prodj101 Posted October 13, 2002 Share Posted October 13, 2002 is it required that you smoke ganja in order to be a Rastafarian? I'm not religeous, but it's the only religon I would think about being. But, I'm not up for the token up, neither are my parents. I've gotta conserve those saxophone lungs for later use! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted October 13, 2002 Share Posted October 13, 2002 Rastafarians are members of a kinda weird offshoot of the Zion Coptic Church, which in itself is an offshoot of the Coptic Church. The Coptic Church is basically Christianity in its earliest form...pretty much preserved that way...even older than the formation of the Roman Catholic Church! The Zion Coptic Church is an offshoot from it, which was/is Ethiopian in origin. In this format, it was believed that former(now deceased) Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassi(sic?) was the embodiment of the return of the Messiah....literally making him the religious leader of the church while he was alive (whether he liked it or not!!!). The reasoning behind this embodiment was the supposed direct lineage of him from the ancient Queen of Sheeba (Sheeba being in the western part of Ethiopia, or so they say...archeologists and historians are still debating that one!!!). Similar to the way in which the Shiite Muslims of Iran saw their Ayatollah as the embodiment of Muhammed on earth. The Rastafarians are an offshoot of this Zion Coptic Church...with the belief that the smoking of ganga(cannabis) will bring them to a more enlightened plane of existence in which they will become closer to God...among other weird things they do!! This is primarily practiced in Jamaica, where many of the black population have roots in Ethiopia. The wearing of the "dreadlocks" hairstyle among the Rastafarians is also a part of this belief. In the last quarter century or so, the term "Rastafarian" has become connotated with drug-using/dealing black Jamaicans wearing dreadlocks...and the established underworld of Jamaica...with a bit of voodoo practice thrown-in for good measure...LOL!...a far cry from its original meaning!! Though it may seem strange to us, the practice of combination of religious leader with political leader is as old as civilization itself...and predates even ancient Egypt, with its pharoah being not only the ruler, but also a god on earth! Politically, it tends to solve many problems, provided the population being ruled is of the same religion...because when an order by the ruler is given, it is seen as the word of God(or the gods) and the order is carried out without question...because if anyone questions the order, they are heretics!!, and will be dealt with accordingly(normally death or lifetime exile to some place NOBODY wants to go!). I am now removing my Social Studies teacher hat, and putting my Klipsch hat back on!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted October 13, 2002 Share Posted October 13, 2002 HDBRbuilder, Thanks for the lesson,very interesting.What is next on the menu? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluless Posted October 13, 2002 Share Posted October 13, 2002 Hmmm, I wonder if my parents would have bought the excuse that I was a Rastafarian convert many years ago ....Nah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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