Rick Santorum Says ‘Nothing’ Was In America Before White Colonizers Arrived

[East of Eden]

I'm not personally a scholar of native American culture. Those who are could doubtless site many literary artisans, musicians, and scientists. Or wikipedia could provide you with a basic understanding, assuming you had any real interest in the question.

I'll take it there was no Native American Shakespeare, Newton or Bach?

You claim Santorum said nothing against the native Americans? Really? Relegating their entire thousands of years of culture to less than a footnote is nothing? One could say that he misspoke, and as a Christian that is my gracious assumption towards a brother, but his actual statements are indefensible.

As a Christian, does it concern you that Native American religion was demonic? We had a Native American in my church who said today, here in NM, converting to Christianity can get you kicked off reservations.

Paved streets and curbs? That's your litmus? Must they be concrete?

That's normally what we think of when we say street, but it wasn't my question.

Macadam? I must apologize for my sarcastic tendencies. I truly don't mean to be unkind, but why would you ask about modern innovations? Yes, cobbles and paver rocks go back quite some time, but many small towns lack curbs and back roads pavement. Are they also worthy of disregard?
As I mentioned before, the entirety of the internet is available. You could look up what type of roads, paths, streets, were present in America before Europeans arrived. Personally, I know that many of the existing highways and byways in my area are expansions of native roads. So, yes, there were many roads in America before Europeans arrived.

Nonsense, many were probably game trails.

Google the book "A Fate Worse Than Death" about what happened to captives of Indians, if you have a strong stomach. Here are a couple reviews:

"Shockingly violent and grisly. Will really blow Hollywood's romanticized depiction of a peace-loving, nature-worshipping, gentle people out of the water. Cover to cover graphic, indiscrimant and horrific torture of men, women, old people, children and even babies in grisly detail. A very difficult read (I actually had to put it down occasionally due to brutality overload,) yet historically accurate, with names, places and dates to back it up. Story after sickening story, but obviously researched thoroughly. The term "savage" definitely applied at this time. Capture truly WAS a fate worse than death. How women didn't literally go mad is beyond me. Be forewarned; you'll need a strong stomach for this one.
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4.0 out of 5 stars good book on an overlooked topic
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2016
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good book on an overlooked topic...certainly NOT politically correct nor should it be...for years the Indians have been portrayed as victims by the evil white men when in fact they were doing genocidal practices for about 8-10 thousand years before white settlers even came here.."

 

[tulc]

Maybe try decaf?

I'll roast it for my shop, but as for drinking it...that would be a "hard no" for me.
tulc(is a big fan fan of caffeine)

 

[Kettriken]

I'll take it there was no Native American Shakespeare, Newton or Bach?

You can take it that way, but it doesn't make it true. As I said, scholars of native American culture (or the internet) can provide you with Native storytellers, poets, scientists, and musicians. You would have to be the one to define why those individuals don't count as equivalent to Shakespeare, Newton, or Bach, since you've made the claim. My best guess is some argument based on prestige, but that is a notoriously arbitrary (and thereby prejudicial) measure.

As a Christian, does it concern you that Native American religion was demonic? We had a Native American in my church who said today, here in NM, converting to Christianity can get you kicked off reservations.

It is very sad, and I would hazard blasphemous, that pre-contact religious activities were and are so often still dismissed as "demonic." What is demonic about a people who worship a Great and Holy spirit? A supreme Creator? Again, I am no scholar of native American religion, but why would a monotheistic religion that worships the Creator be demonic?
I am truly sorry that the individual attending your church suffered repercussions for their conversion. This is not by any means always the case. A great many First Nations and Native American people continue to practice their Christian faith in the context of the traditional heritage, as they have done for hundreds of years.

Nonsense, many were probably game trails.

What do you mean? Game trails, as in the deer paths that many of us follow in the woods or paths followed in pursuit of game? The history of roads, paths, and trails, both paved and transient is long and storied, and too often tied up in the necessity of troop movement, as per the Roman and Euro-American empires. Perhaps a closer study would help you make sense of the supposed "nonsense" you see in my remarks.

Google the book "A Fate Worse Than Death" about what happened to captives of Indians, if you have a strong stomach. Here are a couple reviews:

As I previously stated, there are few who would claim that life on this continent was idyllic. That has little to do with the points at hand, and to be fair to you, Eden, many of my original responses were to other posters.