Native American religions vs. Christianity

[older]

I’m reading an interesting book titled, Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, by James W. Loewen. The main thrust of the book is that the history books used in American schools ignore much of the truth of our history and often misrepresent what they do report.

 

In the section that deals with the depiction of Native Americans, here is an interesting example of how their culture is put down, and includes a description of Christianity that could be taken humorously if it wasn’t so true.

 

(I can’t provide page references as I’ve taken this from the e-book version where page numbers are dependent upon font size. And I’ve broken up what is two long paragraphs for easier reading here.)

 

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Consider how textbooks treat Native religions as a unitary whole. The American Way describes Native American religion in these words: "These Native Americans [in the Southeast] believed that nature was filled with spirits. Each form of life, such as plants and animals, had a spirit. Earth and air held spirits too. People were never alone. They shared their lives with the spirits of nature." Way is trying to show respect for Native American religion, but it doesn't work. Stated flatly like this, the beliefs seem like make-believe, not the sophisticated theology of a higher civilization. 

 

Let us try a similarly succinct summary of the beliefs of many Christians today: "These Americans believed that one great male god ruled the world. Sometimes they divided him into three parts, which they called father, son, and holy ghost. They ate crackers and wine or grape juice, believing that they were eating the son’s body and drinking his blood. If they believed strongly enough, they would live on forever after they died." Textbooks never describe Christianity this way. It's offensive. Believers would immediately argue that such a depiction fails to convey the symbolic meaning or the spiritual satisfaction of communion.

 

Textbooks could present American Indian religions from a perspective that takes them seriously as attractive and persuasive belief systems. The anthropologist Frederick Turner has pointed out that when whites remark upon the fact that Indians perceive a spirit in every animal or rock, they are simultaneously admitting their own loss of a deep spiritual relationship with the earth. 

 

Native Americans are "part of the total living universe," wrote Turner; "spiritual health is to be had only by accepting this condition and by attempting to live in accordance with it.” Turner contends that this life view is healthier than European alternatives: "Ours is a shockingly dead view of creation. We ourselves are the only things in the universe to which we grant an authentic vitality, and because of this we are not fully alive." Thus, Turner shows that taking Native American religions seriously might require reexamination of the Judeo-Christian tradition. No textbook would suggest such a controversial idea.

[mwc]

     My wife gave me that book many years ago.  I still have it around somewhere.  It was an interesting read.

 

     I'd say we not only teach Native American religions that way but all other religions.  We just lump and gloss them in such a way that they appear naive and cartoonish.  Things that no one in their right might could ever take seriously.  All the while presenting equally absurd ideas as absolutely reasonable that everyone should admire for their great merit.

 

 

     But, yes, as you've shown from your post we've certainly done a great disservice for the Native American religions.

 

          mwc

 

[walterpthefirst]

“History is Written by Victors.” The quote gets attributed to Winston Churchill, but its origins are unknown. It implies that history is not grounded in facts, rather it's the winners' interpretation of them that prevails. The victors can force their narrative down on the people.