Did Christians kill Red Indians in America?

Petros2015

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I attended a Roman Catholic service once. During the sermon the priest thanked God for using the Conquistadors to wipe out the Aztec and others of the Central American continent. I'd never heard such a thing. To be fair, the culture seemed to have a penchant for human sacrifice and would not have co-existed well with... well just about anything probably. But to hear it put that way in a church was stunning.

Aztec Empire - Wikipedia
 
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Petros2015

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I suspect that if you tallied totals, smallpox probably killed more native Americans than anything else on the American continent North, Central and South. But certainly the Europeans that carried it here get an A for effort.

Also, if I'm not mistaken, the American continent returned the favor with syphilis, in a day and age when there was no treatment for it... more or less asymptomatic at first but with very unpleasant long term effects when not treated. So a lot of Native American Ghosts got in a very good last laugh.
 
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Toynbee

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Well, people who came over here from Europe and elsewhere were involved in killing native Americans. Were they Christian? I'm sure some would have said they were Christian. I'm sure some might have even justified it based on their religious beliefs. But neither truly answers the question - any more than it does today, seeing some of the junk being said and done - and voted on by professing "believers" today.
 
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Randy777

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I read that long time ago, the Red Indians were massacred by the immigrants from Europe, many of them are Christians, they justified their deed by saying that Red Indians are devil.
I would state those who have the Spirit of Christ in them and know Jesus would not take part in mass murder.

A good tree does not bear bad fruit.

Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Those who hate and murder should expect judgment not eternal life.
Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
 
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ralliann

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Well, people who came over here from Europe and elsewhere were involved in killing native Americans. Were they Christian? I'm sure some would have said they were Christian. I'm sure some might have even justified it based on their religious beliefs. But neither truly answers the question - any more than it does today, seeing some of the junk being said and done - and voted on by professing "believers" today.
You think Europeans were the only people group that killed warred over land? Somewhere sometime all kept or gained ground through enslavement or killing for that.
 
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ralliann

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I would state those who have the Spirit of Christ in them and know Jesus would not take part in mass murder.

A good tree does not bear bad fruit.

Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Those who hate and murder should expect judgment not eternal life.
Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
Murder and killing are two different things. It is not murder to defend oneself, nor murder to get justice for victims of crimes. Christians however are to forgive and to allow government to protect all in society.
 
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I read that long time ago, the Red Indians were massacred by the immigrants from Europe, many of them are Christians, they justified their deed by saying that Red Indians are devil.

I believe Jesus taught Non-Resistance as a part of the New Way or New Covenant (i.e. New Testament).

If you are interested, you can check out this CF thread here (with Scripture verses included) to learn more.

Nonresistance as Taught in the New Testament is Moral and Good.

In other words, those self professing Christians who killed Indians were not abiding in Christ and His love by obeying their Lord. This means that they were either nominal or world focused Christians who never truly carried on a relationship with their Lord. This does not mean there were not other Christians who abided in Christ who were in strong disagreement with what these worldly Christians were doing.

Side Note:

This was a change from the Old Covenant way (of course). For in the Old Covenant (or Old Testament) God would command His people to destroy or fight their enemies. I believe the Law has changed (Hebrews 7:12). God no longer requires us to be like Israel. We are the church and not like Israel in the past. We fight a spiritual war and not a physical one (See: 2 Corinthians 10:4).
 
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ralliann

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Every one that hates his brother is a murderer, and ye know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." I john 3:15.
Is that speaking of self defense as murder? Is it hateful to not let anyone kill you?
 
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ralliann

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I believe Jesus taught Non-Resistance as a part of the New Way or New Covenant (i.e. New Testament).

If you are interested, you can out this CF thread here (with Scripture verses included) to learn more.

Nonresistance as Taught in the New Testament is Moral and Good.

In other words, those self professing Christians who killed Indians were not abiding in Christ and His love by obeying their Lord. This means that they were either nominal or world focused Christians who never truly carried on a relationship with their Lord. This does not mean there were not other Christians who abided in Christ who were in strong disagreement with what these worldly Christians were doing.

Side Note:

This was a change from the Old Covenant way (of course). For in the Old Covenant (or Old Testament) God would command His people to destroy or fight their enemies. I believe the Law has changed (Hebrews 7:12). God no longer requires us to be like Israel. We are the church and not like Israel in the past. We fight a spiritual war and not a physical one (See: 2 Corinthians 10:4).
I believe that is speaking of dieing for your faith in Christ, and not laying that sin upon your brother. They don't know what they are doing.
Mt 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
Lu 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
Act 7:59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
 
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Tolworth John

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I read that long time ago, the Red Indians were massacred by the immigrants from Europe, many of them are Christians, they justified their deed by saying that Red Indians are devil.

What period of American history are you referring to?
When did you hear or read this, in junior school?

To make things clearer how have the hunter gatherer tribes in Malaysia Farr against the farming tribes?

Hunter gatherers servive for as long as they don't anger the political rulers of their farming neighbors.
Then the greater resources result in them being driven away from the farming communities.

Did Christians kill native American? Almost certainly, just as Christianised native Meridians almost certainly killed their farming neighbors or soldiers sent by them.
 
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I believe that is speaking of dieing for your faith in Christ, and not laying that sin upon your brother. They don't know what they are doing.
Mt 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
Lu 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
Act 7:59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Verse 36 does not say what you should do with these kinds of foes or enemies.
Only an assumption of physical violence can be imposed upon verse 36. There is no actual command or instruction in this particular passage on how we should treat these foes. Actually, Jesus says elsewhere at the Sermon on the Mount that we should pray, do good, and love our enemies instead of an eye for an eye (See: Matthew 5:44). The apostle Paul says the weapons of our warfare are not physical (See: 2 Corinthians 10:4). This means we fight a spiritual war, and not a physical one. For the armor of God that we are to wear in Ephesians 6 is spiritual and not physical.

As for verse 60: This was the Lord being sacrificed for the sins of the entire world. Notice also that it was a sin for them to do violence against Him. But God was able to use their evil for a greater good. This does not mean we do evil for a greater good. God does not approve of evil, but He can use bad situations to turn out to be for a greater plan for good in the end. But we are not God to do this, though. We cannot do evil so that good may come. Again, I encourage you to check out the verses in the thread link I provided. I make a really solid case for New Testament Non-Resistance.

Also, at the cross: You have to remember that Jesus says forgive them to the Father for they know not what they do (See: Luke 23:34). This was a non-violent resolution. We are told in Scripture to follow Christ's example (See: 1 Peter 2:21, 1 John 2:6). So if you were to follow Jesus exactly as described in the New Testament, you would be living a Non-Resistant lifestyle because Jesus never punched people in the head or kicked folks while on the ground, or shot flaming arrows into a crowd of people, etc.; Jesus never retaliated with physical violence but He was an example of just the opposite of that idea. Jesus was whipped and beaten, and He was nailed to the cross. We are to pick up our cross and to deny ourselves and to follow Jesus.

Side Note:

Keep in mind that Pacifism and Non-Resistance are two different things.
Pacifism is against all forms of violence in any given situation, and this is not the case with Non-Resistance. I don't believe in Pacifism, but I believe in Non-Resistance. The reason for this is because I believe that the violence in the OT, and the return of our Lord coming back to destroy the nations physically is justified. But we are not under the Old Covenant now, and we are not living in the future as disembodied saints (who have already lived out their faith) following our Lord into battle at His second coming.
 
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splish- splash

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I have no idea. But if it happened, that was pure evil.. I do know, they have a different but very interesting culture. They like to hold bizarre ceremonies and they also believe in traditional medicines for healing. I remember i used to watch some programme on red indians.
 
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I read that long time ago, the Red Indians were massacred by the immigrants from Europe, many of them are Christians, they justified their deed by saying that Red Indians are devil.

We have to ask ourselves the question: Are these actions the same kind of actions by these settlers the same as what we read about in the New Testament involving Jesus and His followers? I am going to say... no. So if Jesus and His followers never acted in this way, we can conclude that these settlers who massacred indians and or called them devils were operating on their own outside of God's Holy Word. They were not abiding in all of the teachings of Christ.
 
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I have no idea. But if it happened, that was pure evil.. I do know, they have a different but very interesting culture. They like to hold bizarre ceremonies and they also believe in traditional medicines for healing. I remember i used to watch some programme on red indians.

All the ancient Indian practices are clearly evil and pagan, but that does not give us the authority to wipe them out by killing them. Jesus said to not pull up the weeds (among the wheat), but let them grow until the harvest (i.e. the end of the world). Jesus and His followers clearly taught Non-Resistance (Which was a stark contrast to the Old Testament ways).
 
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