Judiasm & Rastafarianism: A study of the Falashas Essay

Judaism, Islam, and Christianity are some of the religions that most individuals can relate to, being the three largest religions in the world. Like many religions they share many differences and also some similarities. One difference that these religions hold is their view of Jesus Christ. Similarities are surprisingly common to find among some religions because of the basis they put on one another. Some similarities between these religions include: belief of monotheism and the influence of Zoroastrianism had on each religion. Also another similarity carried out by these three religions would be the significance of Abraham. Some other differences include: religious texts and also how they approach God in prayer.

The Ethiopian was an outsider/foreigner due to his geographic and cultural distance. He was a religious outsider (despite his recognition of the Jewish God) due to the Levitical Law (Dueteronomy 23:1) preventing him from full inclusion in Jewish identity and participation in Jewish worship. Likewise he was a social outsider due to the stigma attached to being emasculated. This passage teaches us that as partakers in God’s mission, we must be willing to cross economic, social and cultural boundaries in everyday encounters without mere recruitment or “conquest and cultural dominance” as an aim. The gospel is a gift to be given away just as freely as we received it, to any and

In Zora Neale Hurtson’s ethnography, Tell My Horse (1938), she uses her research and field notes from her year in the Caribbean islands to study how the political atmosphere and culture tie into the religion of Vodoun. Being one of the first in her field to study this religion, Hurston hoped to expand research upon the subtle nuances within the African diaspora and increase the people of Caribbean’s acceptance of their African identity. In doing so, Hurtson found her research discouraged the idea of Pancaribbeanism and diminished stereotypes of Vodoun being a religion based upon only evil possession and pagan sacrifice.

o. Rastas assert that Zion is a land (which they view as Africa) is a land that Jah promised to them. To achieve this, they reject modern western society, Babylon, which they see as entirely corrupt due to materialism, corruption, and greed.

These African religions are extremely important to many who wish to recognize their “roots.” In earlier centuries these “foreign” practices were banned by slaves attempting to hold on to their culture, and over the years they have come to represent a sense of liberation and freedom to be African (Brereton, A History of Modern Trinidad). Overall nowadays the country's differing religious groups coexist and generally respect each other's beliefs and practices. People of one faith openly participate in celebrations of another faith [www.state.gov.htm].

(Kaye/Kantrowitz 1) Meanwhile, it is not uncommon for black Jews, who usually prefer to be called Hebrews or Israelites, to describe white Jews as the products of conversion or intermarriage and that Judaism is the true religion of their African ancestors. (Parfitt 84-88) This dynamic shapes the mutual mistrust that exists between black Jews in America and the overwhelmingly Ashkenazi majority.

Rastafari’s believe Tafari Makonnen, who was crowned Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia on November 2nd, 1930 is the living God incarnate, called Jah. He is the black Messiah that will lead the world's people of African origin into the Promised Land of full emancipation and divine justice. This is partly because of his titles King of Kings, Lord of Lords and Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah. These titles match those of the Messiah mentioned in the book of Revelation, in the Christian New Testament (Rastafari).

In the Luis de Carvajal reading, the idea of what it means to be a Jew is explored. To provide some background, Luis de Carvajal (the Younger) was a crypto-Jew, or a secret Jew, who lived in New Spain during the time of the Inquisition. He was burned at the stake in December 1596, after being convicted of observing Jewish religious practices. The reading as a whole fundamentally delineates Luis’ desire to embrace his religion during a time in which people of the Jewish faith either had to either convert to Christianity or suffer persecution. Ultimately, Luis de Carvajal’s memoirs entail the concept that being a Jew involves the following: being loyal and devoted to the religion; carrying on Jewish traditions; feeling or developing a community with fellow Jews; and believing in one God and having a personal connection with Him.

Rastafarians split from organized religion, but hold onto their Christian faith by interpreting the Bible for themselves in new unique ways. "This is what Rastafarian "theology" is about: taking the discourse into intellectual landscapes beyond narrow theological hermeneutics and exegesis, whose methods of argumentation are considered Christian-specific and predetermination in that tradition." (Nettleford 313)

Catholic and Judaism are considered opposite religions, yet they share very similar rituals and ceremonies. A Catholic child typically around twelve or thirteen years old goes through their confirmation. This is a ceremony where the young adult promises to follow with the religion and continue to learn about the faith. In the Jewish faith when a girl is twelve and a boy is thirteen they celebrate their Bah Mitzvah if they are a girl or Bar Mitzvah if they are a boy. This ceremony is also when the young adult promises to follow their religion and stay close to and learn more about their faith.

Far off in the Gondar Regions of Ethiopia, a group of Jews lived for thousands of years in relative isolation. They called themselves “Beta Israel” or “House of Israel” but their neighbors called them “Falasha” or “stranger”. They practiced a pure form of Talmudic Judaism that was based solely on the most sacred texts and they adhered to extremely strict religious law. The Jews ruled much of Ethiopia for many years until new leadership came to be, and they faced deadly persecution. European Jews eventually recognized the plight and challenges of the Ethiopian Jews and the case to try to bring the Ethiopian Jews to Israel was strong. Today, upwards of 60,000 Ethiopian Jews live in Israel and yet they continue to face challenges that negatively affect their quality of life in their new

The Ethiopian Jews, also known as the Beta Israeli’s have struggled to fit into the Ethiopian society; Between the Islamic and Ethiopian Orthodox religious groups in the Gonder region of Ethiopia, many of the Beta Israeli’s have been isolated and discriminated against due to their religion. The derogatory term, Falashia, is what most Ethiopians refer to as the Beta Israeli. The Gonder region is the rural side of Ethiopia, where modernization seems unreachable. The Ethiopian Jews use farming methods for food and water. Since their main focus is on agriculture and survival, education is far from their main concern. The way of life in Gonder made the integration into Israeli society very difficult for the Ethiopian Jews. After the development

In simple terms, the Diaspora as a concept, describes groups of people who currently live or reside outside the original homelands. We will approach the Diaspora from the lenses of migration; that the migration of people through out of the African continent has different points of origin, different patterns and results in different identity formations. Yet, all of these patterns of dispersion and germination/ assimilation represent formations of the Diaspora. My paper will focus on the complexities of the question of whether or not Africans in the Diaspora should return to Africa. This will be focused through the lenses of the different phases in the Diaspora.

Rastas believe that Selassie the I is the Jesus that Christianity speaks of with his “hair of wool, whose feet were like unto burning brass”. Rastas worship Jah and we participate in rituals and chanting as well as following the laws of Divine Power throughout our daily life. Rasta believe in the power of doing good and being blessed and so forth, we believe in power of doing evil and being punished. As the Rastas say, “Life is everliving” is the reward for following the word of the bible. Rasta say that blacks are to blame for their own shortcomings because they strayed away from the holy and divine way of living that was given to them in the Bible. Their enslavement and life ever since has been a punishment from Jah for their sins. “The scriptures are fundamental to Rasta world view. We do not look on the Bible as the ‘the good book’ ---everything has good and evil in it. Over time, the bible has been altered from its original state. For political and economical reasons, things have been edited out and different concepts and explanations patched in –especially by the translators of the Kings James I of England. Therefore, the Rasta is particularly selective about what they believe from the scriptures. Generally, Rastas point to the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Song of Solomon, Isiah, Ezekiel, Timothy, Corinthians, Hebrews and Revelation to

Like in the earlier years, it can be seen in this story that Christianity was the most dominant and highly accepted religion in Jamaica. Having contrasting beliefs and practices, individuals would be shunned and ostracized. The author illustrates this idea by showing how Darren’s passionate beliefs in Rastafarianism had resulted in him being kicked out of his house. He was told to “never to come back until he had given up that Rasta foolishness.” Today, the Caribbean has become religiously diverse with a tolerance for different