We are all fighting against Babylon, Garveys Africa. Theew's no disagreement about that: As RastafarI, it's what we do. The question is not one of whether we fight or not. The question is of whether we choose to use the mightiest weapon which JAH bestows upon us (i.e., Love) & against which Babylon has no defense, or instead pick up the weapons of Babylon to use. Choosing the weapons of Babylon ensures our defeat before the battle is even waged. Choosing JAH Love ensures that the battle is already won. Wielding the sword of JAH Love is not weakness, but instead the ultimate demonstration that we are in control and cannot be co-opted to serve the devil and his Babylon System. It takes far more strength to be a man of Peace than to succumb to using violence.
"I&i no come to fight flesh and blood
But spiritual wickedness in high and low places
So while they fight you down
Stand firm and give Jah thanks and praises"
- Bob Marley & the Wailers (reference Ephesians 6:12)
The devil is the great deceiver who dupes even the cleverest of men to take up arms against one another. I&i sad that you appear to be a victim of this, G.A. It's not a condemnation of you because even the wisest of men seeking righteousness has succumbed to the devil's deceptions. Resisting & overcoming the devil's seductions is a battle that every one of us fights every single day. That you cling to a predilection toward violence over brotherly Love does, however, sadden me greatly.
The one thing i can admonish you with, based upon the direct testimony from the mouths of every person i've ever known (and there have been many) who has ever taken a human life, including my own father, regardless how glorious or righteous the cause supposedly was: The horror, guilt, shame, and mental torment of having taken another human's life follows you every day for the rest of your life. It follows you to the grave. i cannot think of a single person i know who has taken a human life who does not wish that they could undo it, nor can i think of one who of them would ever recommend doing it, for whatever justification. They all regret it and would advise anyone professing a desire for vengeance (aka "justice") through violence to rethink their position.
JAH RastafarI is the embodiment of Love, which is the greatest power against evil conceivable. As anger and desire for vengeance burn within you, G.A., there must be some part of you that tells you that it is unholy -- an emotion born of the devil's desire to manipulate you into acting against JAH Idren. The bullet fired cannot be recalled. The bomb dropped cannot be unexploded. The lifeless body of the child -- an unintended victim of your weapons-- cannot be revived and reunited with his mother.
That you fail to equate H.I.M. Haile Selassie to his former incarnation bespeaks a rebelliousness within you against the personage of Jesus Christ. i am intimately familiar with such a rebelliousness as i myself harbored it for many decades of my life. The sullying of Christ's name by all of the evil that has been perpetrated in the Name of Jesus Christ makes it hard to see how anything Holy could be associated with Christ or Christianity. i cannot alter your way of thinking. I can only point out that Christ's own Teachings also condemn the very atrocities that have been committed in (and blaspheme) His Name.
His Majesty's Love and Teachings clearly harmonize with those of Jesus Christ, and there is such an abundance of Truth in that that it hardly seems necessary to press the point. While i'm not given to using His Words to try to persuade people, i think Haile Selassie said it beautifully during His 1968 Christmas interview:
H.I.M.:
"When Jesus Christ was born from Virgin Mary, from that time on He lived an exemplary life, a life which men everywhere must emulate. This life and the faith which He has taught us assures us of salvation, assures us also of harmony and good life upon earth. Because of the exemplary character of the life of Jesus Christ it is necessary that all men do their maximum in their human efforts to see to it that they approximate as much as they can the good example that has been set by Him."
"It's quite true that there is no perfection in humanity. From time to time we make mistakes. We do commit sins, but even as we do that, deep in our hearts as Christians we know we have a chance of forgiveness from the Almighty. He taught us that all men are equal regardless of sex, their national origin and tribe. And He also taught us all who seek Him shall find Him. To live in this healthy life, a Christian life, is what makes me follow Jesus Christ." - Haile Selassie I, December 25, 1968
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