ABSTRACT
My book has established that Rastafari may be seen as a religion, at least in a formal sense, because it displays many examples of Ninian Smart’s theory of religion’s seven dimensions. Insiders are skeptical of this observation. And I have tried to do justice to their disquiet concerning the term ‘religion.’ Yet, I hope that movement outsiders, and maybe a few insiders, will concede that this book shows how and why Rastafari is what brethren and sistren do. Rastas eat ital food (ritual dimension); uphold Ethiopianism and revere Selassie (doctrinal dimension); read the Kebra Nagast and the Bible (mythic dimension); reclaim cultural identity and feel black somebodiness (experiential dimension); flash dreadlocks and struggle for improved gender relations (ethical dimension); belong to mansions and follow their leaders (organizational dimension); and, many Rastas perform reggae, write novels, craft poetry, direct films, and paint their convictions on a canvas (material dimension). Rastafari is an organic religion, one that is becoming increasingly global, because it lives and breathes through such multidimensionality, which is often re-imagined to fit local contexts and needs.
