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Example research essay topic: Haile Selassie Jewish Religion - 1,504 words

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Little is known about the Rastafarian religion other than that Bob Marley was a Rasta who had dreadlocks and enjoyed smoking Marijuana. During my trip to Jamaica I found that there was so much more that connected to my own personal experiences a Jew. I decided to discover more and what I found was astonishing. I began to strike up discussions with local Rastafarians. A Rastafarian cab driver that I was speaking with claimed to be from the tribe of Judah and had a Star of David on his dashboard. When I came back to the U.

S. the importance to me of what I discovered had not changed. I began to look at the similarities of the two religions. I discovered that in many ways the two religions are almost, if not, identical. The two religions of Rastafarianism and Judaism embody many of the same characteristics, as well as their ancestry. Although the Rastafarians, at times, inaccurately explain the bible, their belief in the Old Testament is still prevalent.

Many of the customs are almost identical, but the rationale behind the traditions and laws contrast greatly (Rastafarians). In order to understand all the connections within the beliefs, rituals, and symbols between Rastafarianism and Judaism it is extremely important to understand the origin of Rasta. Rasta has its roots in the teachings of Jamaican black nationalist Marcus Garvey, who in 1920 said "Look to Africa when a black king shall be crowned, for the day of deliverance is at hand" (Chevannes, Rastafari 98). Many thought the prophecy was fulfilled when in 1930, Ras Tafari, was crowned emperor Haile Selassie 1 of Ethiopia and proclaimed "King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and the conquering lion of the Tribe of Judah." Haile Selassie claimed to be a direct descendant of King David, the 225 th ruler in an unbroken line of Ethiopian Kings from the time of Solomon and Sheba (Chevannes, Ideology 99). It was 1930, the year of the Great Depression, and the Jamaican people were opening their hearts and minds to new possibilities. During this time of economic instability the downtrodden black Jamaican was receptive to the economic communal ideas and strong positive emphasis on being black and African.

Garvey preached a message of black self-empowerment, and initiated the "Back to Africa" movement. Which called for all blacks to return to their ancestral home, and more specifically Ethiopia. He taught "self-reliance 'at home and abroad' and advocated a 'back to Africa' consciousness, awakening black pride and denouncing the white man's eurocentric worldview, colonial indoctrination that caused blacks to feel shame for their African heritage" (Campbell 64). He and his followers took great pride in being black and wanted to regain the black heritage that was lost by loosing faith and straying from the holy ways. Soon other leaders began to emerge such as Leonard Howell. Howell was arrested in 1933 for using "Seditious and Blasphemous language" to increase the sale of pictures of Haile Selassie.

Howell claimed that the "spirit of our Lord was returned in this Mythical figure. " During Howell's trial, he refused to swear on the bible, and told the court, "We were told that we were Gentiles (but we came) to know that we were the Jews" (Barret 19). From the beginning of the Rasta movement, the similarities to Judaism were clear. The Rasta's believed that they were the descendants of the Jews and that Haile Selassie was the king prophesied in the Bible. According to the Bible, King Solomon, King of Israel and the Jews, was visited by the Queen of Sheba, an Ethiopian Monarch. The queen was very impressed during her visit to the Holy Land and adopted the Jewish religion.

When her son Menelik grew up, he visited his father and transferred the Ark of the Covenant from Jerusalem to Axum. It is at this point that a new religion of the Falasha Jews began in Ethiopia. The Falasha's are the black Jews of Ethiopia, descendants of King Solomon and Queen of Sheba. Falasha means emigrant, exile, or stranger to the land and it is not impossible that the Jews of Ethiopia themselves originally adopted this term to indicate that they were exiles from the Holy Land into which, when the Messiah came, they would be gathered. The Ethiopian Jews depend entirely on written laws, without support from the Talmud or any Rabbinical interpretations. The Falasha's adhere to the teachings of the Torah, the five books of Moses, as well as all the other books of the Old Testament and they reject any scriptures from the New Testament and the Koran, which are used by Christians and Muslims across the world.

Orthodox rabbis have questioned the authenticity of their attachment to the Jewish religion because the Falasha, unlike Jews, do not follow the precepts of the Halachaha, or Oral Law. But the Talmud (a written version of the oral law) was not complete until about 500 AD, at a time when the Jews of Ethiopia were already cut off from their co-religionists in the rest of the world (Messing 42 - 44). To the Rastafari, the word 'Israelite' and 'Ethiopian' are one and the same name. According to the Rastafarians, they, the true Israelites, have been punished for their sins by God their father through slavery under whites. This sin led them to exile in Jamaica.

They share many of the same customs that European and Israeli Jews adhere to. They do this by sticking to the strict dietary laws of the Old Testament. This is explained by Samuel Brown: "The Rastafarian is he who bows the knee to God above; we are those who obey strict moral and divine laws based on the Mosaic tenet. We strongly object to sharp implements used in the desecration of the figure of man, e. g. trimming and shaving, tattooing of skin, cuttings of flesh.

We are basically vegetarians, making scant use of certain animal flesh, yet outlawing the use of swine's flesh in any form, shell fishes, scaleless fishes, snails, etc. " (Barret 111). These laws are followed by Jews around the world and are called being kosher. Both Rastafarians and the Jews follow the laws of the Old Testament. Both adhere to biblical tenants regarding hair cutting. In several of the scriptures, the holy man is instructed not to alter his hair. In Leviticus 19: 27, Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. "In Leviticus 21: 5, "They shall not make any baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in the flesh. " And finally Numbers 6: 5, "All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in which he spare himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow" (Lewis 43).

Based on these biblical commandments, the Rasta's grow their long, unaltered locks as symbols of blackness, dignity, and honor. Jewish boys traditionally do not cut their hair until the age of three, and religious men cover their head and let their hair grow into long, distinguished beards. The Star of David is used many times to symbolize the Rastafarian religion. It is used on many reggae CD covers and even flags depicting both Rasta's and Jews. The Rastafarians, as stated above, believe that Haile Selassie, their leader, was descended from King Solomon and King David, hence they use as their symbol the Star of David. The Jews also use this as their symbol to represent Jews and even Israel on the Israeli flag.

Another symbol that is connected to the Jewish religion is the symbolism of the Lion. The Lion represents Haile Selassie, the Conquering lion of Judah. The Lion is seen all over, again on Reggae CD covers such as the Burning Spear, in homes, on flags, on tabernacles, in paintings, and in their songs and poetry (Chevannes Rastafari and Other 19). "The Lion represents not only the king of kings, but the dominant maleness of the movement. The Rastafarians stimulate the spirit of the lion in the way they wear their locks and in the way they walk. To the public the image of the lion suggests strength, dominance and aggressiveness" (Chevannes, Rastafari and Other 89).

Another similarity between the two religions is a belief in the coming of a Messiah. The religions differ in their interpretation of who that Messiah is or will be. Rasta's believe in the messianic status of Selassie as the descendants of King David and that Selassie is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah, now dwelling in his Holy Place on Mount Zion, which is in Ethiopia. When Selassie came to Jamaica, which was a rare and spectacular event, the Rastafarians 'knew' that Ras Tafari was their Messiah and Savior. "But most importantly, the fact...


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