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How Did The Attitude Of Christianity Brought To Native Americans

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In the taking of North America, Native Americans did everything they could to ensure the land would be theirs, so did the English. When the English arrived in America, there was much to say about culture, religion and conversion. Part of Christianity is conversion and spreading the faith of God, and that's what the English wanted to do. Native Americans had been living a different life for generations and this new idea of religion seemed absurd in many ways to a lot of people, and they were unhappy about it. This is one of the first ways the English have started to truly take over. Partly because it wasn't just land they were changing, but people too. While many found comfort in religion, others found fear, especially because Christianity took …show more content…

This is one of the most interesting lines in the conversation that shows the deep unease that Christianity brought to Native Americans and how they feel their land and life is being changed by the Englishmen. While this conversation is a paraphrased idea of the conversations Eliot had, it highlights the uncertainty religion and God brought them, as their traditions changed. In 1772, missionary David McClure traveled through Ohio and had Joseph Pepee interpret for him, as he told his experiences of Christianity. It is explained by Calloway that it is unknown exactly how much of his interpretations are McClure and how much is Pepee(p.78). In this interpretation, McClure talks harshly about the ways of God and how they need to be followed. He compares their ancestors' beliefs to the Englishmens, stating “The white people worship the true God, and please him, and God blesses and prospers …show more content…

This idea raised fear among a lot of Native Americans and it caused them to not want to convert. Others, however, did not believe any of it, or found motivation in it. Samson Occom, a missionary from Connecticut, was converted by the local missionaries who helped the Native Americans in the towns and tried to teach them Christianity. His autobiography explains well that he was one of very few Native ministers, stating “and all this Time there was not one amongst us, that made a Profession of Christianity”(p.62), but he took pride in his profession. He worked hard to learn English and traveled with a mentor to teach many Native Americans the Bible and the ways of Christianity. The record of a Native American woman in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, named Naomai Omaush, shows her deep faith in Christianity. She demonstrates her passionate love of her land, faith in God, and expresses her need for God to know and hear her “And I Naomai Omaush say this before God: I willingly bequeath this property of mine to my

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How did the English use religion to justify treatment and killing of Native Americans? The English used different justifications for their cruel treatment of the Natives. Their relationship with God was used to justify their horrible actions against the Natives. For example, the article titled The Tempest in the Wilderness stated “The settlers had fought against the Devil, , who inhabited the bodies of the Indians”.

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(Johnson) The Europeans never really wanted to convert them, they just needed an excuse for what they did to the Native Americans, and they were prepared to do anything to gain land and weren't worried about others. It wasn't long before settlers gave up on any kindness or trade, instead resorting to eliminating the entire population of Native Americans, killing them for a hefty profit, “...embrace all

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The Europeans taught their ways of life to the Native Indians, and tried to get them to assimilate into the European culture. The French and the Spanish both had the Natives settle in villages along side them. The Natives, if they were not forced to convert to Christianity , would learn the European ways, as well as continuing to practise their own rituals, rather than combining the two religions together. The Natives understood Christianity, but looked at it from a Native point of view, and thought of it as foreign. However, many Natives were eventually coerced into converting, thus leading to the rise of the

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Eventually the US government was able to contain the Indian tribes, but wanted to transform them into Americans. They began a process called Americanization which was simply to teach the Indians the ‘white’ ways. There would be preachers and teachers going to reservations very frequently attempting to convert the Indians into Christians and to create schools for children so they learn to be civilized. With all the preachers and teachers commuting daily trying to change the ways of the Indians lives, it still didn 't stop them from practicing their religious beliefs. For example, the Indian tribes would have a ritual dance called the Sun Dance, which was done very often.

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