Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/05/01

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Subject: [Leica] Conquistadors were lousy Christains was debated in 1540's and 1550's
From: "Duane Birkey" <duanebirkey@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 1 May 2002 23:29:45 -0500

Actually this very thought is not new as it was debated back in 1540's &
50's  A Dominican named Bartolome de las Casas wrote a letter to the King of
Spain (which is now a book, called "In defense of the Indians") basically
arguing that the conquistadors were doing a lousy job of spreading
Christianity and by their barbaric behavior were in fact destroying any
possibility of real conversion...  Casas also gave positive examples of
peaceful conversion in Guatemala.  Anyhow... Casas argues against the
letter/teaching/theology of a man named Sepulveda who felt Indians had no
souls thus were not subject to natural law.... or something like that...

Bartolome and others apparently convinced the King that this was not right
as the King decreed several times that the Conquistadors were not to enslave
the Indians or force them to carry or do anything against their will.... and
were in fact to pay them fair wages etc....  which led to the first revolt
by the conquistadors against the crown.  After all the conquistadors felt
they deserved to be able to enslave Indians they had "conquered".  As
Emanuel pointed out, not only did the conquistadors enslave the Indians...
but so did the Roman Catholic Church.

So......  there is more to the story than simplified version found in
generalized text and guide books.  And I've simplified it for brevity as it
is getting way... off.... topic

Duane  (which isn't a Biblical, Hebrew or Leica accessory name) Birkey

HCJB World Radio
Quito Ecuador
Duane's Photographs of Ecuador
http://ecuadorphotos.tripod.com


Emanuel wrote:

It's worth remembering that in places like Ecuador (where I've been with
my Leicas -- phew, got in something on topic)  and the rest of Latin
America, the
church and the murderous gold diggers came together on the same stinking
ships. After
the aboriginal people there were infected with diseases, slaughtered by
musketry,
their land stolen, their societies ravaged, it seemed the perfect time to
save them
with Jesus' message of peace and love and the brotherhood of all men. Pretty
clever,
I'd say, if one was bent on global domination. And the same thing is
happening right
now in aboriginal communities around the world -- where I still go with my
Leicas and
all the latest glass Solms designs.


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