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The Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church is a religious movement that originated in Jamaica during the 1940s and later spread to the United States, being incorporated in Florida in 1975. Its beliefs are based on both the Old and New testaments of the bible, as well as the teachings of Marcus Garvey, self-reliance, Afrocentricity and Ethiopianism. Their ceremonies include bible reading, chanting, and music incorporating elements from Nyahbinghi, Burru, Kumina and other indigenous traditions. The group holds many beliefs in common with the Rastafari, including the use of marijuana as a sacrament, but differ on many points, most significantly the matter of Haile Selassie's divinity.
The group expanded rapidly in the 1970s, under the leadership of 'Niah' Keith Gordon, attracting a new generation of white American followers to their "Gospel camp" in Jamaica. The Coptic's pro-marijuana beliefs went as far as to consider distribution of the "herb" a righteous endevour and — assisted by the new arrivals — the group began to move ever-larger consignments of it from Jamaica to the United States. These efforts enabled the Coptics to acquire significant land holdings in Jamaica, as well as a luxurious 'embassy' in Miami. They ran many farms, several businesses and provided badly-needed employment during Jamaica's turbulent 1970s.
The group attracted widespread publicity in the early 1980s, when several of its members were prosecuted for importing marijuana to the United States. The movement continues to this day, but went into decline when a large number of the American members were incarcerated in the 1980s, followed by the death of Keith Gordon in 1986.
Despite its name, the group is in no way affiliated with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church or any other established Christian congregation.