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The content of the present pages will be disapprea shortly
THIS SECTION OF THE WEBSITE (besides the rastafarians introduction below) HAS BEEN MOVED TO OUR SISTER WEBSITE:
http://www.rootsreggaeclub.com/culture_reggae_afro/the_rastafarians/the_rastafarians_main.htm
INTRODUCTION TO THE RASTAFARIANS CULTURE AND HISTORY (see RASTAFARIANS FULL VERSION):
THE RASTAFARIANS:
chapter 4 / Beliefs, Rituals, and Symbols
Beliefs
Haile Selassie is the Living God
The Black
Person is the Reincarnation of Ancient Israel
The White Person
is Iferior to the Black Person
Jamaica Is Hell; Ethiopia Is
Heaven
The Invincible Power of the Emperor
Blacks Shall Rule the World
Rituals
Meetings
Prayers
The Bible
Ganja (Marijuana)
Ritual Symbolism among the
Rastafarians
Food Symbolism
The Symbolism of the Lion
Rastafarian Colors
Language as a Symbol
Beliefs
Systems of belief provide cult movements with a major source of power. This
power, as we have seen, derives not form a body of systematic or logical truths,
but rather from the psychological, emotional content of the ideology. This is
especially true of Rastafarian beliefs. To the outsider much of Rastafarian
rhetoric appears to be meaningless babbling yet, on the deper level of communication,
it appears to project the message to the native hearers despite the sceming
madness. As the university report sums up:"What people believe or assert
emphatically represents a social force which cannot be disposed of merely by
denial. "by their nery nature, myths remain outside the realm of truth
or fasehood, being subject neitgher to the rules of logic nor to the thechniques
of scientific investigation. A religious myth such as Rastafarianism, then,
claims for itself an immunity from logic not granted to any other kind of knowledge
system, demanding commitment and action. On this point, it was the thirteenth-century
philosopher Bonaventure who once said that an eternal gulf exists between conviction
based on religious grounds and conviction based upon mere scientific or rational
argument. He observed that history has given preponderant evidence that humans
will die more requently for religious beliefs than will the scientist for so-called
"truth".
The Rastafarians have developed for themselvds a body of myth and rituals which,
although not yet written down, can be summarized in a systematic form. In htis
chapter, only the central ideas will be discussed, along with some of the important
rituals of the movement. Beliefs and rituals may change from one group to the
next. Those included in this chapter have been laboriously gleaned from public
addresses, interviews, and short articles written by the leading brethern, and
form personal observations of the cult over a period of many years.
At least six basic beliefs can be identified as uniquely Rastafarian:
- Haile Selassie is the living God
- The Black person is the reincarnation of ancient Israel, who, at the hand
of the White person, has been in exile in Jamaica.
- The White person is inferior to the Black person
- The Jamaican situation is a hopeless hell; Ethiopia is heaven.
- The invincibleEmperor of Ethiopia is now arranging for expatriated persons
of African origin to return to Ehiopia.
- In the near future Blacks shall rule the world
Haile Selassie is the Living God
Al true Rastafarians believe that Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, is the
true and living god, at least of the Black race. A member of the Rastafarian
Rep[atriation Association expained it this way:
"We know before that when a King should be crowned in the land of David's
throne, that indivutual would be Shiloh, the anointed one, the Messiah, the
Christ returned in the personification of Rastafari (On his vesture and on his
thigh is a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.") He (Ras Tafari)
is the "ancient of Days" (the bearded God). The scripture declares
that "the hair of whose head was like wool (matted hiar), whose feet were
like unto burning brases" (i.e., black skin). the scripture declares that
God hangs in motionless space surrounded with thick dardness (hence a Black
man).
In his Theatise on the Rastafarian Movement, Samuel Brown incorporated the idea
as follows:
"Gods are the creation of the inner consciousness of nations' deification
of an individual. Elders and parents beget progenies who in turn carry on the
perpetuation of such culture.
Unlike all orders of relition, the culture of Rastafari was not handed down
from father to son as the people of Christandom. We who have perused the volumes
of history know htat in this 20th century a king would arise out of Jese's root,
who should be a God (Almighty) for his people, and a liberator to all the oppressed
of earth. We the Rastafarians who are the true prophets of this age, the reincarneated
Moseses, Joshuas, Isaiahs, Jeremiahs who are the battle-axes and weapons of
war (a Jihad), we are those who are detined to free not only the scattered Ethiopians
(Black man) but all people, animals, herbs and all life forms.
We are vanguard of 144,000 celestial selectees who shall in turn free 468,000
millions particularly, and the world at large. We are the disciples of Rastafari,
who have walked with God from the time when the foundation of creation was laid
through 71 bodies, to behold the 72nd house of power which shall reign forever.
We now stand as the fulfillers of prophecy, we knew before that when a king
should be crowned in the land of David's throne, that individual would be Shiloh,
the anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ returned in the personification of
Rastafari (on his vesture and on his thigh is a name written, "King of
Kings, and Lord of Lords"). We also know the significance of Daniel, declaring
from that time to this time, for I behold until all the thrones of Babylon where
cast down and the ancient of whose head was likeunto wool, whose feet were like
unto burning brass, and he treadeth the fierceness of the winepress of his wrath,
to execute justice and judgment on the Gentiles. The scriptures declare God
hangs in motionless space surrounded by thick darkness, hence a black man.
God came in many bodies to reign forever in Rastafari the holy one of Israel
whose ray of light shall finally dim the eyes of the dragon, and through whose
power all those of many nations who embrace the faith and uphold its laws shall
live forevermore with God. We are those who shall fight all wrongs and bring
ease to the suffering bodies and peace to all people".
We can see a syncretism of Old Testament prophecy, Gnostic mysticism adn Christian
gheology fuse into a revolutionary rhetoric typical of the movement's unique
from of expression. It is symbolic language spun from hallucinogenic experiences
which befuddles the mind of the average jamaican. But the cultists have not
developed this notion of their King's sivinity from ganja experience alone;
they believe that numerous biblical texts support the doctrine. From Jeremiah
8:21 they are convinced that God is Black "For the hurt of the daughter
of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold of me."
A Black god to the Rastafarians is of the greatest importance, because "Blackness
is synonymouswith holiness." The distrinctiveness of Haile Selassie for
the movement lies therefore in the authority of the scriptures of his divinity
and in the fact that he is Black. His Ethiopian birth further strengthens tha
tbelief, for the Bible clearly states that their god would be born in that country.
So, according to cultists, Psalm 87:3-4 is unquestionable proof:
"Glorious things are spoken of thee,
O city of God. Selah.
I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold philistia,
and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there."
THIS SECTION OF THE WEBSITE (besides the rastafarians introduction below) HAS
BEEN MOVED TO OUR SISTER WEBSITE:
http://www.rootsreggaeclub.com/culture_reggae_afro/the_rastafarians/the_rastafarians_main.htm
INTRODUCTION TO THE RASTAFARIANS CULTURE AND HISTORY (see RASTAFARIANS FULL VERSION):
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