Thank you, @Debilyn, for this important inquiry. It's always worth the effort to search for root causes of human dysfunction, especially in the domain of violence. Your writing reveals the legacy of centuries of domination by antiquated, divisive, disastrously-brutal religious belief systems perpetrated by Christianity Synchronistically, this past weekend I spent time with the producer and director of the film "The Doctrine of Discovery, Unmasking the Domination Code." https://vimeo.com/ondemand/dominationcode Sheldon Wolfchild, a Dakota elder and Dakota Hstorian based this film on decades of research by Steven Newcomb and his book Pagans in the Promised Land. I learned that Sheldon will be visiting the Vatican this October to meet with the Pope, show him the film, and request a formal, global acknowledgment of the immeasurable and avoidable suffering perpetrated by a succession of Popes leading to our modern era. Sheldon's mission is to invite the current Pope to formally accept responsibility with an eye toward truth and reconciliation combined with restorative justice. The film provides insights into what is required of our human species now to restore civility, peaceful co-existence and human dignity and decency. Stay tuned!
I watched his documentary the night before drafting this post. While the Vatican denounced the Doctrine of Determination in 2023, it has NOT been rescinded. I hope the new Pope will begin that undoubtedly arduous task to begin a healing process.
I was disappointed to learn from the documentary how many legal decisions trace their "precedence" to the 15th Century Doctrine from Catholicism. AND... it gave me new understanding why a large portion of our country believes the USA to be a Christian-based nation. I have often disputed that with the "Deist" claim and 1st Amendment about freedom of religion. Lest we forget, the Pilgrims that were early settlers to these shores were thrown out of two other countries due to their extremist views and disruption of society.
Ah, of course, the gap between words of denunciation and observable actions is vast. Were any of the "extremist views" held by our early settlers an improvement on the status quo or just a reshuffling of old structures? Should we mention the Puritans, who certainly have a few skeletons in their proverbial closets? I need to study the finer distinctions between the Pilgrims and the Puritans. My understanding was that the Pilgrims sought a complete separation from the Church of England to establish a more collaborative community structure, as outlined in the Mayflower Compact... I'm not sure what the Puritans wanted more than eliminating Pagans, intuitive women, and Nature Lovers. Am I being too harsh? Perhaps you were referring to "generic" pilgrims as seekers rather than the folks who landed at Plymouth Rock (the folks at Race Point on the tip of Cape Cod might dispute that claim) LOL. Has the Trump administration erased any or all of that history yet?
Thank you, @Debilyn, for this important inquiry. It's always worth the effort to search for root causes of human dysfunction, especially in the domain of violence. Your writing reveals the legacy of centuries of domination by antiquated, divisive, disastrously-brutal religious belief systems perpetrated by Christianity Synchronistically, this past weekend I spent time with the producer and director of the film "The Doctrine of Discovery, Unmasking the Domination Code." https://vimeo.com/ondemand/dominationcode Sheldon Wolfchild, a Dakota elder and Dakota Hstorian based this film on decades of research by Steven Newcomb and his book Pagans in the Promised Land. I learned that Sheldon will be visiting the Vatican this October to meet with the Pope, show him the film, and request a formal, global acknowledgment of the immeasurable and avoidable suffering perpetrated by a succession of Popes leading to our modern era. Sheldon's mission is to invite the current Pope to formally accept responsibility with an eye toward truth and reconciliation combined with restorative justice. The film provides insights into what is required of our human species now to restore civility, peaceful co-existence and human dignity and decency. Stay tuned!
I watched his documentary the night before drafting this post. While the Vatican denounced the Doctrine of Determination in 2023, it has NOT been rescinded. I hope the new Pope will begin that undoubtedly arduous task to begin a healing process.
I was disappointed to learn from the documentary how many legal decisions trace their "precedence" to the 15th Century Doctrine from Catholicism. AND... it gave me new understanding why a large portion of our country believes the USA to be a Christian-based nation. I have often disputed that with the "Deist" claim and 1st Amendment about freedom of religion. Lest we forget, the Pilgrims that were early settlers to these shores were thrown out of two other countries due to their extremist views and disruption of society.
Ah, of course, the gap between words of denunciation and observable actions is vast. Were any of the "extremist views" held by our early settlers an improvement on the status quo or just a reshuffling of old structures? Should we mention the Puritans, who certainly have a few skeletons in their proverbial closets? I need to study the finer distinctions between the Pilgrims and the Puritans. My understanding was that the Pilgrims sought a complete separation from the Church of England to establish a more collaborative community structure, as outlined in the Mayflower Compact... I'm not sure what the Puritans wanted more than eliminating Pagans, intuitive women, and Nature Lovers. Am I being too harsh? Perhaps you were referring to "generic" pilgrims as seekers rather than the folks who landed at Plymouth Rock (the folks at Race Point on the tip of Cape Cod might dispute that claim) LOL. Has the Trump administration erased any or all of that history yet?
Puritans were all Pilgrims, but not all Pilgrims were Puritans. And I learned they are not exactly the same by your comment! Here's the research source: https://www.history.com/articles/pilgrims-puritans-differences