Rastafarian beliefs

Rastafarian beliefs

There is no formal Rastafari creed and there are slight differences in the views of different groups.

The most definitive list is found in the 1977 book The Rastafarians, The Dreadlocks of Jamaica by scholar Leonard Barrett who lists what he regards as the six basic principles of Rastafari. He developed the list by attending public meetings and through anthropological research into the movement.

Haile Selassie I is the Living God The Black person is the reincarnation of ancient Israel, who, at the hand of the White person, has been in exile in Jamaica The White person is inferior to the Black person Jamaica is hell; Ethiopia is heaven The Invincible Emperor of Ethiopia is now arranging for expatriated persons of African origin to return to Ethiopia In the near future Blacks shall rule the world

But Leonard Barrett's list is itself about thirty years old and so many of the beliefs above may no longer have the same significance to modern Rastafarians. This is especially true since the spread of the movement to the West which has led to the emergence of White Rastafarians.

Early beliefs

The basic tenets of early Rastafari, according to preacher Leonard Howell, included some very strong statements about racial issues, as might be expected in the religion of an oppressed people living in exile: