Agnostic.com

20 2

If you had to communicate your beliefs to the indigenous people of the Americas in the16th century, how would you do it?

AbramH85 6 Mar 20
Share

Enjoy being online again!

Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.

Create your free account

20 comments

Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.

0

I'm sure I'd fail, because I'm a poor linguist, and there may have been more than 100 languages among the various tribes.

1

DO NOT BELIEVE THOSE BIBLE THUMPERS! Run, hide, or whatever is necessary to keep them away.

0

I don't live in the 16th century... so I will make better use if my time.

0

I'd convince them I'm a powerful God, and warn them of the impending white men and then start my own army

1

Is this before or after the missionaries had contaminated them? Even when I was active in religion, I never believe it was a good thing to go into a social order and impose my beliefs on those people! I would be busy trying to learn their ways, and only step in if degradation or injury was involved! I have no need to force people to believe like me...I could be wrong!!! Better, that I go down alone, than take a herd of people with me!

0

I would communicate my beliefs via my actions, just like I do to the primitive people, [cough, cough] I mean religious nuts, in the Americas, today.

2

Smile (pass peace pipe) Smile

2

I'd say Hey I'm with you guys. They had much better beliefs. I mean if youre going to worship something, why not the earth, the sun, the food provided to you. its all real stuff. As opposed to the make believe superhero of the people who came to kill them and rob them of their land and way of life.

2

I'd tell them to stay away from lying, exploiting Caucasians.

4

I would demonstrate my beliefs by how I lived and treated them and everyone else.
What you believe does not make you a good person. How you act and behave does.

4

Ever wonder what life on this continent would look like if the indigenous people had not felt sorry for those sick, poorly prepared, ill-equipped pilgrims back at Plymouth colony? What if the IP had decided they didn't want a bunch of uninvited immigrants invading their country?

4

I don't know but I do know I wouldn't be forcing bullshit down there throats and making them slaves.

3

Powerpoint slides?

4

I would tell them that they're about to get fucked over, and to never go near, much less trust, anyone without skin pigmentation.

6

If they wanted my views on anything they'd ask for them. I'd definitely wait for that to happen. In the meantime I would ask them about their beliefs and practices and customs, and try to learn about them.

0

If you don't kill me I can make you stuff.

One of my main beliefs is that killing me is a bad idea. I would try to gesture that.

1

Think I would have to start building the wood pile for my burning, because of my conviction for being a witch. lol

0

I would simply say that no invention of man can pretend to speak the truth of an immaterial being outside the 5 senses. Science and reason alone are sacred.

1

explain, to them.... "man speak with false/forked tounge"

0

I would probably only manage to convince them that I'm insane. There would be too large a gap to cover. However trying to explain those beliefs to Europeans of the same era would get one flame broiled.

JimG Level 8 Mar 20, 2018

Your odds of getting flame broiled were probably higher with the Native Americans:

@BD66 there were many different cultures that had different traditions and customs, but many wouldn't harm someone they thought was crazy.
Additionally, I don't trust much of what was written by Europeans about native Americans. A lot of it was propaganda intended to justify genocide and occupation of their land.

JimG. You are correct in your observations, but I don't believe you are correct about the propaganda. The Native Americans in the Northeast and Southwest were particularly brutal, and all European accounts are in-line with that. That Native Americans on most of the west coast were pretty peaceful, and all European accounts are pretty much in line with that observation. You couldn't coordinate a propaganda campaign across that many Europeans from so many different countries.

Write Comment
You can include a link to this post in your posts and comments by including the text q:40471
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.