I have never liked the way in which invasion forces have tried to convert the indigenous populations to their ways of thinking
Be it Christians trying to convert Native Americans of Muslims trying to convert Kurds - most of these conversions come under threat of violence - as is the present day case with the Islamic State trying to convert everyone to Sunnism
30,000+ denominations of Protestantism vs. Catholicism (and Orthodoxy). America has largely been a Protestant nation since its inception and it was they who usually mistreated the natives- the Puritans (obsessed with the Old Testament), for example, didn't see anything wrong with simply exterminating the natives because they were heathens (at best) or animals (at worst).
I understand your point perfectly well- maintaining one's distinct customs and culture in the presence of foreign influences.
The worldwide destruction of many tribal beliefs has caused havoc in many parts of the world
I don't think anyone really misses the Aztec customs of mass human sacrifice and cannibalism.
Not all customs are worth preserving I can assure you; my own ancestors in England before the Christianization by the Celts (Irish and indigenous Britons) and Romans sent by the Vatican were divided into petty kingdoms, the so-called Heptarchy, which spent all of their time fighting with each other until finally being united by the House of Wessex during the conflicts with the Norsemen. What comes down to the present of Anglo-Saxon beliefs for Christianization is enticing enough- literature in the form of the Rune Poem and Beowulf for example- but ultimately the English nationhood was predicated by Christianity and not heathenry (although there're some that would dispute this- but attempting to resurrect the old religion when very little is actually known of it is pointless). As much as I admire and am fascinated by my ancestors I live in the 21st century and not the 5th or 6th century.
And I agree with the destruction that modernity has caused on traditional cultures around the world- the Irish, for example, have been subjected to centuries of English domination and they were often treated with extreme cruelty. Cultural destruction, genocide, slavery, and so on- especially during the reign of Oliver Cromwell. He was quite an S.O.B.
Simple example is when Christians in Africa told the natives that to wear animal skins would send them to the fires of hell - sold them old European clothes - many of the natives became ill and some died from infections caused by cuts and scratches the natives received from bushes and plants they pushed their way through daily - the thin European offered no protection at all
Hellfire and brimstone don't work- it breeds either fanaticism or indifference and ultimately atheism.
The worst part is that the invasion forces allocate themselves more rights than those of the indigenous populations - the recent Islamic newcomers to Australia have more rights than the Aboriginals - things such as this can never be right
The invaders are usually given these rights by the central government of whichever country they go into.
Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 2:18 am
