They felt the Native Californians were pagans who were desperately in need of conversion to Christianity for the salvation of their souls. This conversion was a high priority and was accomplished through baptism, instruction in Catholic rituals, moral education, inclusion into the mission community, and enforcement of strict discipline. The Indians were worked hard and paid little. The missions were dependent on native labor to construct buildings, tend the crops, care for the animals and produce goods. The Spanish saw the native neophytes as little more than slaves, who cost nothing to acquire and nothing to maintain.
Men in the colonies also were in charge of cultivation and labor work. The women in Native American tribes did the outside work. Europeans disapproved of this gender role difference greatly. Indian men did not even wish to interact with the Europeans who they saw as feminine because of the gender role differences. Religion was another difference between the Europeans and Indians.
They have been wronged by being overshadowed by the white man’s inaccurate account of events. From what we can understand about their customs, we should respect the indigenous population of America. American Indians were more logical than the white men who came over to the “new world.” Ortiz points out the hypocrisy of the white men for regarding the natives “as without any laws or government” when the white men themselves were “people who ignored their own laws and governments” (Ortiz
Spain on the other hand felt that the native people were not using the land to it's full potential. It was their obligation to put the land to better use. Through the generations of colonization and invasion, both the Spanish Empire and the native people met several ups and downs. Spain initially conquered many of the Natives such as the Aztecs and the Pueblos. Eventually the Pueblos blamed the Spanish for their hardships and misfortunes because of the fact that the Spanish had, in a sense, outlawed their ancient rituals and ceremonies.
The tone that Red Jacket used to speak with the Reverend was on of warmth and respect. His opening line was “Friend and Brother, it was the will of the Great Spirit that we should meet together this day.” Red Jacket goes on about how the white man was welcomed as a friend when he came to the new world. The white man was given friendship, food, shelter and even land. He goes on to say that they did not fear the white man and took him as a friend. He says we believed them and gave them a larger seat with us.
Once the individual is baptized, he or she is committed to keep the Ordnung. I think all these rules in the Ordnung are just a way to create uniformity in a community, where all its members dress, live and act within strict parameters. Any rules created in this community are to enforce the qualities of humility, modesty, God’s will and purity, doing everything to keep them separate from the rest of the world. Amish use these rules as a way to visually show others their beliefs. The Amish believe that God has called them to be completely separate from the world and its negative influences.
Many white Americans said that the Native Americans (plains Indians) were uncivilised savages because of the way they thought about their land, religion, morality, law, order and the Native Americans’ society was completely different to the white Americans. The plains Indians were very religious. They believed in the Great Spirit. They thought that the Great Spirit had created everything. The plains Indians didn’t really have a special religious day or building, their religious belief was basically nature.
Along with this, Western Christianity separated humans from nature. In older religious traditions, humans were seen as part of nature, rather than the ruler of nature. And in animistic religions, there was believed to be a spirit in every tree, mountain or spring, and all had to be respected. In contrast with paganism and Eastern religions, Christianity "not only established a dualism of man and nature but also insisted that it is God's will that man exploit nature for his proper ends." White noted that Christianity was a complex faith, and different branches of it differ in their outlook.
The Tokugawa mainly was involved with their faiths of Buddhism which closely mirrored Hinduism and Shinto which was seen as the way of the gods. Also the Tokugawa followed main Confucian beliefs of harmony and obedience as well as Daoist traditions. The Shogunate also believed that the emperor ruled based on the Mandate of Heaven which meant that he had been chosen by Heaven for his talents and virtue. Ruling in the name of the emperor, the Tokugawa “regulated foreign intrusion...[and] it remained free from outside intrusion” (511). This is because the Japanese authorities took notice that Christian converts were not tolerant to that of other religions and faith and believed Christ to be superior.
Despite the differences in our individual environmental ethic we can all easily understand that when it comes down to it we deeply rely on the world around us. Yet we have still chosen to disregard concepts concerning the longevity of humanity. Overpopulation, exploitation of the third world, consumerism, unregulated growth, stewardship, language and education reform are all part of the social and environmental commentary our authors provide us with. Georg E. Tinker a Native American theologian uses his unique perspective to inquire about religions effects on our environment in “An American Indian Theological Response to Eco-Justice”. Similarly Cathryn Bailey comments on western societies view of animal ethics as a looking glass into societies views of life other than that of humans.