Why is it, do you think, that violent extremism is so much more prevalent with muslims than christians? I agree with you that not all muslims want to destroy everything, but evidence (I haven't looked it up and have no numbers) would seem to suggest they commit a lot more terrorist acts than pissed off christians. Sure Tim McVeigh blew some shit up, but since then muslims have killed thousands in dozens of separate attacks.
I concede that you are correct that not all muslims are bad, but surely you can see the radical element in their religion is many times higher than any other religion I can think of and it's not close. Why do you think that is?
It's all about perspective. First, from a historical perspective, the west's treatment of the middle east and Islam has been the sort of thing that would tend to piss people off. Look it up.
Second, the US has killed over a million Iraqis since it unjustly invaded and occupied that country. This is really nothing new for them. Therefore, for many in that part of the world, we* are the irrational murderous extremists who want to destroy everything. If you ask them, we* commit far more acts of "terror" than a handful of "pissed off Muslims." Our acts of "terror" have been carried out an institutional level; theirs have not. Our leaders are "radical," not theirs.
It's really not that hard to figure out. You do have to get past the hysteria ... on both sides.
Moral equivalency dogma, 101. When the middle eastern radicals stop chopping off heads and stoning their daughters to death in the name of their religion, and tear up their charter documents calling for the mass genocide of jews and extermination of Israel, then let's talk.
Your underlying premise is that if we? stopped, they would stop. I.e., Muslim Terrorism is simply a reaction to our provocative actions. Got it.
Except history just called and said you don't know what the hell you're talking about.
My poast was about perspective. You have none.
Your poast is once again too insipid and ironic and off point to warrant any real response.
Why is it, do you think, that violent extremism is so much more prevalent with muslims than christians? I agree with you that not all muslims want to destroy everything, but evidence (I haven't looked it up and have no numbers) would seem to suggest they commit a lot more terrorist acts than pissed off christians. Sure Tim McVeigh blew some shit up, but since then muslims have killed thousands in dozens of separate attacks.
I concede that you are correct that not all muslims are bad, but surely you can see the radical element in their religion is many times higher than any other religion I can think of and it's not close. Why do you think that is?
It's all about perspective. First, from a historical perspective, the west's treatment of the middle east and Islam has been the sort of thing that would tend to piss people off. Look it up.
Second, the US has killed over a million Iraqis since it unjustly invaded and occupied that country. This is really nothing new for them. Therefore, for many in that part of the world, we* are the irrational murderous extremists who want to destroy everything. If you ask them, we* commit far more acts of "terror" than a handful of "pissed off Muslims." Our acts of "terror" have been carried out an institutional level; theirs have not. Our leaders are "radical," not theirs.
It's really not that hard to figure out. You do have to get past the hysteria ... on both sides.
Moral equivalency dogma, 101. When the middle eastern radicals stop chopping off heads and stoning their daughters to death in the name of their religion, and tear up their charter documents calling for the mass genocide of jews and extermination of Israel, then let's talk.
Your underlying premise is that if we? stopped, they would stop. I.e., Muslim Terrorism is simply a reaction to our provocative actions. Got it.
Except history just called and said you don't know what the hell you're talking about.
My poast was about perspective. You have none.
Your poast is once again too insipid and ironic and off point to warrant any real response.
Why is it, do you think, that violent extremism is so much more prevalent with muslims than christians? I agree with you that not all muslims want to destroy everything, but evidence (I haven't looked it up and have no numbers) would seem to suggest they commit a lot more terrorist acts than pissed off christians. Sure Tim McVeigh blew some shit up, but since then muslims have killed thousands in dozens of separate attacks.
I concede that you are correct that not all muslims are bad, but surely you can see the radical element in their religion is many times higher than any other religion I can think of and it's not close. Why do you think that is?
It's all about perspective. First, from a historical perspective, the west's treatment of the middle east and Islam has been the sort of thing that would tend to piss people off. Look it up.
Second, the US has killed over a million Iraqis since it unjustly invaded and occupied that country. This is really nothing new for them. Therefore, for many in that part of the world, we* are the irrational murderous extremists who want to destroy everything. If you ask them, we* commit far more acts of "terror" than a handful of "pissed off Muslims." Our acts of "terror" have been carried out an institutional level; theirs have not. Our leaders are "radical," not theirs.
It's really not that hard to figure out. You do have to get past the hysteria ... on both sides.
Moral equivalency dogma, 101. When the middle eastern radicals stop chopping off heads and stoning their daughters to death in the name of their religion, and tear up their charter documents calling for the mass genocide of jews and extermination of Israel, then let's talk.
Your underlying premise is that if we? stopped, they would stop. I.e., Muslim Terrorism is simply a reaction to our provocative actions. Got it.
Except history just called and said you don't know what the hell you're talking about.
My poast was about perspective. You have none.
Your poast is once again too insipid and ironic and off point to warrant any real response.
Why is it, do you think, that violent extremism is so much more prevalent with muslims than christians? I agree with you that not all muslims want to destroy everything, but evidence (I haven't looked it up and have no numbers) would seem to suggest they commit a lot more terrorist acts than pissed off christians. Sure Tim McVeigh blew some shit up, but since then muslims have killed thousands in dozens of separate attacks.
I concede that you are correct that not all muslims are bad, but surely you can see the radical element in their religion is many times higher than any other religion I can think of and it's not close. Why do you think that is?
It's all about perspective. First, from a historical perspective, the west's treatment of the middle east and Islam has been the sort of thing that would tend to piss people off. Look it up.
Second, the US has killed over a million Iraqis since it unjustly invaded and occupied that country. This is really nothing new for them. Therefore, for many in that part of the world, we* are the irrational murderous extremists who want to destroy everything. If you ask them, we* commit far more acts of "terror" than a handful of "pissed off Muslims." Our acts of "terror" have been carried out an institutional level; theirs have not. Our leaders are "radical," not theirs.
It's really not that hard to figure out. You do have to get past the hysteria ... on both sides.
Moral equivalency dogma, 101. When the middle eastern radicals stop chopping off heads and stoning their daughters to death in the name of their religion, and tear up their charter documents calling for the mass genocide of jews and extermination of Israel, then let's talk.
Your underlying premise is that if we? stopped, they would stop. I.e., Muslim Terrorism is simply a reaction to our provocative actions. Got it.
Except history just called and said you don't know what the hell you're talking about.
My poast was about perspective. You have none.
Your poast is once again too insipid and ironic and off point to warrant any real response.
Translation: You have nothing.
OBK is more your speed son.
Keep wishing away the arguments that plant you on yours ass. Ignorance is bliss.
A McVeigh drop to justify Al-Queda, ISIS, et. al is perhaps the most fuckingly stupid and intellectually lazy argument out there since but but..the Crusades.
LOL. The argument that Christians are good and Muslims are bad is premised on the worst kind of anti-intellectualism. Bearswiin on the other hand is making cogent, thoughtful arguments. I'm not sure you know what "intellectually lazy" means and using the term incorrectly does not make you look cool in the way you hoped.
Dropping Tim McVeigh is the Godwin's law of this debate. It's fucking stupid AND lazy.
I could give two fucks on looking cool.
Well maybe one of @Swaye 's fucks but that's between us. I don't kiss and tell.
A McVeigh drop to justify Al-Queda, ISIS, et. al is perhaps the most fuckingly stupid and intellectually lazy argument out there since but but..the Crusades.
LOL. The argument that Christians are good and Muslims are bad is premised on the worst kind of anti-intellectualism. Bearswiin on the other hand is making cogent, thoughtful arguments. I'm not sure you know what "intellectually lazy" means and using the term incorrectly does not make you look cool in the way you hoped.
Dropping Tim McVeigh is the Godwin's law of this debate. It's fucking stupid AND lazy.
I could give two fucks on looking cool.
Well maybe one of @Swaye 's fucks but that's between us. I don't kiss and tell.
That's like showing the stats of Chinatown in a few cities in America and saying America will be Chinese soon.
The French are having a great time with the wonderful, assimilating mooselimb immigrants. It's all wine, roses, no go zones and riots. The religion of peace.
A McVeigh drop to justify Al-Queda, ISIS, et. al is perhaps the most fuckingly stupid and intellectually lazy argument out there since but but..the Crusades.
LOL. The argument that Christians are good and Muslims are bad is premised on the worst kind of anti-intellectualism. Bearswiin on the other hand is making cogent, thoughtful arguments. I'm not sure you know what "intellectually lazy" means and using the term incorrectly does not make you look cool in the way you hoped.
Dropping Tim McVeigh is the Godwin's law of this debate. It's fucking stupid AND lazy.
I could give two fucks on looking cool.
Well maybe one of @Swaye 's fucks but that's between us. I don't kiss and tell.
A McVeigh drop to justify Al-Queda, ISIS, et. al is perhaps the most fuckingly stupid and intellectually lazy argument out there since but but..the Crusades.
LOL. The argument that Christians are good and Muslims are bad is premised on the worst kind of anti-intellectualism. Bearswiin on the other hand is making cogent, thoughtful arguments. I'm not sure you know what "intellectually lazy" means and using the term incorrectly does not make you look cool in the way you hoped.
Dropping Tim McVeigh is the Godwin's law of this debate. It's fucking stupid AND lazy.
I could give two fucks on looking cool.
Well maybe one of @Swaye 's fucks but that's between us. I don't kiss and tell.
Godwin's law cuts both ways here.
So calling BearsWiin a dumbass is a threadkiller?
Noted for future reference. Thanks.
It's all good. Better people have called me worse things.
A McVeigh drop to justify Al-Queda, ISIS, et. al is perhaps the most fuckingly stupid and intellectually lazy argument out there since but but..the Crusades.
LOL. The argument that Christians are good and Muslims are bad is premised on the worst kind of anti-intellectualism. Bearswiin on the other hand is making cogent, thoughtful arguments. I'm not sure you know what "intellectually lazy" means and using the term incorrectly does not make you look cool in the way you hoped.
Dropping Tim McVeigh is the Godwin's law of this debate. It's fucking stupid AND lazy.
I could give two fucks on looking cool.
Well maybe one of @Swaye 's fucks but that's between us. I don't kiss and tell.
Godwin's law cuts both ways here.
So calling BearsWiin a dumbass is a threadkiller?
Noted for future reference. Thanks.
It's all good. Better people have called me worse things.
It's an inherently violent religion as supported by history and the actual text of the holy book. Claiming a false equivalency with Christianity because of a few isolated incidents does not change that.
The God hating leftists can bash religion all they want, as long as it's white redneck NASCAR Jesus. That's okay. If they choose to defend a religion started by a violent rapist warlord named Muhammed that is still a blight on humanity to this day, that's where I draw the line.
Rastafari is a religion which developed in Jamaica in the 1930s, following the coronation of Haile Selassie I as Emperor of Ethiopia in 1930. There are many sects of Rastafari that have developed over the years. Its adherents worship him in much the same way as Jesus in his Second Advent, or as God the Son.[1] Members of the Rastafari way of life are known as Rastafari, Rastas, or simply Ras. Rastafari are also known by their official church titles, such as Elder or High Priest. The way of life is sometimes referred to as "Rastafarianism", but this term is considered offensive by most Rastafari, who, being critical of "isms" or "ians" (which they see as a typical part of "Babylon" culture), dislike being labelled as an "ism" or "ian" themselves. Rastafari has always been conceived as a way of life for and by people of African descent.[2]
The name Rastafari is taken from Ras Tafari, the title (Ras) and first name (Tafari Makonnen) of Haile Selassie I before his coronation. In Amharic, Ras, literally "head", is an Ethiopian title equivalent to prince or chief, while the personal given name Täfäri (teferi) means one who is revered. Yah (יה in Hebrew) is a Biblical name of God, from a shortened form of Jahweh or Yahuah found in Psalms 68:4 in the King James Version of the Bible and many other places in the Bible. Most adherents see Haile Selassie I as Jah or Jah Rastafari, an incarnation of God the Father, the Second Advent of Christ "the Anointed One", i.e. the second coming of Jesus Christ the King to Earth.
Many elements of Rastafari reflect its origins in Jamaica along with Ethiopian culture. Ethiopian Christianity traces its roots to the Church of Alexandria, founded by St Mark, and its 5th-century continuation in the Coptic Church of Alexandria.[3][4] Rastafari holds many Christian beliefs like the existence of a triune God ("Jah"), who had sent his divine incarnate son to Earth in the form of Jesus (Yeshua) and made himself manifest as the divine person of Haile Selassie I. Rastafari accept much of the Bible, although they believe that its message and interpretation have been corrupted.[5]
The Rastafari way of life encompasses the spiritual use of cannabis[6][7] and the rejection of the degenerate society of materialism, oppression, and sensual pleasures, called Babylon.[8][9] It proclaims Zion, in reference to Ethiopia, as the original birthplace of humankind, and from the beginning of the way of life calls for repatriation to Zion, the Promised Land and Heaven on Earth. This can mean literally moving to Ethiopia but also refers to mentally and emotionally repatriating before the physical.[10][11] Some Rastafari also embrace various Afrocentric and Pan-African social and political aspirations.[6][12]
Some Rastafari do not claim any sect or denomination, and thus encourage one another to find faith and inspiration within themselves, although some do identify strongly with one of the "Mansions of Rastafari"—the three most prominent of these being the Nyahbinghi, the Bobo Ashanti, and the Twelve Tribes of Israel.[13]
International awareness of Rastafari grew in the 1970s as a result of the popularity of reggae music, and especially the international success of singer/songwriter Bob Marley. By 1997 there were, according to one estimate, around one million Rastafari worldwide.[14] In the 2011 Jamaican census, 29,026 individuals identified themselves as Rastafari.[15] Other sources estimated that in the 2000s they formed "about 5% of the population" of Jamaica,[16] or conjectured that "there are perhaps as many as 100,000 Rastafari in Jamaica".[17]
World-views and doctrines Jah Rastafari “ ... Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God. ” — Psalm 68:31
Rastafari are monotheists, worshiping a singular God whom they call Jah. Jah is the term in the King James Bible, Psalms 68:4. Rastas view Jah in the form of the Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Rastas say that Jah in the form of the Holy Spirit (incarnate) lives within the human. For this reason, they often refer to themselves as "I and I". "I and I" is used instead of "We" to emphasize the equality between all people, in the belief that the Holy Spirit within all people makes them essentially one and the same. The Trinity
Rastafari doctrines concerning the Trinity include stressing the significance of the name "Haile Selassie," meaning power of the Trinity, might of the Trinity, powerful trinity in Ge'ez or also Haile Selassie I (qedamawi Haile Selassie) meaning the (first power of the Trinity) name given to Ras Tafari upon his baptism and later assumed as part of his regnal name at his November 2, 1930 coronation by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, then known as just the Ethiopian Tewahedo Church. Haile Selassie I This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia, considered by Rastas to be the reincarnation of Christ.
Haile Selassie I (1892–1975) was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. Rastafari say that he will lead the righteous into creating a perfect world called Zion.
The future capital city of Zion is sometimes put forward as the New Jerusalem (Lalibela, Ethiopia) and the very Habitation of the Godhead (Trinity) creator, Ras Tafari. Prophetic verses of the Hebrew Bible (such as Zephaniah 3:10 "From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, the daughter of My dispersed ones, shall bring my offering") have been interpreted as subtly hinting that the messianic king will be in Ethiopia and the people will come from all over world beyond its rivers.
Rastas may say that Haile Selassie I's coming was prophesied from Genesis to the Book of Revelation. Genesis, Chapter 1: "God made man in His own image." Psalm 2: "Yet I set my Holy king on My Holy hill of Zion." Psalm 87:4–6 is interpreted as predicting the coronation of Haile Selassie I. During his coronation, Haile Selassie I was given 38 titles and anointments taken from the Bible: "King of Kings," "Elect of God," "Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah the Author of Mankind," "the Power of Authority," etc. He also received acclaim from various Christian and Muslim leaders and clergy for the work he performed towards establishing world peace and the brotherhood of mankind — this being one of the primary reasons his followers hold him as a God incarnate. Rastas also refer to Haile Selassie I as "His Imperial Majesty" (or the acronym HIM) and "Jah Rastafari."
According to tradition, Haile Selassie I was the 225th in an unbroken line of Ethiopian monarchs of the Solomonic dynasty. This dynasty is said to have been founded in the 10th century BC by Menelik I. Menelik I was son of the Biblical King Solomon and Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, who had visited Solomon in Israel. 1 Kings 10:13 claims "And King Solomon gave unto the Queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants." On the basis of the Ethiopian national epic, the Kebra Negast, Rastas interpret this verse as meaning she conceived his child.
The death of Haile Selassie I is a topic of some debate among Rastafari.[6] Some Rastas consider it a partial fulfillment of prophecy of the "Temporary Messianic Kingdom" found in the apocalyptic 2 Esdras 7:28. Others believe that Haile Selassie's 1975 reported death was a hoax. It has also been claimed that he entered a monastery and is now known by many as Abba Keddus (Amharic for Holy Father) and will return to liberate his followers and vanquish all evil, restoring his creation. One Rastafari reaction to Haile Selassie's supposed death was contained in Bob Marley's song Jah Live, which declares emphatically "God cannot die." Many Rastafari claim to have met Haile Selassie after his reported death and know him also by his claimed new name Abba Keddus or Abba Keddus Keddus Keddus.[18]
For some Rastafari, Haile Selassie I remains their God and King.[19] They see Haile Selassie I as being worthy of worship for having stood with great dignity in front of the world's press and the representatives of many of the world's powerful nations, especially during his appeal to the League of Nations 1936 when he was still the only independent non-European monarch in Africa. Other followers of the Rastafari tradition do not worship him outright but hail him as an African prophet who spoke to the world on behalf of his brethren. He spoke to the plight of disenfranchised peoples throughout his life.
In a 1967 interview when a Canadian interviewer mentioned the Rastafari belief that he was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ,[20] he responded by saying: "I have heard of this idea. 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." His grandson Ermias Sahle Selassie has said that there is “no doubt that Haile Selassie did not encourage the Rastafari movement.”[21] This encouragement included his meetings with Mortimer Planno and other movement leaders who journeyed to Addis Ababa in 1961, again in 1966 on his visit to Jamaica, and many times at Shashemene in the later years of his reign.
The Rastafarian movement prompted the Emperor to send Abuna Yesehaq, the Archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to Jamaica.
Comments
Your poast is once again too insipid and ironic and off point to warrant any real response.
LIFPO
I could give two fucks on looking cool.
Well maybe one of @Swaye 's fucks but that's between us. I don't kiss and tell.
Noted for future reference. Thanks.
Rastafari is a religion which developed in Jamaica in the 1930s, following the coronation of Haile Selassie I as Emperor of Ethiopia in 1930. There are many sects of Rastafari that have developed over the years. Its adherents worship him in much the same way as Jesus in his Second Advent, or as God the Son.[1] Members of the Rastafari way of life are known as Rastafari, Rastas, or simply Ras. Rastafari are also known by their official church titles, such as Elder or High Priest. The way of life is sometimes referred to as "Rastafarianism", but this term is considered offensive by most Rastafari, who, being critical of "isms" or "ians" (which they see as a typical part of "Babylon" culture), dislike being labelled as an "ism" or "ian" themselves. Rastafari has always been conceived as a way of life for and by people of African descent.[2]
The name Rastafari is taken from Ras Tafari, the title (Ras) and first name (Tafari Makonnen) of Haile Selassie I before his coronation. In Amharic, Ras, literally "head", is an Ethiopian title equivalent to prince or chief, while the personal given name Täfäri (teferi) means one who is revered. Yah (יה in Hebrew) is a Biblical name of God, from a shortened form of Jahweh or Yahuah found in Psalms 68:4 in the King James Version of the Bible and many other places in the Bible. Most adherents see Haile Selassie I as Jah or Jah Rastafari, an incarnation of God the Father, the Second Advent of Christ "the Anointed One", i.e. the second coming of Jesus Christ the King to Earth.
Many elements of Rastafari reflect its origins in Jamaica along with Ethiopian culture. Ethiopian Christianity traces its roots to the Church of Alexandria, founded by St Mark, and its 5th-century continuation in the Coptic Church of Alexandria.[3][4] Rastafari holds many Christian beliefs like the existence of a triune God ("Jah"), who had sent his divine incarnate son to Earth in the form of Jesus (Yeshua) and made himself manifest as the divine person of Haile Selassie I. Rastafari accept much of the Bible, although they believe that its message and interpretation have been corrupted.[5]
The Rastafari way of life encompasses the spiritual use of cannabis[6][7] and the rejection of the degenerate society of materialism, oppression, and sensual pleasures, called Babylon.[8][9] It proclaims Zion, in reference to Ethiopia, as the original birthplace of humankind, and from the beginning of the way of life calls for repatriation to Zion, the Promised Land and Heaven on Earth. This can mean literally moving to Ethiopia but also refers to mentally and emotionally repatriating before the physical.[10][11] Some Rastafari also embrace various Afrocentric and Pan-African social and political aspirations.[6][12]
Some Rastafari do not claim any sect or denomination, and thus encourage one another to find faith and inspiration within themselves, although some do identify strongly with one of the "Mansions of Rastafari"—the three most prominent of these being the Nyahbinghi, the Bobo Ashanti, and the Twelve Tribes of Israel.[13]
International awareness of Rastafari grew in the 1970s as a result of the popularity of reggae music, and especially the international success of singer/songwriter Bob Marley. By 1997 there were, according to one estimate, around one million Rastafari worldwide.[14] In the 2011 Jamaican census, 29,026 individuals identified themselves as Rastafari.[15] Other sources estimated that in the 2000s they formed "about 5% of the population" of Jamaica,[16] or conjectured that "there are perhaps as many as 100,000 Rastafari in Jamaica".[17]
World-views and doctrines
Jah Rastafari
“ ... Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God. ”
— Psalm 68:31
Rastafari are monotheists, worshiping a singular God whom they call Jah. Jah is the term in the King James Bible, Psalms 68:4. Rastas view Jah in the form of the Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Rastas say that Jah in the form of the Holy Spirit (incarnate) lives within the human. For this reason, they often refer to themselves as "I and I". "I and I" is used instead of "We" to emphasize the equality between all people, in the belief that the Holy Spirit within all people makes them essentially one and the same.
The Trinity
Rastafari doctrines concerning the Trinity include stressing the significance of the name "Haile Selassie," meaning power of the Trinity, might of the Trinity, powerful trinity in Ge'ez or also Haile Selassie I (qedamawi Haile Selassie) meaning the (first power of the Trinity) name given to Ras Tafari upon his baptism and later assumed as part of his regnal name at his November 2, 1930 coronation by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, then known as just the Ethiopian Tewahedo Church.
Haile Selassie I
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia, considered by Rastas to be the reincarnation of Christ.
Haile Selassie I (1892–1975) was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. Rastafari say that he will lead the righteous into creating a perfect world called Zion.
The future capital city of Zion is sometimes put forward as the New Jerusalem (Lalibela, Ethiopia) and the very Habitation of the Godhead (Trinity) creator, Ras Tafari. Prophetic verses of the Hebrew Bible (such as Zephaniah 3:10 "From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, the daughter of My dispersed ones, shall bring my offering") have been interpreted as subtly hinting that the messianic king will be in Ethiopia and the people will come from all over world beyond its rivers.
Rastas may say that Haile Selassie I's coming was prophesied from Genesis to the Book of Revelation. Genesis, Chapter 1: "God made man in His own image." Psalm 2: "Yet I set my Holy king on My Holy hill of Zion." Psalm 87:4–6 is interpreted as predicting the coronation of Haile Selassie I. During his coronation, Haile Selassie I was given 38 titles and anointments taken from the Bible: "King of Kings," "Elect of God," "Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah the Author of Mankind," "the Power of Authority," etc. He also received acclaim from various Christian and Muslim leaders and clergy for the work he performed towards establishing world peace and the brotherhood of mankind — this being one of the primary reasons his followers hold him as a God incarnate. Rastas also refer to Haile Selassie I as "His Imperial Majesty" (or the acronym HIM) and "Jah Rastafari."
According to tradition, Haile Selassie I was the 225th in an unbroken line of Ethiopian monarchs of the Solomonic dynasty. This dynasty is said to have been founded in the 10th century BC by Menelik I. Menelik I was son of the Biblical King Solomon and Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, who had visited Solomon in Israel. 1 Kings 10:13 claims "And King Solomon gave unto the Queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants." On the basis of the Ethiopian national epic, the Kebra Negast, Rastas interpret this verse as meaning she conceived his child.
The death of Haile Selassie I is a topic of some debate among Rastafari.[6] Some Rastas consider it a partial fulfillment of prophecy of the "Temporary Messianic Kingdom" found in the apocalyptic 2 Esdras 7:28. Others believe that Haile Selassie's 1975 reported death was a hoax. It has also been claimed that he entered a monastery and is now known by many as Abba Keddus (Amharic for Holy Father) and will return to liberate his followers and vanquish all evil, restoring his creation. One Rastafari reaction to Haile Selassie's supposed death was contained in Bob Marley's song Jah Live, which declares emphatically "God cannot die." Many Rastafari claim to have met Haile Selassie after his reported death and know him also by his claimed new name Abba Keddus or Abba Keddus Keddus Keddus.[18]
For some Rastafari, Haile Selassie I remains their God and King.[19] They see Haile Selassie I as being worthy of worship for having stood with great dignity in front of the world's press and the representatives of many of the world's powerful nations, especially during his appeal to the League of Nations 1936 when he was still the only independent non-European monarch in Africa. Other followers of the Rastafari tradition do not worship him outright but hail him as an African prophet who spoke to the world on behalf of his brethren. He spoke to the plight of disenfranchised peoples throughout his life.
In a 1967 interview when a Canadian interviewer mentioned the Rastafari belief that he was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ,[20] he responded by saying: "I have heard of this idea. 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." His grandson Ermias Sahle Selassie has said that there is “no doubt that Haile Selassie did not encourage the Rastafari movement.”[21] This encouragement included his meetings with Mortimer Planno and other movement leaders who journeyed to Addis Ababa in 1961, again in 1966 on his visit to Jamaica, and many times at Shashemene in the later years of his reign.
The Rastafarian movement prompted the Emperor to send Abuna Yesehaq, the Archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to Jamaica.