this is a really odd question...?

Question

alright this is odd.. as i do not want to appear rascist.. :)
but i am a native american.. and do not believe in the catholic church.. or the christian faith.. i'm more of a spiritual person..

um. i'm always surpirsed when i see people of colour..(that aren't white) all gong ho about catholicness/christinanity.. because that wasn't what their original culture believes in..i'm not sure what it was but when i think of catholicness and christanity i think of it as more as a white religon.. and they've forced people of colour to believe in what they believe

ie. when they brought slaves over from africa i'm pretty sure they weren't catholic orginally :)
and native americans didn't have catholic churches over here before the white folk came :)

so why do so many people belive in it.. when then ancestors were forced too.. ?

Answer 1

I personally think that you have asked an awesome question!!! I can't wait to see the replies.

Answer 2

It isn't an odd question. I don't believe that Christianity was forced on the slaves becouse during their slavery came some of the greatest spiritual music that came straight from their hearts! Oh and if you ever be lucky enough to get into an AfricanAmerican church service there will be no mistaken that they are feeling true worship that can't come from having it forced on them. As for the catholic faith being forced on anyone I don't believe it as the catholic faith is only a small part of Christanity.

Answer 3

Regardless of color, the myths surrounding Christianity strike a chord in the human heart as truth, just as the myths in Native American lore strike a chord. The truth that God would take upon Himself human nature to fellowship with His creation strikes us as awesome truth.
By the time of the explorers, the catholic church had been watered down so much that they, " having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! " -II timothy 3:5 Christian Bible
But the sunday schools still taught children the Word of God, and according to God in Isaiah 55:11, "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. "
Slavery was an issue that cannot be justified by any argument and is not a part of the provision of godly living. Men have always had slaves, but how they treated them made them servants and not slaves.
You cannot force anyone to believe even if you force them to listen. The heart will despise the speaker and his message, even if it is truth.

Answer 4

I can think of at least one other religion that was spread the same way: Islam.
This was possible back then because not everyone had access to education. only education teaches one to question. there wasn't much awareness back then and people believed whatever they were told by the powerful. or if they did not, they kept quiet for fear of retribution. then they passed on those beliefs to their progeny who did the same and so on.

you have to remember that none of the original teachings of any of these religions included hate and violence or doing evil in the name of God. these are interpretations twisted by the men in power to suit their own agendas. this shows you just how intertwined religion and politics have been since time immemorial. religion is a very convenient tool to control the masses and throughout the ages this tool has been exploited time and again.

times have changed now and we have many people asking questions. not everyone who follows a certain faith will follow it blindly. many are aware of the flaws in their faiths. so why do we still follow them? because faith is the one constant in anyone's life. it helps us maintain our sanity, our clarity and our humanity. nothing is perfect in life. our parents are not perfect so why do we love them anyway? or our children? we have turned to our faith to make sense of events where we can't find any. it is every religion's basic assumption that there is a God and events are preordained by that God. and this is what keeps us going everyday. Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue were we to find that there is no underlying order to anything, that the people who die everyday die for nothing, that the catastrophes that happen were not really meant to be and that there is no supreme being who is watching over us?

Answer 5

Most of the African Americans who were brought to United States as slaves were of Muslim origin. The owners of these slaves registered them under their own family names, that's why you can see until this day some names like "Muhammad Knights" or "Jamaal Adams"... their first name is Muslim but family name is Christian.

On the other hand sects like Nation Of Islam (this sect has been declared deviant by Islam) are trying to bring back the African Americans to their root religion. Good examples of then representatives of NOI are MalcolmX and Muhammad Ali (they both returned to mainstream Islam since).

I hope that answers your question.

Answer 6

If you don't take history into consideration for a moment, I would have to say that all of us, no matter the color or cultural heritage, have freedom of choice. Example? My ancestors landed in Boston in the 1600s. They were from Germany and Holland. They were Quakers. 400 plus years later, I am a practicing Wiccan.

What I will say about the question you posed, specifically for Native Americans and Canadians (my family emigrated to Canada during the War of Independence) is that I'm extremely happy to see that so many of you have taken the time and effort to embrace your original spirituality. It is, beyond question, a beautiful path that honors the earth and is in sync with it. I am happy to see its resurgence and welcome its benefits for our poor, beaten up planet.

Answer 7

Because it is the truth.

As far as the "culture" issue, so a person is condemned to replicate the past of their "people?" Catholicism and Christianity are born of the middle east, just as Judaism and Islam. Arguably the initial Christians rejected their culture of Judaism to follow the teachings of Christ.

By the way, the slavers and the slaving colonies were not Catholic. Catholics were a minimal portion of early colonial America, and the largest influx came in the periods after the abolition of slavery.

Answer 8

Arrr, me swabbie, I got some info that'll likely shiver yer timbers! The original culture of white europeans wasn't christianity either, it was entirely pagan.

About a thousand years ago, christianity was forced on the europeans by the roman empire when the emperor converted. 'Tis a middle eastern religion and culture. But avast! Many of us are taking back our heritage and becoming pagans again. Arrr.

Answer 9

A lot of races have had Christianity forced upon them. It wasn't so much that they received any benefits from signing up, it's just that NOT signing up would have caused them too many problems. Christians do like to burn things; candles, books, people et al.

As an ex-Christian myself, I found that you just sort of believe whatever your parents tell you. I used to genuinely believe in the Christian bible until I started asking questions and nobody had any answers.

I guess that's what happened to all those poor people all those years ago. Their ancestors were forced in to it, and the rest of them just kind of got used to it.

Maybe.

Answer 10

In the "old days" they were forced to believe in that stuff - normally threatened with death if they chose not to. Sadly enough those religions got stronger and wiped out the other "lesser" ones. I find it quite sad actually and most people won't realize that they've lost their heritage for many more years to come.

Good question!!!!

Answer 11

Hmmm that's a tough question because it applies to a broad group of people. Yes a lot of their ancestors were converted to Catholicism. However no one is forcing them to be Catholic or Christian now. Sooooo maybe they just like it and believe in it.