Parallelisms and DifferencesRastafarianism and Judaism...

Parallelisms and Differences:Rastafarianism and Judaism The two religions of Rastafarianism and Judaism embody many of the same characteristics, as well as their ancestry. Although the Rastafarians, at times, inaccurately explain the bible, their belief in the Old Testament is still prevalent. Many of the customs are almost identical, but the rationale behind the traditions and laws contrast greatly. In 1933, when Leonard P. Howell was arrested for usingseditious and blasphemous language,to boost the sale of pictures of Haile Selassie, he stated that Selassie was,King Ras Tafari of Abyssinia, son of king Solomon by the queen of Sheba.1 Howell knew that in later years factual information about Selassies true origin would be†¦show more content†¦The Falashas adhere to the teachings of the Torah, the five books of Moses, as well as all the other books of the Old Testament. Although, they reject any scriptures from the New Testament and the Koran, which are used by Christians and Muslims across the world. Orthodox rabbis have questioned the authenticity of their attachment to the Jewish religion because they do not follow the precepts of the Halachah, or Oral Law, which they follow. But the Talmud was not complete until about 500 AD, at a time when the Jews of Ethiopia were already cut off from their co-religionists in the rest of the world. In the Jewish religion, Judaism is not only obtained through conversion but mainly through our mothers. According to Jewish Law, a baby boy or girl is Jewish because their mothers are, not their fathers. Therefore, it could be claimed that Haile Selassie was not Jewish because the Emperor of Ethiopia, Sheba, was not. On a contrary note, Meneliks mother, Sheba, was indeed Jewish according to genealogical lists from the book of Genesis. In this book, it states