|
Printer
Friendly Version - opens in separate window
Background
Rastafarianism should not just be looked on as a religion or set of beliefs but rather as a way of life. Its development stems from mainly the poorer black people of Jamaica and has much to do with black social and political hopes.
Its founder is Marcus Mosiah Garvey, who was born in Jamaica in 1887
and died in 1940. The movement was really established in the 1930's,
but a pivotal point of its development was the convention of Garvey's
Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League
in 1920.
The motto of this organisation was "One God! One
Aim! One Destiny!" They were quoted as wanting to unite "all
the people of African ancestry of the world into one great body to establish
a country and Government absolutely their own".
Among the listed objectives of the association, we read of their desire:
to promote the spirit of race, pride and love;
to administer to and assist the needy;
to reclaim the fallen of the race;
to establish universities, colleges and secondary schools for the further
education and culture of the boys and girls of the race;
to conduct a worldwide commercial and industrial intercourse.
A more in depth look at the life of Garvey is found here
While in America Garvey undertook several business ventures and the
failure of one caused him and others to be arrested and sentenced to
5 years in prison for fraud. However, he was deported back to Jamaica
in 1927 and his message brought hope to many of his underprivileged
and depressed Jamaican brothers.
Garvey taught that an African King would be crowned the black-messiah
leader. When Prime Regent Ras Tafari announced, in 1930, his lineage
to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba and was crowned King of Ethiopia
[Ps.68:31] people rallied. The change of name to Haile Selassie, which
means, 'Power of the Holy Trinity,' fulfilled Garvey's words.
ORGANISATION
There is not one group that we can call Rastafarians but there are a
number of different groups and indeed many individuals; these remain
independent of any organisation although they would share the central
beliefs. There are probably only two well-organised groups the Bobos
and the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
In the 1950's Rastafarians split two orders or 'Houses': The House of Dreadlocks and the House of Combsomes, (comb their hair); the latter ceased to exist in the 1960's.
The running of a house is explained
as follows at
"The House is run by an "Assembly of Elders," theoretically
consisting of seventy-two members, but generally far fewer. Eldership
has been summarized as combining cunning and resourcefulness with initiative
and trust, but avoiding selfishness, arbitrariness, or conceit. One
does not become an Elder by appointment or election. The Elders oversee
the affairs of the House, such as planning liturgical events, settling
disputes, or appointing delegations as the need arises. However, beyond
the Assembly of Elders, there is no membership to specific Houses as
such. All Rastas are free to come or stay, to speak up or remain quiet,
to contribute financially or withhold dues. One retains membership to
the House simply be being a Rastafari. In turn, all members are equal,
regardless of age, ability, or purpose. Nonetheless, this loosely-defined
structure makes a united, organized religious movement virtually impossible."
According to The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia, in 1995 there
were 180,000 Rastafarians worldwide. However, today there are estimated
to be over 1 million Rastafarians worldwide and up to 10% of blacks
in Jamaica would identify themselves with the movement.
Beliefs
Today, we see different streams of Rastafarians or
Rastas as they are often known, and so it is difficult to be exact about
what they actually believe. Added to this, Rastafarianism is a religion
lived more than written down. It is a mixture of Ethiopian Christianity,
Old Testament Judaism, animism [attributing a living-soul to plants]
and spiritism. Today there is no single authority and some that you
see with the distinctive hairstyle are not practising Rastafarians.
Christianity, to many, is seen as a white man's religion and does not
deal with the social injustice of Black people; even the Jesus of Christianity
was a white man. On the other hand, Rastafarianism is intrinsically
tied up with the Black people (especially of Jamaica) and their struggle
for justice, dignity and self-respect. The belief is that black people
are descended from one of the 12 Tribes of Israel and Ethiopia was founded
by Menelik 1, who was the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
Their view of the Bible is usually distorted in the same way because
it is the 'white man's' book, but they do draw out areas that support
their belief and practices. For most however, it is simply a symbolic
book, although Haile Selassie did encourage people to read it and so
some groups will simply read it as a book but not seek to apply it to
their lives.
Beyond the Bible, there are two other 'holy' books, the Holy Piby
and the Kebra Nagast.
The Holy Piby is often called the "Black Man's Bible", and emphasises
the destruction of white "Babylon" and the return of the Black Israelites
to Africa which is the true Zion. It was compiled during 1913-1917 by
Robert Athlyi Rogers and one of the sections pays tribute to Marcus
Garvey. Rogers was born in Anguilla and committed suicide on 24th August
1931. Many Rastafarians however say that he "took himself away from
this life" rather than saying he committed suicide.
In the original preface we read,
"The Holy Piby, a book founded by the Holy Spirit
to deliver the gospel commanded by the Almighty God for the full salvation
of Ethiopia's posterities. In time the Piby shall contain all worthy
prophecies and inspirations endowed by God upon the sons and daughters
of Ethiopia, but no article shall be permitted to enter the Piby save
that which is in accordance with the gospel of the twentieth century,
preached by his Holiness, Shepherd Athlyi, apostle Marcus Garvey and
colleague; the three apostles anointed and sent forth by the Almighty
God to lay the foundation of industry, liberty and justice unto the
generations of Ethiopia that they prove themselves a power among the
nations and in the glory of their God. The Piby is strictly Holy, dedicated
to the cause of saving souls for God upon which the Afro Athlican Constructive
Church is built, therefore articles not agreeable shall not be entered
upon or under the covers thereof."
To help understand the "Kebra Nagast" we reproduce here part of the
preface to the first English edition:
"This volume contains a complete English translation
of the famous Ethiopian work, The "KEBRA NAGAST", i.e. the "Glory of
the Kings [of ETHIOPIA]". This work has been held in peculiar honour
in ABYSSINIA for several centuries, and throughout that country it has
been, and still is, venerated by the people as containing the final
proof of their descent from the Hebrew Patriarchs, and of the kinship
of their kings of the Solomonic line with CHRIST, the Son of God. The
importance of the book, both for the kings and the people of ABYSSINIA,
is clearly shown by the letter that King JOHN of ETHIOPIA wrote to the
late Lord GRANVILLE in August, 1872. The king says: "There is a book
called 'Kivera Negust' which contains the Law of the whole of ETHIOPIA,
and the names of the SHÛMS [i.e. Chiefs], and Churches, and Provinces
are in this book. I pray you find out who has got this book, and send
it to me, for in my country my people will not obey my orders without
it." (See infra, p. xxxv). The first summary of the contents of the
KEBRA NAGAST was published by BRUCE as far back as 1813, but little
interest was roused by his somewhat bald précis. And, in spite of the
labours of PRÆTORIUS, BEZOLD, and HUGUES LE ROUX, the contents of the
work are still practically unknown to the general reader in England.
It is hoped that the translation given in the following pages will be
of use to those who have not the time or opportunity for perusing the
Ethiopic original. "The KEBRA NAGAST is a great storehouse of legends
and traditions, some historical and some of a purely folk-lore character,
derived from the Old Testament and the later Rabbinic writings, and
from Egyptian (both pagan and Christian), Arabian, and Ethiopian sources."
Another belief, which the majority of the Rastafarian groups take on
board, is the divinity of Haile Selassie. Nigel Scotland writes:
"All Rastafarian groups venerate Haile Selassie,
Emperor of Ethiopia. To each, except the Twelve Tribes (the name of
one Rastafarian group) Haile Selassie is 'the true and living God',
the black Messiah, who arose out of Africa and will lead the black peoples
back to the African continent, which is the real Zion." Sectarian Religion,
p.284.
Interestingly the Twelve Tribes group mentioned above appear to teach
that Jesus is essential to salvation and only after you have encountered
Him can you see the truth about Haile Selassie as the Messiah.
The fact that their Messiah is black is proven by the Authorised Bible's
rendering of Jeremiah 8:21 where it records, "…
I am black…"
Notice too the belief that one day they will return to their true spiritual
home, Africa and especially Ethiopia.
Many believe that for "Israelite" you read "Ethiopian" and so the Black
people are the true 'Israel of God.' This does not automatically mean
that they believe that the white race is inferior and indeed a number
of white people have become Rastafarians. The problem of whether the
Whites are evil or not come from how you take Garvey's teaching, that
they were the oppressor of the Blacks, and thus evil.
Probably, coming out of this idea of being the true Israel, is the various
moral and dietary laws that they follow. For instance, many would discourage
eating meat but pork would be forbidden.
Many too have a desire to reach out and help their brothers who are
in need and indeed a love and respect for all living creatures and plants
is also encouraged.
Practices
The meeting together of Rastafarians depends on which group they come
from and could be infrequent and indeed the timing altering from season
to season. Many celebrate their own special days, which are to do with
Haile Selassie or Africa, but they would not celebrate Christmas or
Easter.
The main dates most celebrate are:
January 6 - Ethiopian Christmas
April 21 - The anniversary of Emperor Haile Selassie's visit to Jamaica.
July 23 - The birthday of Emperor Haile Selassie
August 17 - The birthday of Marcus Garvey
August 27 - The reported death of Haile Selassie
September 11 - Ethiopian new year
November 2 - The coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie
There are also a number of terms and symbols used which is helpful to know about.
Babylon is used to represent the white political power
structure that has been holding the black race down for centuries. Originally,
this was by the shackles of slavery but now through their social standing
and the domination of the white man.
The colours of the Ethiopian flag hold symbolic meaning
for the Rastafarians. The red symbolises both the 'Triumphant Rastafarian
Church' and the blood of the Rastafarian martyrs. The yellow or gold
symbolises the wealth of their homeland and the green, the beauty and
vegetation of the promised land of Ethiopia.
The lion is another symbol of the Rastafarians, with the
meaning of both Africa and Emperor Haile Selassie, or Jah (God), himself.
A symbol, which many, but not all, adhere to, is the wearing of dreadlocks.
This distinctive hairstyle can be both a symbol of rebellion because
'dread' means just that or a symbol of submission to God as taken from
the Old Testament Nazarite vow not to cut the hair (see for instance
Numbers 6:5 and Leviticus 21:15).
We read:
"The hairstyle began partially to contrast the kinky
long hair of black men with the straight hair of the white race. Dreadlocks
have also come to symbolize the Lion of Judah and rebellion against
Babylon. In the United States, several public schools and workplaces
have lost lawsuits as the result of banning dreadlocks... In the Nappy
be Happy salons all over the United States dreadlocks are being taught
and associated with an inner journey that one takes in the process of
locking their hair (growing dreadlocks). It is taught that patience
is the key to growing dreadlocks, which is a journey of the mind, soul
and spirituality. Its spiritual pattern is aligned with the Rastafarian
religion. People who do not understand the process sometimes mock the
dreadlock style and make comments about the cleanliness of the locked
hair. The maintenance of the hair is also a Rastafarian belief, which
goes back to bible teachings on cleanliness."
Bob Marley, considered by many Rastafarians as a prophet, introduced
Reggae Music. Reggae means 'to the king' and the music
still often conveys the message of black revolution and smoking marijuana
or ganja. This latter point is one of the controversial symbols
of Rastafarianism.
Sometimes referred to as the 'wisdom weed' because it is believed to be an aid to meditation and religious observance, the smoking of marijuana or ganja is justified by the use of selective verses of Scripture such as Genesis 1:12, Exodus 10:12 and 2 Samuel 22:9.
Conclusion
The beliefs of the Rastafarians were brought out of
the poor conditions of many in Jamaica and a message of hope was given.
The desire not to be downtrodden and to have a decent living is indeed
the God-given right of all.
However, the 'spiritually' beliefs do not match up
with the human desires. Although believing in the God of the Old Testament
they change His word and put other men in place of Him. This of course
means that they are not coming into a right relationship with God.
Some do show the need to know Jesus Christ but
would then seem also to accept non-biblical teachings after that.
Sources Used
Some of the sources listed below are Rastafarian
web sites.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rastafarianism
http://www.rasta-man.co.uk/religion.htm
http://www.jamaicans.com/culture/rasta/important_books.shtml
http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/piby/
http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/kn/
http://www.lcms.org/graphics/assets/media/CTCR/Rastafarian%200407.pdf
Further Research
http://www.nomadfx.com/old/rasta1.html
|
