The religion is based on a movement from the 1920s led by Jamaican Marcus Garvey (1887–1940), who had a vision of African redemption, and was considered a second John the Baptist. In 1920, Garvey wrote a play that made a prediction: “Look to Africa, when a black king shall be crowned, for the day of deliverance is at hand.” The religion is named after Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia who served in the 1930s and who Rastafarians believed was the messiah. The emperor was born Ras Tafari Makonnen.
Source: MinorityRights.
Rastafarians believe in the Judeo-Christian God and they name him Jah. Their beliefs are mainly based on the Old Testament and the Book of Revelation.
Rastafarians believe that Selassie (or Jesus) is still alive and that his death was faked so he could hide away until the Day of Judgment.
Rastafarians do not believe in an afterlife but they do believe that Africa is heaven on Earth. Rastafarians believe that true believers are immortal and all one and the same entity.
A central theme to Rastafarianism is Babylon, which is what members call the white power structure in Europe and the Americas. Rastafarians look to defy Babylon by living very simply.
There are three main sects of the religion but many people who identify as Rastafarian do not belong to any of them. These sects include the Nyahbinghi Order named for Queen Nyahbinghi of Uganda who fought colonialists in the 19th century. The Bobo Shanti order was founded by Prince Emanuel Charles Edwards in Jamaica in the 1950s. The Twelve Tribes of Israel, which is the most liberal of the sects, was founded by Dr. Vernon “Prophet Gad” Carrington in 1968. He worked for repatriation of Rastafari to Africa, the homeland.
Rastafarians are best known for their religious use of marijuana, which they call ganja. Rastafarians believe the herb was a gift from God and quote Psalm 104:14 to support this claim. The psalm reads, “”He causeth the grass for the cattle and herb for the service of man.” Rastafarians believe marijuana opens the mind and assists with reasoning.
Rastafarians do not drink because alcohol is a chemical that they believe doesn’t belong in the temple of the body, and because it makes people dumber, which Rastafarians believe plays into the white power structure that they oppose.
Rastafarian’s trademark dreadlocks serve religious and symbolic purposes. According to Leviticus 21:15, one should not cut one’s hair. Deradlocks look like a lion’s mane, giving the appearance of strength. They’re also natural and simple, in line with the Rasta lifestyle.
Many Rastafarians follow a dietary law called ital that basically dictates they eat food that is totally natural and raw. Many Rastafarians are also vegan or vegetarian, adhering to Old Testament prohibitions from eating pork and certain seafood.
In a nutshell, here’s the artist’s involvement in the religion: he grew up in a slum in Jamaica, After becoming a performer, he began every show by praising the religion and he wrote lyrics that mostly spoke of the oppression, slavery and poverty that the religion works to fight.
The Rastafarian colors of green, yellow and red represent specific things. Green stands for Ethiopia’s beautiful vegetation, yellow (sometimes gold) stands for the wealth of Africa and red stands for the blood of the Rasta martyrs and the triumph of the church.
