The doctrines of Rastafari depart radically from the norms of the modern western mind, something encouraged deliberately by the Rastas themselves. Unlike most religious and Christian groups which tend to stress conformity towards the powers-that-be, Rastafari stresses nonconformity and peaceful rebelliousness towards what it terms Babylon, which is the modern society in which we live. Rastafari grew up amongst very poor people to whom society had nothing to offer except more suffering. Rastafarians see themselves as conforming to a vision of how Africans should live, reclaiming what they see as a culture that was stolen from them when they were brought to Jamaica (where the religious movement was founded) on the slave ships. Their religion is difficult to categorise because Rastafari is not a centralised organisation, and it is left to the individual Rastafarian to work out the truth for themselves, resulting in a wide of variety of beliefs under the general umbrella of Rastafari.
Afrocentrism
Marcus Garvey (right), first Rastafarian prophet
Rastafari is a response to racist negation of black people as it was experienced in Jamaica, where in the 1930s black people were at the bottom of the social order, while white people and their Christian religion were at the top. Marcus Garvey's encouragement of black people to take pride in themselves and their Africanness inspired the Rastas to embrace all things African. They believe they were brainwashed while in captivity to negate all things black and african. They turned the racists' image of them as primitive and straight out of the jungle into a defiant embracing of these concepts as a part of the African culture they see as having been stolen from them when they were taken from Africa on the slaveships. To be close to nature, and to the African jungle and its lions, in spirit if not in the flesh, is central to their idea of African culture. They believe that when they were into captivity their African cultural was stolen from them, and that they must do everything within their power to reclaim this culture. Living close to and as a part of nature is seen as African. This natural African approach is seen in the dreadlocks, the marijuana, the ital food, and all aspects of Rasta life. They see the modern non approach to life for being unnatural and excessively objective and rejecting of subjectivity. The Rastas say that scientists discover how the world is by looking from the outside in, whereas the Rasta approach is to see life from the inside, looking out. Each individual is given tremendous importance in Rastafari, and every Rasta has to figure out the truth for themselves.
Another important afrocentric identification is with the colours red, gold, and green, which are from the Ethiopian flag. They are a symbol of the Rastafarian religion, and of the loyalty Rastas feel towards Haile Selassie, Ethiopia, and Africa rather than for any other modern state in which they happen to live. These colours are frequently seen on clothing and other decorations. Red stands for the blood of martyrs, green stands for the vegetation of Africa, while Gold stands for the wealth and prosperity Africa has to offer. Many Ethiopian scholars state that the colours originate from an old saying that the Virgin Mary's belt is the rainbow, and that the Red, Gold, and Green are an abbreviation of this.
Many Rastafarians attempt to learn Amharic which they consider to be the original language, because this is the language Haile Selassie spoke, and to emphasise themselves as African people, though in practice most rastas continue to speak either English or their native language. There are reggae songs written in Amharic.
Haile Selassie and the Bible
Haile Selassie, Rastafarian God and King
The one belief that unites all Rastafarians is that Ras (Amharic for Prince) Tafari Makonnen, who was crowned Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia on November 2nd 1930, is the living God incarnate, called Jah, who is the black messiah who will lead the world's peoples of African origin into a promised land of full emancipation and divine justice. This is because his titles of Kings of kings, Lord of lords, Conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah is according to Ethiopian tradition the 225th in an unbroken line of Ethiopian kings descended from the Biblical King David. Psalm 87:4-6 is also interpreted as predicting the coronation of Haile Selassie match those of the Messiah mentioned in Revelations.
In the 10th century BC, Ethiopia was founded by Menelik I, the son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, who had visited Solomon in Israel. 1 Kings 10:13 claims "And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants." Reading the King James version of the Bible Rastas interpret this as meaning she conceived his child, and from this they concluded that they the black people are the true children of Israel, or Jews. Falasha black Jews have lived in Ethiopia for centuries, disconnected from the rest of Judaism their existence gave some credence and impetus to early Rastafarians, validating their belief that Ethiopia was Zion.
Some Rastafarians choose to classify their religion as Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, Protestant Christianity, or Judaism. Of those, the ties to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church are the most widespread, though discussed controversially by their clergy. Rastafarians believe that standard translations of the Bible represent changes created by the racist white power structure. They also revere the Ethiopian national epic, the Kebra Negast.
For Rastafarians Selassie remains their king as well as their God. An African Haile Selassie, with great pomp and dignity in front of the world's press and representatives of many of the world's poperful nations. From the beginning they Rastas decided to in effect treat themselves as Ethiopian citizens, loyal to its leader and devoted to its flag.
Most Rastafarians believe that Selassie is in some way a reincarnation of Jesus and that the Rastafarians are the true Israelites
Rastas call Selassie Jah, Jah, or Jah Rastafari, and believe there is great power in these names. They call themselves Rastafarians (properly pronounced Rastafarians and not Rastafairians) to express the personal relationship each Rasta has with Selassie. Rastas like to use the ordinal, making the name Haile Selassie I, with the one pronounced as an I, again as a means of expressing a personal relationship with God. They also like to call him H.I.M. (pronounced him) for His Imperial Majesty.
When Haile Selassie died in 1975 his death was not accepted by Rastafarians who could not accept that God could die. They said it was a lie.
Rastafarianism is a strongly syncretic Abrahamic religion that draws extensively from the Bible. They particularly like the New Testament Book of Revelations, as this (5.5) is where they find the prophecies about the divinity of Haile Selassie. Rastas believe that they, and the rest of the black race, are descendants of the ancient twelve tribes of Israel, cast into captivity outside Africa as a result of the slave trade.
They believe that only half of the Bible has been written, and that the other half, stolen from them along with their culture, is written in a man's heart. This concept also embraced the idea that even the illiterate can be Rastas by read God's word in their hearts. Rastas also see the lost half of the bible, and the whole of their lost culture to be found in the Ark of the Covenant, a repository of African wisdom.
Rastafarians are criticised, particularly by Christian groups, for taking biblical quotes out of context, for picking and choosing what they want from the Bible, and for bringing elements into Rastafari that do not appear in the Bible. They are also criticised for only using the English language (and particularly the King James version) of the Bible, as they have no interest in Hebrew or Greek scholarship.
Repatriation and Race
The Rasta dream is that Haile Selassie will call the day of judgement, when the righteous shall return home to Mount Zion (which is identified with Africa,) to live forever in peace, love and harmony. In the meantime the Rastas call to be repatriated to Africa. Repatriation, and the desire to return to Africa after 400 years of slavery, is central to Rastafarian doctrine. The first Rastas, stuck on a tiny Caribbean island, dreamed of the possibilities of Africa.
Many early Rastafarians for a time believed in black supremacy. Widespread advocacy of this doctrine was shortlived, however; at least partly because of Selassie's explicit condemnation of racism in a speech before the United Nations. Most Rastafarians now espouse a belief that racial animosities must be set aside, with world peace and harmony being common themes. One of the three major modern sects, the Twelve Tribes of Israel, have specifically condemned all types of racism, and declared that the teachings of the Bible are the route to spiritual liberation for people of any racial or ethnic background.
Some early elements of Rastafarianism were closely related to indigenous religions of the Caribbean and Africa, and to the Maroons, though they were largely purged by the Nyahbinghi warriors, dreadlocked Rastas who fought the corrupting power of some leaders who added these syncretistic elements to the Rastafarian doctrines.
Middle-class people, white people, Asians, and Native Americans also comprise minorities within the religion.
Church and The Holy Trinity
To further confuse the issue of classifying Rastafarianism, one type of religious gathering (grounation) is similar in many ways to Jewish services, and may have descended from African-American slaves who converted to Judaism -- a number of Jews in the southern USA owned slaves -- and escaped to Jamaica. Rastas believe that their own body is the true church or temple of God, and so see no need to make temples or churches out of physical buildings.
Rastas believe that Haile Selassie is both God the Father and God the Son of the holy Trinity, while it is themselves, and potentially all human beings, who embody the Holy Spirit. Thus the human being is a church which contains the Holy Ghost. Rastas see Haile Selassie as the head, and themselves as the body, as another way of expressing this doctrine. They see Melchizedek and Jesus as having been former incarnations of Haile Selassie. The reason Rastas have a doctrine for the Holy Trinity is that Haile Selassie means Power of the Trinity.
Physical Immortality
Rastas are physical immortalists who believe the chosen few will continue to live forever in their current bodies. This idea of everliving (rather than everlasting) life is very strong and important. A good expression of this doctrine is in Lincoln Thompson's song Thanksgiving. After asking "what's destroying life?" he says, "tell I if you know." Parodying the bible he continues, "there are too many dead bodies lying around me...in a true reality, down in the grave there is no life. In silence there you'll be, with no-one to hear nor see, and no matter what you saw, when you are dead you cannot praise Jah." In Walk in Jah light Thompson sings about "living under the 6 feet of sorrow" and asks "who's going to live to glorify the gift of Jah eternally?"
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is seen as sinful and decadent, though in this attitude Rastafarianism is far from unique among Christian sects, and some Rastafarians are indifferent to homosexuality or accept it. Some claim that extra attention may be paid to homophobia in Rastafarianism, however, because persecution of homosexuals is common in Jamaica among Rastas and non-Rastas alike, though no more so than in other Third world countries, or in other religions.
Reggae Music Expressing Rasta Doctrine
Rasta reggae musicians whose music expresses Rastafarian doctrine well are Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer (in Blackheart Man), Prince Far I, Lincoln Thompson, Ijahman Levi (especially the first 4 albums), Misty-in-Roots (Live), The Congos (Heart of the Congos), and The Rastafarians.
See also
Joseph Owens
External links
Last updated: 05-09-2005 15:40:55
Last updated: 10-29-2005 02:13:46
