IS GOD'S NAME JAH? OR IS GOD'S NAME "THE LORD"?
Jah From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "Jah is the name commonly used for God in the Rastafari movement. It comes from the Hebrew éÈäÌ = Yah [Jah]. Jah (Yah) is often used as a shortened form of the name Jehovah¹ or Yahweh. Thus, the term Hallelujah would mean "Praise Jah." The name Jah is heard in Regge lyrics. In the West Indies, the recent popularity of Christian reggae has led to the use of the name "Jah". P.O.D. has also controversially popularized Rastafarian terms such as "Jah" among young Christians. According to the band, they use such terms to refer to elements of the Bible."
Christafari is a Gospel Reggae band who is Pentacostal . Though I myself am not Pentacostal, I think they have written an outstanding article on their offical web site answering the question of why they use the name "Jah."
I believe that the truely reasoning minded person, whether they be of Protestant, Catholic, Rasta or Bible Student background would find many of their points both simply factual as well as bibical. The article starts off by a question made from someone who displays much ignorance in knowing their own church roots in Judeo-Christianity by asking Christafari:
"Why do you use the name Jah as a substitute for God in your songs?"
...As if to imply that the word "God" IS a "name"...Yet 1 Corthians 8:5 says clearly that, "There are MANY gods and MANY Lords"....but that, "There is ONE God Jah and One Lord Jesus Christ through whom all things came into being."
This is the Name of God as Shown on this picture of a stain glass window of a church in France. So 'if' the name Jah was NOT Biblical and Christian then what would it being doing in a window of a church?
WHICH LORD AND WHICH GOD?
Again, WHO is God "The Father"? Isaiah 12:2 and Matthew 6:9 confirms: "Jah Jahweh" (Jehovah). And WHO is "The Lord and Savior"? and "God's Son"? 1 Peter 1:3 confirms that it is "Jesus Christ." So "Lord" and "God" are 'titles' that both Jah and Jesus use.
Unforuantly, a majority of Christian churches who claim to be "orthodox" and Bibical are ignorant of the Fact that it is not just God's son who actually has a name but also that the Father God also has a name.
JAH...A FALSE GOD? OR THE GOD OF THE BIBLE?
This lack of wisdom was made very clear in the example of the story Christafari tells of how when they first tried to get there Gospel reggae songs played on the Christian radio station in Jamaica. When the 'Christian' disk jockey heard the name "Jah" sung he imediently yanked Christafari's album off the air.
The lead singer Mark Mohr expressed being shocked and puzzled at the Christian radio station's reaction. But a fellow band member who was used to the Christians on the Island said it was well known that the name "Jah" was dispised by all the Protestant churches through the Carribean.
Though Mark speaks of being shocked at their reaction, he also admit remembering how when he first joined the Pentacostal church after previously having been Rasta he himself, "Thought of "Jah" as a false god." And that he, "through the name "Jah" out WITH the name "Ras Tafari!"..He then says, "It was SOME time till a fellow Christian reggae artists reminded me and pointed out to me that the name "Jah" WAS BIBICAL"...
He explained that this fellow Christian Reggae artists SHOWED HIM FROM THE BIBLE WHERE the NAME Jah was and that after this is dedicated himslef to using it and educating fellow Christians about it. I am most glad that Mark and Christafari saw this Bibical wisdom, but at the same time I am puzzled how it is that Mark could have converted to Born Again Christianity through the Pentacostal church..which claims to be Bibical..and yet be left uneducated "for SOME TIME" about Jah's name actually being IN the BIBLE.
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