While some will call Rastafarianism a religion, others will say that Rastafarianism is a kind of spiritual consciousness because the Rastas lack a great deal of what is central for other religions while still retaining a belief in a God. There aren't too many organised Rasta 'churches', and the closest thing you would come to a church will probably be Rasta organisations like 'The Twelve Tribes of Israel', the 'Nyabinghi Order' and especially the 'Bobo Dreads'. Rastafarianism also lacks a confession of fate, which most other religious systems will have. So the question will remain open if this is a religion or a spiritual consciousness where everyone calling him/herself a Rasta will be more or less free to believe in what they like.
As already mentioned, Rastafarianism is not just a religion or spiritual consciousness, but also a way of life. This encompasses among other things food, called Ital food. Rastas are supposed to be vegetarians, while some eat fish, the Ital food consists only of vegetables and spices, not including salt, which for health reasons are not used in cooking. The food is very healthy, as health is also generally very important to Rastas. You will seldom see an unhealthy Rasta. Rastas also smoke ganja, or marijuana as it's more commonly known, but this is not something you have to do. The smoking of ganja is founded on Bible passages describing how ganja was used in ancient times by people like King Solomon, and the Rastas see it as a way to ease the way to commune with Jah. But there are even a small number of Rastas who do not smoke it on the grounds that easy ways out to reach a 'communion' with Jah should not be sought.
The Rasta way of life also encompasses a social side, where the lives and rights of everyone, but especially of the poor, are taken into account. They believe that everyone deserves and has the right to freedom, and more than anything else a belief in equal rights for everyone. The question of dreadlocks or no dreadlocks is not so important, even if most Rastas will have them. Even one of today's reggae groups sing a song that's called, 'You don't haffi (have to have) dread to be Rasta' (Morgan Heritage). It's more to do with how you behave, act and what you believe in, than how you look.
Even the language of the Rastas has changed the Jamaican Patois language, where many of the expressions unique to Jamaica originated in Rastafarianism, like 'I and I', meaning we.
The religion is therefore called "Santeria" or the way of the saints. According to Migene Gonzalez-Wippler Santeria is neither a cult or a sect. "It is a monotheistic religion, where God is seen as the creator of the Universe and of humanity. The orishas, syncretized with catholic saints, are repositories of God’s powers and the mediators between humanity and the Supreme Being. During this same period the Lukumi religion was also developed. The Lukumi religion is very similar to that of Santeria, while Santeria utlizes the Catholic Saints and prayers for ritualistic purposes Lukumi does not. Lukumi tends to make African images to represent the Orisha and makes little or no use of Christian prayers. The Lukumi religion is a less diluted form of Orisha worship and was mostly concentrated in Cuba.
The Amish religion is one of high standards. They strive to keep away from modernism and to keep the basic principles of their faith. The Amish live on their own and care for their own things without the help of outsiders. By isolating themselves from the modern world the Amish keep a strong faith. They have good values and try to continue showing those values through their children and grandchildren.
The Honorable Marcus Garvey, Prince Emi tianuel, and [laile Selassie are revered as the Trinity (King, Prophet, and Priest). In the floly ritu us of Nyh~binghi, the chantiug of songs with the beating of the (congos) drums is the raising of the spirit of God in man assisted by the sacramental herb (marijuana). (See Exhibit (A) P.S. I., Exhibit (B) Newspaper) (See Mircea ~adeEncclediaofReliion 96-97 (1 9(~~9); Rastafarian religion is among the 1,558 religious groups of American Religions 870-71(1991); Standard description of the religion eniphasizes the use of marijuana in cultiq ceremonies designed to bring the believer closer to the divinity and to enhance unity among believers. Functionally, IUarijuana~known as Ganja in the language of tile religion~operates as a sacrament with tile power to raise the partakers above the mundane and to enhance their spiritual unity.
Rasta’s believe that they are Israelites and that the white persons have been persecuting them as a form of punishment. They believe in the days of slavery they were removed from Ethiopia and brought to Jamaica, but they believe that one day they will be returned to Ethiopia. They believe that they are the true Israelites, the fact that they adhere to the laws in the Old Testament. No sharp materials is to be used to damage man as was said in Leviticus 21:5 “They shall not make baldness upon their heads, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cutting in their flesh.” They still adhere to the ancient laws of Ethiopia and they also condemn hate, jealousy, envy, deceit, craftiness and treachery.
There are also words taken from Spanish, Arawak, French, Chinese, Portuguese, and East Indian languages. Although pronounced similarly in Standard English, the patois preserves many 17th- and 18th-century expressions in common use during the early British colonial settlement of Jamaica.”
Although an imperfect label, "NRM" continues to be the most helpful one available, and it has achieved a level of acceptance in general discourse about religion that other labels have not (Ashcraft, 2005). Santeria and Catholic are two similar yet, different type of religions but have the same solid belief in a heavenly father. With many different rituals and causes, by having unbalanced elements to what this new religion is, for one - Santeria to me is used as protection among evil worships but, Santeria can create good luck and bad luck to harm others with their voodoo dolls or spells. Santeria also is like a rite of passage - it's not something you get baptized in to when you’re a child, you must perform a ritual to get in and learn the way of becoming a Orisha. From generation to generation, aside from god - there are many higher beings for every type of problem one can have, you pray to that image and bring it an offering. Santeria has no holy place like a church so, this practice is commonly done in a house or a botanica (spiritual Hispanic store). Sacrifices are made, such as slaughtering animals for their blood - to offer it to an image in return for something positive or wishing misfortune upon
“Jamaicans in the mid-1950’s were familiar with who they should stay away from. Specifically that strange tribe of outcasts known as Rastafarians: even the downtown ghetto-dwellers knew that these eccentric-appearing individuals – known at the time on the island as ‘beardmen’ – carried pieces of dead bodies in the bags they all bore.”
Despite the often negative image projected in the press and other writings, the Rastafarian movement has grown at a rapid rate. In 1977, an estimated 75,000 native Jamaicans were followers of Rastafari (Davis and Simon, Reggae Bloodlines, 63). By 1988, Barrett conservatively calculated the membership of the worldwide movement to be 300,000 (2). Forsythe observed that Rastafarianism "represents a growing force wherever sizable West Indian communities are found--in Britain, Canada, the USA and in the Caribbean" (63).
Since the time of its establishment the Rastafarian religion has grown to become more than a movement of major cultural and political force in Jamaica. But rather it has taken the path of being the form of resistance that has challenged Jamaica’s “neo-colonist society’s attempt to keep whites at the top and blacks at the bottom of the socio-economic structure” (King-Jensen 17). The Rastafarian movement adapted some elements of the Nazarite vow as part of the religion. The vow entails that individuals should abstain from wine, vinegars, grapes, and intoxicating liquors. They should stop cutting their hair to allow for the locks to grow in their hair. The practices Rasta’s abide by are significant to their resistance against the norms of society.
In keeping with the general theme of the religions studied, Rastafari is a syncretic religion combining Jamaican, Ethiopian, and Christian beliefs. Like the other religions, Rastafari is monotheistic, worshipping the Abrahamic God, Yah, and his divine son, Yeshua. However, unlike in traditional Christianity, which believes Yeshua, or Jesus, has not returned to Earth, Rastafari believe Yeshua to have been reincarnated as Haile Selassie, the former Emperor of Ethiopia; thus, Rastafari believe Ethiopia to be
Reggae music is a very powerful way of communicating a message to its listener’s. Reggae has evolved over time from many different types of music and lots of different forms from ska to reggae. The history of reggae starts over 400 years ago in the days of slavery. Under the severe oppression of slavery the African people tried to hold on the pieces of their culture that they could. Music and dance were among the most important cultural traditions retained by the African people. These African rhythms gave way to mento, which gave rise to Rastafarian chants, which in turn gave way to ska and then rocksteady. (Potash, 29) When reggae music is thought of, Jamaica is instantly the word that comes to most peoples mind. Reggae music is also associated closely with the smoking of ganja. Generally people are uneducated about Rastafarianism, and don’t know that smoking marijuana is a sacrament of their religion. Just like Christians eat bread and drink wine at mass, for the Rastafarians ganja is a way to get closer to Jah or their God. The Rastafarian's God was proclaimed Haile Selassie the King of Ethiopia. The man who predicted this was Marcus Garvey a native Jamaican was an advocate of black unity and pride. Garvey was the one who told the African people that their savior would be the next king crowned in Africa. The Jamaican people revered Garvey and believed in what he preached, and when Haile Selassie was crowned the king of Ethiopia the Rastafarian people rejoiced with their new God, Haile Selassie. The Rastafarian’s loved Selassie, even though Selassie didn’t ask or want to be their God. Selassie made a visit to Jamaica in April of 1966, and when he first landed the thousands of Ras...
Marley had dreads as a style because the cutting of the hair was forbidden in his religion (Bob, Encyclopedia of World Biography). Rastafarianism also included “…the divinity of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I, preaching peace, love, and racial reconciliation, promising repatriation to Zion…Marley wore his hair fourteen-inch-long ‘dreadlocks’ or ‘natty dreads’ (long serpentine plaits of hair that according to tradition were never cut or combed), chain-smoked ‘spliffs’ of the ‘holy herb’, was a vegetarian, and abhorred the use of alcohol” (Sims, 6). Marley became really involved in the religion which lead to also incorporating his faith into his music (Bob, St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture). In the year 1979, “Bob Marley was a global superstar fighting accusations of selling out his roots with the deliberately commercial Kaya by reigniting his political conscience with that year’s Survival (Needs, 1).
Rastafari is a theology based upon the writings of Marcus Garvey a Jamaican social activist. The movement’s global spread from Jamaica across the world has been strongly influenced by Bob Marley and closely associated with reggae. Many of Marley’s songs captured the essence of Rastafari religion and its social and political beliefs. (bbc.co.uk, 2014)
“Though raised as a Catholic, Marley became interested in Rastafari beliefs in the 1960s, when away from his mother's influence. After returning to Jamaica, Marley formally converted to Rastafari and began to grow dreadlocks.” (Wikipedia) Throughout the 60s Marley travelled around with The Wailers recording purely reggae music in Jamaica spreading Rastafarianism. After an attempt on his and his wife’s