The Rastafarian Belief System Essay

The two religions of Rastafarianism and Judaism embody many of the same characteristics, as well as their ancestry. Although the Rastafarians, at times, inaccurately explain the bible, their belief in the Old Testament is still prevalent. Many of the customs are almost identical, but the rationale behind the traditions and laws contrast greatly.

The Rastafari movement is a positive movement that promotes peace amongst all, self-respect, self -awareness, and respect for others.

First, I will start this paper with the definition of oppression given by Webster Dictionary and also by the social work dictionary. Then, we have that Webster Dictionary defines oppression such as "Unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power especially by the imposition of burdens; the condition of being weighed down; an act of pressing

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).

Religion is a social construct embedded in the African American experience through the ages. Whether it be Christianity, Muslim, Judaism and many other religions that found itself in the Americas the religions derived from the African diaspora was very mixed, they had traditional belief about magic which are derived from some Yoruba and Muslim belief system, Christianity was something new to them. As their, ancestors were brought to the Americans they brought their own traditional belief system. African American religious institutions served as contexts in which African Americans create a meaning to their experience during their enslavement, thus they interpret their relationship to Africa and charted a vision for a collective future that will

the concept of oppression we see that it is a lack of power and unjust

Throughout history the struggle for recognition of African Americans and their rights, has been a steady fight that has yet to be won. Since the beginning of our nation, even Thomas Jefferson could notice the “cruel war against human nature.” But even he of course just wanted to grant freedom to all men, women once again being excluded. What motivates these people is constantly being oppressed, and trying to convince people that they have gained, their rights which they were born with as human beings.

While, as a Jamaican descent my family has a more dependent deposition and most Jamaican families have patriarchal ties. Both culture side has a strong belief in Christianity; however, my Jamaican family is more liberated and not held down by the deep-rooted conditioning of Christianity instilled in by slave owners. With Jamaicans have an understanding from Rastafari education, many have a deeper connection to the

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)

Throughout their entire history, African Americans have been making a name for themselves. Their lives in America began with transatlantic slave trade and continued for around two and a half centuries with chattel slavery. African Americans built their cultural identity in a country that was constantly sabotaging them. Various political institutions and the general white population were always planning the black’s demise, but they were not going down without a fight.

Reflecting back on our reading “nature and spirit, Creator and Creation are viewed as a unified reality in African cosmology, thus providing an important foundation for African Spirituality. It is the freedom of God to be God, to continually create and transform reality, that gave hope to African slaves as they struggled to make sense of a life of forced oppression and dehumanization. As Africans in the American Diaspora were able to hear and find meaning in biblical concepts, they were able to build up on the African Spirituality that they had internalized and transmitted orally in order to survive the horrors of the American scene. By now as African-Americans, they could steal away and establish their own form

Rastafari is an African religion that is still relatively new. The religion was developed in the 1930s in Jamaica after Haile Selassie was named the King of Ethiopia. The followers of this religion believe that Selassie is God and that he will return all of the black people displaced from slavery and colonization to Africa. Bob Marley’s music and success helped spread the religion. The Rastafarians believe that black people are the chosen people of God. Some of the religious practices in the religion include smoking and inhaling marijuana. The purpose of the marijuana is to increase a person’s spiritual state of mind and awareness. Most Rastafarians have long

"Islam" is derived from the Arabic root salaama meaning peace, purity, submission and obedience. Islam stands for making peace by submitting to the will of God and obeying His law. Jews and Christians view Islam as the latest of the world's great religions. However, worldwide Muslims (sometimes written "Moslems") understand their universal religion as the "final religion" and the "primal religion."

Rastafari is, before it is anything else, a way of life. It offers approaches and answers to real problems black people face in daily living; it promotes spiritual resilience in the face of oppressive poverty and underdevelopment. It produces art, music and cultural forms, which can be universally recognized and appreciated. More important, Rastafari provides a positive self-image, an alternative to people who need and cannot find or accept one elsewhere. Even with its black foundation and orientation, Rastafarianism is open to anyone, of any race, who chooses to discover and is able to accept it.

Islam is one of the oldest religions in history dating back to about 600 AD. It began when a man named Muhammad heard a voice from the heavens instructing him to proclaim the word of god. Currently there are over 800 million followers of the Muslim religion. The main text of the religion is the Quran which is said to be the word of God, or Allah as called in Muslim. Within the Quran, The five pillars of Islam are proclaimed along with many other concepts very unique to the Muslim religion. Prayer is a very important aspect of Islam as well. Islam has a long history of invention, heritage, and world imperialism that must be understood to completely identify with the concepts of the religion and culture.