Why Halie Salassie? (didn't do my research)

[Pathless]

This is a thought of mine that came up in another thread in this folder. It seems to deviate from the issue at hand there, though, so I thought I'd pose this question in a new thread:

I've been peeking into Rastafari as a faith over the past week or so and, while I am intrigued, I am also perplexed. What intrigues me about Rasta is that it does seem to be a faith of individual empowerment and social change. I love that about it. The thing that strikes me as strange is all of the obscure Biblical prophecies and references. One question that comes to mind is, "Why Halie Salassie?" What's the deal with this Emperor of Ethiopa that he is revealed as God incarnate? So much of Reggae music, to me, seems to point to the divinity and inherent worth in each human being, so I don't get it--why elevate a dictator to status of Saviour?

[CanuckRasta]

Hmmm, for the first part of my answer, gonna step out of my Rasta shoes.

Haile Selassie came to the throne at a time when Jamaica was the vast majority black, but an English colony ruled by white elite. In the churches on the predominantly Protestant island, the image of a white Jesus was portrayed to the population.

Obviously, many would find it difficult to relate to such a portrayal. To aggravate matters, the blacks still slaved under colonial rule.

The prophecy of Marcus Garvey decades before the coronation of Haile Selassie: "Look for the crowning of a black king in the East, for he shall be the Redeemer for his people."

This was seen to reveal the destiny of the people. Additionally, Jamaicans saw many parallels between them and the Israelites.

According to Ethiopian tradition, the ruling dynasty is descened from a union btween the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon. Haile Selassie is descened from this union and therefore is seen as a continuation of the Davidic Covenant. Additionally, his name translates to "Power of the Trinity". He has been the only person baptized under that name into the Ethiopian Orthodox church.

One
Lij Marques Benjamin