'Flaws of Christianity - from a Rastafarian standpoint

Mandeville, Manchester:

The Rastafarian lifestyle is one that is unique, simple, yet not easily understood by a large number of people. Their philosophies are deeply rooted in African history and culture, and they are very opinionated on almost every controversial and non-controversial issue of this world.

One such issue is religion and the fundamental beliefs surrounding its operations.

Family & Religion caught up with Rastafarian Collin Cole, who shared with us why he believes Christianity is flawed and deceptive.

"If you know ancient history, you would know Christianity is flawed. A majority of it is stolen from African history and is also coming from Ancient Egypt," he began.

"Christianity holds a white supremacy. Even the whole concept of Jesus - He was never a human being. It's all based upon a fictitious character. There is no 'J' in Hebrew or Greek and this name is coming from the Greek God, Isus Cristos, with a merger with the Romans they got the name Jesus Christ."

Cole is highly against the religion as he says it was formed, in part, by white oppressors who sought to corner black people in a box and manipulate them into doing their will.

WHITE AS SNOW

"Christianity was used to enslave us as a people from that time until now. Every wickedness a inNa Jesus name, all some of the Christian songs that we are totally against, a say 'wash me Jesus, wash me, make me white as snow', a send a subliminal message. That's why you find a lot of the youth dem a bleach and perming the hair - same inferior complex."

He further mentioned, "It (Christianity) doesn't allow for confidence in self; everything you say and do have to be based on Bible and what pastor say, and once you go outside of that, you hear say God ago kill you. We bun out dem tings deh - dem tings deh a spell. Christianity has nothing to offer African people."

Having grown up in a Christian home which required him to attend Sunday services, Collin revealed that from a tender age he was never fully drawn to the denomination nor to the religion.

"My grandmother, mother and other relatives were Christians, but it never gel with me and me never into it, and from ever since I have always tried to investigate things."

One thing that jumped out at him was the teachings of the Bible.

"Me treat the Bible like a supermarket shopping: anything I see that is healthy and good I will buy and same fi di Bible. Me nuh work wid everything weh me see in deh. For example, them say Moses write the first five books of the Bible, yet it was written in the third person and in a Deuteronomy it tell you say him dead when him a 120 and tell you when him bury. We nuh support that."

In elaborating on his point, he added, "Christians don't understand the Bible. It says, 'In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth'. In Hebrew the word God mean 'Elohim' which mean gods, so the normal congregation don't understand these things, but the pastor weh go study theology, a lot of them only have it as a profession, because they know the truth, but because them get pay them pretend as if them believe. All of us are gods, people don't understand how powerful we are as black people."

UNIQUE OUTLOOK

A Rastafarian for over 20 years, Cole expressed that he was drawn to the movement because it did not demoniSe humans and it allowed for confidence in self.

"They referred to men as kings and the women as queens and empress, and that first grabbed me and give me a different look on the Rastafarian community. Rastas have dem own concepts and dem outlook on a lot a tings is unique."

He continued, "We nuh exempt weself from the people. We realise seh Christianity demoniSe females. One part inna di Bible tell you that the womb that bringeth forth a male child is blessed. This a send a subliminal message fi seh if a female child come the womb is not blessed and that's why you find male beating up on female. But Rasta are here to uplift the female."

Cole established that nature for them is creator and their deity is Haile Selassie, the only human who has attained perfection and calls for others to follow in his footsteps.

"We don't have 'a' creator, life. Nature is creator. We nuh really deh pon dah one man make Earth thing deh; we embrace reincarnation firmly, life can't die, the body falls, but life is continued."

Cole is adamant that only an acceptance of the truth can set the people free.

familyandreligion@gleanerjm.com