No 17

(Rastafarianism)

This religion began by the preaching of Marcus Garvey in the 1920’s on black self-powerment and initiated the “Back to Africa” movement; principally back to Ethiopia. He wanted blacks to feel proud of their heritage and he said that the day a black king shall be crowned, that will be the day of our deliverance. Many thought that this prophesy was fulfilled by Haile Selassie 1 when he was crowned king of Ethiopia in 1930. Haile Selassie 1 claimed to be the direct descendant of King David in an unbroken line of Ethiopian kings from the time of Solomon and Sheba. Rastafarians or Rastas believe that Haile Selassie 1 is the living god for the blacks and they also believe that he was the Jesus that Christianity speaks of; they say that the white man tricked the world into believing that He was white. Many believe that Haile Selassie is not dead and say that his atoms spread throughout the world and became part of new babies.

They let their hair grow naturally into dreadlocks in the image of the Lion of Judah. Six out of 10 Jamaicans are said to be Rastas and the total worldwide stands at approximately 1 million followers. Rasta forms the base for reggae music; Bob Marley and the Wailers spread Rasta all through the world with their reggae music. Rastas are vegetarians and they use ganja (marijuana) for spiritual purposes and base its usage on the following verses of Scripture:

- “…Thou shalt eat the herb of the field” (Gen 3:18)

- “…eat every herb of the land” (Exod 10:12)

- “Better is a dinner of herb where love is than a stalled ox and hatred therewith” (Prov 15:17)

They use this herb extensively but not only for spiritual purposes but for medicinal purposes also. Rastafarians live a peaceful life, needing little material possessions and devote much time to contemplating the Holy Scriptures. I pray that the Spirit of God enlightens them to the real Savior of the world – Jesus Christ.