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Rastafarianism is a religious movement that emerged in Jamaica in the early 1930s out of Biblical prophecy, black social and political aspirations and the teachings of the Jamaican-born black publicist and organiser Marcus Mosiah Garvey. Though Garvey's political and cultural vision inspired the movement's founders, who regarded him as a prophet, he never identified himself with the movement. There were about 1,000,000 Rastafarians world-wide in 2000. About five to ten per cent of Jamaicans identify themselves as Rastafarians. Rastafarianism began among working-class black people in Jamaica, and remained for some while an advocate of black supremacy. Widespread advocacy of this doctrine was shortlived, however; most Rastafarians now espouse a belief that racial pettiness needs to be set aside, so that they and the world may seek the further progression of people, not race. Thus Rastafarianism has spread throughout much of the world through immigration. Middle-class people, white people, Asians, and Native Americans comprise minorities within the religion.1 Doctrines
Rastafarianism's followers, known as Rastafarians or Rastas, believe that Ras Tafari (Haile Selassie I, last emperor of Ethiopia) remains a living messiahThis article is about religious concept of Messiah. For the musical work by Handel, see Messiah (Handel). For the BBC television drama series, see Messiah (television). In Judaism, the Messiah "Anointed one", Standard Hebrew Mašia Tiberian Hebrew M& who will lead the world's peoples of AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. 30,244,050 km2 (11,677,240 mi2) including the islands, it covers 20. 3% of the total land area on Earth, and with over 800 million human inhabitants it accounts for arn descent into a promised land of full emancipationEmancipation means becoming free and equal; the term can be used in various contexts: historically, a slave becoming free by being set free by the owner ( manumission), voluntarily or in accordance with laws requiring it after a certain time or in certain and divine justice. The term Rastafari comes from Emperor Selasi's pre-coronation name, Prince Ras Tafar Makonen.
Rastafarianism is a strongly syncreticSyncretism is the attempt to reconcile disparate, even opposing, beliefs and to meld practices of various schools of thought. It is especially associated with the attempt to merge and analogize several originally discrete traditions, especially in the the Abrahamic religionAn Abrahamic religion (also referred to as desert monotheism is a religion derived from an ancient Semitic tradition attributed to Abraham, a great patriarch described in the Bible and the Quran. This group of largely monotheistic religions, which include. Rastas believe that they, and the rest of the black race, are descendants of one of the ancient twelve tribes of IsraelThis article discusses the State of Israel. For other meanings of Israel see Israel (disambiguation). The State of Israel Medinat Yisrael in Hebrew, Daulat Israil in Arabic) is a country in the Middle East on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea.. In the 10th century BC11th century BC 10th century BC 9th century BC other centuries) ( 1000s BC 990s BC 980s BC 970s BC 960s BC 950s BC 940s BC 930s BC 920s BC 910s BC 900s BC other decades) ( 3rd millennium BC 2nd millennium BC 1st millennium BC) Events Partition of the anci, Ethiopia was founded by Menelik IMenelik I first Emperor of Ethiopia and son of King Solomon of ancient Israel and Makeda, Queen of Sheba. He is credited with bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia, following a visit to Jerusalem to meet his father upon reaching adulthood. Accordin, the son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, who had visited Solomon in Israel. 1 Kings 10:13 claims "And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants." ( KJV) Rastas interpret this as meaning she conceived his child. That black Jews have lived in Ethiopia for centuries, disconnected from the rest of Judaism by Muslim control of the Middle East and northern Africa, is uncontroversial; they are called Falashas; the existence of Falashas gave some credence and impetus to early Rastafarianism, as it seemed to validate the belief that Ethiopia was Zion. Some Rastafarians choose to classify their religion as Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, Protestant Christianity, or Judaism. Some Israeli Rastas even consider themselves Islamic-Rastas . Of those, the ties to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church are most widespread, though discussed controversially in the clergy. Rastafarians believe that standard translations of the Bible represent changes created by the racist white power structure. They also revere the Ethiopian national epic, the Kebra Negast.
To further confuse the issue of classifying Rastafarianism, one type of religious gathering (grounation) is similar in many ways to Jewish services, and may have descended from African-American slaves who converted to Judaism -- a number of Jews in the southern USA owned slaves -- and escaped to Jamaica. Some early elements of Rastafarianism were closely related to indigenous religions of the Caribbean and Africa, though they were largely purged by the Nyahbinghi warriors, dreadlocked Rastas who fought the corrupting power of some leaders who added these syncretistic elements to the Rastafarian doctrines. The religion is also related to Hinduism, as a result of the migration of many thousands of Indian Hindus to the Caribbean in the twentieth century. Dreadlocked mystics, often ascetic, who smoke cannabis have existed in India for centuries.
Many Rastas believe that Jah (God) has had three incarnations. Melchizedek, Jesus Christ, and finally Haile Selassie, the ultimate embodiment of Jah, were each saviors. Some also believe that the god of the white race is actually Satan.
Rastas are immortalists who believe the chosen few will continue to live forever in their current bodies.
