The Rastafari Movement

    In class this week, we are learning about modern religions.  Each of us is finding out about a religion.  I have chosen to find out about Rastafarianism.  First off I want to make it clear that while researching some Rastas take offense to the term Rastafarianism, so therefore; I will be referring to the religion as the Rastafari Movement.
    The Rastafari Movement arose in Christian culture in Jamaica in the 1930s.  It is a monotheistic religion supporting the new movement.  The movement started with a man named Marcus Garvey , a black Jamaican who was considered second John the Baptist.  I believe the main goal of the Rastas was to be peace with one another and return to their homeland in Africa.  Also Rastas refer to themselves as "I and I" because it emphasizes between humanity and God as well as the equality of all humans.  Rastas wanted freedom from oppression, and Garvey taught that Africans are the true Israelites and have been exiled to Jamaica and some other parts of the world.  Garvey also taught that Zion is the promise land (Ethiopia as Zion) and one day God will return the Rastas to their homeland.  Their sacred book is called the Holy Piby published in 1924 and it has resemblance to the Christian Bible because the Rastas removed any ideas that were distorted from mankind when the Bible was being translated to English.  Rastas also believe in Judeo-Christian God, whom they refer to as Jah.  Jah manifested on earth as Jesus and is believe to be black.  In 1930 Ras Tafari Makonnen, later became known as Haile Selassie I meaning “Might of the Trinity” became the emperor of Ethiopia.  Selassie was claimed to be Jesus, His Imperial Majesty (H.I.M.).  The Rastas believed Selassie to bring all Rastas back home to the promise land.  However, in the 1970s Selassie was captured and his death remains unreal to all Rastas, they believe Selassie awaits the Day of Judgement.  There is no said to be approximately one million Rastas worldwide.
   The Rastas have two important rituals they believe will bring them closer to God.  There is reasoning and groundation.  The picture I have chosen from Life magazine reflects the holy day of Groundation.  Anyways, reasoning is when the Rastas gather and smoke cannabis ("ganja"), and talk.  The person who gets to light the herb is an honor and the Rastas always say a short prayer before they begin.  The ganja is usually passed in clockwise way but when in times of war the alteration switches to counterclockwise.  Groundation is a holy day where there is much singing, dancing, feasting, and smoking of the ganja.  This celebration can last for several days.
      All my research was done online with the help of my professor and the aide of the library.  I did a lot of googling and reading.  I read many articles on Rastas and their beliefs and cultures.  I wish I had the time and length to say a lot more.  I found this religion really interesting and would definitely research more about it on my own time.

The Difference.. Who We Are Inside

Islam is the third of the Abrahamic religions: the first two are Judaism and Christianity.  These three siblings come from the same root and share many things, as your studies have demonstrated to you, yet members of these three religions have fought one another bitterly throughout the last millennium and a half.  Based on the PRIMARY SOURCES (the readings in Novak, and the Lauren Booth reading on the website) what do you think is the most important SIMILARITY or point of agreement between either Islam and Christianity or Islam and Judaism?  What do you think is the most important DIFFERENCE or point of disagreement?  Why?

The most important similarity is the belief and love in one God, and that everything we do is for our one God.  This would be the most important idea that all Muslims and Christians agree on because in the sense that God and Allah both stand for the same thing, an omnipotent and omnibenevolent God.  I believe the most important difference between the two religions is the idea of Jesus being the son of God.  Christians will die to their graves with the belief of Jesus being the son of God, but Muslims believe Jesus to be just another prophet. For Christians this is the biggest difference between them and Muslims.  I do not believe it is the way we dress or what we eat that makes the biggest difference, but what each believe in that matters the most.