| Reggae
Music is a very special kind of music,
that's for sure. To some, like me, it's a
positive kind of music. Conscious and
uplifting lyrics, but also the vibes in the
music as well.
But for some others, it is quite
different. In a recent discussion I
participated in, one artist said how the
enormous amount of slackness led him to
separate himself from Reggae Music, as he
couldn't stand the temptation and wickedness
that often comes with slackness.
When you're into Reggae Music, sooner or
later you will be confronted with the
phenomena called "slackness". This
term could be used to describe the
pornographic lyrics and video-clips, that
often accompany especially Dancehall works.
Now, some would say that every song about
sex is to be seen as slackness, but I
disagree with that. I mean, didn't Jah
Himself create sex for a man and a woman to
enjoy holy marriage? So why shouldn't there
be songs about it?
But then, we all know that most slackness
tunes will not be about that at all. It will
be about, well, what you see: wickedness and
immorality.
For people who have true faith in Jah
Rastafari, whether they are Rastafarian or
Christian or both, practicing slackness is a
thing to avoid. That's a fact. Now sure, we
can argue about just what is a marriage and
all of that, but we all know that slackness
is about fornication and so on.
So then, how does one who is a Christian,
like me, deal with this fact? The brother in
the discussion I referred to, removed
himself from the scene. The reason for that
was, as said, that he couldn't stand the
temptation. And in his individual case, that
could very well be the solution.
That's not the point.
The point is, that many people claim that
when you are a Christian, you should
do that. You should remove yourself
from the scene, you should create
your own little subculture or industry.
But when I read in the Bible, I see that
generally spoken we should not do such a
thing at all!
When Yesus Kristos prayed to the Father
about us, people who would believe in Him,
He asked:
I pray not that thou shouldest take
them out of the world, but that thou
shouldest keep them from the evil. (John
17:15)
And Paul, the apostle, said it this way:
I wrote unto you in an epistle not to
company with fornicators: Yet not
altogether with the fornicators of this
world, or with the covetous, or
extortioners, or with idolaters; for then
must ye needs go out of the world. (1
Corinthians 5:9,10)
It's clear: Jah does not want us to
remove ourselves from the scene at all.
Otherwise He would have prayed it to the
Father. And Paul said very clearly, that you
should avoid dealing with fornicators who
claim they are Christian, but not at all
with those who don't claim to be a
Christian.
Yesus Himself gave the good example in
this. But the result was, that He was called
a drunkard and a visitor of prostitutes
Himself. The Pharisees and other religious
fascists removed themselves from the scene,
so to speak, and started to judge everyone
who was (still) communicating and dealing
with the "slackness people" of the
day.
Now, I don't want to say anything about
the person in the discussion I refer to in
this column. For the apostle Paul also said
very clearly that when fornication is a
temptation you should avoid that temptation
yourself.
In fact, it is the only sin from where
the Bible says we have to "flee".
It is the only sin that has to do directly
with our body.
Flee fornication. Every sin that a man
doeth is without the body; but he that
committeth fornication sinneth against his
own body. (1 Corinthians 6:8)
But that is a personal situation.
As the scriptures point out, we are to be
strong, while we stay in the same situation
wherein we were when we were called:
Let every man abide in the same calling
wherein he was called. (1 Corinthians
7:20)
So while we may be removing ourselves
from being in a temptation we cannot resist,
it is better to gain strength against that
temptation, so that you will not have to
flee.
For then we can do what Yesus prayed for,
namely that we are being kept from evil,
while being in the world. Then we can
company with those people who do slackness,
and try to tell them about the Message of
Salvation that is for everyone.
Everywhere we go in this world, we will
see slackness. I mean, when you go to the
so-called Christian Industry, you will see
the same. When you go to the so-called
Churches, you will see the same. It's
everywhere!
So then, what do we have to do? Continue
to remove ourselves from every scene and
culture and industry? No! The Bible is clear
in that.
We should train ourselves into resisting
temptation. We should ask Jah to make us
immune as it were for the temptations. And
we do so, by focusing ourselves to the
things we have been given in Kristos.
When I was called, I was well into Reggae
Music. The music had already been used by
the Most High to teach me about His
existence so to speak. I had already done my
first steps in voicing over Dubs and you
could say that I was eating, drinking and
breathing Reggae Music continually.
Then I was called. It was august 6th,
1985. I spent a couple of years learning to
know Jah on a personal basis, before Yesus
showed me I am a Dreadlocksman and He led me
to start up a band and so on.
As a band, and in other settings as well,
I performed on stages where the average
so-called "Gospel" band would
never play. I have seen the enormous
influence that Reggae Music can have, truly
bringing some positive and good vibes where
it is oh, so necessary. I review music by
"non-Christians", et cetera. And
all of these artists are responsible for
themselves just what they do.
My own music will not carry slackness. It
will not carry occultic messages either. My
lyrics will be praising JAH, spreading the
true Gospel of Yesus Kristos. But I will not
be "preaching for the choir" as it
were, in order to keep myself in some safe
surrounding where I will never learn to
resist temptation.
I'm not saying, that I'm perfect. Far
from that! I'm not saying, that I never
engage temptation or worse, fall into traps.
I would be a liar, when I would claim such a
thing. And yes, I have also removed myself
from situations where the temptations were
"too strong to resist" as it were.
But as I can look back to over 20 years
in which I know myself to be born again
through Yesus Kristos, and I see that even
though I have sin in my flesh, Jah has kept
me from evil, and while I stayed in the same
calling as where I was in when I was called,
He made me stronger and stronger until I
reach where I am now.
I know, that just like Yesus was called a
fornicator and a drunkard because He
communicated with prostitutes and drank
wine, so are some of His disciples called in
the same way. I know, that some call me a
fornicator and a "drug user"
because I communicate with "slackness
artists", reviewing their music and am
not against herb smoking persay either.
But in this situation where I am in,
being a reviewer and an artist and so on, I
am who I am. I am (a) Messian Dread, I
follow Yesus Kristos my Lord God and Saviour.
I will tell everyone who wants to hear about
the Salvation that is in Him. I will chant
down Babylon and call people to step out of
her.
May we all grow to be strong, to be
immune for temptations, so that we can be
fruitful in the calling wherein we were when
we are called.
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