Sasha Luinstra, Peter Anderson, Kaylee White

Rastafarianism is a monotheistic religion, they call their God, Jah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd1CQEtrQMY

Red - the blood of Jamaicans.Yellow - all the Jamaican stolen gold.Green- the forest.Black- all Jamaica (most usable on reggae roots movement).

Rasta Colors are Significant to the religion

They each have a meaning:

Incarnation of God on Earth

Jesus Is:

Teacher of humanity, with ideas corrupted by Babylon

Haile Selassie, through reincarnation

Black

HAILE SELASSIE-Believed to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ

-Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974

-Followers believe that he will lead the rightous to a perfect world they call “Zion”

-Rastas believe his death in 1975 was a hoax, and that he will return to liberate those who follow him

Symbol of the Lion represents Haile Sellaise because The Bible describes

Jesus as “The lion of Judah“

DREADLOCKS-Rastas maintain that dreadlocks are supported by Leviticus 21:5 ("They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in the flesh.“

-The razor, the scissors and the comb are the three Babylonian inventions

-Dreadlocks became less significant to the religion after other cultures started wearing dreadlocks

Jah gave his followers Zion, a mountain in Ethiopia in order to reject Babylon (Western Society) because they believe Babylon is corrupt and considers it “A Rebellion against God”

PARADISEA select few will life forever in their current

bodies, called “Everliving”

“As sure as the Sun shine Way up in the sky, Today I stand here a victim - The truth is I'll

never die... “ -Third World Anthem

Example of this belief:Bob Marley refused to write a will because he said that would mean he is giving into death

and losing a chance at “everliving”

Reggae music often represents this idea such as in Bunny Wailer's song "Dreamland" and Bob

Marley's "Rainbow Country"

Afrocentrism and Black PrideBelieve Babylon has always been white dominated

Despite this there are still some white Rastafarians

The religion was founded by poor Jamaicans of African decent

The Prophet of Rastafari, Marcus Garvey said that all of the black race should return to their homeland of Africa, he also said "We must become members of a new race, overcoming petty prejudice, owing our ultimate allegiance not to nations but to our fellow men within the human community."

RASTA CEREMONIES

Reasoning-Followers come together to smoke ganja then talk about ethical, social, and religious

issues. A prayer is said beforehand by the person

that gets greens. It is passed clockwise fashion

except in time of war when it is passed

counterclockwise

Grounation-A holy day based on ending oppression, it is celebrated

by dancing, singing, feasting, and the smoking of

ganja, and can last for several days

The Rastafarian Church is the human body, it is considered a temple of Jah

DIET:-Pork and Shellfish are not allowed, Some Rastafarians will not eat meat or even touch it because it is considered “touching death”

-Most of the followers are either vegetarian or vegan

-Refrain from dairy

-Alcohol is considered a part of Babylon society which “Turns the temple of the body into a cemetery”

SCRIPTUREBelieve in the Bible, but believe half of it was stolen and is now written in the heart

USE OF CANNABIS

-Considered to be; healing of the nation, ganja, or herb, and never as a "weed“

-Spiritual act accompanied with Bible study

-Sacrament that cleans the body and mind, exalts the consciousness, facilitates peacefulness, brings pleasure, and brings them closer to Jah

-The burning of the herb is often said to be essential "for it will sting in the hearts of those that promote and perform evil and wrongs.“

Illegalization of

marijuana is considered

a discriminati

on and percecution

of the Rastafari religion

Federal Court Rules in Rastafarian Case

The case began in 1991 when Benny Guerrero, returning from a trip to Hawaii, was stopped by officials at Guam's international airport. Mr. Guerrero evidently attracted the eyes of authority because he was carrying a book about Rastafarianism and marijuana. A search of Guerrero's luggage turned up five ounces of marijuana and some Cannabis seeds. He was arrested and charged with importation of a controlled substance.

In his defense, Guerrero argued that he was a practicing Rastafarian

and that his use of marijuana was religious. 

His importation of the herb was, he argued, protected under the Religious Freedom

Restoration Act, a law that blocks the federal

government from unjustifiably infringing

on a person's practice of religion. 

After litigating the case for more than ten years, it was ruled that while the Religious Freedom Restoration Act might protect some Rastafarians who possess or smoke marijuana as part of their religious practices, it does not protect the importation of marijuana, even if that marijuana was intended for religious use.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foFbFOxbPJk&feature=related

Reggae -Traditional Jamaican folk music and drumming with American R&B, and jazz into ska with influence from soul music

-Music born from poor Jamaicans

-Bob Marley and Peter Tosh played a large role in the Rastafarian movement and the music representing it

-Spread to other nations in 1960s and 1970s

BOB MARLEY-Devout Rastafarian-Preached his religion in his music-Spread Jamaican music worldwide-Helped reduce racism in his religion because his father was white, he once said;

“I don't have prejudice against meself. My father was a white and my mother was black. Them call me half-caste or whatever. Me don't dip on nobody's side. Me don't dip on the black man's side nor the white man's side. Me dip on God's side, the one who create me and cause me to come from black and white.”