The self-proclaimed 'Messiah' in full regalia. - Contributed Photos Paul H. Williams, Gleaner Writer
Wayne Saunders' life as a Rastaman has always been eventful, full of controversy and colour. He claims he is the Messiah sent by God, and no less than the reincarnation of Selassie I. A prophet, a visionary, he maintains he is, and, of course, there are those who doubt him. As such, he earned himself many enemies on his spiritual journey. But, he was not prepared for his biggest challenge when his already interesting life took a very unholy detour, late 1999.
A Rastawoman, whom he knew, shook his hand, and suddenly he felt a very cold sensation radiating through his body. At once, he was possessed by demons. The wicked tentacles of evil had grabbed and tossed him into a world of iniquity. He was now Satan's lieutenant, and he felt the urge to unleash his wrath upon all and sundry.
"I notice I have certain tendency where something within me, I don't have any control over it ... to warn people, like if people don't want to repent, I have the power to kill them ... I get angry at certain people ... in the middle of that I still restrain myself," he recollected.
And, the voices, the ones in his head, were now his masters; he went wherever they sent him, obeying their orders without question, and his life was no longer his. He knew they were demonic forces because they told him "to go into fire", but he couldn't control them. At one stage, he thought one of the voices was that of the Almighty, and he became fearless. Confusion now reigned, as he realised that there were two main voices talking to him, "the negative voice and the positive voice".
'Negative' won
The 'negative' one seemed to have won, however, as the fire that the 'demonic forces' surrounded him with was now scorching everybody and everything around him, and he fuelled the flames of discontent. His father and one of his dogs were to suffer the most.
"It mek mi do a lot of bad things, like burn down house, tek out my father eyes, hold the dog and hang him, beat him and tek out him eye, and throw him down the pit," he claimed, "I take out my father's eyes (with my bare hands) because I was commanded to so by demonic force. I know I'm doing it, but I never have no control." This was January 2000.
He continued, "The forces also commanded me to commit suicide ... but I never attempt to, I was contemplating about it ... because the force told me that I must look where a coming from, a rich, rich man who use to have so much thousand, millions of dollars and end up losing everything - and the spirit even tell me say, 'Look, yuh nuh see yuh lose everything, go turn a homosexual then, if you don't want to commit suicide,' and when a really think about it, I say, howcan a man like me preaching so much truth against homosexuals, and at the same time must turn one, this could never be right, I could never turn one." But, we are turning back to the issue of his father's eyes. What became of them?
He said, "I put one in my right pocket and one in my left pocket ... and when I put back my hands in my pocket to tek dem out, the eyes disappeared." He was never arrested for his ghastly deed, but was taken to Bellevue, where he stayed for a week. His father underwent emergency surgery, but is now obviously blind forever.
'I will speak the word'
Wayne Saunders shows the wounds left by a bullet during a fracas with the police at his home earlier this year.
However, Wayne doesn't agree; he believes his father, who has forgiven him, will regain his sight. With conviction he said, "And I know one day, one day, very soon, I will just speak the word and he get back the eye."
Now fully aware of the "abominable things" he was doing, the 'Messiah' cut off his dreadlocks, because he had broken his vow and was living a sinful life. His dreadlocks "represented righteous"; they "represented that a make a vow that I would follow my father as long as I live - I break the vow, so I have to cut the locks and start all over again."
However, in a society which does not empathise with those who are agents of the Devil, he was to find himself in hot water with his neighbours and some family members, strangers, and the law. He had many run-ins with the police, and he was marked for death by persons who believe he was wicked and vile, and simply mad. Bellevue beckoned many times, but he always found himself out because he said he was not mad. In fact, he said if he had stayed he would have actually gone loco. How so?
The medication they gave him, he claimed, negatively affected him psychologically and physically. "I was put on psychiatric medication, but I never was taking them, because when I take it, it take away my nature, and it make me feel sleepy, make me feel very drowsy, make me feel dizzy, make me lose control, can't make a conscious reasoning - medication mess me up," he declared. Upon refusing to take any more, he "come back normal, normal, normal". He surmised if he had continued taking his medicine he "would get addicted - and eventually turn a zombie".
Escaping from Bellevue was never the solution, however, because he had to return home to confront his demons, a whole legion of them.
Gone, never to return
Then one day, while he was cooking, he felt as if a heavy stone had been removed from his head. He was overwhelmed by a sudden erotic euphoria and he felt unspeakable pleasure in his mid-section. He knew what was happening; the demons were leaving his body, gone, everyone, never to return.
With the exit of the demons, he embarked upon a life of perfection, and has made sacrifices to maintain his perfection. He claims he has no sin as he lives according to the 613 Torah, which is the first five books of Moses. He doesn't lie and covet, forgives everyone who does him wrong. Alcoholic beverages and cigarettes are out of his life. He has control over his belly, tongue, thoughts, and 'nature'. Lusting at brown women is a thing of the past, and he is now celibate. Masturbation is not a option.
But, Wayne Saunders has opted to go nude in public, about which he said, "Because I don't have no sin, I don't have nothing hiding, 'cause when you don't have sin you have no shame ..." Nudity to him signifies perfection, but for the police, public nudity is against the law, and the two ideas clashed from time to time, resulting in his being removed from the streets. Several times he has been beaten, stoned and 'bottled' for this naked demonstration of perfection.
'Perfect' life
He wants everybody to live this 'perfect' life. It's all about sacrifice and obedience, mind over matter, he urged. But, it is a struggle to get some people to believe him, to obey him, and to heed his warnings; with his notorious past, they are still not kind to him. Earlier this year, he was allegedly shot by the police in a leg, as they attempted to remove him from his bedroom for another trip to you know where.
Yet, he won't give up the fight to be perfect, as he said, "My perfect life ... will keep me on the Earth forever and ever ... I have a prophecy to fulfil, which is Revelation 11 about the two witness. I am one of the witness and I know that I will die for just three and a half days, (after which) I will come back to life and ascend to heaven, according to the prophecy ... the heaven will come down to Earth ... and I will live on Earth forever."
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