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The major condition for baptism is to renounce
the divinity of Haile Selassie. "That is
number one," says the Archbishop. "It is
the major thing." And it remains the primary
point of departure separating the "Rasta
Christians" from all other branches of
Rastafari. Another philosophical chasm is the
categorical unacceptability, on the part of many
outside the Church, of embracing any form of
Christianity, a Babylon religion, one that
preaches the same tenets as the
"hypocrites" who brought Africans here
as slaves -even if that christianity, the oldest
in the world, were founded by Africans with
strong, Africanist teachings.
Other departures of doctrine exist as well. The
Ethiopian Orthodox Church preaches the equality of
men and women. "When God brought Eve from the
rib of Adam, He took that rib from Adam's sid; He
did not create her from the head or the
feet," the Archbishop explains. Has she come
from Adam's head, she would be superior, from his
feet, inferior. The Archbishop, in citing the
common practice amongst Rastas of having
"concubines", as he puts it, stresses
that it is a sin in his Church. "Rastas
believe that a man has more than one wife. That is
not our Church teaching. One man, one woman.
That's it," he insist. He adds that couples
who come into the Church practicing concubinage
may receive support and counseling from specially
designated priests to abandon the practice. The
family unit is considered sacred by the Church and
"family values".
The question of ganja is thorny. The archbishop
maintains that it is the main reason his church is
seen as a Rasta church and attracts few
non-Rastafarians adherents from the Caribbean. He
claims that most people cling to old-time fears of
Rastas which are somehow symbolized by the ganja
smoking. "There are so many people here in
New York," he laments. "They want to
come into our church. But they see them (Rastas)
around the church, in the area, smoking. So it's
embarrassing and they don't want to come." A
Church Sister, Terseta, agrees that the fear has
history. "Lots of people don't come here (to
the New York church, in the Bronx)," she
says, "because they scared of Rasta. Like
they do in the island, too." It comes, she
avers, from "the beginning" when Rastas
essentially devolved out of the Maroons. "The
Maroons was the original Rasta people", and
folks, black and white, were afraid of them.
The Archbishop is firm about expelling those
Rastas who, by their unabated and flagrant ganja
smoking, disturb and intimidate "those people
who are trying to work for their own
salvation." Since ganja is illegal, he cannot
condone its use. "As long as it is illegal,
we do not, we can not agree." he explains.
"But we are not in control of what people do
in their own houses.
What Rastas in and outside the Church have
clearly in common is their pride in Africa and her
traditions. The Church supports the aims of all
Rastafarians for repatriation. "The Rastas
are really the only black people in the West, who
demand... their freedom and their
Africanism," Yesehaq observes. And he
continues, "We encourage them to preach about
Africa, to learn about Africa, about their
heritage, to reconnect themselves with the
heritage if their forefathers which is in Africa.
That is important," He stresses the role of
Marcus Garvey in instilling proper pride in
Africans in the West and for his embracing the
Ethiopian Church. "We support Marcus Garvey,
we support Marcus Garvey," he says with his
own reverance. But, he expects more than
lip-service on repatriation. "His Majesty
said to them, you have to learn your skills and
trades, then come to Africa to develop Africa and
help your people." The one or two week visit
that many make each year is not enough. The Church
expects a deeper commitment from the Rastas, like
that the Diaspora Jews have towards Israel:
gaining enough political, and economic power in
their adopted lands to then carry back to develop
and strengthen the motherland.
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