Thanks for your wonderful post on the Church and its still-rampant
self-righteous attitudes. I was going to comment on the posts you
cited myself - namely that it is not supposed to be the Church's
business to suppress Native American culture and religion anymore.
I would suggest that any Native person who is being bugged by
missionaries show them the following documents which have been
drawn up by governing bodies of their Churches. In the course of
researching an article I'm writing about the Columbus hoopla, I
have come across this material and found it very helpful in putting
to rest arguments with paternalistic zealots. Most of them simply
are not aware that the Church's policies do change, and have in
this case. I'm not sure if this has been posted to NativeNet before,
but in any case I think it's worth reading:
A FAITHFUL RESPONSE TO THE 500th ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARRIVAL OF
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
As adopted by the Governing Board
May 17, 1990
A Resolution of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
--------------------------------
As U.S. Christians approach public observances marking the 500th
anniversary of Christopher Columbus's first landing in the Western
hemisphere, we are called to review our full history, reflect upon
it, and act as people of faith mindful of the significance of 1492.
The people in our churches and communities now look at the
significance of the event in different ways. What represented
newness of freedom, hope and opportunity for some was the occasion
for oppression, degradation and genocide for others. For the
Church this is not a time for celebration but a time for a
committed plan of action insuring that this "kairos" moment in
history not continue to cosmetically coat the painful aspects of
the American history of racism.
1. In 1992, celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the arrival
of Christopher Columbus in the "New World" will be held. For the
descendants of the survivors of the subsequent invasion, genocide,
slavery, "ecocide", and exploitation of the wealth of the land, a
celebration is not an appropriate observation of this anniversary.
* For the indigenous people of the Caribbean islands, Chris-
topher Columbus's invasion marked the beginning of slavery and
their eventual genocide.
* For the indigenous people of Central America, the result was
slavery, genocide and exploitation leading to the present
struggle for liberation.
* For the indigenous people of South America, the result was
slavery, genocide, and the exploitation of their mineral and
natural resources, fostering the early accumulation of capital
by the European countries.
* For the indigenous people of Mexico, the result was slavery,
genocide, rape of mineral as well as natural resources and a
decline of their civilization.
* For the peoples of modern Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the
Philippines the result was the eventual grabbing of the land,
genocide and the present economic captivity.
* For the indigenous peoples of North America, it brought
slavery, genocide, and theft and exploitation of the land
which has led to their descendants' impoverished lives.
* For the peoples of the African Diaspora, the result was
slavery, an evil and immoral system steeped in racism,
economic exploitation, rape of mineral as well as human
resources and national divisiveness along the lines of the
colonizing nations.
* For the peoples from Asia brought to work the land, torn from
their families and culture by false promises of economic
prosperity, the result was labor camps, discrimination and
today's victimization of the descendants facing anti-Asian
racism.
* For the descendants of the European conquerors the subsequent
legacy has been the perpetuation of paternalism and racism
into our cultures and times.
2. The Church, with few exceptions, accompanied and legitimized
this conquest and exploitation. Theological justifications for
destroying native religious beliefs while forcing conversion to
European forms of Christianity demanded a submission from the newly
converted that facilitated their total conquest and exploitation.
3. Therefore, it is appropriate for the church to reflect on its
role in that historical tragedy and, in pursuing a healing process,
to move forward in our witness for justice and peace.
Towards that end, we are called to:
a. reflect seriously on the complexities and complicities of the
missionary efforts during this period of colonization and
subjugation that resulted in the destruction of cultures and
religions, the desecration of religious sites, and other
crimes against the spirituality of indigenous peoples;
b. review and reflect on the degree to which current missiologies
tend to promote lifestyles that perpetuate the exploitation
of the descendants of the indigenous people, and that stand
in the way of enabling their self-determination;
c. identify and celebrate the significant voices within the
church that have consistently advocated the rights and
dignities of indigenous peoples;
d. recognize that what some historians have termed a "discovery"
in reality was an invasion and colonization with legalized
occupation, genocide, economic exploitation and a deep level
of institutional racism and moral decadence;
e. reflect seriously on how the Church should and might ac-
complish its task of witness and service to and with those of
other faiths, recognizing their integrity as children of God,
and not contributing to new bondages.
4. Therefore,
the Governing Board of the National Council of the Churches of
Christ in the USA:
a. Declares 1992 to be a year of reflection and repentance, and
calls upon its member communions to enter into theological and
missional reflection, study and prayer as a faithful obser-
vance of that year;
b. Commits itself to be involved in activities that bring forward
the silenced interpretation of the 1492 event including:
* taking action to influence how governments or other
institutions plan to celebrate the "discovery" of
America;
* using its TV, radio and print media resources to educate
the Church and its constituency about the factual
histories of indigenous people, the colonization of their
lands and the effects today of colonization, including
the loss of land, lives and cultures; and
* advocating the inclusion of the accurate factual history
of indigenous people, including African Americans, in
textbooks to be used in public and parochial education
systems in the United States; and
* cooperating with other hemispheric interfaith bodies in
a gathering in the Caribbean islands to analyze the
effects of the European invasion and colonization of the
Americas from the perspective of their descendants;
c. Calls upon its member communions to join in affirming and
implementing this resolution in dialogue with indigenous
people of the Americas;
d. Requests that the Division of Church and Society (or its legal
successor) in cooperation with the Division of Overseas
Ministries (or its legal successor) develop programmatic
materials for the speedy implementation of this resolution;
e. Requests appropriate units to explore convening a gathering
of representatives of traditional tribes, urban Indian and
tribal governments to discuss ways to strengthen Indian
ministries;
f. Supports the endeavors of theological schools and seminaries
to help open alternative understandings of 1492/1992;
g. Declares this resolution to be our humble and faithful first
step contribution towards a deep understanding among peoples
of our country. It is our hope that in a new spirit of
reconciliation, we move forward together into a shared future
as God's creatures honoring the plurality of our cultural
heritage.
--------------------------------
This document also quotes, in its footnotes, documents from other
church bodies such as the Final Document of the European Ecumenical
Assembly "Peace With Justice for the Whole Creation", May 1989,
Basel, Switzerland, issued by the Conference of European Churches
and the Council of European Bishops' Conference, June 2, 1989,
which states that "1992 will moreover mark the 500th anniversary
of the beginning of a period of European expansion to the detriment
of other peoples." In the Basel document, European churchpersons
acknowledge having "failed to challenge with sufficient consistency
political and economic systems which misuse power and wealth,
exploit resources for their self-interest and perpetuate poverty
and marginalisation...We commit ourselves to struggle against all
violations of human rights and the social structures which favor
them."
Another footnote quotes "A Public Declaration to the Tribal
Councils and Traditional Spiritual Leaders of the Indian and Eskimo
Peoples of the Pacific Northwest", Bishop Thomas L. Blevins,
Pacific Northwest Synod, Lutheran Church in America, and eight
Bishops and leaders of other denominations, November, 1987. This
statement speaks of "unconscious and insensitive" attitudes and
actions by the church which reflect "the rampant racism and
prejudice of the dominant culture with which we too willingly
identified." The footnote also mentions a speech to the Indian
Leaders of the Northwest Territories by Pope John Paul II in
September 1987, in which the Pope assured the Native people that
the Roman Catholic Church "extols the equal human dignity of all
peoples and defends their right to uphold their own cultural
character, with its distinct traditions and customs."
Finally, the U.S. Council of Churches document includes a biblio-
graphy of materials which it recommends be used in education. Some
of these entries may surprise you, especially if you've read any
of them:
1. Bartolome de las Casas, "Historia de los indios (ca. 1550),
"Tears of the Indians (ca. 1550), "In Defense of the Indians"
(ca. 1550)
2. Deloria, Vine, Jr., "Custer Died For Your Sins", 1970; "God
Is Red", 1983
3. Galeano, Eduardo, "Memory of Fire: Genesis", NY:Pantheon,
1985
4. Jackson, Helen Hunt, "A Century of Dishonor", 1881
5. Jennings, Francis, "The Invasion of America: Indians,
Colonialism and the Cant of Conquest", Chapel Hill, 1975
6. Jordan, Winthrop, "White Over Black: American Attitudes
Toward the Negro 1550-1812", Baltimore: Penguin, 1968
7. Limerick, Patricia Nelson, "The Legacy of Conquest: The
Unbroken Past of the American West", New York: W.W. Norton,
1987
Clearly, it is no longer the "official" position of the Church to
convert Native Americans. A quick look at the Vatican II Docu-
ments' "Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-
Christian Religions" (1965) also plainly states that the Catholic
Church supposedly now recognizes that there can be salvation
outside the Church, and rejects the oppression of other religions
as "foreign to the mind of Christ". Any missionary who says
otherwise is guilty of ignorance at best and hypocrisy at worst;
I offer the above documents in order to educate the former group!
As for the latter, there's not much we can do for them other than
point out that they can hardly call themselves Christians.
= Lee =