Grievance - Inauthentic Christianity and Geopolitical Impositions of the Indigenous Peoples

Summary

One of the most difficult problems in human knowing is how people particularly the elite at different times including the present successfully reduce and dehumanise other persons even in the name of religion. Since the dawn of human beings on earth, all conflicts are driven by devious (self) interests based on stealing from others predicated on devaluation of innocent peoples before their methodical industrial annihilation by any justifiable means necessary. 

Indigenous peoples (their lands and their resources) have borne the brunt of these geopolitical machinations of rapacious blood-thirst powers operated by merchants of death who more or less justify their evil actions in God’s name.

Christian leadership of a long period embodied this worldview of regressive classification of peoples and devaluation of the indigenous peoples while proclaiming that God made man (everywhere) in His image and likeness. The problem was and remains that man cannot see clearly, totally and completely how God sees and knows man.

The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas is one document that encapsulates this worldview where the fate of peoples, their generations and their existence where not only determined but intensely violated subsequently by the powerful from far-flung lands claiming to speak in God’s name. This treaty obtained its punitive aura from 1493 papal bull, Inter Caetera, by Pope Alexander VI.

In implementing the odious treaty, the digestion of indigenous peoples, their heritages, histories and worldview were justified because they were non-Christians and non-Christian lands to be “overthrown and brought to the faith.”  The operative focus was and remains inhumanity through dehumanisation effected by violent domination, exploitation and commodification. Organised industrial violence was and remain the genocidal weapon of choice.

The papal bull, treaty and their subsequent modifications continue to haunt humanity particularly in the Global South.

These are some reflections of intergenerational survivors.

Still, life is beautiful!