How does religion influence the Jamaican society?

Many Americans are not accustomed to the integration of religion into so much of public life and government. Yet, here in Jamaica the system is accepted and enjoyed. Every couple of weeks we intend to write about an aspect of our new home country – here is the first instalment.

Jamaica is said to have the most churches per square mile of any country in the world. More than 1,600 churches can be found across the country's 4500 square miles, whose population is 2.712 million (2012). Jamaica's constitution provides for freedom of religion. However, Christian prayer is part of most all government and public gatherings; In Jamaican Public Schools the day begins with Devotions – prayers read from the Bible and singing followed by daily announcements. Even the U.S. Peace Corps acknowledges the local custom – and usually begins meetings which include local Jamaicans with a prayer too.

The National Anthem is a prayer which begins "Eternal Father bless our land". It replaced the British National Anthem, “God Save the Queen".

Last week I attended a computer technology workshop conducted by Digicel, the local mobile telecom provider, which opened with prayers and hymns and included prayer before lunch too.

As part of our integration into our community, we have asked to be invited by our colleagues and neighbours to their various churches. So far we have attended Church of God, Methodist, and Baptist Sunday services. And, we are looking forward to joining friends at Anglican, Pentecostal, Seventh Day Adventist and others.

What is interesting to me is that we are completely accepted for who we are – there is no apparent prejudice about my non-religious Jewish heritage, and Irene’s various experiences with Christianity; most faiths seem to coexist easily in Jamaica.

According to 2011 statistics, the largest single denomination is Seventh-day Adventist, with 322,000 members, next is Pentecostal at 295,000, then come Church of God, and The New Testament Church of God. Others include Anglican, Presbyterian, Jehovah’s Witness, Roman Catholic, Mormon, Baha’i, Judaism, Islam, Society of Friends (Quakers) and Hinduism. Smaller Protestant denominations include the Moravians, Disciples of Christ, and United Church of Christ.

The Rastafari movement is an African-based spiritual ideology that arose in the 1930s in Jamaica. It is sometimes described as a religion but is considered by many adherents to be a "Way of Life".Its adherents worship Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia (ruled 1930–1974), as God incarnate, the Second Advent, or the reincarnation of Jesus, and they revere Marijuana (Ganja) as part of their worship, although it is still an illegal drug in Jamaica. Officially, there are about 30,000 Rastafarians in Jamaica, although the number may be greater. So, contrary to some foreign ideologies, not all Jamaicans are 'Rastas'.

We have also been part of the religious ritual and celebration around death of members of the community. Nine-Night (in the past, commemoration celebrations were held for nine nights following the death of a loved one, hence the name) is held on the 9th day after the death. Celebrations typically start at 8 pm and continue well into the night. Family, neighbours, and friends, whether or not they were acquainted with the deceased, come out to join the celebrations. A table is laid out with food and drink, none of which should be touched before midnight. Legend has it that the spirit of the deceased should have the chance to eat, drink, enjoy the festivities, and hear the wishes of loved ones before passing on to the next plane. Celebrations reach fever pitch with music, drums and dancing where the travelling soul and the spirits of the family's ancestors are called upon to guide and welcome the newest arrival to the afterlife.

We hope you find this post interesting – other topics in the future will include Jamaican food & cooking, more details about education and our rural schools, and our general day-to-day life. We welcome your posted questions and comments.

As Jamaicans might say in Patwa – Bless Up and Respec!