Religion
Sociologist Karl Marx says religion is the opium of the people. This may be because all humans believe in a force greater than man. Essentially religion is a belief in a supreme being known as “GOD.” God is considered sacred and supernatural. God is also omniscient and omnipresent. In Jamaica the dominant religion is Christianity. Jamaica holds the record for having more churches per square mile than any other country in the world. In some communities over 10 churches can be found. These churches all believe in one god but their style of worship often vary.Christianity is a religion stemming from the teaching of Jesus Christ. It dates back to the 1st century AD. Its sacred scripture is the Bible. Other important symbols are the cross, and the church. Christians try to live a life based on Biblical principles. They believe that God is love, and Jesus is the Messiah who died to redeem mankind. Christianity is subdivided into numerous churches that proliferate the major divisions; which are Roman Catholicism, Eastern Catholicism, and Protestantism. Most of the churches in Jamaica are Protestant Churches; for example Adventist, Baptist, and Church of God. Christianity was introduced in Jamaica in the 17th and 18th century by missionaries from Europe who wanted to Christianize the slaves. The Quakers were the first to arrive, then the Methodists, Moravians, and Baptists. Some slave masters were opposed to the Christianization of the slaves fearing it would lead to emancipation. As emancipation drew near the struggle intensified and erupted into widespread violence against the missionaries between 1832 and 1833.
Rastafarianism is also a religion with a strong following in Jamaican communities. It is an indigenous Jamaican religion that was established by Leonard P. Howell in the 1930’s. It began in Kingston and quickly spread to other parts of the island. Rastafarianism is distinguished by long knotty hair known as ‘dreadlocks’ or simply ‘locks.’ Initially the locks were a symbol of rebellion against the unfair social and economic conditions experienced by Black People during that time. Nowadays the hairstyle is worn by some as simply a fancy hairstyle. Rastafarians strongly believe that the true God of the Black Man hails from the Eastern Hemisphere. This was later sanctioned by Jamaica’s first National Hero – Marcus Garvey, who Rastafarians have declared a prophet, when he said “look to the East for the coming of a Black King.” Thus, when Haile Selassse – Emperor of Ethiopia, visited Jamaica during the 1960’s he was hailed as a God for Black People. Their belief is further strengthened by a verse in the Bible that allegedly says “Ethiopia shall stretch forth her hand across the land.” For Christians Jerusalem is the Holy Land but for Rastafarians, Ethiopia is the Holy Land. Many Rastafarians have dreams of spending their last days in Ethiopia.
The Rastafarian Movement was made more popular in the 1970’s and 1980’s by Bob Marley, a legendary Reggae icon. This religion has taken roots in many other parts of the world. It is even practiced by people from other races. Apart from the dreadlocks, other Rastafarian symbols include Marijuana- a herb smoked by many Rastafarians, and the coluors black, red, and gold, which are the colours of the Ethiopian flag. Other things unique to Rastafarians in Jamaica are words such as “irie, ital, sistren, empress, Jah, natty, as well as others.
Other religions in Jamaican communities include Judaism, Islam, Confunicianism, Buddhism and Santeria. These religions, however, are in the minority. The presence of religious African retentions is also seen in a branch of Christianity known as Revivalism, and in the practice of Obeah or Voodoo as it may be labeled.
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