RE: Marcus Garvey Was A Staunch Critic of Haile Selassie I

I was not aware of this document but I also do not believe Haile Selassie or Marcus Garvey should be praised like a GOD. That is the part of Rasta that really confuses me. Why praise a man? Respect them yes, but when someone gonna say this one is a prophet and the other is basically God, I'd say praise your ancestors that came before you and JAH ( GOD ) the one creator as the spirit is in all mankind. Now, Halie Selassie may have had a deeper connection with the creator, who knows, but to have HIM being God or Jesus walking the earth..... The only trinity I believe in is man, woman and child. ( Just my thoughts)

I can see a book in your future or a documentary series. Always a deep dive. Blessings.

Give thanks for your insight @dmilliz, of course to each their own, and you already I speak for myself and not all Rastafari, and as I have come into this trod independently, I haven't been guided down a particular path, and I'm thankful for that.

As far as H.I.M. Haile Selassie I's and H.I.M. Empress Menen Asfaw I's divinity, of course these are my personal views. The conundrum I face is did JAH create humans or humans create JAH, the chicken and the egg dilemna. But if there is no humans, then there is no to say "God" or have such a belief system.

With this in mind, I see it as man created the "God" concept, perhaps specifically Enoch. So therefore, humans all have a JAH-potential within them, and it is up to us to flesh it out. I also see from my my perspective that each generation has a prophet or messenger for the times.

Elijah, Melchezidek and Enoch are just a few names on this list. But I must rewind and state I no longer use biblical prophecies to justify the divinity of HAile Selassie I and Menen Asfaw I. Ultimately, we are all free beings, and if someone feels a particular tree or rock is their "God," I can't refute that person's reality. What is more important is that whatever livity is triggered by this belief or knowing is a positive one.

So, for me personally, I study history, culture, religion and the human condition, and I can find no better exemplar of what human man and woman can be than Alpha & Omega. It is that causes me to put these beings at the center of my existence, or nucleus, and if someone chooses to call me a "Rasta" because of that, that is on them, as I don't like labels.

Not needing to use biblical prophecies to justify my placement of H.I.M. Haile Selassie I's and H.I.M. Empress Menen Asfaw I's into the center of my existence is one of the areas where I actually agree with Muta's take on Rastafari.

More reasoning to come @dmilliz, bless up yourself!!