We are all fighting against Babylon and the Babylon System. As RastafarI, it's an integral component of who we are and what we do. The question is not one of whether we fight or not. The question is one of whether we choose to use the mightiest weapon which JAH bestows upon us (i.e., JAH Love) & against which Babylon has no defense, or instead choose to use violence and the flesh-tearing,-burning, -poisoning weapons of Babylon. Choosing the weapons of Babylon ensures our defeat before the battle is even waged for no one has a greater abundance of such weapons, or can wield them more effectively, than the Babylon System. 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. This is not a condemnation of the deceived one because even the wisest of men seeking righteousness have succumbed to the devil's deceptions. Resisting & overcoming the Babylon System's seductions is a battle that every one of us fights every single day.
To those who would cite His Majesty's worldly exploits as some sort of justification us, His Idren, to use violence i would emphasize that we must not ever confuse the actions of H.I.M, Emperor of All Creation, with the Law that we, His Idren, are required to follow. If you or i could Create a man, then you or i might have the authority to destroy him; but since you or i cannot Create a human (only JAH can do that), we must follow JAH Law and the Commandments.
The one thing of which i can unequivocally admonish those who contemplate violence as a solution with is this: Based upon the direct testimony from the mouths of every person i've ever known (and there have been many) who has 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 haunts 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 he/she could undo it, nor can i think of one who of them would ever recommend doing it, regardless of the 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 us at times there’s always part of us that tells us that it is unholy -- an emotion born of the devil's desire to manipulate us into acting against JAH Idren. The bullet fired cannot be recalled. The bomb dropped cannot be unexploded. The lifeless body of a child -- the unintended victim of Babylon’s weapons-- cannot be revived and reunited with his mother.
His Majesty's Love and Teachings clearly harmonize with those of Jesus Christ, and there is such an abundance of Truth in this that it hardly seems necessary to press the point. 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
The minions of the devil and the defenders of Babylon really have no idea how to counter an offensive of JAH Love; it’s baffling and foreign to them, and in the end it defeats them through a means which they cannot fathom. If we believe for a moment that JAH Love is wimpy and powerless in the Hands of the Righteous then we must question the sincerity of our own faith in His Majesty.
TRUTH, RASTAFARI!
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