Christianize The Native Population example essay topic

... 's to assemble the children in order to baptize them. This was a sad task for Las Casas because scarcely any of the children remained alive a few months afterward. This was due to violence or the disease that the Spanish brought with them. Las Casas on his travels also saw the violence and horrors which the Indians were subject to. Las Casas describes this scene upon entering the Indian village of Cao nao: 'The Cleric o was preparing for the division of the rations amongst the men, when suddenly a Spaniard, prompted, as was thought, by the Devil, drew his sword: the rest drew theirs; and immediately they all began to hack and hew the poor Indians, who were sitting quietly near them, and offering not more resistance than so many sheep'.

(Liburn 10 & 11) Las Casas then goes on to describe the scene as 'heaps of bodies... strewn about, like sheaves of corn, waiting to be gathered up'. (Liburn 10) The Spaniard's job was to convert the native population to Christianity, not use them to test the sharpness of their swords which they had done in this case. In Mexico, Hernan Cortez, the conqueror, recognized the need for religious instruction among Indians. His instructions he received from the Spanish monarchy and the Pope for his venture included the order to, 'spread the knowledge of the true faith and the Church of God among those people who dwell in darkness,' (Ricard 14). Cortez followed these instructions very diligently. When he encountered the Indians on the mainland of Central America, he undertook their religious conversions.

He explained the Christian religion to them, and wanted the natives to renounce their idols and embrace the Christian religion. He and the religious men with him preached against sodomy and human sacrifice to the tribes that they encountered. In Mexico, like other Spanish colonies, numerous Friars and priests came and worked to Christianize the native population. However, this was largely ineffectual because the various Holy men could only sow a few grains here or there.

Cortez realized the need for order in the Catholic Church in the New World to convert the native population. Cortez wrote to the king of Spain, Charles V, about the need for missionaries to convert the Indians. He asked for friars of the St. Francis or St. Dominic order who would set up monasteries to instruct and convert the native population. There, presently arrived in Mexico at San Juan de Ulu a on May 13 or 14, 1524 the famous mission of Twelve, who began the methodical conversion of the Indians.

Cortez's envisions of monastic communities, where the native population could be converted to Christianity, came true especially in Mexico. Huge monasteries were built for the purpose of the conversion of the native population. These monasteries built were of enormous size and decorated ostentatiously. The monasteries included pomp and circumstance in their ceremonies. The reason claimed for doing this was to keep the Indians interested in Catholicism and away from their native religions. 'On February 8, 1537, Zumarraga wrote the Council of the Indies that beautiful churches helped in the conversion of the Indians and strengthened their devotion.

Twenty years later, on February 1, 1558, Viceroy Luis de Velasco make the same observation to Philip II'. (Ricard 168) These churches, supposedly built for the benefit of the native population, were built or supported by the native population. For them this was a heavy burden, whether they built the churches themselves or had to pay workmen to the labor. They had to do this at the cost of neglecting their fields or trades. There were also accounts of the friars physically punishing the Indians for their work or lack of it, 'But one must accept with reserve the testimony of the Indians who complained of abuses by the Dominicans during the construction of the convent at Puebla, claiming they were exhausted from work, and that one of the religious had loaded them with large stones and them beaten them over the head with a stick'. (Ricard 170) The missions set up by the church were also guilty of abusing the native population.

The Indians were supposed to benefit from these missions, but all they recieved from them was more misery. The Indians in having to support these new edifices and having to convert to Christianity suffered from a double edged sword. The native americans had three responses to the thrusting of the Christian religion upon them. One response was the incorporation of elements of Christianity into their own religion, creating a new religious system. They took the beliefs out of the Christian religion that agreed or make sense with their religion and combined the two. 'Ancient rituals attached to Christian ones included a sweeping ceremony that accompanied the bringing of the Eucharist to the sick, the lighting of fires on the eve of the nativity, the extreme use of self-flagellation, the burning of a traditional incense before images of saint, dedicating strings of ears or corn to the Virgin'.

(Luenfeld 304) Some Indians outright rejected Christianity. An example of this written by Thomas Giles was, 'among the Incas of Peru, baptism was considered subjection to the invader; some Incan chiefs killed those who accepted the rite'. (Giles 2) The Indians largely could not accept Christian beliefs because of the actions of the Christians themselves. The brutality and the lack of concern or remorse that the Spanish showed to the Indians played a large role for the rejection of the Spanish religion.

The Indians did not want any part of a religion that preached rape, slaughter, and cruel subjugation. The explanation of a Mayan who objected to the behaviors of the Spanish was the following, 'The true God, the true Dios came, but this was the origin too of affliction for us: the origin of tax, of out giving them alms; of trial through the grabbing of cacao money, of trial by blowgun; stomping the people; violent removal; forced debt, debt created by false testimony; petty litigation, harassment, violent removal; the collaboration with the Spaniards on the part of the priests, ... and all the while the mistreated were further maltreated... but it will happen that tears will come to the eyes of God the Father. The justica of God the Father will settle on the whole world. ' (Giles 2) Not all the Indians rejected the Christian religion. Many of them accepted it. They desired Christian friendships and to change their habits to the ones of the Spanish.

The reasons for the acceptance of Christianity vary, but one of these is fear. Some Christian conquerors threatened lives if the Indians were not baptized and did not actively participate in the Church. Another reason for the conversion is that the Indians were in awe of the conquers. The Spanish represented power and the Indians were in reverence of their great amount of power they represented.

Some accepted the religion because the missionaries demonstrated boundless zeal, high morals, and great courage. Not all of the missionaries sent by the Church were violent or corrupt. There were some who worked for the benefit of the native population. The Indians saw this and respected it. The Catholic Church helped the Spanish monarchy administer to the native population in the New World. The Church, by being subject to the Spanish monarchy, is also to be held accountable to the numerous evils inflicted upon the Indians in the Spanish colonies.

In many cases they were forced to convert to Christianity, and their views about god and religion were not taken into account. The Catholic Church incurred a great injustice to the native population in the New World. They were reduced to second class citizens, and forced to work toward goals that they did not fully understand. Through the writings of Las Casas, it is seen how the Indians were slaughtered needlessly, and how they were baptised without regard to their feelings. Cortez paved the way for missions to be founded in the New World supposedly for the good of the Indian population. This, however, also turned against them.

The Catholic Church role in the lives of the native population was a negative one due to its alliance with the Spanish monarchy and its forced conversion of the Indians..