Why rasta smoke

In some translations Jah Jehovah is used. This name for God has been popularized by Rastafarians and is now used by many in the mainstream Jamaican populations. Its use has become somewhat of a marketing ploy, as many use the term in songs and language to appeal to the general public because it can be portrayed as either the God of Rastafarians or Christianity. Red represented the blood of blacks that died in struggle to fight off their white oppressors.

Black represented the color of black Africans skin. The current flag is the old Ethiopian flag with the Lion of Judah symbol. Important Books In Rastafarian Theology. Staff Writer. Some Rastas believe the emperor was a reincarnation of God, like Christ, and others that he was a destined emissary. The idea that the black king fulfilled a prophecy was supplied by Marcus Garvey and inspired by biblical verses. Garvey, a Jamaican writer and activist living in New York, began the black nationalist movement in the US.

Howell was arrested and imprisoned in and his doctrine was deemed devilish. He continued to write while incarcerated, and after his release in kept gaining followers. In , the preacher established Pinnacle, a community of about 1, Rastas who followed a special vegetarian diet, shirking seasonings but for the sacred herb, marijuana. They grew ganja among their yams and greens. Howell preached that marijuana was encouraged in the bible, for example in Genesis And the Earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Nonetheless, locks became synonymous with Rastafarianism and with fighting the power. Raids continued through the next two decades—but the religion persisted in spreading.

Names such as Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer who used music to tell the stories of their religion and beliefs have become huge figures, and during the s shot Rastafarianism into popularity. When compared to other religions such as Christianity, Rasta beliefs are not worlds apart; however it is estimated that there are currently only approximately one million Rastafarians in the world now.

There is no denying that the Rastafarian religion has been widely entrenched in controversy over the years, with many other faiths and outside individuals dubbing the movement as merely a way to get high and be lazy under the mask of religion. Believed to be heavily influenced by the Back To Africa movement and British colonialism, the Rasta religion is often referred to as a movement for the rights of African people.

Over the years this has evolved to be more about spiritualism , nature, and being closer to God Jah. There are many rumors around how marijuana became part of the Rastafarian way of life in the first place, but the truth is nobody can confirm this for sure. Some suggest that marijuana was used in a bid to enable freedom from the establishment as a reaction to the treatment of black members of society.

Other rumors suggest that the use of marijuana is incredibly religious, with many Rastafarians looking to marijuana as being the Tree of Life that is referenced in the Bible. Rastas have used marijuana in their spiritual gatherings, known as Reasoning sessions, since the beginning of the religion as a way to become closer to God and to produce a heightened spiritual state.

Many Rastafarians do not consume marijuana, referred to as the Holy Herb, at any other time outside of this religious get together. In short, the answer would be yes — marijuana, or The Holy Herb, is undoubtedly a substantial part of the Rasta religion. Those who follow the Rastafarian religion believe marijuana to be a natural gift from God, and a way to become closer to Him on a spiritual level.