Rastafarianism and the First Amendment

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Rastafarianism, although not truly biblical, is still an established religion and is protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. he author points out that the legal conflict is the smoking of marijuana as part of the rituals, which violates the government drug laws; but everything else the Rastafarians believe abides with the law and is perfectly legal to practice. The author believes that the First Amendment rights to practice one's religion do not permit one to practice illegal behavior; the law takes priority over religious freedoms in this instance.

Table of Contents
Background
Conflicts
Doctrine as Compared to Biblical References
Summary

From the Paper:

"Marcus Garvey was born in 1887. He was one of the people responsible for the Rastafarian movement, because of his philosophical ideologies. He was the founder of the "back-to-Africa" movement, as well as an influential spokesman during the early 1920's. Garvey predicted the coming of the Rastafarian's redeemer, and just a few years later, his prediction came true, when Haile Selassie was crowned King of Ethiopia. Marcus Garvey had been said to be only second to Haile Selassie. His philosophy was credited as the beginning point of Rastafarianism. Rastafari comes from the word Ras, meaning "prince", in the Amharic language, and the word Tafari, which was the name of the emperor of Ethiopia."

More papers on Rastafarianism and the First Amendment:

• Analytical Essay # 71063 : "The Bible and the First Amendment"
• Analytical Essay # 7900 : "Censorship and the First Amendment"
• Essay # 8896 : "Wrongful Dismissal and the First Amendment"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: