So why does the god of Abraham foresake the Australian aborigines?

Question

The missionaries brought Jesus to the Australian aborigines in a very novel way.

After being openly slaughtered for years as being savages whose lives had little value, the early to late/mid 20th century saw missionaries forcibly remove aboriginal children from their parents to assimilate them by fostering them out to white families.

After 50 years of this, it was estimated that every aboriginal family in Australia had been affected by the "lost generations" as it is now refered to.

Now it's been reviled that every single aboringinal community in Australia has a major problem with sexual abuse of children, along with drugs and alcohol.

Why has the god of Abraham that the European missionaries forced onto the Australian aborigines foresaken them?

Why do their lives now have so little meaning compared to what they had in the days of their "dreamtime"?

Why do christians so happily destroy cultural identities in their rush to envangelise?

Answer 1

People have done a lot of very horrible thing sin the name of God, and God warned us about it.

Answer 2

I was under the impression that the ten commandments were the laws handed down for all mankind not just the privileged few. Wrong. The ten are the core of the old covenant between God and Israel. No others were a party to that covenant. As far as Aboriginals being there 40,000 years, who knows? We have no eye witnesses to that claim. Carbon 14 dating is easily thrown off if the sample was subjected to water. What basis do you have for this 40,000 years? .

Answer 3

Appreciate your sincere quest on the almost forgotten tragedy. Think about Native Americans- both North & South, Aborigines, Alaskan natives, WWI and WWII, Vietnam wars, Iraque war... Human behaved so cruely to any group of people who don't have physical power, any weaker nation, weaker culture, weaker poorer people, women in their family.. If they have any justification they can find, they used it, either religious explanation or political explanation, or even racismic myth. In early 20th centry, a lot of scientists tried very hard to provide scientific evidence for the racism. The cruel mistakes made before is not just fault of religion, since the cruel people wanted to disguise their behavior in anything noble.
The hope I think we have as a human race, is, we are learning what we did wrong, and more and mroe people feel ashamed of it. Also with internet, so many people share the information and opinion so actively, I think we have the best chance not to repeat these tragic history, compared to any era of human history.

Answer 4

I wish I had an answer. It really is all so screwed up. Since 1788, Australian Aboriginals have been victims of genocide, had their children stolen from them, been treated as second class citizens etc.

No wonder there are problems in Aboriginal communities. Changes to policies are not the answer, changes to attitudes, compassion and understanding is what is needed.

Thanks for raising awareness about this issue.

Answer 5

God has not forsaken them and draws them to himself like all other peoples.

Why do Christians do things that seem good to them but turn out to be ill advised or even terrible? Because they are people, affected by sin like everyone else. Often when I have studied some of these historical "Christians," their teachings haven't even lined up with the Bible. I find it hard to believe that someone really walking with Jesus and living in the Word could choose to behave so unwisely and so cruelly. I know that my worst decisions have been made when I'm relying on my own understanding and wisdom and not walking closely with God at all. I suspect the same is true for these people.

But then again, how do we even know they were really believers--transformed followers of Christ? Many people have done things in the name of Christ throughout history who were really just doing things for the sake of religion. The New Testament clearly points out that these are two very different things although unbelievers often link them together as one and the same.

Blessings.

Answer 6

I read recently that Australian Aborigines just celebrated their *40th* year as being recognized as fully human!

That's right, only since 1967 have the Aborigines been considered part of the human race by the good Christian people of Australia. Perhaps *that* has something to do with it?

Answer 7

Blaming the god of some people--even those who call themselves Christian, is an easy target. Each person is responsible for their own actions. Those that slaughtered, kidnapped and assimilated in the name of Christ were not following Christ--just read what He said to do and be like in the Bible if you think otherwise. So-called Christian religious leaders were at one time--not too long ago--the same as muslims of today. God forsakes all those who do not obey--even those who say they are for God but prove by their actions that they are against Him.

Answer 8

Christians make mistakes and how people choose to respond to the mistakes of others is thier choice, I fail to see why God is responsible for our actions and choices. People failed the aborigines, not God.

Christianity is about being forgiven, not about being perfect. A Christian is told to strive for perfection, but it is in fact the knowledge of inability to live perfect that forces one to seek grace.

Answer 9

Christianity has done this on nearly every continent.. including the Americas. It's sad and sick to read of the abuses against indigenous peoples by the adherents of this belief system.

Answer 10

Because their souls were more important than their bodies, culture, families or anything else.

Isn't God nice?