RELIGION AS A SOCIAL FORCE
The Amerindians of the region had their own religious practices and ceremonies before the intervention of any Europeans. For the most part they were polytheistic-worshiping many gods. Much of their rites involved sacrifices, often times humans, as well as dancing singing and smoking. All of that was interrupted with the arrival of the Europeans who insisted that the Amerindians were heathens thus making them inferior. Then and there attempts were made to Christianise them as a please Queen Isabella. The trick behind that through was force these people to work and so not many of the Spaniards cared much about their religious lives. Several missionaries came to the West Indies to work among the Amerindians. Most of the missionaries came by Roman Catholic orders and were Domonicans. Among the missionaries were Montesions and Las Casa, both tried to convert the Amerindias to Christianity. In 1685 or there about, the Roman Catholic Church sanctioned Slavery as it claimed that the negros were "foreign subjects" and thus could be enslaved. They even stated the slavery was helpful to the slaves, as they became Christians. The Spanish even set up slave code called the Las Partidas stating that slaves
" The Baptist, Methodist and Moravians played a more positive role; they formed an alliance with the freed salves to help them become independent from the planter. They too were upholders of the slave system in its peak and so did little to improve the plight of the slaves. They were also called the members of the Clapham Sect or the Saints and their contribution to fight against slavery was invaluable. The church was forbidden to meddle in "social and political questions," its task being to specify the rebel spirit in the blacks through education and Christian teaching. The colonist in Spanish, Brithish and French territories saw it too and taught that it was dangerous to teach slaves those Christian principles. One famous member among them was Granville Sharpe. In Jamaica, where a majority of the exslaves left the plantatins and moved, the non-conformist churches (they were called non-conformists beause they refused to conform with the rules and practices of England) provided thousands of acres of lkand bought with church money. This led to an ironic situation in which the those who became Christians often prayed for their white opperssors' in Jamaica this was what the slaves would: "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. Burka left him God England, and the devil in Jamiaca Stir him up to do all these wickedness. By the 1800s the West Indian Islands had Moravians, Wesleyans, Methodists and Baptists operating among the slave population. In fact there were incidences of Missionaries losing their lives if they were thought of being involved in helping or influencing slave revolts. Another group of Christians in the West Indies were the Anglicans. Catholicism was imposed on the Amerindians with little or no regards for the bloody committed against them.
Common topics in this essay:
Indies Methodist,
Missionaries Missionaries,
Methodist Moravians,
Amerindians Originally,
Force Amerindians,
Brithish French,
Las Partidas,
Catholic Church,
Indies Anglicans,
Methodists Baptists,
west indies,
teach slaves,
roman catholic,
religious practices,
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Acceptance Essays
