the
lives of the Jamaicans are shaped by their religious beliefs. Owing to
the ethnic diversity in Jamaica, there are a number of religions
practiced in the country.
The
religious beliefs of the Tainos were based on animism. They worshiped
both, the forces of nature as well as plants and animals. The God
Yścahu, and his mother, Goddess Atabey were their main deities. Yścahu
was the God of the sea, and also of the vegetable root that they
consumed. On the other hand, Atabey was the Goddess of freshwater and
fertility. They also believed in zemis or spirits, both good and evil,
which were present in nature in several forms. Zemis were worshiped in
order to avoid natural calamities.
With
the advent of the colonizers, Christianity made its ways into Jamaica.
Today, about 80% of the Jamaicans follow Christianity. Every Jamaican
settlement, irrespective of its size, has at least one Church. The
Sunday mass is considered to be extremely important, and everyone is
expected to attend it dressed in a formal attire. The most widespread
denomination is the Anglican Church of Jamaica, which has a large Roman
Catholic following. It is followed by a number of smaller Protestant
churches.
A
major highlight of Jamaican religion is Rastafari, a unique religious
movement that originated on the island in 1920s and 30s. It is a very
interesting blend of Old Testament Christian faith, mystic beliefs, and
African fundamentalist ideology. The Rastafarians or the Rastas, as
they are simply called, keep long hair with matted dreadlocks, make
spiritual use of marijuana, and completely reject the western society.
Today, the awareness for Rastafari movement is increasing throughout
the world through the spreading influences of the Reggae music.
However, only one to two per cent of Jamaican citizens identify
themselves as Rastafarians.
Other
religions practices in Jamaica include Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism,
Islam, Bahį'ķ faith, Mormonism, and Jehovah's Witnesses
