Rastafari Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Rastafari - Essay Example The leaders of Rastafari came up with doctrines of the religion, which include despising the whites, reading the Bible, growing dreadlocks, and smoking cannabis. The followers of the religion interpret the Bible in an afro-centric way; because they believe that the white people altered the meaning of the readings in the text. Bob Marley, a reggae singer, is one of the followers of the movement. Tim argues that Bob’s songs contain the doctrines of Rastafarians (Hall 6). Hall believes that the movement is a way of life because it lacks organization like other religions. The author is an evangelist in Australia, and he researches about religious movements in the world. The article is relevant to my research because it explains the origin of the movement and its principles. The author states the founders of the movement, and he also gives an example of Bob Marley as a Rastafarian. The author has failed to give an example of principle that Marley spreads through his reggae songs (H all 8). The author also fails to give details of how Haile Selassie 1 and Garvey succeeded in creating the movement, even after claiming that they died as a result of their struggle to save Africans from slavery. This means that the article is not wholly reliable. Murrell, Nathaniel. â€Å"Jamaica: The Rastafarian movement.† Global exchange, n.d 2011. Web. 18 Oct 2013. (http://www.globalexchange.org/country/jamaica/rasta) The article states the meanings of symbols of the Rastafari movement, and he explains how the doctrines of the association have spread to the whole world. Nathaniel argues that the word Ras means Christ; while Rastafari refers to Haile Selassie, the founder of the movement (Murrell 4). Rastafarians claim that Haile Selassie is their Christ who died physically, but lives in their souls. The believers argue that Christ shall come back to save them from the world, and he shall take them to Ethiopia. The followers argue that Ethiopia is the land that Christ prom ised them, and they refer to it as Mount Zion. The author argues that the movement has spread from Jamaica to the United States in cities such as New York, and the Great Britain (Murrell 8). Nathaniel, however, believes that the movement is more of a culture or political association rather than a religion. This argument is similar to that of Tim Hall, and it indicates that numerous researches have been conducted to determine the classification of Rastafarian movement. Nathaniel is an associate professor in the University of Carolina. The professor teaches philosophy and religion, and he has written several books in these topics. Murrell’s research specializes in the Caribbean and world religions. The article will help the research to explaining the real meaning of terms used by the Rastafarians. The author has analyzed how the movement spread to countries such as America and Britain, and he also explains the origin of the Rastafarian doctrines. The author has failed to descri be the spread of the movement in details, but his work is reliable because his arguments are similar to those of Tim Hall, and they are more detailed. Barnett, Michael. "The Many Faces of Rasta: Doctrinal Diversity within the Rastafari Movement." Caribbean Quarterly 51.2 (2005): 67-112.print. The article summarizes details of members of the Rastafari