Ennis B. (Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio) Edmonds
From its obscure beginnings in Jamaica in the early 1930s, Rastafari has grown into an international socio-religious movement. It is estimated that 700,000 to 1 million people worldwide have embraced Rastafari, and adherents of the movement can be found in most of the major population centers and many outposts of the world. Most believers worship Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia (ruled 1930-1974), as God incarnate. They often embrace the spiritual use of cannabis and reject western society, called Babylon. Believers proclaim Africa (also "Zion") as the original birthplace of mankind, and...
From its obscure beginnings in Jamaica in the early 1930s, Rastafari has grown into an international socio-religious movement. It is estimated that 70...
