Rastafarianism Vs Judaism

Comparisons and Contrasts of Rastafari and Judaism

• Judaism has 14 million followers while Rastafari has only 600,000.
• Both believe in eternal life. But Rastafari believes in eternal physical life while Judaism believes in eternal spiritual life.
• Rastafari is a very new religion while Judaism is one of the oldest on Earth.
• Both use the Bible as a reference.
• Judaism has different denominations while Rastafari does not.
• Judaism has many holidays, while Rastafari has only a few plus celebrated birthdays of famous people.
• Rastafari has most of its followers in one location while Judaism is a little more spread out.
• Judaism has more organized worship at a church, temple, synagogue, or shul while Rastafari is worshipped through life and in small groups at homes.
• Both have signature looks having to do with the head.
• Rastafari has more extreme methods of worship while Judaism is more conformed and confined in worship.

General Religion Websites

Religious Tolerance
Religion- Online - Articles by Religious Scholors
Wikipedia Article on Religion
World Religions By Size
World Religion Index
Our Rastafarianism Webpage
Our Judaism Webpage
An essay comparing Judaism and Rastafarianism

Many people think that Rastafarianism and Judaism would have nothing in common. Although they do have many different aspects to them, there also are things that they have in common. One thing is that they both have ties to "Falashas." Falashas is another name that Jews are associated with. In the tongue of Ancient Ethiopia, Ge'ez, Falashas means "stranger" or "immigrant." The Rastas should also be considered under this definition because they immigrated from Africa to the Caribbean as slaves.