In the 16th century, Europe is being torn asunder by the effects of the Protestant Reformation - while in the America’s, Catholic forces are committing atrocities that threaten the very moral base of Christendom. Saint Ignatius de Loyola sees the Protestant Reformation as the most direct threat to the fabric of order in Europe - at the same time, Bartolomeu de Las Casas views the genocide of the native peoples in the Americas as the most pressing issue facing the Catholic world. Loyola’s ideals were most widely regarded during this era due to his unwavering support of Papal supremacy, advocation of traditional Catholic values, and devotion to the values of Christ in order counter the rise of Protestantism - and while the pleas of Las Casas …show more content…
did result in some change, he was unable to garner widespread support for his project due to the Protestant Reformation, the remoteness of the New World, and a general disagreement over the spiritual being of Native Americans. Saint Ignatius de Loyola lived during the heart of the Protestant Reformation and the subsequent Catholic Counter-Reformation, which directly shaped his views on the relationship of authority between laymen and the clergy. Loyola viewed the Catholic Church as the bride and Christ as the bridegroom in a union of holy matrimony (Loyola 120). The union between the Catholic Church and Jesus Christ left no room for disagreement with the hierarchy of the institution, since the institution is the embodiment of the Triune God on Earth. Furthermore, Papal supremacy resonated deeply with the average Catholic in Europe due to this accepted notion of the connection between God and the Vicar of Christ, the Pope. Whereas, the Pope serves as the direct ambassador of Heaven to Earth, and to challenge this very principle would result in challenging the conceptual structure of the Catholic faith. Loyola even goes as far to say that he would be he sees white as black if the Catholic Church were to decree it (Loyola 120) - further exemplifying the religious idolatry of the institution in order to display commitment to the social order of 16th century. Moreover, this devotion to the social order of the era was deeply rooted in maintaining the religious preponderance of the Papacy to counteract the rise of Protestantism throughout Europe. This rise of Protestantism directly threatened the religious order of Europe - depriving the Papacy of its long rooted theological supremacy over the continent. And in the mind of Loyola and other link-minded Catholics, to deny the theological supremacy of the Catholic Church is to deny light of the Heavenly Father. This loss of theological oversight gave direct curation of the Bible to local laymen leaders, which is a cardinal sin in the eyes of Ignatius de Loyola and the elite of Catholic Europe in this period. These Catholic leaders saw widespread interpretation of the Bible as a direct path to the breakdown of society, and the ushering in of evil to show its ugly head throughout the European continent (Loyola 120). Not only would lay men completely misunderstand the complexities of the theological structures of the Bible, but would further use it to destroy the social and religious fabric of Europe in their error. Thus, the Protestant Reformation became the most direct threat to the Catholic Christendom, because it set to challenge the very essence of the political and religious structure of Europe. Furthermore, tradition became one of the core tenets of Loyola and the Society of Jesus - with Loyola emphasizing the necessity of studying past religious leaders in the Catholic Church like St. Jerome, St. Augustine, and St. Bonaventure in order to increase the completion of faithful resolve in Christ (Loyola 120). This reliance on tradition was on course with Catholic theological ideals, which further legitimized Jesuit teachings throughout Catholic circles in Europe as a positive force against Protestantism. Whereas Protestantism rejects the core tenet of sainthood and the belief that any human can rise higher than another on the plain of righteousness. As well, Protestant theology derives directly from the Bible and rejects any traditions not explicitly stated within the holy text of Christianity. Therefore, the juxtaposition of Protestantism attacking central tenets of Catholic faith and Jesuit ideals directly upholding those tenets - gave rise to Loyola’s preeminence in decrying the imminent threat of Protestant philosophy to the whole of Christendom, and distinguishing that this would not be a similar situation to that of the Waldensians and Albigensians. Overall, tradition serves as a foundational principle of the Catholic Church, which Saint Ignatius de Loyola fully understood and used that understanding to garner support for the Society of Jesus to spread its version of the “truth” throughout Europe and beyond. Lastly, Ignatius de Loyola and the Society of Jesus proudly served as the examples of “good” Catholics during the era of the Counter-Reformation - through exemplifying the willingness to slavishly serve at the command of God and Papacy and to do whatever it took to serve the Kingdom of God. Loyola emphasized the necessity of following the vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity (Loyola 119) - which had long been one of the most critical struggles for the Catholic clergy for the past few centuries. The Jesuits being a military style order, took these vows to the extreme and reinvigorated the legitimacy of the Catholic clergy through this rigid lifestyle. Even so, with all the past faults of the clergy - Loyola did not wish to attack his fellow clergymen as that would only give further fuel to the Protestant fire and result in continued problems for the Catholic Church. Instead Loyola used his and his Order’s religious fervour to focus on the Counter-Reformation and handling the increasing threat of Protestantism through holding fast to the values of righteousness. He harped on the necessity of rejecting matters that deprive priests of evangelical perfection and to focus entirely on devoutly serving the Kingdom of God in order to praise the Triune God and maintain the societal structure of Christendom (Loyola 119). The Society of Jesus’ theological devotion was the breath of fresh air that was needed in 16th century, and acted as a direct player in keeping the Catholic Church from crashing in the rocky seas. However, another theological crisis was facing the Catholic Church in the New World.
Bartolomeu de Las Casas noted the treatment of the Native Americans by the Spanish as an affront to God and the very essence of Christianity - using what influence he had to decry the actions of the local corrupt Spanish forces and bring to light their transgressions. While Las Casas was noble in his fight against the genocide of the Native Americans - his message was did not capture as massive attention as that of Loyola and the Counter-Reformation against Protestantism due to the remoteness of the New World and the more immediate threat of heresy spreading throughout Europe. Therefore, Las Casas was facing an incredibly distracted audience that was not even entirely sure that Native Americans had souls, and it took years for the Catholic Church just to determine that these natives did indeed have souls and could be …show more content…
saved. Las Casas beautifully defended the destitute Native Americans through his written work A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies by displaying the fact that these people were indeed human beings with emotions, relationships, and souls. He describes the native people as unassuming, long-suffering, unassertive, and submissive in order to distinguish that these are just simple people trying to live a peaceful life (Las Casas 139). Unlike the Europeans, the natives are portrayed as individuals who are prime subjects for conversion due to their lack of ambition towards the vices of life (Las Casas 139). Indeed, these individuals deserved much more than the torture they faced at the hands of Spanish conquistadors, but even displaying the propinquity for conversion did not gather much support for Las Casas’s reforms. Furthermore, Las Casas took his debate directly to Spain - believing that the higher powers would see the wisdom of his fight for the rights of the Native Americans. He engaged in a high profile debate with fellow clergymen - Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda - over the best course for dealing with the Native Americans. Sepúlveda argued that the the natives had no souls and could be dominated for the greater good of Spain, Las Casas argued against this notion - and proclaimed that they were the perfect vessels to receive the word of Christ and deserved better treatment from the Spanish peoples (Lecture). Las Casas’ constant lobbying worked and managed to have it recognized that Native Americans had souls and could be saved, and successfully lobbied the royal government to implement laws limiting the Encomienda system in the New World (Lecture). However, Las Casas had his efforts proved essentially in vain, as the colonial governments resisted new restrictive laws and carried on the essential enslavement of Native Americans and the ideals of a repressive economic system. Though his lobbying did prove limitedly successful, Bartolomeu de Las Casas was never really able to capture the hearts and minds of a massive audience of Catholics, and was never able to put a successful end to the repressive economic systems of the Spanish New World that enslaved thousands of Native Americans. The 16th century proved one of the most trying eras for Catholic Christendom, as it faced a full-scale insurrection in the way of the Protestant Reformation, and a identity crisis in the New World with the genocide and enslavement of the Native Americans.
Whereas, Ignatius de Loyola was successful through his unwavering support of Papal supremacy, advocation of traditional Catholic values, and devotion to the values of Christ in order counter the rise of the Protestant Reformation. Bartolomeu de Las Casas was unable to fully to bring attention to the plight of the enslaved Native Americans due to the distance of the New World, the threat of Protestantism, and the debate of the whether natives had souls. These two men - though different in goal - proudly defended the church they loved and set the example of the future
faithful.
Cabeza de Vaca’s Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America shows that while Christians thought themselves superior to natives, both sides were diverse and could commit good, bad, or neutral behavior towards each other. Therefore, the Indians and the Christians were much more similar than different. This is apparent in de Vaca’s accounts of Indian to Indian behavior, Christian to Christian behavior, and Indian to Christian behavior (and vice-versa).
The religious views of the Indians and the Europeans were different. The Natives were very willing to take up Catholicism as an addition to their religious practice. Although, the Spanish misinterpreted the situation and thought that the Indians were accepting Catholicism as their only religion. If all Natives would have truly converted to Catholicism, then it would have resulted with their own religious practices dying out and Catholicism becoming the only religion. The Native’s refusal to give up their own religious practice, I would say, played a key role in setting a precedent for other believers to continue having the same perspective or form a new one. Similarly, Anne Hutchinson and George Whitfield changed their perspective on how much
Question #1: In chapter one, does Zinn portray Bartolome de las Casas as an adversary of Indians?
Bartolome de las casas had hoped to prevent further harm to Indians, and clarify that they were not barbarians. Of the text named Bartolome de las casas: In Defense of the Indians(c.1550) it covers what is to be the Spanish Conquistadores, and talks of the natives to which at the time seen by many are barbaric, ignorant, incapable of learning, just another group of people to be conquered. But to the Catholic missionaries, they see the Natives as new people to influence and enlighten. But if at any time the person drops the belief in Christianity, they would use deadly force against the person or family. Adding to that, Hernán comments that their cities are “ worth of admiration because of their buildings, which are like those of Venice”(Poole 4).
This book is considered an American Classic due to its longevity in popular literature. It also provides the important historical background on the Catholic Church and its impact on the American Southwest. Willa emphasizes, through her writings, the hardships of the people involved in making this part of America what it is today. It points out the influence of the earliest Spanish missionaries of the 16th century through the latter part of the 19th century involving French missionaries and exposes the corruptness as well as the dedication of the missionaries of the church. The book’s main setting is in the 19th century, during the settlement of New Mexico and Colorado and recalls the journeys that a priest undertook and the hardships overcame in order to meet his and the churches goal of bringing the Catholic faith to Mexicans and native Indians. Through his travels and the spiritual work in the beautiful, yet rough environment he was radically transformed. He was especially influenced by the experiences of the westward movement of the agricultural frontier because of the impact of the native people.
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.
Kings often struggled with the Church over power and land, both trying desperately to obtain them, both committing atrocities to hold onto them. Time and time again, the Popes of the postclassical period went to great extremes to secure the Church’s position in the world. Both the Crusades and the Inquisition are examples of this. D...
What he and his men did to the Indigenous people is told in horrifying detail by the Dominican priest Bartolome de Las Casas, “whose writings give the most thorough account of the Spanish-Indian encounter.” Las Casas witnessed firsthand Columbus’ soldiers stabbing Natives for sport, dashing babies’ heads on rocks, and sexually abusing Indigenous women. His testimony was corroborated by other eyewitnesses, such as a group of Dominican friars, who addressed the Spanish monarchy in 1519, hoping to bring an end to the atrocities. At the very least, Columbus was complicit in the actions of his men. He cared so little for the welfare of the Indigenous people that he let his soldiers commit reprehensible acts that would be considered crimes against humanity in the present day. Christopher Columbus’ actions suggest he had no issue with serving as an enabler of the horrifying actions committed by his men against the Indigenous
Las Casas emphasizes on three main issues throughout his account. First, in almost each chapter, Las Casas writes about the luscious qualities of the land and the different indigenous peoples that inhabit them. Second, he explains and describes in detail how the natives were rapidly being massacred by the invading Christian Europeans. Finally, Las Casas discusses how God had brought justice to the Europeans for their diabolical acts upon the natives. Las Casas, a former slave owner himself, realized that those whom he previously enslaved were just as much human and capable of learning and practicing the Christian faith as he was. As a bishop, he realized he could do little for the Natives except document his experiences (in as much detail as possible) and hope that the royal administration would have sympathy for the Natives and establish laws to protect them from the Europeans.
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.
The Story of Christianity is a very informative summation; a continuation of Volume 1 which covered the beginning of the church up to the Protestant Reformation, while Vol. 2 dealt with the Protestant Reformation up to more modern time period. This author delivers a more comprehensive and deeper look into the development of Christianity, which includes particular events which had transpired throughout the world; particularly how Christianity has expanded into Central and South America. Gonzalez opens up this book with the “Call for Reformation,” where he shares with his readers the need for reform; the papacy had started to decline and was corrupt, in addition to the Great Schism, which had further weakened the papacy (p.8). The author explains how the church was not the only issue but that the church’s teachings were off track as well, seeing that the people had deviated from...
The discrepancies of beliefs between Natives’ and Europeans’ and ambitious evil purpose both contributed the conflict. For Europeans in 15th century, the Catholicism was a major belief, and for Natives
To the defense of the Spaniards, there was little knowledge that the diseases of the Columbian exchange had caused the widespread, mass deaths of the natives. Las Casas was pivotal in bringing to light the brutal treatment of the natives. The crown took this information seriously. If it hadn’t been for Las Casas stance on anti-brutality against the natives, change would not have come for a long
The Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century is one of the most complex movements in European history since the fall of the Roman Empire. The Reformation truly ends the Middle Ages and begins a new era in the history of Western Civilization. The Reformation ended the religious unity of Europe and ushered in 150 years of religious warfare. By the time the conflicts had ended, the political and social geography in the west had fundamentally changed. The Reformation would have been revolutionary enough of itself, but it coincided in time with the opening of the Western Hemisphere to the Europeans and the development of firearms as effective field weapons. It coincided, too, with the spread of Renaissance ideals from Italy and the first stirrings of the Scientific Revolution. Taken together, these developments transformed Europe.
The renaissance and the reformation were two of the most significant changes in history that has shaped our world today. Both of these great time periods are strikingly similar in some ways and totally different in others. This is because the renaissance was a change from religion to humanism whether it is in art or literature; it is where the individual began to matter. However, the reformation was,” in a nutshell,” a way to reform the church and even more so to form the way our society is today. The first half of this paper will view the drop in faith, the economic powers, and the artistic and literary changes during the renaissance, while the second half will view the progresses and changes the church makes during the reformation.