# What if The Messiah Came from Ethiopia Instead of Bethlehem? by Gregory Grahl

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/free-inquiry-audio-edition-7055830/what-if-the-messiah-came-from-ethiopia-instead-of-bethlehem-by-gregory-grahl
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/free-inquiry-audio-edition-7055830/what-if-the-messiah-came-from-ethiopia-instead-of-bethlehem-by-gregory-grahl.md
Podcast: [Free Inquiry Audio Edition](https://stenobird.com/podcast/free-inquiry-audio-edition-7055830)
Published: 2026-02-03T17:10:00+00:00
Episode link: https://646ef2be-1f48-43ae-b5f1-b4ac9bd4e95a.libsyn.com/what-if-the-messiah-came-from-ethiopia-instead-of-bethlehem-by-gregory-grahl
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Duration seconds: 1021

## Resource

Gregory Grahl uses the rise of Rastafarianism and the messianic veneration of Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie to illustrate how religious movements can form around real historical figures through mythmaking, devotion, and cultural need. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/2026/01/what-if-the-messiah-came-from-ethiopia-instead-of-bethlehem/ About the Author: Gregory Grahl's essays have appeared in Cool and Strange Music and his poetry in The Red Wheelbarrow. His play, When the Diagnosis Is the Cure, is about a family torn apart when their son wants a gender-transition. Grahl lives in New Jersey with his wife Frances—a teacher and published poet. Subscribe to Free Inquiry: https://secularhumanism.org/subscribe/ Free Inquiry Audio Edition is a production of The Council for Secular Humanism and the Center for Inquiry.

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