Lesson 53 Explore 3: The Bible Changes Lives

AGE: 34
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: ZAMBIA
HISTORY: RASTAFARIAN

MY PAST: I was born in a refugee camp in Zambia. My mother had fled Namibia during a time of war and had joined the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO). This organization was fighting the South African regime that ruled Namibia at the time.

I lived in several refugee camps during the first 15 years of my life. Young ones in the SWAPO camps were groomed as pioneers for the liberation movement. We were politically indoctrinated and were taught to hate white people.

When I was 11, I wanted to be confirmed as a Christian in a camp church that was a conglomeration of Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, and others. The pastor I talked to discouraged me from taking this step. From then on, I became atheistic in my beliefs. At age 15, though, my love for reggae music and my desire to undo some of the injustices suffered by black Africans led me to join the Rastafarian movement. I grew dreadlocks, smoked marijuana, gave up eating meat, and advocated freedom for blacks. However, I did not change my immoral lifestyle or give up watching violent movies. And I continued to use vulgar speech.

HOW THE BIBLE CHANGED MY LIFE: In 1995, when I was about 20, I began thinking seriously about the course my life should take. I was studying all the Rastafarian publications I could find. Some of those made reference to the Bible, but the explanations did not make sense to me. So I decided to read the Bible for myself.

Later, a Rastafarian friend gave me a Bible study handbook published by Jehovah’s Witnesses. On my own, I studied this publication along with the Bible. Later, I met Jehovah’s Witnesses and continued my Bible study with them.

With great effort, I stopped smoking and heavy drinking. (2 Corinthians 7:1)

I cleaned up my appearance, cut my dreadlocks, stopped viewing pornography and violent movies, and held back from using vulgar speech. (Ephesians 5:3, 4)

Eventually, I even overcame my prejudice against white people. (Acts 10:34, 35)

Making these changes involved getting rid of music that encouraged racism and cutting off association with my former friends, who would try to influence me to fall back into my old lifestyle.

After making those changes, I looked for a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses and asked to join the religion. A Bible study was conducted with me. When I decided to get baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, my family was not happy. My mother told me to choose any other “Christian” religion but not Jehovah’s Witnesses. One of my uncles, who was a prominent member of the government, constantly criticized me for my decision to associate with the Witnesses.

However, learning about how Jesus dealt with people and then applying his counsel helped me to cope with opposition and ridicule. When I compared what the Witnesses teach with what the Bible says, I was convinced that I had found the true religion. For example, they follow the Bible’s command to preach to others. (Matthew 28:19, 20; Acts 15:14)

And they do not become involved in politics.-Psalm 146:3, 4; John 15:17, 18.

HOW I HAVE BENEFITED: Learning to live by Bible standards has helped me in practical ways. For example, giving up marijuana has saved me from wasting hundreds of dollars each month. I no longer have hallucinations, and my mental and physical health have improved.

My life now has the direction and purpose that I had yearned for since I was a youth. And most important of all, I now feel that I have been able to draw close to God.-James 4:8.