music it doesn’t take much to realise Marley was no fool, his heart was wise and was loved globally whatever religion he was there is no doubt he was a good man and should not be judged as he preached freedom and peace..personally comparing the corrupted reign of selassie with the love and peacefulness of Jesus Christ it is hardly suprising Marley chose Christianity..RIP Robert Nesta Marley you live forever through your music.
Thank you to Beginning And End for this illuminating article. It has clarified a lot for me. I.e. the puzzle why many reggae artists (not just Bob Marley) appear to have a strong handle on scripture and yet paradoxically reject the truth……….or do they? Clearly, many reggae artists are Christians and this article wonderfully clarifies the spiritual journey of one Robert Nesta Marley. I was a non-Christian for the first 50 years of my life and so the story of a rebel being converted and born again by the grace of God, the power of the Holy Spirit and the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour resonates with my own experience.
This is quite an amazing story and would probably command a lot of media attention if it were to be widely publicised (film/documentary etc). I think that as Marley is still a musical icon, it may well be for the best that his testimony remains low profile as otherwise many may be falsely attracted to the faith for Earthly and non-spiritual values like some kind of fashion accessory. “Let those with ears hear.”
I recently learnt that Alice Cooper is a Christian and I thought that was great too.
Please… Rastafari religion is a denomination of Christianity. You Fools, some white man publicity stunt that pi$$es on another religion that your minds can’t wrap around. Rastas do read the bible. Thats like saying a Mormon converted to Christianity because they think Joseph Smith is the savior…
However i will admit that with such a nicely written article, most white people would be fooled, but the true lovers of jah rastaman Nesta Robert Marley, jah jah know the truth. Peace out you foos.
i dont know what bible youre reading but coming off as a racist and making fun of people only proves you are not of christ and reading some false doctrines. -salaam
i agree rastafari must be rooted in christianity – otherwise how do so many of his songs have biblical lyrics? i also don’t know much about what his personal habits were, but i believe he prayed so if he went to church, prayed and read the bible, it’s not rocket science.
it just doesn’t fit into conventional understandings so people don’t see it right away, but Jesus warned us about that – people who have eyes but cannot see…
Rastafarians do not believe in Jesus Christ as Messiah. So it is not rooted in Christianity. I don’t know any simpler way to state it. They believe Haille Sellasie is the Messiah. So while reggae songs may quote the Bible (because rastas do follow the Old Testament and believe in the Nazarite vow written in the book of Numbers, hence their not cutting their hair) the religion really has not root in Christianity at all. They are two different religions altogether.
But the point of the article is that at the end of his life, Bob Marley was no longer a Rasta. He became a believer in Jesus Christ.
The article has a good point – i will not discount that.
Please educate me though because a lot of stuff i am finding on the internet says that rastas believe that Haille Sallesie is the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ… and it makes me wonder… how can rastas believe there was a SECOND coming without ever believing in the first?
Why did Peter Tosh said devil made Bob Marley a leader of the band?
Bob Marley’s split from Peter Tosh was much more about the direction of the group than anything spiritual. A lot of it stemmed from the management of Chris Blackwell at Island records who took the group from an island group to a global sensation. Tosh did not like Blackwell’s strategy to market the group to the mainstream, predominately Caucasian music market. nor did he like Marley’s loyalty to Blackwell.
There are several sides to the story, but in sum it should not be surprising to find interviews where they say bad things about one another.
thanks for your “research” mon, but you got some bugs in dere. u think dem lyrics is anti-christian – me suggest u read more careful and pray a lot more on dis subject. God is sovereign. He is alive. Bob live a life as a prayer which is evidenced in the love he spread while he was on dis eart through his music that reached every corner of da globe.
you are right – he did attack “christianity”, but there is a difference between the “religion” and the Spirit. God does use all things for His good purpose while the devil uses all things in this world to distort our view of true reality. even christianity he can use – why u think so many say christianity is a cult these days? God don’t judge me and He calls me, His child, to pardon His children.
think about it man. Satan is the prince of the world and Jesus is the King of the Universe and christianity can come across as something to give your actual life for when in fact He says to Love Him and one another, not a system of rules. and now see da light – stand up for your right!
One Love – Jah sitteth on Mt. Zion and rules all creation
if you disagree wit dat, i pray God to heal
Hi Tim,
Thanks for your comments. I am a little confused. You say the song does attack Christianity, but it’s not “anti-Christian.” The song is not critiquing religious rituals or attitudes, it is attacking the Gospel “die and go to Heaven in Jesus’ name” is the Gospel, the central message of the Christian faith. The song is clearly attacking and blaspheming the name of Jesus Christ. So I don’t see the distinction you are making at all.
Rastafari beliefs is premised on Haille Sellassie being God, something that is also contrary to Christianity. The two are not compatible. So, I apologize if I am misunderstanding your point, but I respectfully disagree.
I admit, it can be confusing.
Part of the answer lies in the central message of the “Christianity” having less to do with my death, and much more to do with Jesus dying for me so that I might live in Him. Believe in Him in this lifetime and be with Him forever in the next. That is the work for the true apostle. It is not “let me see if i can time this life-thing right and be for Christ at the moment I die so that I can go to heaven”. Everything is a gift from God, and we need His grace to make our lives holy, AND He came to bring us life so that we may have it to the full.
It is about One Love on earth (His kingdom come) and knowing that we have the power to share the Love and light of Christ with each other while we are here. I hear talk about how it’s not about this or that – like your real life is not even as important as your prayer life. and i agree to a degree but in another way, we were made to live. live life as a prayer, unceasing. that doesn’t have to mean on your knees in a dark room. there is power in communal prayer we are learning and after you pray, you need to do. what is do? live life as a prayer as Bob did.
blasphemy is speakin of something with contempt. what he said was not contemptible at all, except to those who believe you have to do this or that before you can go to heaven. he was blaspheming the rules for sure. and i know the song where he says something about haille sellasie being god – well the Bible does tell us that His holy Spirit is a person, He is with us and He is sovereign. i do not know much about rastafari, but i know he was a true Christian and I do not judge him for his thoughts.
there is a famous cuckhold in “christianity”.
this article states –
“the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Jamaica preaches the sacraments are required to receive God’s grace, which is an unbiblical stance (Christians are saved by their faith according to the Bible and not by any actions)”
and yet, the Bible also says faith without works is dead. does anyone really think a true believer can believe anything without doing things out of faith? how long will that last? the sacraments are symbolic of “good works” described in James, nothing more, nothing less. it may be that the only truly good work is believing, but belief is like a lion and selfishness like a wolf – which one do you want to feed? if you are attacking sacraments, you are attacking the entire Roman Catholic Church.
the understanding of the writer of this article is flawed at best, but then He is human so that is understandable. I wish i could be less contemtable & i could but i’m trying to make a point here.
Jesus is Lord and Bob accepted him – period. I like this article, but still must bow to Jesus.
Hi Tim,
James 2:17 (“faith without works is dead”) is frequently used out of context. We can make the Bible say anything we want when we take a single verse and apply it without explaining its context. Let’s look at the preceding 16 verses to actually get the context of the chapter itself.
So right off the bat, we James is addressing Christians (“my brethren”) and is he explaining what someone needs to do to be saved and go to Heaven? No. He is talking about preferential treatment in the church. Where the rich people are treated like VIP’s and the poor are being treated like no one cares about them. So from the actual start of the passage we see the context is not about salvation at all.
So James is now reminding them that the poor are just as worthy of our respect and love as the rich, if not moreso. And that mistreating the poor based on their appearance and status is a sin. Because Christ gave The Church 2 rules to sum up the Mosaic law: Love the Lord thy God with your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself. So if you give preferential treatment, you are in sin against the law set by Jesus. Again, notice this is all about how you treat others. The context has nothing to do with how you get saved, whether you need works to go to Heaven, etc.
And now we finally get to the verse. And the context is the same: the treatment of the poor. And James is saying “if you’re a Christian, act like one!” It should reflect in your behavior, speech and lifestyle. Just saying you’re a Christian to people coming into your church and then mistreating them is acting like a demon. This is an exhortation to get your behavior right, not an explanation of the Gospel. Every born again believer will have works which follow their faith, even if it is a change in their attitude. That is the presence of God’s Spririt in you. And that is the point. It is not works that save a person at all. Neither are there any sacraments in the Bible. There is no required set of rituals in Scripture for salvation. It is believing in Jesus Christ that saves, because Jesus Christ has done the work and is the “author” of our faith and salvation.
In John Chapter 6, Jesus is indeed preaching on salvation and eternal life. And how to receive it. And in context, He says:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” – John 6:47. It is faith that saves, not works. Our good works follow our faith. I hope that helps.
I agree we can make the Bible say whatever we want. In the end, it comes down to what works, what is real, what is true and what is eternal. Faith in Jesus Christ is of course what ultimately saves, but how we gain this faith in the context of our everyday lives is what sacraments are about. they are not requirements or a checklist. they are meant as a guide and a help only – not a replacement. Again, you said,
“the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Jamaica preaches the sacraments are required to receive God’s grace”
I’ve heard the same thing explained about the sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. Now I don’t know much about the details of the ethiopian orthodox in jamaica or roman catholic anywhere for that matter. I have a vague idea of what these are at best. i strongly suspect though that no church really “preaches that sacraments are required for grace”. It may seem that way at times, but there is a fine line between “required” and “strongly recommended”. i think this line gets skewed a lot, even by priests (because they are people too). many misunderstand this and as a result shun the very church that Jesus loves and one could argue, Jesus himself.
the truth is that sacraments are meant to be experienced as a means for strengthening the one kind of faith that truly saves. they are there to help center our lives on the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. so in a way, they are one in the same – faith and sacraments.
Bob Marley was baptized into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, essentially much the same as Catholic. He had claimed to be Christian much of his life but yet he had continued to practice Rasta for most if not all his life. Is there any proof that he actually stood up for the gospel of Christ against the false religion of Rastafarianism? I would have thought he would have cut the dread locks, made speaking engagements to try to undo some of the harm he had already done in promoting the false Rastafarian religion and I would have thought he would have gone out of his way to try to stop the promotion of the music he had made that was very spiritual in nature and was for his Rastafarian god, Jah Selassie. Being baptized Orthodox is not enough because baptism doesn’t save, only faith in Jesus Christ alone saves. The Orthodox and Catholic churches both believe that works grant them salvation, which is another gospel that you will not find in the Bible. I say, James 2:17, “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” Do you have any proof of his actual repentance and the change in his life that happened as a result?
Religion divides and Christ unifies
I always had this feeling in my gut he’d made that Transition. My prayers to his decendents…..
Just something I noticed and not sure if it has any significance, but on several live renditions of get up stand up I’ve seen on you tube, Bob doesn’t give the “Jesus” reference in the 3rd verse. I would like to think that was a conscious decision on his part because of his own personal beliefs… either way I love Bob’s music and it makes me happy to think of him becoming a believer no matter at what stage in his life it happened.
well put brother
Christ shall not return in the name of Jesus.
The bible was re-written by King James,to benefit white supremecy to keep the blackman down in mental slavery,so you cant just deny this!!!!!!
So yes colour does have an issue here,and no i am not black,i am a white european.
The bible which you Christians teach in your churches is of the work of the devil.
I have also noticed how you so called Christians try to recruit people who are vunerable in hospital,drug addicts etc,into your re- written bible beliefs and false worship places,where you still have pictures of Jesus being a white man!!!
Also stop using Bob Marleys name to convert people into your false bible!
Bob never changed from Rastafari he was baptised Berhane Selassie,incase you didnt realise rastas are the true christians,try reading the Kebra some day instead of your whitemans re-written bible!
In the words of Robert Marley “Dont let them change you,or even rearrange you.
Then why was he heard by many of his close friends calling out to jesus?? Are u blaming king James and the idea of white supremacy for that? Or are you saying it was drugs on his death bed?? This is a man that spent his life believing in another messiah and religion, he had strong belifes I don’t think he would have changed his mind about that in the last year of his life unless he was positive!!!
I despise when people try to take over our Father’s business & attempt to tell Him what He can and cannot accept. Anyone with eyes can see that bobs music spreads love. God tells us to judge people by their fruit. We need to be about our fathers business, not trying to run it.
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I wept with Joy in my heart when I read this!! I Love Bob and I had heard of rumors of his Conversion! God is Good! Praise God for the nurse being on Duty for both Jobs! Now the Music will surely REMAIN TIMELESS! Blessings to you all for your RESEARCH!
I am pleased to have come across this blog. I have heard bits and pieces of this before but this is the most comprehensive expose on this that I have come across. I will comment again after I shall have read the comments made so far. Thanks again.
You don’t know what you are talking about that’s clear.
Jesus is very specific:
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
you don’t come to God the Father any other way than Jesus Christ, you can have all your satanic religions you want but you don’t come any other way.
Jesus calls those that do:
John 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
further on in the same chapter Jesus says that he is the door:
John 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
So you either go in through the Jesus door or you will be declare and thief and a robber and will be treated as such if you try yo enter heaven by some other mean than the exclusive way Jesus Christ.
And no you’re not enlightened, you’re blind.
it is our duty and responsibility to love God and love others. One of the ways we show love for each other is by finding ways to gently correct one another. We cannot expect anyone to get better through the judgments we make about them. Instead we must love them on their way to salvation. that is what a true christian would do because to model the true love of Christ and what it means to be truly saved is to be quick to forgive and slow to anger. no wonder so many turn away. it is so easy when the models we have been given are often so jaded and angry and feel the need to lash out at people and cut them down.
we often try to make others feel less so we can feel better, but through suffering we learn that true victory does not lie in the destruction of others. there is therefore no condemnation in Christ Jesus.
Oh and this “Jesus was black” nonsense, if that is so all the generations before him was black but in Jewish culture all those generations are portrayed as the classic Jew.
Also he would stand out very much in a Jewish crowd if he was black let me tell you.
I’m sure the Sanhedrin would have just laughed at his Messiah claim if he was a black guy because then the would not be a direct descendant of King David who was not a black man, which is one of the requirements for the Messiah.
See these people are just nutty racists, same goes for the nazis that think they are Christians that claims Jesus was germanic 😀
It’s just insanity and twisting of reality that both the black racist cults (Black Hebrews, Rastafarianism and others) and the white racist cults (Christian Identity movement, KKK and others like that).
Good article on Rastafarianism and it’s antichrist message:
http://av1611.org/crock/pod_rast.html
Bob Marley clearly was an antichrist before he got saved (like all lost people so that’s nothing new, if you’re not saved you’re an antichrist, most are just not active antichrists) but praise the Lord Jesus that man got saved and at B&E said you can be very far away but Jesus still can save you.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
OMG what lies ! Bob would laugh in your faces !
Almighty God is a living man – US – we are all each a part of GOD, and each one of as is GOD !
Greetings in the name of the Lord. Whenever I meet Stephen Marley, I ask him the same question: “How is your relationship with the Lord?” He says “you mean my relationship with the Father?” I don’t push him, he is a famous musician. He knows what I mean.
I met Bob Marley in NYC in 1979 while he was in town scheduled to perform at the Apollo. He was 34, I was 19. We met briefly, at night, outside a jazz club near Harlem. At the time, I did not know who he was, but I remembered this prophetic encounter. Little did I know that this man made the song called Jammin which I played every shift as a dj in Rochester in ’77-’78. I love that song. It makes me happy.
Fast forward: Ketchum, Idaho, 1981. I was working at a restaurant. My job – to clean an old used restaurant kitchen in preparation for the opening. Alone and feeling a bit down, I listened constantly to two 8-tracks in a stereo. Only two 8-tracks: Natty Dread and Positive Vibration. This music introduced me to God and His ways. Soon after, I became a Born-again Christian. This faith led me to live and work in Africa. I was relatively disconnected to mainstream media.
Fast forward: St. Petersburg, Florida, 2003. I asked a friend of mine, “so Greg, what is Bob Marley doing these days?” He told me that “he died 22 years ago.” I have been listening to the music of Bob Marley since then.
I am a roots reggae musician, however I have never performed for an audience. As a Christian, I struggle with the purity issues of the musicians who perform reggae music, although all are individuals. Bob Marley’s life was complicated. I am delighted to learn he received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior as his life came to a close. Certainly, most of Bob’s adult life had some impure elements and he was surrounded at times by bad characters, especially while in NYC in 1979. It seems everyone wanted a piece of his glory and fame.
What Christian or otherwise does not struggle with impurities? As Christians guided by the Bible, we know the difference. Are extra-marital affairs and polygomy allowable? No. Neither is lust in the mind. Yes, we die daily to ourselves. Lord, give us the grace to abide in You continually. May the music of Bob Marley glorify your Son Jesus Christ. All praises, honor, and glory to you, our Heavenly Father.
“Stephen, will you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?” Amen and Amen.
Religion is the cause for so much pain in the world right now.
Yes maybe there is a God, but in 2014 we need to open up our eyes.
Stop the fussing and fighting and let people believe in what they wanna believe.
Jews are killing Muslims everyday, Muslims killing Christians everyday, and on and on and on it goes.
Let’s just stop the war.
God is love whatever the god. Bibles and books and words don’t mean anything. Just have love in your heart.
That’s well said Chubbs, except for the part about words not meaning anything. That’s what Bob’s son tried to say too, “Love is my religion”. It sounds good in theory (logical), but it does skip a crucial step in my opinion – Jesus (the heart).
The Bible is not a book of doctrine and rules, it is a roadmap to the human heart. It is the key to unlocking the love that God puts inside each one of us. that happens slowly over time.
The Bible says God is love; also, that God spoke the universe into existence with the word.; and further, that Jesus is the word, so in a sense, Jesus is the Bible, our eternal companion, comforter, healer, refuge, strong tower, and deliverer. When we read the Bible, we are reading Jesus and coming closer to understanding and knowing the one who created us and we even get to learn about what he was like in the flesh as one of us.
The beatles said it too “all you need is love”. well, i like that song, but i need a bit more. I’m thankful for the Bible. I’m not happy about the world and the way things are either. that’s who the bible is for, those who are not satisfied and want things to get better. part of believing in the Bible and in Jesus is believing also that God has a plan and that is to prosper those who believe in Him. That’s all you gotta do is believe in Him and He will take care of you. If you had a son who hated you and wanted nothing to do with you, would you take care of him? Eventually he would move away and you would say ‘o, my lost child’ and hope he comes back. so it is with God and all of us.
If you want love, get in the word brother. Jesus is the way.
believe Him in your heart, confess Him with your mouth and you shall be saved. Romans 10:9.
Yesi bless to one n all rastafari is the only crowned king today with the title
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f Selassie I was a follower of Jesus Christ what is wrong with his so called followers. They are following their own hearts desire and benefit from it. They know if you come Christ you must stop doing wrong things. In rasta you can still keep on sinning. Rasta,Hindu,Buhdah,Islam ect.is a way, a truth and a life. But JESUS is the Way, the Truth and the Life. There’s big difference between a truth,which is not the whole truth because lies still creeps in. But when you talk the truth there’s no place for a lie to creep in. We don’t have to force people or threathen them or make christianity look nice for them to become believers in Jesus Christ, we just tell the truth. For it is not by power not by might but by My Spirit says the Lord. And for those who don’t want to believe, it was only for those who believe not in other names, but who believe in the name of Jesus Christ shall be saved and can become children of God. There is no other name by which man can be saved. The stone (not the stones )that the builders refuse shall be the headcorner stone. You can refuse My Lord Jesus Christ but you cannot stop His works, for everything you see was created by Him. And all things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that has been made. In Him was life,and the life was the light of men. And the life shineth into darkness an d the darkness apprehended it not. There is only One Ressurected Christ of all religion or believes and that is Jesus Christ. So bite the bullet unless your gods can help you out of this one. You give sacrifices to gods who cannot answer so you answer for them. Worshipping man made ideas since the beginning just like your forefathers,worshipping foreign gods and idols sincerely. Repent and be baptise in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
No no no no no. If you’re going to report on things like this you need to do your research. All of these songs are about RASTAFARI! When he is saying God or JAH he is proclaiming the name of H.I.M. King of Kings and Emperor Hali Selasi I the Lion of Judah! The Orthodox Church is like a denomination of RASTAFARI. They’re are 2 main denominations. A lot of similarities are shared between RASTAFARI and Christianity including baptism because it is mentioned in the KJV, the bible Rastafaraians and most Christians use, that you should do this to show your dedication and servitude. JAH RASTAFARI Bless Up
Hi Jonathan,
Thanks for your comments. I think you have misunderstood the article entirely. Bob Marley did indeed make Rastafari music. He did NOT make Christian music. This article never claims otherwise. He was a Rasta until the very end of his life. But he died proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ, not Haille Selassie. Those closest to him, who are also Christians, confirm his testimony as being a Christian not a rasta.
Rastafarianism has nothing in common with Christianity. Christianity is centered on Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone. He is the Son of God, who died on the cross as the payment and ransom for the sins of humanity. His death is proof of God’s love that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). Jesus Christ is the only way to forgiveness for the sins we have all willingly committed in our lifetimes.
Rasta’s religion built around a man who never claimed to be Messiah, Rasta or anything of the sort. Selassie did not want any part of the Rastafari religion. He was well aware of it during his lifetime, visited Jamaica and specifically said he was not the deity Rastas were making him out to be.
Can you give one quote from Selassie that supports your belief in him? Can you tell me one address he made to Rastas during his life? Was there ever any time he practices the Rastafari religion? Since you have clearly researched (or adhere to) Rasta beliefs, it should not be hard to share some of Selassie’s words. I welcome your response. -B&E
“Whosoever shall call upon the name of The Lord shall be saved.” – Romans 10:13.
How to Get to Heaven
https://beginningandend.com/how-to-get-to-heaven/
All that matters is…(Is Jesus your Lord or a man who said he followed Jesus…I would rather follow the first than the latter… The source whom God said this is my Son in whom I’m well Pleased and in whom not one thing on earth that was made was not made by his hand,(Triune God) (Father, Son, and Spirit) Follow the leader and his Words not a follower who got the msg wrong.
Follow Jesus, Yeshua, Gods Chosen one, and when he returns all violence in the world will come to and end in the end. That hasn’t happened yet so to call this king of men-Lord is against Christ…there is only one Lord..and one savior….BTW race driven ppl-don’t u know salvation cometh from the Jewish ppl…thats scripture. And I’m black, but who cares what race when the bible says there will be peace between even the lion and the lamb in heaven and only the righteous who believe in the name of God (Jesus/Yeshua) will enter into his kingdom all else doesn’t matter, so again do you believe in the Savior who your so called Savior believed in…rastas-just like other antichristian beliefs (Muslim for ex. Or Hindus) come to distract those who are meant to be saved..they both believe in Jesus but not as Lord….just.accept Christ todahy ….its so simple.
The article misses the essential sources to backup the huge claims, not convincing.
He was baptized after becoming horribly sick he did it probably to please his mother who was concerned as she had not yet converted to rasta she latter converted to rasta going the way of her beloved son Seriously though for people to understand rasta and it’s true relationship with Jesus it would be a mirricle
I was watching the 700 club several years ago and personally heard myself one of Bob Marley’s ex backup singer said in fact he did accept Jesus Christ while sick with brain cancer. He cried out to Jesus!
bob’s conversion to Christianity advice us that,”it is better to serve in heaven than to reign in hell” congrats bob
Bob was born in the parish of St. Ann (where Marcus Garvey also haiied from).
He then moved with his mom to Trenchtown, as a young teenager.
But by all accounts, Rasta or no, he still read his bible every day.
Blessings
Pav
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All spirituality aside..If Christianity is indeed the one true path to God than the proper way to be a Christian is through Roman Catholicism. If you choose to worship Christ via Mormonism, Protestantism, etc., you are rejecting the one true Christian church. I personally don’t think that all the non Catholics Christians are wrong because they still accept Christ. What is interesting is that you are saying that as long as you accept Chris you are still fundamentally a Christian. There are MANY Rasta’s who accept Christ as part of their belief system and by that school of thought they are still Christians with different views on how to practice and worship much like the Protestants and other denominations of Christianity. Furthermore I doubt Christ would have condoned condemning other ways to worship God or the vile acts of many Christians during the crusades. Christians murdered thousands of innocent men, women, and children during the crusades because they were Muslims..not very Christ like whatsoever and yet we still like to conveniently forget about those sins of Christianity. In contrast Rasta’s believing that emperor Salasie I was continuing the work of Christ or God doesn’t sound so bad of a past sin. Many Rasta’s accept Christ, do your research and stop being an ignorant born again “Christian” that wants to condem and entire group of people who they don’t truly understand. It’s a very ignorant way of life hating groups that don’t conform to your belief system that has become tainted and twisted anyway by politics and money. Oh and by the way Christians adopted many pagan rituals anyway but I guess those are okay because they’re part of Christianity now. People like you want to point out those who are different and demonize them because they don’t fit into your agenda. Jah, (comes from Yahweh-the Jewish word for God), Allah, God, etc. or however you want to refer to the creator, is the same. God is the master of all of us all. The king of Kings. Stop being An ignorant moron with a narrow mind and open up your heart to what Jesus and other prophets were saying. Because the good Jews aren’t all going to hell and neither or the good Muslims, or the good Christians who all believe in the same God! Worship him the way it suits you because “if you know not love, you know not God. God is love.” And from me to you, God Bless and have a beautiful, blessed day! Jah!!!
Careful now. You are “ALMOST” right in ideology but world’s away in reality. Muslims & Christians absolutely cannot believe in the same God because of one fundamental difference – to muslims Jesus is not God in the flesh.
John 1:14, “The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” The revelation that Jesus is the messiah is the cornerstone of the Christian faith, not traditions, but belief in your heart. The Godhead is 3 in 1. God the father, Christ the son and the Holy Spirit – all one God, beyond our understanding. Allah is not mentioned in the Bible, is not triune, and is not part of the Christian faith.
Allah and the Biblical Creator are not the same. If they were the same, Muslims would have the same revelation that Christians do, that is that Jesus is the Son of God and that He IS God. Muslims are God’s children too, but they cannot be called, chosen and faithful without first having the realization of who Christ truly is, which would then make them no longer muslim, but Christian converts.
Ras Tafari was the same Spirit/Son of God as Adam, Enoch,Melchizedek,Joshua,Jeshua/Jesus/Messiah! The reason why He did not announce Himself is because that would have broken Holy Scripture which cannot be done. Ras Tafari’s mission in His last manifestation was to keep the Ark of the Covenant out of the hands of the Nazis and Italians. The Son of God can manifest Himself in the material plane whenever He chooses and for whatever reason He chooses. All the official preaching was done during His Messiah manifestation. There was no need for any further information to be offered. It just so happened that His children recognized Him for who He was as Ras Tafari. That’s all. And He will be back soon and fulfill all the Prophecies as revealed in the Bible. So prepare yourselves, for He comes quickly. Make your robes white while you still can. Time is short! Keep His commandments if you love Him.
Bob Marley is a very stubborn individual ,he often use the word Christ referring to Selassie.So when he say take me Christ ,that’s who he’s referring to.if he was to come back today he’ll tell you that’s who he’s referring to.
Look I must tell the truth because you people don’t seem to understand this, it is a disrespect that you don’t understand the culture of his beliefs, let me start to say that ras tafari is praise to Jah or as you would say God I grew up in a Rastafarian family,some Rastas get baptized in the name of ”Ras Tafari” which is in that name only or as we say i and i ,also we do acknowledge Jesus so to say that he just noticed him later on is just crazy, Rastas believe in heaven as well so this whole thing is completely wrong, and this is rude to his memory of course I would never dream of speaking bad about other people’s religion so I am sorry if I offended anyone in an way and praise to everyone’s beliefs and happiness to everyone.
Leo, since you seem to have intimate knowledge of this, I am curious. You say Rasta acknowledges Jesus. This makes sense to me because how can they be about the second coming if they never believed in the first. But my question is do they (or you?) believe he is the messiah. I mean that he was God incarnate. that he turned water into wine and healed the sick and blind and that he died for our sins. I mean no disrespect to Bob and his memory.
just curious. thanks.
Tim
Hey Tim,Its the fact that Rastas believe that the story of Jesus was used by some not all evil people so that they could control others,as for what rastas think of him being God incarnate yes most do others ahuge number of them do as did Bob Marley,others think that he was the son of God but still made all of the miracles and when he said he would return rastas believe that it was H.I.M./ his imperial majesty emperor Haile Selassie the first. I’m always happy to share the knowledge of the world so peace to all.
ps I would be happy to go into detail about anything at any time.
Tok abt 12 tribes mansion of Rasta! It claims Yesus kristos as the son of di Most High,Selasie1 as the chosen king of God on earth. So plz STOP misquoting Rasta movement. Rasta is a philosophy but not religion plz
WOW! I read how Bob Marley later gave his life to JESUS CHRIST shortly before his demise. I must say that I am very happy for that. To all Rasafarians and those who dont believe in JESUS, it is imperative to note that JESUS CHRIST himself said “I am the way the truth and the life, no one cometh unto the FATHER except by me” .The book of John 3:16 also said “For GOD so loved the world that he gave his only son that whosoever believes in him, should not perish but have eternal life” . If we consider these scriptures, we’ ll discover that its either we accept JESUS CHRIST or we perish. May the Almighty GOD grant us clear understanding of his word.
This story is fake. How can you say from rasta to believer? So Rasta does not believe in God? Stop misleading people,Bob Marley died as a rastaman, and you should know that being rasta is not like you are serving satan. Bob Marley worshipped God through His lmperial Majesty. Africans before Christianity worshipped God through ancestors. Above all Rita Marley and his family, said He was died as a rastaman.
Well said Tafadzwa….Glory to JAH
I believe too haille sellasie I was an earthly king and truely not immortal.he died and christ is alive.the holy trinity..GOD FATHER,SON AND HOLY SPIRIT
There is only ONE King of Kings, One Lion of Judah..one savior and that is Jesus Christ. Rasta needs some enlightenment and Marley family is on a negative path at this time.. Bob knew the truth and loved and accepted Jesus as his savior, and his family mostly turns away from this and mostly for financial reasons.. if Bob were alive he’d be whipping them into shape and telling his grandkids about the glory of the Grace of God and to accept Jesus as the way
Wow this article is very inspiring!, I have been a “BOB MARLEY” fan for years. My dad loves his work and he sleeps with his picture on the wall, just above his head. My family are not religious but preach his songs and his lyrics. “ONE LOVE, ONE HEART” or “GET UP, STAND UP” has taught us to be resilient, patient, strong and loving. Sometimes my dad says, “be more like Bob Marley”.
This article has opened my eyes to another world, whilst reading this article I started to cry because I felt in more ways than one that I was brought closer to my soul, like everything happens for a reason. I believe that everyone is put upon this earth for a reason, the only trouble is finding that reason.
Thank you for your research!
Wonderful article! This was apt! Thanks for sharing.
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