So why did people conquered and oppressed by Christianity became devout Christians?

[cubeless]

...and all the same things apply to why they're all democrats?

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

hispanic/latino = south/central america.

spain = europe.

hispanic = hispanola = iberian penensula = SPAIN

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Because they are. Total up all the Blacks around the world and see how many are educated. Same with Hispanic/Latinos.

You do realize that There are more "hispanics/Latinos" than just the illegals in the US right? I'm sure there is a faily close ratio of smart and educated "hispanics/latinos" in the world as their are other races/nationalities.

Everything from South of the US isn't just one big fucking jungle with all of them brown people living in huts and running around with palm leaf drawers on hunting with blow guns.

 

[werepossum]

If you notice pictures of early Americans you'll see many don't have beards, even slave owners. In spite of this many black males don't wear beards.

Why is this? Is it perhaps because those without a strong sense of nationalism don't have beards?

ROFL!

Thread is officially over.

 

[DucatiMonster696]

Ummm.....Parts of Africa were Christian before any European colonial power set foot on the continent and other parts of Africa were steam rolled by Islam way before Christian came onto the scene.

 

[MJinZ]

hispanic = hispanola = iberian penensula = SPAIN

Hispanic means territory once controlled by Spain.

Hispanic people, as the term is used today, have very little to do with Spain today. Hispanics are mixed, while Spanish are basically White.

 

[piasabird]

Religion does not conquer or oppress anyone. People oppress people; not religion. People may use religion as an excuse, but evil people are just evil and do evil.

So when a christian teaches to turn the other cheek, who is he oppressing? When people feed and clothe and house the poor, what is that?

There are tuns of examples of good based on religious beliefs. Maybe it is you who are evil because you want to hate someone for their religious beliefs.

 

[Lemon law]

Another reason lies in the fact that Islam and Christianity are evangelistic religions, that actively seek new adherents, while not confusing net religious worth with social status.

That and the fact that both religions are designed to bring an inner peace and humility.

 

[shangshang]

Christians run into many problems when they try to defend their religion. There is a saying: "Where the cross leads, the sword follows". Christian missionaries have a history of working closely side-by-side with colonial governments to subjugate and oppress the native peoples. The fact is that organized Christianity did participate (in one form or another) and benefited greatly from colonial powers that were. How could the Christians now pretend that their hands were not drenched in blood, and pretend that their religion had nothing to do with their governments oppressing other peoples?

Yes, one could argue that Christianity the religion is not bad, it's the people who are evil. But let's not forget that it's the people that make the religion and vice versa. Christians should have spoken up against colonialism, but as history have shown, they kept their mouth shut nicely if colonialism served them well; you know, expand the Christian army. Speak up against evil (even if it means speaking against your government) or else someone might think you're acting in collusion. That's common sense, isn't it?

The same could be said of Islam. To me, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, are sister religions. Their basic inceptions and conceptions of "god" are from the same pot. But this thread isn't about Islam nor Judaism, so I don't discuss about them, but doesn't mean they get a pass in my book. In the last 2000 years, it can be said that these 3 religions are responsible for most of the major wars and bloodlets in humanity, no? But we look at the Eastern religions, we do not see any major wars waged in the name of religion. Is there any major war waged in the name of Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism, Hinduism?

However, I still do not understand how an oppressed people would so eagerly embrace their masters' religion? OK, we can say that the native people were given money in combination with indoctrination, and over generations, became good jolly Christian converts. But today, the descendants of these oppressed people should know better. Perhaps they know but still believe anyway because the power of belief is that strong for them. Yes, Stockholm Syndrome.

 

[Infohawk]

The answer is easy, people converted under duress. Same with Islams converts.

 

[PieIsAwesome]

Pre-Hispanic civilization in Spanish America was annihilated and replaced with Spanish language and culture (along with native influence). Natives mixed with colonists. Those "people" that were conquered and oppressed don't exist anymore. They died off and were replaced by something new, as is typical in History. The degree of mixture varies among Latin-American countries. Argentina, for example, is made up of mostly of Spaniards, Germans, and Italians. There still remain some natives that speak their original language, but they sort of exist outside of the Latin-American countrys' post-Hispanic society.

 

[Zebo]

Christianity appeals to the down trodden and weak, shit was founded under brutal Roman occupation. Look at their shit like rich man can't get into heaven and other bullshit. therefore it's only natural the slaves and other marginalized would flock to this sect for redemption and empowerment..

 

[Zebo]

If you notice pictures of early Americans you'll see many don't have beards, even slave owners. In spite of this many black males don't wear beards.

Why is this? Is it perhaps because those without a strong sense of nationalism don't have beards?

Cute.

 

[Zebo]

Christians run into many problems when they try to defend their religion. There is a saying: "Where the cross leads, the sword follows". Christian missionaries have a history of working closely side-by-side with colonial governments to subjugate and oppress the native peoples. The fact is that organized Christianity did participate (in one form or another) and benefited greatly from colonial powers that were. How could the Christians now pretend that their hands were not drenched in blood, and pretend that their religion had nothing to do with their governments oppressing other peoples?

Yes, one could argue that Christianity the religion is not bad, it's the people who are evil. But let's not forget that it's the people that make the religion and vice versa. Christians should have spoken up against colonialism, but as history have shown, they kept their mouth shut nicely if colonialism served them well; you know, expand the Christian army. Speak up against evil (even if it means speaking against your government) or else someone might think you're acting in collusion. That's common sense, isn't it?

The same could be said of Islam. To me, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, are sister religions. Their basic inceptions and conceptions of "god" are from the same pot. But this thread isn't about Islam nor Judaism, so I don't discuss about them, but doesn't mean they get a pass in my book. In the last 2000 years, it can be said that these 3 religions are responsible for most of the major wars and bloodlets in humanity, no? But we look at the Eastern religions, we do not see any major wars waged in the name of religion. Is there any major war waged in the name of Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism, Hinduism?

However, I still do not understand how an oppressed people would so eagerly embrace their masters' religion? OK, we can say that the native people were given money in combination with indoctrination, and over generations, became good jolly Christian converts. But today, the descendants of these oppressed people should know better. Perhaps they know but still believe anyway because the power of belief is that strong for them. Yes, Stockholm Syndrome.

You're an idiot. They could not be more diametrically opposed. One will kill your ass for leaving/insulting/violating the other tries to turn other cheek.

Essentially Mo, took Christianity and turned it into more militant variety of monotheism and law. You see once they had some power and no longer under the Roman machine they decided to exercise that power and became Muslims with Mo's new found interpretation. Close but with a lot more militancy.

As I've said Islam is the "perfect" religion if your goal is maximum conversion and retention which all religions strive for.. Mo did it right and Jesus is a fail and history will bear this out. Altough Jesus did what the times demanded of him - i.e. to be a little bitch and give hope to his flock of fools.

 

[Zebo]

Another reason lies in the fact that Islam and Christianity are evangelistic religions, that actively seek new adherents, while not confusing net religious worth with social status.

That and the fact that both religions are designed to bring an inner peace and humility.

They are designed to bring social order and total explanation and regulation of life and the universe for simpletons 1000+ years ago, and unfortunately continues to this day. Most of us have moved on and have inner peace in realism, science and playing it by ear.

 

[Yeem]

So why did people conquered and oppressed by Christianity became devout Christians?

Believe in God or I'll flog you!

 

[Bateluer]

What is this syndrome called? when the oppressed actually think they masters are doing them a favor? .

Stockholm Syndrome?

 

[Siddhartha]

This occurred due to illiteracy more than any other reason. If you cannot read what something teaches but have to rely on someone else to tell you what it teaches then you have to follow what they claim to be true. As literacy increased and people could read for themselves the ability of religion to be used as a justification by others declined.

The government corruption in the USA today is a prime example of this. People do not know what the actual laws and rules are so they allow their elected officials to interpret them and assume what is being done is what the laws say should be done. In this case it isn't illiteracy that is allowing it to continue , but a complacent public.

In England a king was protestant and a lot of people converted to protestantism. The next king or queen was catholic and a lot of people converted to catholicism.

 

[Atreus21]

Christians run into many problems when they try to defend their religion. There is a saying: "Where the cross leads, the sword follows". Christian missionaries have a history of working closely side-by-side with colonial governments to subjugate and oppress the native peoples. The fact is that organized Christianity did participate (in one form or another) and benefited greatly from colonial powers that were. How could the Christians now pretend that their hands were not drenched in blood, and pretend that their religion had nothing to do with their governments oppressing other peoples?

Yes, one could argue that Christianity the religion is not bad, it's the people who are evil. But let's not forget that it's the people that make the religion and vice versa. Christians should have spoken up against colonialism, but as history have shown, they kept their mouth shut nicely if colonialism served them well; you know, expand the Christian army. Speak up against evil (even if it means speaking against your government) or else someone might think you're acting in collusion. That's common sense, isn't it?

It's very easy for us to condemn people who lived in a past era. In 300 years, Christianity might again be condemned based on the fact that we allowed abortion to endure in our time. But of course, abortion in the present is not so evil. Neither was slavery, and neither was colonialism. It's short-sighted to assume we in the present are in any position to judge our predecessors for not adhering to our standard of perfection.

The same could be said of Islam. To me, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, are sister religions. Their basic inceptions and conceptions of "god" are from the same pot. But this thread isn't about Islam nor Judaism, so I don't discuss about them, but doesn't mean they get a pass in my book. In the last 2000 years, it can be said that these 3 religions are responsible for most of the major wars and bloodlets in humanity, no?

Blaming religion for war and all societal ills is a tiresome refrain.

There is no fast answer when searching for the culprit of a conflict on the scale of a world war. To blame it all on religion is simply lazy.

However, I still do not understand how an oppressed people would so eagerly embrace their masters' religion? OK, we can say that the native people were given money in combination with indoctrination, and over generations, became good jolly Christian converts. But today, the descendants of these oppressed people should know better. Perhaps they know but still believe anyway because the power of belief is that strong for them. Yes, Stockholm Syndrome.

Another possibility is that the nature of their conversion was not as brutal as you seem to believe, if it was forced at all.

If I were forced to convert at gunpoint, that I'd convert in words only, and renounce it when the threat was removed. Since these people have not renounced it, only two options are available: Either they're brainwashed/stupid/lazy, or they really believe what they've converted to.

I prefer not to lightly dismiss people as stupid based on the fact that they don't follow my worldview, so I consider the most reasonable answer to your question to be that, despite the nature of their conversion, they sincerely believe it.