Religious Conflict in the Americas free essay sample

As civilizations sprung up in the Americas, religious ideas and conflict seemed to immediately follow. When Europeans settled in these areas, they brought with them their own strongly religious ideas. These ideas, of course, were vastly different from the Polytheistic beliefs of those native to the Americas and the surrounding regions. This led to many conflicts between the groups. The settling of the Europeans in these places is a big factor in why the most prominent religion in the USA today is Christianity. The Aztec people were fiercely religious. Many of their practices were brutal and lenient, such as their Telepathically feast, where captives where captives were painfully put to death by priests as people danced and celebrated. They were the captives of war that were murdered. These wars and battles were usually waged in order to conquer a desired city or civilization. Once they were conquered, the citizens of that city were fierce to take part in the Aztecan religious practices and rituals, as repulsive and brutal as many found them to be. We will write a custom essay sample on Religious Conflict in the Americas or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Although neighboring peoples practiced such ways during that time period, their religions still differed greatly. Religion itself was rarely the sole cause for an attack UT did play a major role in them. When the Spanish conquered the Aztec as well as other parts of the Americas, they shared much more than Just their language. It was the Catholic monarchs who supported Christopher Columbus voyages and explorations attempts initially. Cortes himself claimed that the Spanish came to the New World to serve God, and to get rich as all men want to. By 1492, Spain was a fiercely Catholic nation; they had expelled the Jewish people and converted the Muslims within it. Forced conversion from the Spanish among those they conquered was not uncommon or unheard of during this time. The Spanish were somewhat ruthless with their mission to convert all non-Christians and to suck the wealth from these lands, and ended up slaying many people in their path. It was not a peaceful time. The Spanish beli eved that it was their divine right to take over these people, mostly because as they did it, they forced their religion on them. They believed that in doing this, they were saving the people and serving their duties as Christians. It is said that the Christian religion within these areas after it had spread far and wide differed strongly depending on region. Some cultures even blended their polytheistic levels with the Spanish ones. In some ways, I believe that the common Christian religion being spread throughout Latin America unified those countries and brought them together. At the same time, I think it was the root of a lot of conflict that could have otherwise been avoided. Moreover, the French had a strong effect on the people their conquered as well. France was also a strictly all-Christian country as well. During the sixteenth century, France was beginning to explore the Saint Lawrence River and leading to the cession of New Frances and Great Britain in 1793. Back in France, the Protestant Reformation was going strong. Many Protestants resided in France at the time, although they were persecuted by the state and angered the Catholics. This persecution of Hugeness and Protestants was a bloodbath to so arts, leading up to the SST. Bartholomew Day Massacre of 1572. Very strong ideas of what religion was and what it should be were circulating in full force among the French during this time. The Huron were among the first natives to have contact with the French. Jacques Carrier lead the exploration of the Saint Lawrence region in 1534. A strong bond formed between the Huron and the French in the sixteenth century and quickly proved to be a lasting relationship. This also brought on mutual enemies, such as the Iroquois and the English. In 1615, French missionaries known as Franciscans began to travel among the Huron. The Black Robes lived among the Huron, learning their language and their ways while preaching to the Huron. The Jesuits missionary efforts were much more prominent. They had a strong influence on Huron people and good relations with them that lasted well into the eighteenth century. A Huron version of the Bible was even written during this time period. The Huron people came to be deeply religious people who were very reliant on God and Christianity, Just as those ho taught them. All in all, Christianity was more or less handed to the Huron people like a gift, as opposed to being forced on them in the violent, aggressive way that the Spanish did. The Huron people felt strongly about their newfound religion and flourished with it. Despite the Freshs brutality against those who did not share their practices back in their homeland, the explorers sent to these regions seemed much more tolerant and understanding. The French even seemed to see the Huron people as their equals, and it was not uncommon for a French person to take part in marriage with a Huron dative. Their cultures blended well with little internal conflict. To conclude, religion has a huge impact on society. This is evident from what we see in history today. Religious views and practices often shape a nations culture and affect every aspect of the society. Moreover, this can cause great conflict between those with opposing ideas, as seen when nations go to war over a religious dispute. At the same time, having so many different groups practicing the same religion can bring them closer together, politically, culturally, and scholastically, more than a common language could. I believe that if religion had in no watt been involved in the colonization of Latitudinarian, then those countries of the region would experience more conflict and discord with one another. Today, Catholicism is extremely popular among Latin Americans and is a common ground for them. A unified religion has the ability to bring about peace, but also the ability to destroy it at the same time, as new ideas develop, such as the Protestant Reformation. What once was a strong, unified Catholic church soon split into many conflicting groups, despite their shared belief in God and Biblical teachings.