CONQUER
OR RESPECT?
GENESIS
1.28, MATTHEW 28.18-20, ACTS 1.8
WESLEY
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Douglas
Norris
In
United Methodist churches, today is called Native American Awareness
Sunday. In Merced Church, one of our members was from the Pawnee
tribe in Oklahoma. I asked him what he thought of the phrase “Native
American.” He replied, “It’s ridiculous. Anyone born in
America is a native American!” The popular mystery author, Tony
Hillerman, a Navajo from Albuquerque, tells about a panel discussion
in which the speakers were asked what they thought of the term
“Native American.” They replied, “It’s ridiculous! Anyone
born in America is a native American.” So they were asked, “What
would you like to be called?” “Identify us by our tribe. If I
am a Pawnee, call me a Pawnee; if Navajo, call me a Navajo; if
Apache, call me an Apache. If you don’t know my tribe, call me an
Indian.” To which the Navajo commented, “We’re just glad
Columbus didn’t think he had discovered Turkey!”
So,
this is American Indian Awareness Sunday! And the awareness begins
with the confession that the history of American Indians is a sorry
story, of which none of us can be proud.
My
first conversation with an American Indian occurred when I was in
college, and pastor of two rural Minnesota Methodist churches. I was
buying gasoline one day, and noticed an old man wrapped in a blanket
sitting behind the gas station. I asked who he was and learned he was
a chief of the Chippewa tribe. He and I had a very interesting
conversation, but one thing he told me shocked my naive bones. He
said, "The United States government has broken every treaty it
made with Indians."
Confiscating
Indian land, destroying villages, massacring men, women and children,
exiling Indians to reservations and starvation, providing guns,
distributing alcohol, banishing native religious ceremonies, forcing
children to attend English speaking boarding schools, and breaking
treaties because of white man’s greed is a sorry story indeed. And,
I am ashamed to say, much of it was done in the name of Christ.
The
tragedy begins with two unfortunate words in the first chapter of
Genesis: subdue and dominion. Genesis 1:28, “Be
fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have
dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and
over every living that moves upon the earth.” Our ancestors
took this as a mandate, changed dominion to dominate,
and marched onward to subdue, dominate and conquer. They took
an adversarial relationship with the earth and native people. Our
ancestors believed that the planet and its natives is ours to exploit
and use for our benefit, regardless of the consequences.
Another
unfortunate verse is the great commission according to Matthew, which
includes the words “authority” and “go, make disciples.” The
great commission by Jesus, according to Luke, is to witness. Notice
the difference between witness and authoritatively making disciples,
which the medieval church in particular interpreted as “forcing.”
What happened was the church used the Roman Empire as its model.
The church and subsequent Christian governments modeled themselves
after the imperialistic Roman Empire. The Holy Roman Empire, the
Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, French and British Empires all conquered
and colonized native peoples, and America followed in their
footsteps.
Imagine
how different it would be if we had modeled the church and
governments after the early church instead of Rome. The biblical
church witnessed, told and proclaimed. The early church did not use
force! How different it would be if we had followed the role model
of Jesus who came not to be served, but to serve, instead of
dominating and conquering. How different it would be if we, instead
of exploiting, respected the planet, the environment, and native
people.
The
result of this conquering mentality is destructive. By raping the
earth, polluting its air and water, we are bringing destruction upon
ourselves. How long will Mother Nature put up with the onslaught?
Now, there has been an upside to this attitude. Looking on nature as
something to conquer has produced technological advances beyond
belief. We can travel anywhere and faster and faster. We can
communicate with each other around the globe without time and space
constrictions. We have comforts that would have amazed ancient
people.
But,
have we not reached a time to rein in the excesses? Have we not now
reached a time when we must, for the sake of the planet’s future,
rethink the subdue, dominate and conquer mentality? Have we
not now reached a time when we must learn how to live on the land,
how to respect and live in harmony with the earth and its peoples?
God
Is Red is a fascinating book written by an American Indian, Vine
Deloria, Jr., a lawyer and professor at the University of Colorado in
Boulder. Deloria’s analysis of our present situation, the
historical reasons for our present crisis, and his indictment of
Christianity, is challenging. The basic question we must face is (p.
212) “whether land is a "thing" to be used to generate
income or a homeland on which people are supposed to live in a sacred
manner.”
Deloria
divides humankind into two categories: natural peoples and hybrid
peoples. Natural peoples, like the American Indian, seek harmony with
the environment. Hybrid peoples exploit the environment: subdue,
dominate and conquer.
Modern
Christians need to lead the search for a rediscovery of what God
intended by subdue and dominion. To quote Deloria, (pp.
2-3) “How many shopping malls and parking lots do we really
need?...Nor do I look forward to paying the penalties that Mother
Earth must now levy against us in order for Her to survive.”
Not
only did our ancestors take the command to subdue and have
dominion over nature to extremes, they also applied the
principle to people who differed from themselves. Not only did our
ancestors think it was their right to take and exploit land, but to
subjugate and conquer native peoples as well. The notorious extremist
was Pope Alexander VI who, in 1493 (a year after Columbus discovered
America; and isn’t discover an arrogant word), issued an
edict: “that in our times especially the Catholic faith and the
Christian religion be exalted and everywhere increased and spread,
that the health of souls be cared for and that barbarous nations be
overthrown and brought to the faith itself.” Pope Alexander VI
then proceeded to give ownership of whatever lands were
discovered to Spain and Portugal. Who did he think he was! He took
“authority” and “make disciples” to the extreme!
Native
peoples were to be given the opportunity to convert to Christianity.
If they refused to convert, they were to be conquered, forced to
convert, forced into slavery if the conquerors so desired. The
medieval church believed that some people are meant to be slaves and
it is immoral for them to resist enslavement. If they resisted
enslavement, then they were to be exterminated. South America’s
history of the treatment of native peoples is a sorry story of
conquest, slavery, and extermination. Do not think I am only talking
about ancient history. Brazil is still carrying on systematic
genocide against its interior native tribes when the government and
developers want more land.
When
England settled North America, it gave no allegiance to the pope, but
England continued with the same theology of subdue, dominate and
conquer. At least, American Indians were not enslaved. Slaves
were brought from Africa but, interestingly, American Indians were
not enslaved. But, the Christian right to subdue and
dominate was blatantly accepted by England, and eventually by the
United States. The land was confiscated and Indians were forced on to
reservations. Some of them were used as internment camps for
Japanese Americans during World War II. But, isn't it ironic!
Reservations now have the oil (and casinos!).
The
prevailing policy of the United States government and its courts is
to control beliefs, values and behavior of the American Indian. Not
only the Indian, there are many Christians in America today who
believe they have the right to control the beliefs, values and
behavior of other people, especially of people who act and believe
differently than they do, especially Muslims. The theology of subdue,
dominate and conquer is alive and flourishing. Deloria concludes
that the desire to dominate someone else comes out of a basic sense
of insecurity about one’s self. When we have an adversarial
relationship with the earth, we are not sure who we are or where we
belong. We then seek to control, dominate, and conquer.
Sisters
and brothers, let us repudiate the subdue, dominate and conquer
mentality. Let us return to the example of Jesus who laid down his
life, who came not to be served but to serve. Let us respect the
earth and look on it as a friend, not an enemy. Let us respect people
who are different. Let them be! Let them enjoy the same rights to
land, jobs, housing, and practicing their religion as the rest of us.
We are all one, created by God and loved by God.
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