LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Rastafarianism: Haile Selassie
built 274 days ago
The central doctrine of Rastafarianism... known as Rasta, is that Haile Selassie is the God of the black race. This belief continued to be held even after his death in 1975. The Ras Tafari movement is thought to be a strand of the “Back to Africa” movement created by Jamaican leader Marcus Garvey after he moved to the United States and settled in New York City in 1916. Garvey preached black pride and black emancipation, and advocated a return of black Americans to Africa, their ancestral homeland, and particularly to Liberia and Sierra Leone. According to a widely believed report, Garvey told his followers in Jamaica, at his departure for the United States, “Look to Africa where a Black King shall be crowned; he shall be your redeemer.” After the coronation of Haile Selassie, many Garveyites began to search the Bible for confirmation of the prophecy. The confirmation was found in Revelation 19:16, which reads: “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.” With these events the Rastafarian movement was born.
Source:
The followers of Rastafarianism believe that Haile Selassie the former Emperor of Ethiopia, is the Black Messiah who appeared in the flesh for the redemption of all Blacks exiled in the world of white oppressors. The movement views Ethiopia as the Promised Land. The group has no individual leadership. Most of the members are men from thirty-five to fifty-five years of age. The older members are either ex-Graveyites or sympathizers of his movement. Women play an important role in the Rastafarianism today, but the majority are followers of their husbands.
Source:
[One] reason why Haile Selassie is central to Rastafarianism lies in the name 'Rastafarian' itself, which comes from the words Ras Tafari, meaning in Ethiopia, Prince Tafari. This was Haile Selassie's Christian name. Haile Selassie is seen as part of the Rastafarian divine trinity built loosely on the Christian traditions, although God is called Jah, a name derived from the Old Testament's name for God, Jahve.
Source:
The cutting of hair is forbidden, although dreadlocks symbolize Rastafarianism, it would be wrong to assume that everyone wearing hair in dreadlocks was a Rastafarian. Dreadlocks symbolize the mane of the lion of Judah (which was the term of reference to Haile Selassie)
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Haile Selassie