Some people worship Jesus, some pray to Lord Krishna, others follow the teachings of The Buddha. But those who are among the Rastafari movement, or Rasta, revere the former emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, as a God incarnate. The Rasta movement originated in Jamaica in the 1930s. One of the central elements of practicing Rasta is to smoke cannabis, which adherents claims helps them open the doorways to a greater connection with God and spirituality. Incidentally, those who are Rasta, or members of the Rastafari movement, dislike being referred to as Rastafarians, or having their belief system called Rastafarianism. They don’t like the connotation of an ism which labels so many other belief systems. For the Rasta, Haile Selassie is the second coming and an incarnation of Jesus Christ himself. The term Rasta actually comes from Selassies former title, Ras Tafari. His birth name was Tafari Makonnen. After becoming Emperor of Ethiopia he came to be known as Haile Selassie. The Rasta belief system is actually somewhat complex. For example, they use the name Jah for God. This is the form of the name Jehovah, which many will recognize. It was Jah whom they believe was the Father of Jesus, and his later incarnation as Haile Selassie. This is a monotheistic religion, but they do incorporate the concept of the Holy Trinity. Interestingly, Haile Selassie himself remained a member of the Orthodox Christian Church until his death. The people who belong to Rasta are very well known for their unique culture, which includes reggae music, for wearing dread locks, and for the heavy use of cannabis, which they call Ganja. Because of the popularity of reggae, terms like Rasta and Ganja have worked their way through modern culture in many languages. There are a number of different sects and division of Rasta, and the religion continues to maintain a large following in many countries all over the world.