Posted By: RasHal
Date: Tuesday, 2 March 2004, at 10:40 a.m.

Thank you Bantu-kelani,

You are a true warrior and a champion of black people everywhere. Yes I too believe in our ancient ways, customs, and religion but what I think you are missing is all powers are due to the most high including vodoo and black magic we humans on this 3rd planet of our solar system along with trillions of other planets that do exist in this vast and never ending universe we all worship One God!!! The irator who controls and rules this universe with mental intercourse on much higher level than we mortals can ever imagine.

Sista search your heart deep not your brain and you shall find Jah as well. No I am not saying Selassie is Jah I will never say that but Selassie is earth's rightful ruler and a servant in Jah kingdom as we all are.

I use to blame everything on Europeans in the past but no longer we the black race must stand up to the challenge by ourselves for ourselves without anybody's assistance. I love my people black people in this planet but more than that I love Jah's creation which includes everyone including those who exist in other parts of the universe.

If you are still unsure about what I believe in read ***The Five*** and you may get a clue where I am coming from. As for me I am an Eritrean and an African and very much proud of it too.

May Jah bless you evermore,

RasHal

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Ras Hal, you wish to discuss the theme of my spiritual tendency. I thus took the liberty to copy and paste your last reply to me in the “Haiti in Hell” thread as not to interfere with the focal topic of that thread. Let's discuss this subject here.

I never said I rejected the concept of a Creator of the universe, for I absolutely believe in an Omnipotent and Omniscient universal Life Force, I also call Creator Source. But I do not believe in the Judeo-Christian-Islamic Gods (neither Rastafarism, Kimbanguism or the N.O.I doctrines rooted in Judeo-Christian scriptures) that deny the divinity of the Great Mother Earth whom is the ever providential virgin that sustain and take care of her gaseous, mineral, vegetal, animal and human sons and daughters. So, of course, the beauty Nature is magic. There is magic in the birth of a healthy child. There is magic in getting out of bed in the morning through an act of will. There is magic in the act of opening our eyes to feast on the sublimity of oceans or the beauty of sunsets or meadows of wild flowers. These are truly magical things. But it has nothing to do with the "black magic" western connotation" that you insinuated. The Black Madonna or Isis is the archetype of the Earthly Goddess not acknowledged in Judeo-Christian-Islamic faith. In the African traditional cultural/historical context "black" refers to "shadow" self or divinity. And you said it yourself the Creator Source is true love! The Creators Source you or JAH is magic. Unfortunately, we fail to see the wondrousness of this simple thing. Too many times, we demonize the holiness of our Great Mother Earth and the Omnipotence and Omniscience energy of the universal Father, such real magic that we too often take their power for granted. Too many of us have lost their partnership with them..

Moreover, as a Black African you should not endorse any fear or prejudice towards our African religions traditions, for it should be noted that Vodou (which means Spirit or God in the Fon language of Benin and is the most demonized of African traditional spirituality) is not related to "evil" worship. In fact, the bringing down of spirits by briefly inhabiting the bodies of the faithful, divination, potions and spells are shamanism practices destined to create healing and spiritual growth. I affirm you that they are devoid of caste or bigotry and allow anyone to gain hidden knowledge or power. It's obvious that the Eurocentric anthropological research fear traditional African religious for their real power. The Western world has much hatred for Traditional African belief system because it give Black people a sense of solidarity and community and are an infallible way of empowerment to face physical challenges which are unnerving to the oppressors. Indivertibly after their loss against the rebellious Vodou, Condomble and Kumina priests and priestesses in Brazil and on the islands of Haiti and Jamaica, the Europeans increased an unbending hatred for African religions traditions.

I know too well the weakness of humanity, above all the collective weakness of White-Aryans and Semite-Caucasians. And the only safety I have is to cultivate it my own mind and extend my own knowledge so that I will be sure to understand life and as many of the mysteries of the universe unspoiled of egoistical indoctrination of the conquerors. I can't believe a thing just because someone wants me to believe it. I can’t believe a thing on very poor evidence. Although I may believe in things an adept told me but I have to get some details about them. In this sense, I live by the heart-Gnostic of my corporal body. I have to trust my reason, for reason is logos or Christ. Without an intellectual mind there is no illumination of the spiritual mind. Christ therefore is the allegory of the higher intellect, the “Mediator” who by virtue of its power says” No men cometh to the Father by me”. It may be the greatest statement ever made! I am inclined to admit that it is...

You way believe otherwise. Unfortunately, since 1492 our people have been forced to undergo a systematic process of acculturation. A new code of Morality is decided by our oppressors to render obligatory the alteration of the will of the "slaves" they think we are, while, the concept of Divinity is understood be to be a mental state or quality bestowed upon the soul of particular a singular or plural human beings. A human person concepts and beliefs are worthy and honorable as long as they do not encourage enslavement or oppression to humanity. So, I am not condemning your belief as long as it is not detrimental to my own right of spiritual growth and dignity. That is what I feel.

Bantu Kelani.