Rastafarianism

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Rastafarianism stems from the African culture and dates back to the 1800's when it was created. It is belief to be a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion that rose from a Christian culture in Jamaica. Rastafarianism started with enslaved Afro-Jamaican and developed among poor Jamaicans who felt oppressed. It is a religion that is closely tied to Ethiopia and Jamaica, but widespread to many other African countries. It later even spread to many different parts of the world as many gained more knowledge about the religion and missionaries began to travel abroad. The religion itself is composed of many different rituals that include reasoning and the nyabinghi. It includes its own sacred traditions and sacred objects, which carry great importance to the followers of the group or the Rastafarians. Rastafarianism relates to a religious movement of Jamaican origin holding that black people are the chosen people. In the culture, it is believed that Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia was the messiah and that black people will eventually return to their African origins.” Rastafarian is a new religion that was created in the early 1930s in Jamaica. Marcus Mosiah Garvey was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, and entrepreneur who believed in the fact that there would be a day when a messiah would come from Africa. This belief was made a reality when Ras Tafari, a prince, became the Emperor of Ethiopia in 1930. Ras Tafari's emperor's name was Haile Selassie, and he was believed to be by many the prophecy of Marcus Garvey coming true in real life. It's thought that God was human first and then took the form of Christ, the messiah then as Ras Tafari. Rastafarians believed in the Bible but incorporated Pan-African traditions and beliefs. It is widely thought that Rastas are one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Ethiopia is considered to be the “promised land.” Many are hopeful that one day they will be released and granted access to their promised land. The religion is closely tied to Ethiopia and Jamaica; however, it has become widespread in many other African countries. Rastafarians grew more and more as missionaries traveled abroad to learn more about the culture. The belief is composed of various rituals that include reasoning and the Nyabinghi. It retains its own sacred traditions and sacred objects, which carry great importance to the followers of the group or the Rastafarians.

Rituals & Functions[edit]

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the two central rituals of Rastafarians involved reasoning and Nyabinghi or Nyabinghi. Nyabinghi has to do with how celebrations of important holidays or special occasions with drumming and dancing take place. The reasoning sessions have to do with the informal gatherings of the members in which they discuss religious matters while smoking marijuana. They adhere to a dietary practice called I-tal, in which only natural foods are eaten, such as vegetarians. This includes eating various fruits and vegetables. (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rastafari) The religion itself promotes healthy eating patterns and treating your body as a temple. A famous worldwide Rastafarian and musician named Bob Marley became very well known for his following of this religion and his talented musical talents. His music went viral worldwide and brought this religion to light, interesting many people. People began to dive deeper into the faith and learned a lot of different aspects of Rastafarianism intel's. In this regard, ritual functions as a lifestyle in the Rastafarian religion. The entire person in this religion is drawing upon the energy, good or bad, from the expressed experiences from the marijuana, which promotes meditation, the food, and the activity around them. People work on themselves from the inside and out. The experiences inform their reasoning and judgment. These rituals tend to provide the intended purpose, vision, enthusiasm, and spiritual elevation for the individual. The religion has its particular lifestyle, which the members follow. Everything within the lifestyle, including objects, traditions, places, or even actions or gatherings, makes the religions sacred.

Rastafarianism & Sacredness[edit]

'According to the text, The Sacred Quest, “Sacred is distinct from the profane or opposite of profane” (pg. 27). “Sacred belongs to or consists of an entirely different order than the ordinary life of human beings, yet it becomes manifest through objects that are integrally connected with the ordinary existence. Stones, trees, the sky, bodies of water, various people, all these may be vehicles of the sacred and thus share in its distinctive reality”. (pg. 27)

Rastafarians are said to express their sacredness through actions, which include eating specific foods, smoking marijuana, singing and dancing, and using people and places. If all the elements stated in the text fall into a distinctive category, and sacred is distinctive, then marijuana, reggae music, and dreadlocks hairstyle can be considered sacrosanct. The manifestation of sacred for the religion appears in their myth, sound, ritual activities, and natural objects. They view their past, present, and future distinctly. Therefore, faith meets the definition of sacredness.''

Manifestation of The Sacred Within Rastafarianism[edit]

The sacred is manifested within the religion as repetitiveness in their actions that is symbolically duplicated. According to Beyer, “Ganja is a strain of marijuana viewed by Rastas as a spiritual purifier, and it is smoked to cleanse the body and open the mind.” The sacred is manifested in the values found in their belief system, their community of followers, and emotional experiences that lead to what maybe be seen as careless existence—the belief in the presence of God in every human and everything around them. Marijuana assists in heightening their spiritual state in addition to reading the Bible for inspiration. The belief is that marijuana is sacred because its usage is referenced for them in the Old Testament. (coreligionist/Rastafari-95695.) Thus, the sacred manifests in the religion when the objects they consider sacred give them or bring them to a heightened spiritual experience.

Symbols of Manifestation[edit]

Per the history, “one of the most distinctive marks of Rastafarians is dreadlocks. Dreadlocks have several purposes and layers of meaning for Rastafarians, including:

The biblical command not to cut one’s hair (Leviticus 21:5)

The appearance of the lion’s mane represents strength, Africa, Ethiopia, and the Lion of Judah

Naturalness and simplicity, which are associated with Africa

The color symbol is the colors of red, gold, and green.

Red stands for the blood of the martyrs in the black struggle for liberation
Gold represents the wealth of their African homeland
Green symbolizes Ethiopia’s beauty and lush vegetation
Black is often also included, meaning the color of the Africans.

The Lion of Judah, which represents Haile Selassie as the King of Kings, Africa, and strength”.

References[edit]

McAlister, Elizabeth A.. "Rastafari". Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Nov. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rastafari. Accessed 29 March 2023.

Beyer, Catherine. "The Beliefs and Practices of Rastafari." Learn Religions, Dec. 27, 2020, https://www.learnreligions.com/rastafari-95695. Accessed 29 March 2023.

Cunningham, Lawrence S. & Kelsey, John. The Sacred Quest, An Invitation to Study Religion. 6^th Edition 2013

Rastafarianism Lifestyle, Clothes & Beliefs.

https://study.com/academy/lesson/rastafarianism-lifestyle-clothes-

facts.html?src=ppc_bing_nonbrand&rcntxt=aws&crt=&kwd=SEO-PPC-ALL&kwid=dat-

2329040505669481:loc-

190&agid=1235851302596746&mt=b&device=c&network=o&_campaign=SeoPPC&msclkid=b

2e8dc6b085d128703acb843307f133c. Accessed 1 April 2023.

The History of Rastafarianism. http://digjamaica.com/m/indigenous-religions-in-

jamaica/rastafarianism/. Accessed 1 April 2023.

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