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The differences between the important beliefs of monotheistic faiths
A comparative introduction to monotheistic religions summary
A comparative introduction to monotheistic religions summary
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According to Tracy Nicholas (1978) in the book entitled Rastafari: a way of life, Rasta’s has six main beliefs. They are as follows:
1. Haile Selassie is the living God
2. The black person, at the hand of the white person, has been in exile in Jamaica.
3. The white person is inferior to the black person.
4. Jamaica is hell and Ethiopia is heaven.
5. The emperor of Ethiopia is arranging for expatriated persons of African origin to return to Ethiopia
6. In the future, black people will rule the world
Based on literature it is evident that modern day Rasta’s beliefs are similar to Christianity and Judaism, for example Rasta’s beliefs in Monotheism and the Trinity and that God, (Jah) sent his son Jesus to Earth to die for the sin of mankind
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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.
The whites are inferior to the blacks. The Rastafari movement was started solely for the purpose of resisting white racism, imperialism and colonialism. That was not to say that only Black, Brown or oppressed people could be Rastas. The Nyabinghi motto is “Death to Black and white oppressors”. Therefore the main tenet of being a Rasta is that you must be anti-oppression and it was not based on the shade of your skin. The nation emerged largely from Marcus Garvey’s theories and ideas in the early development of
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
Ras the Exhorter (later the Destroyer) is the stereotypical black supremacist. One of the most memorable characters to me, Ras battles for social equality; literally. Literally meaning prince in one of Ethiopia's languages and mimicking the sound of Ra, the Egyptian sun God, Ras encompasses the stereotypical black-nationalist. By using these allusions, Ellison is establishing the character's personality even before he acts. Ras's philosophy, one that was unorthodox at the time of publishing, is that blacks should cast off oppression and prejudice by destroying the ability of white men to control them. This inevitably leads to violence. This anti-segregation from blacks was unheard of.
Those who are uneducated in what exactly the Rastafarian lifestyle contains may think that Rastafarians are people who have dreads, people who only wear pan-Africanism colors, and people who inhale narcotics while listening to reggae music. True Rastafarians are those who follow the doctrine of Haile Selassie I, even though Haile Selassie I never regarded himself as a god, nor did he adhere to the Rastafari lifestyle. Marcus Garvey is the one people are holding responsible with the adaption of Rastas regarding Selassie as a god. I was also surprise that Skopal only mentioned Ethiopia but once or twice when, Ethiopia is the foundation of the Rastafari ideology. Rastafari’s believe that Hallie Selassie I was the second coming of my Christian savior
10. Yawney, Carole D. Moving with the dawtas of Rastafari: from myth to reality. pgs. 15--23; 33--55; and 65--73. (excerpts from Teresa Turner's New Society.)
The connection of the Rastas to Ethiopia is a deep and mystical one. It would take hundreds of pages to illustrate the connections of this culture to Israel. In briefly describing their culture I attempt to illustrate what sparked my attention about the similarities between Jews, Falashas, and Rastas. The Rastas believe that they are originally and ancestrally Ethiopians. They were stolen from their homeland in times of slavery and brought to the `New World'. To say the least, the Rastafarians believe in many of the similar ...
"The Rastafarians emerge as a loosely organized inspirational group (or groups?) of men and women concerned at the plight of black people, especially the plight of those whose ancestors were forcibly removed from Africa to become the slaves of the white man on his plantations in the islands of the Caribbean"(Cashmore, 1). The English takeover of Jamaica in 1660 started the terrible beginning of the African Diaspora. Millions of Africans were stolen off of their continent and were shipped over to the Caribbean where they were fashioned to do slave labor so the Europeans could make money. Over 80 million Africans died in the process of departing to the islands. The slaves were denied any form of religion and were treated like animals. They were also denied food and were made to grow their own food so they could feed themselves. Many years went by till the slaves started to rebel. The 'Maroons' were a group of runaway slaves who started a powerful group of guerrilla warriors who lived in the most dangerous woods in Jamaica. But the Maroons gave in and signed a peace treaty in 1738 and were paid to catch the runaway slaves and became supporters of slavery.
Marcus Mosiah Garvey was a philosopher who inspired Rastafarians to resist against the colonial system. He likened the Africans in the Caribbean and Americas to the Jews in the biblical city of Babylon. There are many deep connections between Rastafarianism and Judiasm, and this topic could no doubt warrent much more discussion.
Many people throughout the world have a hard time understanding what it means to be a Rasta. For some their troubles in understanding Rasta’s come because they look as Rastafari as only a religion. When one does this they run into many problems. This is because Rastafari is much more than a religion. It is a way of life, a social movement, as well as a mind set. Another reason why western people have a hard time understanding Rastafari is because the movement lacks the structure that the western world is use to.
However much Islam and Christianity would seem to share common ground, the discussion is not complete without noting the parallels between this two that have taken center stage. Some of the remarkable differences as they try to answer deep life complexities arise in the areas of religious practices by both their adherents and the clergy (Dorothy 13-28). “There is also a stark contrast to the belief system subscribed to, means of salvation, scriptures”. The most prominent difference present concerns the belief of life after death and practices of depicting the metaphysical
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).
In his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, he begins with a detailed description of life in his homeland. He describes a culture that had a hierarchal, patriarchal system, not unlike that of Pocahontas’ tribe. There is an established government, with chiefs and judges, one of which, is his father. It is important to note that while Equiano states that he was slated to claim the status of “grandeur”, he never reached that point in his narrative before he was kidnapped and sold as but another slave in the Middle Passage. Thus, early life for Equiano, while perhaps better than some of his counterparts, was still of the same class, dictated by the governance of these socially superior figures. Similar to Pocahontas too, Equiano eventually regained a “free” status. But unlike Pocahontas who is still bound by the voyeuristic gaze of the men surrounding her, Equiano’s unfreedom stems from the social stigma and struggle of being non-white European. As he recounted during his time in the Barbados, “as I knew there was little or no law for a free negro here […].” The social intolerance of African people, while different in the Caribbean from in England or America, was still clear.
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)
Brathwaite, Edward Kamau. "Creolization in Jamaica." The Post-colonial Studies Reader. Ed. Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths and Helen Tiffin. New York: Routledge, 1995. 202-205.
"I Light and I Salvation": The Rise and Impact of Rastafarianism in Jamaican Culture and Politics.
...ritical views about how life should be to them. They feel that they need to be given a pace to choose the life they want and live according to other expectations (Satrapi).