Exposition

Due to their recognition of the divinity of Selassie, they are seen as non-Christians. They have a different understanding of nature and the role of Jesus in the world. Within the Rastafarian framework, Christ is a title rather than just a name, in a fashion similar to that of elders within the Buddhist or Hindu traditions. They are again of the view that Jesus Christ is not exclusively divine, but possessed greater awareness of our innate divinity than normal. This divine connection to God is not, according to the Rastas, exclusive to Jesus, but is available to all, if only we have the wisdom to see.

For them, “Christ”, the true Mystic Saviour, is no man, but the DIVINE PRINCIPLE in every human being’. Christ, in this sense, is seen as being no different from God, and we are all equally able to participate in this divinity. As a development of this teaching, that every human being is divine and of the same nature as Jah, as the Rastas call their God, it is acknowledged that at certain points in human history, various figures have appeared who manifested their divinity in a greater-than-normal fashion. These figures, who have appeared as prophets and sages throughout recorded history, are regarded as being useful guides on the path to wisdom, and their teachings (as found in sources such as the Bible) are studied and reasoned about by the brethren, to reach ever-greater levels of comprehension, or what they call “overstanding”. In the Rastafarian conception of history, there have been seventy-two such manifestations of a greater divinity, regarded as Jah in the flesh, the last (and greatest) being His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, the (now late) Emperor of Ethiopia.

As Christians, we do not accept these teachings but rather uphold the gospel truth that Jesus is the son of God and the only Saviour of the world. He is God incarnate and possesses the exclusive right as the only begotten of the father. We are therefore to let the whole world know that Jesus, who was crucified, is both Lord and Christ.