Being Dogmatic is like being a Dog
Mar 24, 2015 10:29:55 #
"Fields of Blood" by Karen Armstrong. When the Virginia Company established the colony of Jamestown in America in 1607, its mission was both to provide supplies to England and to bring Christianity to Native Americans. In fact, according to its royal charter, its chief objective was the conversion of native peoples rather than financial success. This non-financial mission was quickly abandoned and massacres took its place:
"In America the Virginians would supply staples for famine-prone England and at the same time bring the gospel to the Indians. A company broadsheet explained that God no longer worked through prophets and miracles; the only way to evangelize the world these days was 'mixtly, by discoverie, and trade of marchants.' Living on the Indians' land and trading with them, the colonists would 'sell to them the pearles of heaven' by 'dailie conversation.' So the quest for commodities, Samuel Purchas, the company's propagandist insisted, was not an end in itself, and the company would fail if it sought only profit.
"Purchas initially believed that the land must not be forcibly taken from the Indians because it had been assigned to them by God. His Protestant ideology may have been paternalistic, but it also had a measure of respect for the indigenous peoples. Yet during the first two terrible winters, when the colonists were starving to death, some of their conscripted laborers had fled to the local Powhattans, and when the English governor asked their chief to return the fugitives, he disdainfully refused. Whereupon the English militia descended on the settlement, killed fifteen Native Americans, burned their houses, cut down their corn, and abducted the queen, killing her children. So much for peaceful 'dailie conversation.' The Indians were bewildered: 'Why will you destroy us who supply you with food?' asked Chief Powhattan: 'Why are you jealous of us? We are unarmed and willing to give you what you ask, if you come in a friendly manner.'
"By 1622 the Indians had become seriously alarmed by the rapid growth of the colony; the English had taken over a significant acreage of their hunting grounds, depriving them of essential resources. In a sudden attack on Jamestown, the Powhattans killed about a third of the English population. The Virginians retaliated in a ruthless war of attrition: they would allow local tribes to settle and plant their corn and then, just before the harvest, attack them, killing as many natives as possible. Within three years they had avenged the Jamestown massacre many times over. Instead of founding their colony on the compassionate principles of the gospel, they had inaugurated a policy of elimination imposed by ruthless military force. Even Purchas was forced to abandon the Bible and rely on the humanists' aggressive doctrine of human rights when he finally agreed that the Indians deserved their fate because, by resisting English settlement, they had broken the law of nature. More pragmatic considerations were beginning to replace the old piety. The company had not been able to produce the staples England needed, and investors had not seen an adequate return. The only way their colony could function was to cultivate tobacco and sell it at five shillings a pound. Begun as a holy enterprise, Virginia would gradually be secularized not by[John Locke's liberal ideology but by pressure of events.
"In America the Virginians would supply staples for famine-prone England and at the same time bring the gospel to the Indians. A company broadsheet explained that God no longer worked through prophets and miracles; the only way to evangelize the world these days was 'mixtly, by discoverie, and trade of marchants.' Living on the Indians' land and trading with them, the colonists would 'sell to them the pearles of heaven' by 'dailie conversation.' So the quest for commodities, Samuel Purchas, the company's propagandist insisted, was not an end in itself, and the company would fail if it sought only profit.
"Purchas initially believed that the land must not be forcibly taken from the Indians because it had been assigned to them by God. His Protestant ideology may have been paternalistic, but it also had a measure of respect for the indigenous peoples. Yet during the first two terrible winters, when the colonists were starving to death, some of their conscripted laborers had fled to the local Powhattans, and when the English governor asked their chief to return the fugitives, he disdainfully refused. Whereupon the English militia descended on the settlement, killed fifteen Native Americans, burned their houses, cut down their corn, and abducted the queen, killing her children. So much for peaceful 'dailie conversation.' The Indians were bewildered: 'Why will you destroy us who supply you with food?' asked Chief Powhattan: 'Why are you jealous of us? We are unarmed and willing to give you what you ask, if you come in a friendly manner.'
"By 1622 the Indians had become seriously alarmed by the rapid growth of the colony; the English had taken over a significant acreage of their hunting grounds, depriving them of essential resources. In a sudden attack on Jamestown, the Powhattans killed about a third of the English population. The Virginians retaliated in a ruthless war of attrition: they would allow local tribes to settle and plant their corn and then, just before the harvest, attack them, killing as many natives as possible. Within three years they had avenged the Jamestown massacre many times over. Instead of founding their colony on the compassionate principles of the gospel, they had inaugurated a policy of elimination imposed by ruthless military force. Even Purchas was forced to abandon the Bible and rely on the humanists' aggressive doctrine of human rights when he finally agreed that the Indians deserved their fate because, by resisting English settlement, they had broken the law of nature. More pragmatic considerations were beginning to replace the old piety. The company had not been able to produce the staples England needed, and investors had not seen an adequate return. The only way their colony could function was to cultivate tobacco and sell it at five shillings a pound. Begun as a holy enterprise, Virginia would gradually be secularized not by[John Locke's liberal ideology but by pressure of events.
Mar 24, 2015 10:38:53 #
[quote=Dummy Boy]"Fields of Blood" by Karen Armstrong. When the Virginia Company established the colony of Jamestown in America in 1607, its mission was both to provide supplies to England and to bring Christianity to Native Americans. In fact, according to its royal charter, its chief objective was the conversion of native peoples rather than financial success. This non-financial mission was quickly abandoned and massacres took its place:
"In America the Virginians would supply staples for famine-prone England and at the same time bring the gospel to the Indians. A company broadsheet explained that God no longer worked through prophets and miracles; the only way to evangelize the world these days was 'mixtly, by discoverie, and trade of marchants.' Living on the Indians' land and trading with them, the colonists would 'sell to them the pearles of heaven' by 'dailie conversation.' So the quest for commodities, Samuel Purchas, the company's propagandist insisted, was not an end in itself, and the company would fail if it sought only profit.
"Purchas initially believed that the land must not be forcibly taken from the Indians because it had been assigned to them by God. His Protestant ideology may have been paternalistic, but it also had a measure of respect for the indigenous peoples. Yet during the first two terrible winters, when the colonists were starving to death, some of their conscripted laborers had fled to the local Powhattans, and when the English governor asked their chief to return the fugitives, he disdainfully refused. Whereupon the English militia descended on the settlement, killed fifteen Native Americans, burned their houses, cut down their corn, and abducted the queen, killing her children. So much for peaceful 'dailie conversation.' The Indians were bewildered: 'Why will you destroy us who supply you with food?' asked Chief Powhattan: 'Why are you jealous of us? We are unarmed and willing to give you what you ask, if you come in a friendly manner.'
"By 1622 the Indians had become seriously alarmed by the rapid growth of the colony; the English had taken over a significant acreage of their hunting grounds, depriving them of essential resources. In a sudden attack on Jamestown, the Powhattans killed about a third of the English population. The Virginians retaliated in a ruthless war of attrition: they would allow local tribes to settle and plant their corn and then, just before the harvest, attack them, killing as many natives as possible. Within three years they had avenged the Jamestown massacre many times over. Instead of founding their colony on the compassionate principles of the gospel, they had inaugurated a policy of elimination imposed by ruthless military force. Even Purchas was forced to abandon the Bible and rely on the humanists' aggressive doctrine of human rights when he finally agreed that the Indians deserved their fate because, by resisting English settlement, they had broken the law of nature. More pragmatic considerations were beginning to replace the old piety. The company had not been able to produce the staples England needed, and investors had not seen an adequate return. The only way their colony could function was to cultivate tobacco and sell it at five shillings a pound. Begun as a holy enterprise, Virginia would gradually be secularized not by[John Locke's liberal ideology but by pressure of events.[/quote]
Christ drove out the money changers. The money changers became Christians and drove out Christ. That's the way it works.
"In America the Virginians would supply staples for famine-prone England and at the same time bring the gospel to the Indians. A company broadsheet explained that God no longer worked through prophets and miracles; the only way to evangelize the world these days was 'mixtly, by discoverie, and trade of marchants.' Living on the Indians' land and trading with them, the colonists would 'sell to them the pearles of heaven' by 'dailie conversation.' So the quest for commodities, Samuel Purchas, the company's propagandist insisted, was not an end in itself, and the company would fail if it sought only profit.
"Purchas initially believed that the land must not be forcibly taken from the Indians because it had been assigned to them by God. His Protestant ideology may have been paternalistic, but it also had a measure of respect for the indigenous peoples. Yet during the first two terrible winters, when the colonists were starving to death, some of their conscripted laborers had fled to the local Powhattans, and when the English governor asked their chief to return the fugitives, he disdainfully refused. Whereupon the English militia descended on the settlement, killed fifteen Native Americans, burned their houses, cut down their corn, and abducted the queen, killing her children. So much for peaceful 'dailie conversation.' The Indians were bewildered: 'Why will you destroy us who supply you with food?' asked Chief Powhattan: 'Why are you jealous of us? We are unarmed and willing to give you what you ask, if you come in a friendly manner.'
"By 1622 the Indians had become seriously alarmed by the rapid growth of the colony; the English had taken over a significant acreage of their hunting grounds, depriving them of essential resources. In a sudden attack on Jamestown, the Powhattans killed about a third of the English population. The Virginians retaliated in a ruthless war of attrition: they would allow local tribes to settle and plant their corn and then, just before the harvest, attack them, killing as many natives as possible. Within three years they had avenged the Jamestown massacre many times over. Instead of founding their colony on the compassionate principles of the gospel, they had inaugurated a policy of elimination imposed by ruthless military force. Even Purchas was forced to abandon the Bible and rely on the humanists' aggressive doctrine of human rights when he finally agreed that the Indians deserved their fate because, by resisting English settlement, they had broken the law of nature. More pragmatic considerations were beginning to replace the old piety. The company had not been able to produce the staples England needed, and investors had not seen an adequate return. The only way their colony could function was to cultivate tobacco and sell it at five shillings a pound. Begun as a holy enterprise, Virginia would gradually be secularized not by[John Locke's liberal ideology but by pressure of events.[/quote]
Christ drove out the money changers. The money changers became Christians and drove out Christ. That's the way it works.
Mar 24, 2015 10:50:11 #
lpnmajor
Loc: Arkansas
[quote=Dummy Boy]"Fields of Blood" by Karen Armstrong. When the Virginia Company established the colony of Jamestown in America in 1607, its mission was both to provide supplies to England and to bring Christianity to Native Americans. In fact, according to its royal charter, its chief objective was the conversion of native peoples rather than financial success. This non-financial mission was quickly abandoned and massacres took its place:
"In America the Virginians would supply staples for famine-prone England and at the same time bring the gospel to the Indians. A company broadsheet explained that God no longer worked through prophets and miracles; the only way to evangelize the world these days was 'mixtly, by discoverie, and trade of marchants.' Living on the Indians' land and trading with them, the colonists would 'sell to them the pearles of heaven' by 'dailie conversation.' So the quest for commodities, Samuel Purchas, the company's propagandist insisted, was not an end in itself, and the company would fail if it sought only profit.
"Purchas initially believed that the land must not be forcibly taken from the Indians because it had been assigned to them by God. His Protestant ideology may have been paternalistic, but it also had a measure of respect for the indigenous peoples. Yet during the first two terrible winters, when the colonists were starving to death, some of their conscripted laborers had fled to the local Powhattans, and when the English governor asked their chief to return the fugitives, he disdainfully refused. Whereupon the English militia descended on the settlement, killed fifteen Native Americans, burned their houses, cut down their corn, and abducted the queen, killing her children. So much for peaceful 'dailie conversation.' The Indians were bewildered: 'Why will you destroy us who supply you with food?' asked Chief Powhattan: 'Why are you jealous of us? We are unarmed and willing to give you what you ask, if you come in a friendly manner.'
"By 1622 the Indians had become seriously alarmed by the rapid growth of the colony; the English had taken over a significant acreage of their hunting grounds, depriving them of essential resources. In a sudden attack on Jamestown, the Powhattans killed about a third of the English population. The Virginians retaliated in a ruthless war of attrition: they would allow local tribes to settle and plant their corn and then, just before the harvest, attack them, killing as many natives as possible. Within three years they had avenged the Jamestown massacre many times over. Instead of founding their colony on the compassionate principles of the gospel, they had inaugurated a policy of elimination imposed by ruthless military force. Even Purchas was forced to abandon the Bible and rely on the humanists' aggressive doctrine of human rights when he finally agreed that the Indians deserved their fate because, by resisting English settlement, they had broken the law of nature. More pragmatic considerations were beginning to replace the old piety. The company had not been able to produce the staples England needed, and investors had not seen an adequate return. The only way their colony could function was to cultivate tobacco and sell it at five shillings a pound. Begun as a holy enterprise, Virginia would gradually be secularized not by[John Locke's liberal ideology but by pressure of events.[/quote]
So, what the problem is? This paradigm has been repeated everywhere, by every civilization, since the beginning of time. Someone has what you want, doesn't want to part with it willingly, so you take it by force - if they're not strong enough to stop you. Taking what doesn't belong to you, is rationalized a hundred different ways, but by far the most popular is - they were pagans/devil worshippers/heretics, etc., etc.
How many times were treaties with Indians violated, because they were provoked to retaliate? We just love self fulfilling prophecies, you know "can't trust 'em, they'll kill us all if given the chance" - then you beat up a few, kill a few, rape a few, burn a few out, steal a lot of stuff - and lo and behold, they retaliate some way - and you were proven right about their perfidy, so you kill all of them that you can reach.
"In America the Virginians would supply staples for famine-prone England and at the same time bring the gospel to the Indians. A company broadsheet explained that God no longer worked through prophets and miracles; the only way to evangelize the world these days was 'mixtly, by discoverie, and trade of marchants.' Living on the Indians' land and trading with them, the colonists would 'sell to them the pearles of heaven' by 'dailie conversation.' So the quest for commodities, Samuel Purchas, the company's propagandist insisted, was not an end in itself, and the company would fail if it sought only profit.
"Purchas initially believed that the land must not be forcibly taken from the Indians because it had been assigned to them by God. His Protestant ideology may have been paternalistic, but it also had a measure of respect for the indigenous peoples. Yet during the first two terrible winters, when the colonists were starving to death, some of their conscripted laborers had fled to the local Powhattans, and when the English governor asked their chief to return the fugitives, he disdainfully refused. Whereupon the English militia descended on the settlement, killed fifteen Native Americans, burned their houses, cut down their corn, and abducted the queen, killing her children. So much for peaceful 'dailie conversation.' The Indians were bewildered: 'Why will you destroy us who supply you with food?' asked Chief Powhattan: 'Why are you jealous of us? We are unarmed and willing to give you what you ask, if you come in a friendly manner.'
"By 1622 the Indians had become seriously alarmed by the rapid growth of the colony; the English had taken over a significant acreage of their hunting grounds, depriving them of essential resources. In a sudden attack on Jamestown, the Powhattans killed about a third of the English population. The Virginians retaliated in a ruthless war of attrition: they would allow local tribes to settle and plant their corn and then, just before the harvest, attack them, killing as many natives as possible. Within three years they had avenged the Jamestown massacre many times over. Instead of founding their colony on the compassionate principles of the gospel, they had inaugurated a policy of elimination imposed by ruthless military force. Even Purchas was forced to abandon the Bible and rely on the humanists' aggressive doctrine of human rights when he finally agreed that the Indians deserved their fate because, by resisting English settlement, they had broken the law of nature. More pragmatic considerations were beginning to replace the old piety. The company had not been able to produce the staples England needed, and investors had not seen an adequate return. The only way their colony could function was to cultivate tobacco and sell it at five shillings a pound. Begun as a holy enterprise, Virginia would gradually be secularized not by[John Locke's liberal ideology but by pressure of events.[/quote]
So, what the problem is? This paradigm has been repeated everywhere, by every civilization, since the beginning of time. Someone has what you want, doesn't want to part with it willingly, so you take it by force - if they're not strong enough to stop you. Taking what doesn't belong to you, is rationalized a hundred different ways, but by far the most popular is - they were pagans/devil worshippers/heretics, etc., etc.
How many times were treaties with Indians violated, because they were provoked to retaliate? We just love self fulfilling prophecies, you know "can't trust 'em, they'll kill us all if given the chance" - then you beat up a few, kill a few, rape a few, burn a few out, steal a lot of stuff - and lo and behold, they retaliate some way - and you were proven right about their perfidy, so you kill all of them that you can reach.
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