ARE P.O.D RASTA?

[drummercat777]

it would be nice if POD would decide of they are christians or not. i am not basing this on their dreads because i myself have dreads. nowhere in the bible does it say that one cannot be a christian if he has dreads. i mean, one of the strongest men in the bible or ever for that matter, sampson, had seven dreads. in the bible it says he had seven fat braids but when you consider his race and their coarse and wooly hair, his hair most likely dreaded up because i doubt he took the time to comb it out while he was slaying a thousand romans with a jaw bone.  it is based on the fact that they never once use the words God or Jesus in any of their songs. they instead use the word Jah. although this word is often associated with the rasta culture, it is in fact derived from the Hebrew word YAHWEY or God as well as other words to describe God such as
ABIJAH: Jah is Father

ADONIJAH: My Lord is Jah

AHIJAH: Brother of Jah

BEREKIAH: Jah blesses

DELAIAH: Freed by Jah

ELIJAH: Jah is God

HOSHAIAH: Jah has saved

IBNIJAH: Jah Builds

IRIJAH: Jah sees

ISAIAH: Jah is Savior

IZRAHIAH: Jah arises (or shines)

IZZIAH: Jah unites

JAHDIEL: Jah gives joy

JEREMIAH: Jah founds or exalts

MALKIJAH: My King is Jah

NEHEMIAH: Jah has comforted

OBADIAH: Servant of Jah

PEDAIAH: Jah Redeems

ZERAHIAH: Jah has risen
 
now as christians, we are able to use this word as long as we distinguish which GOD we are talking about. they have never once said that they believe in the One True God. i do know that they believe in a a mixture of christianity, judaism, and rastafarianism. here is an example....in one of their shows, they made Jesus with dreadlocks.

also, consider soem of the rasta phrases used by them in their music such as

JAH - The Rastafarian name for God.
BABYLON - Babylon is the Rastafarian term for the white political and church structure that has been holding the black race down for centuries.
I AND I – Rastafarian expression for oneness. `I and I' as being the oneness of two persons.
ZION – Ethiopia, Africa, the Rastafarian holy land.
TRIBAL – Rastafarians believe the black race is the reincarnation of the ancient tribes of Israel.

also, take into consideration their wearing of the colors, red,godl , and green. these colors are synonimous with the rasta culture and which are the colors of the ethiopian flag as shown on the star on sonny's shirt in on eof the photo's. also, sonny's and wuv's uncle, who is the guy playing congas in the photo with them, is a full fledged rasta himself and helped to raise them. it is really hard to tell wother or not they truly belive in God or Haile Sellassie....what do you guys think?

[C1]

After doing some research, their beliefs seem rather vague.  Here's a quote from their drummer in "Rolling Stone":

You were recently criticized by Christian radio talk-show host Dr. Dobson for forsaking your religious beliefs by touring with Ozzfest and Korn".
WUV: We respect the man, but he never had a conversation with us. Just because P.O.D. are a spiritual band doesn’t mean we adhere to any one religion, and all kinds of people want to use us as a symbol for their thing. There’s a thousand different definitions of what a Christian is, but we don’t feel like there are any lines."

and from another interview:

G1- P.O.D. is known for its religious beliefs, and Ozzfest can easily be viewed as a debauchery— you know, sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. Is there a conflict of interest?
MC- Yeah, but we're not necessarily a Christian band. We are, to an extent, a rock band that loves God, and we're not ashamed of that."
(Interview with Guitar One,
http://www.angelfire.com/rock/PODoutkast

And as for the Rasta influence, they say that they are heavilly influenced by Bob Marley.

"If you listen to old school reggae music and Marley himself, 95 percent of his lyrics are scripture, straight from the bible, the word of God. I used to listen to reggae music and it made me a peaceful person. . . when I identified with a music, it was reggae music. We definitely respect that culture."

-Sonny Scandoval, POD singer

Unfortunately, Bob Marley was as anti-Jesus as someone can get. 

"Indeed, Marley and his fellow musicians regard themselves as missionaries, dedicated to spreading the truth of Jah Rastafari. ‘It was a crusade, it was a mission.’ Remembers Judy Mowatt [one of Marley’s I-Threes backup singers]. ‘We were like sentinels, like lights. On tour the shows were like church; Bob delivering the sermon. . . ‘"
(Sean Dolan, Bob Marley, p. 95)

Here's a line from one of Marley's more famous songs:

We sick an' tired of your @#$%^&*@ game,
Die and go to heaven in Jesus name.
We know when we understand:
Almighty God is a living man.
You can fool some people sometimes,
But you can't fool all the people all the time.
And now we’ve seen the light (What you gonna do?),
We gonna stand up for our rights! (Yeah, yeah, yeah!)

It seams to me like the members of POD have, like many others, been decieved.  Are they really Christian?  Maybe.  All I know is that they need to clear some stuff up, because I'm confused.

[C1]

...and another thought...POD is in a siruation where they have both Christians and non-Christians hearing what they have to say.  They have the chance to do some incredible things in the name of Jesus.  The world is watching.

[Eccentric-Rhythm]

I cant recall the source, I need to dig, but I do recall one of the members (believe it was the lead singer) that was being interviewed and the statement arose about them being a christian band. He said that they were not, and never claimed to be. People were just tagging them with that title.

I personally have never came close to labeling them or tagging them as a Christian group. To me, they are far from it. a Rasta "Spiritual" Group is more fitting.

JMHO. dont persacute me please.

God Bless.

[drummercat777]

Unfortunately, Bob Marley was as anti-Jesus as someone can get.

true, but did you know that 7 months before his death, that Marley was converted to christianity? he was buried in the episcopal church of jamaica and you have to be a member of the church to be buried by them. also, the guy that converted him was personally sent out by the man that rastas believe to be the 2nd Christ, King Haile Sellasie himself who was actually a Chirstian!!!!

[C1]

true, but did you know that 7 months before his death, that Marley was converted to christianity? he was buried in the episcopal church of jamaica and you have to be a member of the church to be buried by them. also, the guy that converted him was personally sent out by the man that rastas believe to be the 2nd Christ, King Haile Sellasie himself who was actually a Chirstian!!!!

I did not know that.

[Ibilddrums]

Yeah I knew this thread would start sooner or later after my pics went up...
In my mind P.O.D. never meant to be a Christian Rock/Rap/Metal band. I think that's more of a media move. Living in San Diego, I am able to connect with people that knew them growing up and so on....and after asking around I found out that the conga player with the band a couple days ago at this concert I went to is uncle to Sonny (lead singer) and WUV(drums). Sonny and Wuv are cousins and their unlce somewhat reaised the two of them and they did not grow up christian. Some people tell me their uncle is a Rasta and I can only believe that they're uncle was imperative in their spritual rearing if he did in fact partially raise them
Someone emailed me a link to an article and this is what they have to say about their beliefs...

P.O.D. includes Sandoval, his cousin Wuv on drums, and their mutual friend Marcos on guitar. They all grew up in the gritty Southtown neighborhood of San Diego, not far from Tijuana. (A bassist, named Traa, came from Cleveland.) When Sonny's mother lay dying of cancer, it moved him, as he told Synge.com: "I wasn't raised Christian, but as I continued to get older, most of my family were becoming Christian, and I was watching their lives change. And when my mom … was on her dying bed and stuff, I had to make a decision: Am I going to keep living this way? Am I going to keep doing this? Or am I going to trust in God and make a change out of my life?"

Wuv's father was a drug dealer who lived in the streets for three years. When his dad became a Christian, Wuv says in a band bio, "He would bring me to church and I started to see God change my dad's life. … We have a lot to be thankful for, so we just try to tell people about being positive and spreading love, instead of all the negative stuff that goes on." After a show, the group may talk with young fans for hours.

And I did see them speak with fans for a long time... I didn't approach them after the show... but I have a feeling we'lll meet up down the road as they seem to be some pretty chill and approachable guys.
I know they're upbringing definitly influences their sound and lifestyle. And they're unique enviroment growing up shifts their belief system a little differently than the norm.
I know they don't like to be called a Christian Band because they aren't...

Originally called the Catfish Christians, the band later shunned the religious name for its current three-letter acronym. But the music industry has persisted in labeling the band's sound as "Christian rock," and it's a moniker they don't take too kindly to. "I believe in Christ with all my heart, mind and soul," singer Sandoval once told USA Today. "But when people label you 'Christian rock,' it's segregation, and it tells somebody who doesn't believe that they can't listen to this music because we write for Christians. We never have."
http://entertainment.signonsandiego.com/profile/180796

I didn't go to the Bible bookstore when the Testify album came out... I doubt that it would've been there, I still haven't checked.
P.O.D. is a great BAND with talented individuals that make some great music from my home town.
If they say they love JESUS that's RAD and I like them even more...

[Audiocr381ve]

They live about 10 minutes away from me and they are always at their store here in S.D. Awesome dudes.

Not everyone has the same calling. Don't question thier calling. Maybe they are reaching the lost behind the scenes or in different ways we can't understand. Maybe they aren't. We don't know how God is moving in their lives and through their band. And I'm sure it must be aggravating that this conversation comes up almost everytime their name P.O.D. is mentioned. BELIEVE THE BEST ABOUT THEM.

P.O.D brought thousands to the Miles Ahead REVOLUTioN concert a couple of days ago here in SAn Diego July 4th. It was FREEEEEE FREEEEE FREEEEE concert featuring P.O.D and kirk franklin hosted by Miles McPherson's church "The Rock" and I witnessed over ONE THOUSAND people get saved that night. Over 300 redidications. The majority of the 15000 in the crowd came to see P.o.D.

We don't know how God is using them. I stood and watched these hundreds of rockers get saved. I'll listen to you when you can show me these results. 

[Eccentric-Rhythm]

They live about 10 minutes away from me and they are always at their store here in S.D. Awesome dudes.

Not everyone has the same calling. Don't question thier calling. Maybe they are reaching the lost behind the scenes or in different ways we can't understand. Maybe they aren't. We don't know how God is moving in their lives and through their band. And I'm sure it must be aggravating that this conversation comes up almost everytime their name P.O.D. is mentioned. BELIEVE THE BEST ABOUT THEM.

P.O.D brought thousands to the Miles Ahead REVOLUTioN concert a couple of days ago here in SAn Diego July 4th. It was FREEEEEE FREEEEE FREEEEE concert featuring P.O.D and kirk franklin hosted by Miles McPherson's church "The Rock" and I witnessed over ONE THOUSAND people get saved that night. Over 300 redidications. The majority of the 15000 in the crowd came to see P.o.D.

We don't know how God is using them. I stood and watched these hundreds of rockers get saved. I'll listen to you when you can show me these results. 

Yo, is that you in the Avatar????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

[JoeLove]

I would say that they handle the media very well - 'Christian' bands get slammed if they are too open, and the positive effect POD have on youths is worth more than them being overtly explicit about their beliefs.

I would say that most religions have a massive part that is good and Godly, Muslims, Rastas, Sikhs and Jews all are striving to find the way, and many put us to shame with their knowledge of scripture, but they have missed Jesus - the One True Way.

Most of the terms used commonly in Rastafarianism all find their root in the Old Testament, so Jah, Bablyon and Zion are all acceptable!  But I don't understand why anyone would want to refer to the Old T, seeing as Jesus fulfilled it all and showed us a new way!

Its like when Christians say "I want to be like a Nazarite" because of the strength and discipline associated with Samson etc, but I always say "Just be like Jesus", He is incomparably greater than any great man from the Old Testament!

[drummercat777]

Most of the terms used commonly in Rastafarianism all find their root in the Old Testament, so Jah, Bablyon and Zion are all acceptable!

ok, yeah they are all in the old testament......but, they also all had different meanings than they do when said by a rasta. for example....

Zion-originally, was the name of the city of God. for the rastas, is used to describe ethiopia which is their holy land
Babylon-originally, was a wicked city. for rastas, this means a evil white culture that holds that black man down
Jah-originally, was a name for God. for rastas, they are refering to his majesty Haille Sellasie, whom they to believe the 2nd Christ although he himself was a Christian.

let me make it clear that i am in no way trying to make anyone upset. i am just stating that a good word, said by the wrong person, can become a bad word. we need to show rastas that in order to be a fulfilled rasta, that they need to take the advice of the guy they worship, and become a Christian...just wait and see what the Lord does in the cariibbean!!!! it will blow your minds....

[Ibilddrums]

I'm not trying to beat a dead horse or anything but I found some more interview stuff with POD on MTV's site.....
See.... kids that are into Headbangers Ball and so on could very possibly find out about God's grace through this band's lifestyle....

http://www.mtv.com/bands/p/pod/news_feature_031124/

To carry on, Wuv and Sandoval had only to put the situation into perspective. For some bands, losing a founding member is tragic, but the members of P.O.D. know real tragedy. "Dealing with the Marcos thing," Sandoval says, "is a cakewalk compared to what we've been through."

He and Wuv grew up in troubled households in one of the more impoverished areas of San Diego. Wuv's parents were 15 when he was born; Sandoval's weren't much older. Both families struggled with alcoholism and drug abuse, and Wuv's dad was even a dealer. "At the time you don't really think that it's horrifying because you don't know anything different," Sandoval explains. "You think that it's normal, you think that it's life."

The climb back up the ladder began when Wuv's dad discovered Christianity and introduced the precepts to the rest of his family. Gradually both parents were able to clean up and put their lives back together. It was then that Wuv embraced religion as well. "I watched them hit rock bottom," the drummer recalls, "and then I saw them climb back."

After Wuv's family turned to spirituality, the Sandovals followed suit. Sonny's mom started reading the Bible and encouraged her kids to seek salvation. At first Sonny wasn't interested. Then his mom was stricken with cancer and died. "I was sitting there watching her suffer," he remembers, "and I said, 'What's the purpose? Why does anything matter?'

   "When I reached than moment of being at rock bottom," Sandoval says, "I prayed to God. ... That was the point where I said to myself, 'Enough messing around, enough goofing off and getting into trouble. There's more to life than just little old me. I need to do something that means something and find something real.' "

And what he found has taken him further than he ever expected — on tours around the world and to the upper reaches of sales and airplay charts. Some find a contradiction in that a bunch of Christians have created such powerful, aggressive music. Wuv thinks it's odd that people continue to be so narrow-minded.

     "We're really positive, and we want to share that with the world ..."    
"There's a lot of power and energy in us," he says. "A lot of that power comes from our faith and our beliefs. We're really positive, and we want to share that with the world. As soon as you walk out the door you're hit with all this negative stuff. Why add to that pile? And the bands that we look up to — whether it be Santana, the Police or Bob Marley — when we listen to them, they uplift us and make us feel good. We wanted to have that effect on our fans because I don't want to get depressed and feel negative when I'm listening to music."



   Relaxing in the "TRL" lounge, Sandoval wears a brown knit hat decorated with thin red, yellow and green stripes over his knotted dreadlocks. Later, when he tests the microphone level, he speaks with a Jamaican accent. The singer's Rastaman vibrations echo throughout Payable on Death.

"Execute the Sounds" starts with a reggae vocal and features the lyrics "Jah know, I man stay true/ You know, Jah know the real who and who." And in the chorus of "Freedom Fighters," Sandoval sings, "Freedom fighters, ignite Jah." P.O.D. drive the message home with a bobbing reggae passage halfway through the tune. Wuv says he and Sandoval were listening to reggae long before they discovered the good book, and they've found natural parallels between the two.

     "I've always looked for peace first ..."    
"I think Rasta and Christianity have come very close together except, you know, obviously the different beliefs of the second coming of Christ and who Christ was," Sandoval explains. "You listen to Marley's tracks and a lot of old-school reggae music, and 95 percent of that is straight scripture. They're telling old Bible hymns and stories about Moses and Noah and Elijah. And now I realize that whenever I've had fights or troubles, I've always looked for peace first. And it's because of a lot of the reggae that I'm listening to is about choosing to accept peace and love rather than hate. So I figured why not incorporate more of that style in our music."

While Sandoval seeks solace and inspiration from the relaxing cadences and messages of unity in reggae, he doesn't partake in the recreational activities of the culture. He may have a beer or two from time to time, but weed is no longer part of his diet. "Man, I smoked enough weed back in the day to last me a lifetime," he says with a laugh. "But you know, when I said I wanted to be a Christian and make sacrifices in my life, that smoking weed was one of the most important things to me in this world. And I had to make that sacrifice to prove to myself I was for real."

[C1]

cool stuff

[Tuga]

Our band toured with POD for a couple of months, so I hung out with all of them almost everyday. They are definitely believers.

[drummercat777]

its cool that sonny gave up weed, but that doesn't mean he is a believer. i know of Christians that smoke weed. that is the thing about young kids, they try to justify smoking pot by claiming to be rasta. rasta is more than just smokin weed and so is Christianity. i need to know that you are living your life for God whole heartedly instead of quiiting weed so that you look like one. God wants you to BE one......

[bigblackdrummer]

You know its funny but WHY in the heck do Christians always want to Christianize secular bands! AND then when the band doest not come through as christian as they would like they get offended! I don't listen to James Dobson too much sometimes his ministries approach to dealing with kids and life is unrealistic!

All I can say is Ive seen POD in several situations and they always professed the Lord. Come on ! What better place to be a light then oz fest or anything like that. James and his people make anything secular out to be bad and that's not right! POD is a light where James isn't! Ive heard other bands like DC Talk refer to Christ in a rasta sense, its just cool to them and they arnt taking it the way you are or they really don't understand and think its some cool Jamaican way of saying God.

[uprising_bassist7]

Jamaica all the way