Two Essays on Christianity in the Modern World
Modern Christians looking back into history may find it hard to comprehend the various atrocities that have been committed in the name of Christianity. While religion has consistently been an excuse for one group to claim superiority over another, nowhere was this more apparent than when the Puritans came to America. While the lens of time reveals the Puritan actions against the native population to be both arrogant and cruel, it is important to remember that the Puritans did not view their actions in the same manner. In contrast, their actions were motivated by their deeply held religious belief that it was their divine mission to come to America and begin a colony where they would be free to practice their religion. Like many modern-day advocates of religious freedom, the Puritans had a narrow view of the term. They did not seek religious freedom for all, but merely the freedom to practice their own religion, which was actually pretty rigid. The Puritans believed that God had created a covenant with them, and that they were the new Israelites of God's master plan.1 These beliefs had cause a rift between the Puritans and King James of England. The Puritans wanted to reform the Church of England, while King
By dehumanizing the Native Americans, the Puritans took away their own moral obligations to treat the Native Americans decently. Instead, as exemplified by the mystic massacre, the Puritans relied on the concept of a divine mission to justify whatever actions they took against the Native Americans. As a result, the Puritans committed genocide of the native populations that they considered detrimental to their divine mission. Other settlers took the same position as the Puritans. As these settlers moved further into America, they carried their beliefs with them, resulting in the long-term cultural genocide of Native North Americans. A group of Puritans, led by William Bradford and now referred to as the Pilgrims, fled Amsterdam for the perceived freedom of the New World. While it is familiar knowledge that the Pilgrim ship, the Mayflower, landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620, many are less familiar with the fact that the Plymouth Rock was not the first place in America visited by the Pilgrims. In fact, the Pilgrims stopped in Cape Cod. It was during this layover that the native population would receive its first hint about the Puritan views of entitlement and superiority. The Pilgrims discovered large hordes of grain, which had been stored by the Native Americans for the winter. The Pilgrims took all of the food, claiming that God's providence was shining upon them.2 In this way, the Pilgrims began abusing the Native Americans even before they actually met. In addition, the Puritans had associated Native Americans with the devil since the early days of the Puritan occupation. Unfamiliar with Native American religious practices, and intolerant of anyone not practicing their version of Christianity, the Puritans considered Native American religious practices "diabolical and uncouth."14 Eventually, the Puritans allowed their views of Native American religious practices to color their views of Native Americans. The Puritans came to believe that the Native Americans "personified the Devil and everything the Puritans feared- the body, sexuality, laziness, sin, and the loss of self control."15 Eventually, this equation of Native Americans with the Devil permitted the Puritans to commit a military genocide of the Pequot.16 The Puritans were successful in their attempts to eradicate the Devil, and, by 1638, the Pequot nation ceased to exist. Initially, indentured servants were treated the same, without regard to race. Both groups were exploited and abused, and treated with those vestiges that would later be associated with slavery. For example, indentured servants were often required to wear iron collars around their necks while working. However, it was not long before the races were treated differently. Initially, African Americans were required to work longer than whites if they were caught running away. In 1640, when one African American who attempted to escape was given to his master for life, the institution of slavery in America had begun. Once Winthrop had established the MBC, Puritan presence in America grew dramatically. For example, in 1630 there were approximately 1,200 settlers in Boston, but by 1636 that number had grown to over 11,000. As a result, the settlers desired even more land. Their desire for land was solved, in part, by an outbreak of small box in 1634, which decimated much of the Native American population. While modern people are aware that the Puritans brought the small pox to America with them, and that the Native Americans were vulnerable because they had no resistance to small pox, the Puritan's viewed the epidemic as God's way of providing more land for them. In fact, William Bradford wrote, "It pleased God to visit these Indians with a great sickness."7 Bradford was not alone in his lack of sympathy for the dead Native Americans; John Winthrop also believed that, "God was just making room for the colonists."8
Some common words found in the essay are:
Native Americans, African Americans, Native American, African American, Thomas Jefferson, Puritans America, native americans, God Puritans, Pequot16 Puritans, Choctaw Nation, Pilgrims Mayflower, african americans, native american, religious freedom, indentured servants, slave owners, african americans able, american population, religious practices, americans able, african american, american religious practices, native americans vulnerable, native american religious, native american population,
Approximate Word count = 5269
Approximate Pages = 21 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
