reggae and overt religiosity

To be honest, I've had a lot of discussions on this subject, as I love music with God-Worshiping Themes, even if I don't necessarily believe in God myself. From my perspective, I think it's a good creative theme for lyrics on occasion, the same way love songs, while they can be obviously cliche, can also result in some great songs.

Interestingly enough though is how much Rastafarianism gets espoused in Reggae, and it's kind of a cult of sorts... It's kind of like if there was a genre of Manson influenced folk that actually referred to his lyrics...

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From what I understand about Rastafari is that they believe His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I is the direct descendent of King Solomon and the reincarnation of Jesus. They also see themselves as one of the lost tribes of Israel. Ethiopia is basically a really important place for Humanity and is one of the oldest civilisations on the planet.

Haile Selassie was the only Black African Leader whilst he was Emperor of Ethiopia to be seen as a world leader and be treated as an equal by his peers. He even offered Ethiopia as a home to any one from the African Diaspora.

Roots Reggae deals with the suffering of the everyday person and they take strength in there faith. Personally I don't believe in any religion but i find this type of music moves me like no other.

Also I saw Richard Dawkins a few weeks ago. In short it was nothing more than a large group of very pomposs people who thought they were much better than those people who believe in a type of God. And Dawkins nowadays seems like he is far more interested in lining his pockets with his worshippers money.

If it weren't for their strange sexual mores (and occasionally violent antipathy towards gays) I'd be all for them.

I do find it highly problematic that the entire culture is based around Marcus Garvey's prophecy about a black leader in Africa.

Marcus was a very strange man, and He identified himself as a fascist.

"In 1937 he went so far as to claim in a London interview with Joel A. Rogers that, as Rogers reported, . . . his Fascism preceded that of Mussolini and Hitler. "We were the first Fascists," [Garvey] said, "when we had 100,000 disciplined men, and were training children, Mussolini was still an unknown. Mussolini copied our Fascism."^86"

http://www.international.ucla.edu/africa/mgpp/lifeintr.asp

Sufferer's music can be very beautiful and moving, but there are days I almost want to characterize Rasta beliefs as little more than a 1st World cargo cult.

Obviously one that is much more of a positive force in the world than the Micronesian examples, but its kind of eerily similar.

Then I remember the legacy of the slave trade and decide I'm not qualified to have an opinion on the subject.

i never really got reggae til i started smoking weed. i guess for a lot of folk its gives them an excuse to feel a sort of spiritual cleansing. burning incense and purifying your body temple while listening to overtly religious reggae justifies smoking weed and breaking the mans law and gets you that little bit closer to jah while also feeling an affinity with the brothers of ebony persuasion.

thats a whole lot of pros. the effects of ganja and reggae make you forget the cons.

another love song as CrowleyHead says, another theme, personal strength... ...i love gospel, the Louvin Bros and such, but i'm no Xtian. admittedly a non-believing but appreciative listener hearing music w overtly faithful declarations is probably consuming it differently from a true believer, and that may open up personal issues for the non-believing but appreciative listener *.

* i'm fine w it, tbh

yeah well it makes total sense for western soft-atheists or whatever to find some release in the soft-religiosity of the other.

i had a funny convo with a friend who is kind of uppity and hard-line pro-atheism. he started criticising religious types for spending their time following things that don't exist materially. i pointed out that he had a substantial computer game habit and that none of those worlds exist either. ok so not that funny.

but often it seems if people reject irrationality outright they will fail to see their own irrational behavior...

also, righteousness is a double-edged sword, like any absolute...

i am 100% atheist but have no problem with it, if it sounds good you can still enjoy it without agreeing with it no?

it's how i (and others here i guess) listen to sizzla knowing about his disgusting views on gay people

maybe that's a bit too easy and you should engage more? i dunno

religion has had a huge influence on music over the years.

Similarly people can enjoy listening to Crass without being anarcho-vegan-pacifists or Psychic TV without becoming Aleister Crowley devotees.

viktorvaughn said:

i am 100% atheist but have no problem with it, if it sounds good you can still enjoy it without agreeing with it no?

it's how i (and others here i guess) listen to sizzla knowing about his disgusting views on gay people

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The way i would 'justify' it is noting that disgusting character traits go way beyond things that can be forced into an 'ism'. I still love Dylan's and Lennon's and (Arthur) Lee's and Tricky's art for example, despite having a fair amount of contempt for the way in which they treated other people.

In fact i'd probably hate almost all of my musical heroes as people. Exceptions are few and far between.

it's all enough to make one start worshipping satan, really.

The views on homosexuality is one of the biggest crippling factors of regarding a lot of Jamaican music in the world. I remember flipping through a magazine, and they decided to point out how Major Lazer were working with gay bashers (TOK, Vybz); it angered me, because yes, I don't agree with those artists' opinions, but to fault people for working with them is just a bit much.

I mean, Buju's essentially a fucking hippie at this point, but "Boom Bye Bye" is going to haunt the dude for the rest of his career.

I still laugh at Woody Allen.

1. music is a good vehicle for transporting the divine. and all music is related to ritual, worship, and shamanism, whether acknowledged by the musician or not.

2. music which consciously embodies the spiritual dimension is often more powerful than music which is not.

3. much as dawkin's work as a scientist is impressive, his ultra simplistic views on religion is simply ignorant and stupid.

4. i'm as against what organized religion has become in the last few thousand years as the next liberal clone, but i recognize that these institutions, as often reprehensible and guilty of heinous crimes as they are, are descendants (in some cases perversions) of much older spiritual traditions. and in some ways, as a whole, i have much respect for all world religions - in their true manifestations, in the pure heart of some believers (as opposed to the power, corruption, and lies)

i was just thinking the other day how much i love old gospel music, but i don't like the preaching...

with that said, going on endlessly about jah or some stupid king is pretty damn lame.

john eden said:

religion has had a huge influence on music over the years.

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the original function of music, since records began, was religious.

before that it is much more difficult to assess, not only because of a lack of records, but because it was before we thought the way we do now, before the compartments for different aspects of life was created.

zhao said:

with that said, going on endlessly about jah or some stupid king is pretty damn lame.

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As much as Rastafari is interesting and cool, it's also rather... stuck. You don't see it evolving any time soon, not that it was meant to.

CrowleyHead said:

The views on homosexuality is one of the biggest crippling factors of regarding a lot of Jamaican music in the world. I remember flipping through a magazine, and they decided to point out how Major Lazer were working with gay bashers (TOK, Vybz); it angered me, because yes, I don't agree with those artists' opinions, but to fault people for working with them is just a bit much.

I mean, Buju's essentially a fucking hippie at this point, but "Boom Bye Bye" is going to haunt the dude for the rest of his career.

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buju is definitley not a fucking hippy, you are a hippy here mate.
and homophobia and rasta beliefs aren't the same thing.

the whole homophobia in jamaica issue has been worked over endlessly on this forum.

CrowleyHead said:

As much as Rastafari is interesting and cool, it's also rather... stuck. You don't see it evolving any time soon, not that it was meant to.

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I really don't think it is the function of religions to evolve - surely what they are offering is a set of beliefs which are eternal and unchanging?

Having said that, there are newer sects like the bobo dreads.

john eden said:

I really don't think it is the function of religions to evolve - surely what they are offering is a set of beliefs which are eternal and unchanging?

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may not be the "function" but the doctrines of "eternal and unchanging" truth, not acknowledging the change and evolution of every belief system, really makes those who make these claims look stupid.

i think the function of religions is to evolve the individual and mankind in general.