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Essay on religions in india
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Religion in India
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At first, the Spaniards used appeased techniques in order to convert the Indians but when those efforts didn’t work, they started to use violent and brutal techniques. According to Jose de Acosta, a Spanish clergyman, the wildest barbarians of the Indians were the ones that would need force to convert because they were rejecting the believes in violent ways such as killing missionaries. For Acosta, the literate and semi-civilized Indians were easier to evangelize because they were more like the Roman and Greeks. This demonstrates that Acosta saw the Indians different from each other and it was the literate Indians, the ones that were looked as better and easier to control because of their level of education which open their minds to new ideas. In contrast, the barbarian Indians required more work because of their savage mentality that they possed. The comparison that Acosta makes between the literate and barbarians to the Greeks and Romans suggest a type of hierarchy between the Romans and Greeks and the rest of the great empires that existed. The Roman and Greeks were the best because of their contribution to society but in believing so, it diminishes the rest of the other empires just like he diminishes the Indians that were barbarians. This was a common mentality throughout the conversion process as it was seen that the uncivilized Indians were savages just like their religion therefore, the methods used over them required more force and as a consequence it was going to be harder for them to convert. The Spaniards methods and strategies to convert Indians to Christianity moved from a pacified one more brutal and violent. Since the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the New World, it was clear that the mission of the Spaniard... ... middle of paper ... ...pt of living had to be reconstructed. This attempt supported even more the Indians believed that the Spaniards were harsh individuals. Franciscans efforts to Christianized the indigenous population became a problem for other Dominican missionaries because they believed that Christianization of the Indians was only a superficial conversion and that Indians were secretly committing religious acts that were not Christians. Their attempts to evangelize natives were not convincing to other people that believe that their approach was too pacified and a stronger enforcement had to be implemented in order to convert Indians fully . Some even suggested that the Indians were not capable enough to convert. Even though clergyman Acosta did believed so suggesting that the “Indians’ bad customs were a caused of nurture more then by nature and they were capable of understanding
The English took their land and disrupted their traditional systems of trade and agriculture. As a result, the power of native religious leaders was corrupted. The Indians we...
Document 4 explains how the system was to work, “the Indians should work on the Christians’ building, mind the gold, till the fields, and produce food for the Christian’s.” This system benefited the Europeans immensely. On the other hand, many Native’s working were treated very poorly and faced brutal punishment and labor. The enslavement of Native people was another cause of the great decrease in population. The disappearance of Native people leads to the disappearance of their customs, beliefs, and way of life.
The early years of colonial Mexico were a time of great change, as the native Indian populations were decimated by disease and increasingly dominated by the Spanish social and economic structure. Under the encomienda system, the initial flood of Spanish immigrants were provided with a support structure in New Spain, as the Indians’ land and labor were put at their disposal in exchange for moral guidance.[3] As Spain sought to reap the benefits of its new colony, the need for dependable labor in Mexico’s agr...
The discovery and conquest of American Indians inspired efforts to develop an ideology that could justify why they needed to enslave the Indians. The Spanish monarch wanted an ideal empire. "A universal empire, of which all their subjects were but servants. Charles V remained for them the dominus mundi, the legitimate and God-ordained lord of the world." (Weckmann, The Transit of Civilization, 23) Gold and religious conversion was the two most important inspirations for conquistadors in conquering America. Father Bartolome De Las Casas was a Dominican priest who came to the New World to convert the Indians to become Christians. He spent forty years on Hispanolia and nearby islands, and saw how the Spaniards brutally treated the Indians and sympathized with them. The Devastation of the Indies was an actual eyewitness account of the genocide by Las Casas, and his group of Dominican friars in which he demonizes the Spanish colonists and praises the Indians. Father Las Casas returned to Seville, where he published his book that caused an on going debate on whether the suppression of the Indians corrupted the Spaniards' values. What Las Casas was trying to achieve was the notion of human rights, that human beings are free and cogent by nature without the interference of others.
The Americans settled all over the United States and in the 1820s began showing interest in the West because of trade with Asia. Certain leaders were sent out on missions' to "help" better the lives of the Indians and Mexicans. When the white settlers first came to West they viewed the Indians and Mexicans as savages. They did not think of them as human because their lifestyle was unsuitable, or rather different then their own. The only way that they could tolerate them was to try and change their way of living. They attempted to convert them into the Christian religion, to change the way they ate, what they ate, how they ate it, the way they dressed, teach them English, etc. "The object of the missions is to convert as many of the wild Indians as possible, and to train them up within the walls of the establishment in the exercise of a good life, and of some trade, so that they may be able to provide for themselves and become useful members of civilized society."1
Giles, Thomas S. "How did Native Americans Respond to Christianity?" Christian History, 1992, Volume 11, Issue 3, p20.
... convert them by any means necessary. The idea that conversion made for a bettering of the people also aided in taking to harsh treatment. As for the actions taken against the natives, violence, murder, and rape were among the many. Such acts are fairly barbaric, not expected of a civilized society. Also, these actions are contradictory to Christian doctrine making them even more controversial.
The Black Legend and White Legend: Relationship Between the Spanish and Indians in the New World
Although it may not have seemed fairly difficult in theory, The Pope along with the Crown of Spain set out with the goal to convert the Native Americans. One decisive factor that challenged that decree of conversion was the economic benefits that Spain would receive. This would eventually change the agendas of Spain, and ultimately it would indirectly make those living in the New World choose: Spain or Religion? This was not said in these exact words, but people, especially religious orders would have to choose to fight for what they believed in, or to follow the orders straight from the Spanish Crown.
All through the history of the world there have been superior civilizations that have taken over other groups and have forced them in to situations that would seem unimaginable to the most people today. The same situation once happened to the native people that live in what today is considered the south west of the United States. In 1550 Francisco Vásquez de Coronado led a Spanish conquest in the Rio Grande valley the area that a number of pueblo people made this area there home and sacred lands. With Coronado eading the way the gate was opened to the rest of the Spaniard who were looking for their share of fame and riches. After Coronado fruitless search of the seven cities of gold, then Juan de Oñate decided to try his luck in the southwest. Oñates was equipped with a different type of help other than the usual conquistadores, he was came along with at group of Franciscans. With the Spaniard in search for God, Gold and Glory they quickly realized that there was no Gold or Glory in the South west and the viceroy in Mexico quickly came to the conclusion to withdraw and give more of there attention to the other more lucrative areas of there empire. But there seemed to be one small probel the God part of the god, gold and glory, the Franciscans that came up with Oñates objected to the idea of leaving. The Franciscan view it as their duty to convert the natives who in their eyes where living in sin and would go to hell if the friars would not intervene and show them the way to salvation.
First about direct aspect, Europeans wanted the Natives work as slaves for them to discover gold, but they never treat them as human beings. Europeans enslaved Natives brutally, “They ordered all persons fourteen years or older to collect a certain quantity of gold every three months. When they brought it, they were given copper tokens to hang around their necks. Indians found without a copper token had their hand cut off and bled to death.” (Howard Zinn, 4). Indirect factor related to the first encounter and led to devastating result. The most noticeable indirect factor is the “Epidemics”, which is caused by First Encounter, because “during the mid-sixteenth century, Spanish invaders introduced epidemics into American southwest” (Alan Taylor, American Colonies,1). Th “Epidemics” do result in a huge disaster for Natives: “In any given local, the first wave of epidemics afflicted almost every Indian. Within a decade of contact, about half the natives died from the new diseases. After about fifty years of contact, successive epidemics reduced a native group to about a tenth of its precontract numbers. Some especially ravaged peoples lost their autonomous identity, as the few survivors joined a neighboring group” (Alan Taylor, American Colonies, 2). These two direct and indirect factors clearly show the devastating result
Explanation- This article gives examples of how indigenous people used to live before the colonization of Christopher Columbus. After the appearance of Christopher Columbus in Mexico different ethnic groups were distributed amongst different states along with their different languages. In the state of Oaxaca there around sixteen different ethnic groups which the Mixtecs and the Zapotecs are the two main ethnos who have continued to expand amongst the territory. During the Spanish conquest the Mixtec and the Zapotecs’ religion was mostly based on belief in the vital force that animated all living things, meaning that they worshiped the land and the creator. Throughout this day there are still indigenous people who believe and practice their ideology, and the “modernized” are set to practice Catholicism.
In this way the religion practiced by the Native Americans was taken as contradictions to Christianity. The natives were informed that Christianity was designed to be an eternal rule of significance and a means from which they could use to return to God from their religions that had deviated (Eliot par. 3). Through sermons given by Whitfield, the minds of the natives were engaged in religion and making religion the subject of most of their discussions. They embraced all the opportunities to hear what was been taught on Christianity. The Christian revivals were attended by the young and old alike (Edwards par.
From 711-1492, Christian Spaniards lived under Moorish rule until eventually, the Christian Kingdoms took over during the Reconquista. The conflicts between the Muslims and Christians created a militaristic culture in Spain that surpassed that of any other European nation. Furthermore, being trained militarily was often exclusively attributed to the nobility however, in Spain, “many young men knew these skills and used them to their advantage.” Without a doubt, recently reconquering their homeland motivated the Spanish to a basis for expansion and conquest that most other European societies were lacking. In addition, the voyages of Christopher Columbus led to discovering the New World which undoubtedly contributed to added interest in conquest. Eventually, each conquest further raised Spanish hopes for fame and
The first Catholic priests came to South America with the conquistadors and through social and political force superimposed 16th century Catholicism upon conquered peoples and in subsequent generations upon slaves arriving in the New World. Catholicism has, likewise, frequently absorbed, rather than confronted, popular folk religious beliefs. The resulting religion is often overtly Catholic but covertly pagan. Behind the Catholic facade, the foundations and building structure reflect varying folk religious traditions. (2)