This religion has such a strange and even dubious reputation that it is not customary to take it seriously. However, her followers do not pretend to be serious. Rastamans often refer to themselves as representatives of "movement" or "culture" rather than religion. Nevertheless, Rastafarianism has quite definite religious foundations and postulates. And they set global goals for themselves.
Rastafarianism is one of the youngest religious movements. It originated in the 1930s in Jamaica and initially had a rigid racial basis - its followers (rastamans) were only black. They reminded everyone that it was the black race that was the first on earth and that all the rest came from it. This led to a simple idea of being chosen by God.
For blacks only
Rastafarianism originated in an environment where racial segregation was still the order of the day and blacks were fully oppressed in many areas of life. Therefore, at first, the new faith was characterized by a rather tough and aggressive nationalism. All the achievements of mankind, in one way or another, were declared the achievements of the black race, and the whites appeared exclusively in the role of enemies and villains-invaders.
Early rastamans accused Europeans of distorting religion and world history, which they allegedly rewrote in their favor. It even came to quite comical statements that all the outstanding people of the past were black. Including, for example, the ancient Greek philosophers and scientists - Plato and Archimedes.
As Christians, the Rastas claimed that Jesus Christ and the apostles were also black. After all, Palestine is very close to Africa. It is worth noting here that the conventional wisdom about the appearance of Christ as a typical European is just as ridiculous as this "African" theory. The historical Jesus was a Semitic and did have a very dark (though not black) skin tone.
One of the people who stood at the very origins of Rastafarianism was Marcus Garvey, who founded the World Association for the Advancement of Blacks in Jamaica in 1914. He actively encouraged all blacks to return to their home continent. He also predicted the coronation of the "black king" in Africa. In 1930, this prophecy unexpectedly came true - Emperor Haile Selassie I was crowned in Ethiopia. Before accepting the crown, his name was ras (feudal Ethiopian title) Tefari Makonnin. Since then, Garvey has been revered in Rastafarianism as a prophet.
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The coronation of the emperor was received in Jamaica with enthusiasm, as a sign that the great liberation of all blacks and their return to their homeland is coming. Haile Selassie was proclaimed the messiah and incarnation of God. And his old name and title were used to name a new religion that was becoming more and more popular. However, she has not yet gone beyond Jamaica and black culture.
What is the name of God?
The next explosion of interest in Rastafarianism occurred in the 1970s, thanks to reggae music, which spread from Jamaica to the United States, Great Britain, and then to other countries. Cheerful rhythms and texts about the simple joys of life captivated young people of different nationalities and races. Following this, they began to take an interest in the culture of black gay singers with long dreadlocks. By this time, Rastafarianism had already ceased to be rigidly attached to race, putting the spiritual qualities of a person in the first place.
The further, the more Rastamans began to appear who did not have any African roots. But they all dressed in a similar style, were distinguished by their bright appearance and special character. The number of Rastafarian communities in the world was growing. They preached the most different, often even contradictory things. The point is that Rastafarianism never had a rigid structure or hierarchy. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult to figure out what exactly these people profess. But the general and most important points can still be distinguished.
The greatest influence on Rastafarianism was exerted by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Although the Rastafarians interpret the Bible very freely. According to their version, God once gave blacks into slavery to whites as punishment for their sins. Now all they have to do is wait for Him to forgive them and come back to Earth to take them to heaven. Which, by the way, will be located just in Ethiopia, as one of the ancestral homelands of mankind. In general, all the phenomena associated with Africa are interpreted as unambiguously positive.
God in Rastafarianism is called Jah. This is not an invented name, but simply one of the variants of pronouncing the more familiar to us Old Testament Yahweh. This spelling is found both in Hebrew texts and, for example, in the canonical English translation of the Psalter. Emperor Haile Selassie is considered the incarnation of Jah on Earth on a par with Jesus Christ. And, by the way, at the same time a descendant of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon. However, not all communities share this point of view.
Babylon is the symbol of everything bad for the Rastamans. For a long time, this word does not mean the capital of the ancient empire, where the Jews languished in captivity. Babylon is a modern system of Western society in which everything is bought and sold, where it is impossible to distinguish truth from falsehood, and people shun one another. Babylon spoiled everything, first of all - in fact, faith in God.
Rastamans are critical of the main Christian denominations (especially Catholicism), believing that they distorted the original words of both God the Father and Jesus. It is not surprising that in response they are declared now sectarians, now atheists, and sometimes even Satanists.
The main thing for a real rastaman is to resist Babylon to the best of his ability. That is, treat all people like brothers, do not allow themselves to be pulled together by commerce or propaganda. And also to rejoice. This is the only way to bring Jah's return to earth closer.
Secret password
The most scandalous glory of Rastafarianism was created by the emphatically positive attitude towards the use of marijuana. Many rastamans directly say that it is impossible to cure the misunderstanding of the world in other ways. Light drugs, in their opinion, allow a person to relax, free the mind from the chimeras imposed by Babylon, and ultimately free himself.
These views regularly lead rastamans living in countries where marijuana is not legalized in serious legal problems. But they are not going to make compromises, sincerely believing that such prohibitions are simply the influence of Babylon.
The absence of a central organization leads to the fact that virtually anyone can call themselves a rastaman. Followers of Rastafarianism strongly disapprove of any preaching of their religion. In their opinion, it is impossible to convert a person to faith, he must come to it himself. Not required from a rastaman and regular participation in any rituals. So it can be hard to tell the difference between a loafer who loves marijuana and reggae and someone who truly believes in Jah and is going to return to Ethiopian paradise someday.
For the same reasons, it is extremely difficult to calculate the number of followers of Rastafarianism in the world. According to very rough estimates, it reaches several million, but accurate statistics are powerless here. The most famous communities in the world are the Nyabingi, Bobo Ashanti and the 12 Tribes of Israel. To distinguish religious rastamans from ordinary party-goers, the latter are usually briefly called rasta, like the entire youth subculture that has arisen around the Jamaican religion.
In communication with each other, real rastamans use a special Jah language, supposedly completely purged from the influence of Babylon. The three main words in it are "Jah", "ay" and "ayanay". If everything is clear with the first, then the second is considered a "divine sound", which gives any word that contains "positive vibrations". Because of this, Rastamans often pronounce words or names in an unusual way, trying to insert the syllable "ay" into them. For example, "Isus", "aimen", "ailelujah" and so on.
The third word symbolizes the unity of the two "ai" - Jah himself and his followers around the world. In general, there are quite a few words in Jah-language, but they try not to speak it in front of strangers.
Victor BANEV