Bob Marley

"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds"

Perhaps what impresses me most about Bob Marley is just how Christian his music is. With the possible exception of Lauryn Hill (who married his son), there is more love of God, love of neighbor, and hope for mankind in Bob Marley's music than just about anything else played on mainstream radio. Of course, there is the Christian pop music played on evangelical stations, but I don't think I'm going out on a limb in saying that most of that music comes off as bland, corny and sentimental. Bob was part of Jamaica's Rastafari movement, a religious phenomenon which is difficult to assess, but which must contain some good if it was able to inspire Marley's musical art. Practicioners of Rastafari religion believe that blacks are Israelites held in a Babylonian captivity by the oppressive system of the white man. They hold that Ethiopia is the spiritual homeland of blacks, and that Emperor Haile Selassie I (now dead) is the Messiah. It is a common belief that Haile Selassie I is a reincarnation of Jesus. It is also believed by some that the Ethiopian leader's death was a hoax, or that he will return again to effect a final judgment of the world. Rastafarians have an unfortunately negative view of the Roman Catholic Church, stemming primarily from Pope Pius XI's bestowal of a blessing on Italian troops heading toward war with Ethiopia in the 1930's. Most famously, they firmly believe in the sacramental use of marijuana, or "ganja". Rastafari value poverty, simplicity, and the importance of the individual person. The reading of the Judaeo-Christian Scriptures is emphasized, and this practice is often done in conjunction with the use of ganja. The influence on Marley of his religion can readily be perceived in the endless photographs taken of him smoking joints. However, this is unfortunately all that most young people know about him. The values which Marley held can be discerned in the frequent Biblical quotes and references which he makes in his music, to say nothing of his general inspirational message. No one else has sung so eloquently in our times of the power of love. No musician has called for the liberation of oppressed people with such sincerity and heart. Marley was truly courageous in bringing his message of peace and justice to the world, and a nearly successful attempt was made on his life by political enemies in Jamaica. All Christians can rejoice in the little known fact that before his death from cancer, Marley was baptized into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, one of the oldest Christian communions in existence.




A Sketch of Rastafari History

Bob Marley and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church

Reggae Lyrics and the Bible

The contradictory relationship of Rasta to Catholicism

Ganja: the tree of Life?

The Official Bob Marley Site

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