OK, You Repudiated the "Doctrine of Discovery" - Now What?

Episcopal Life Online is crowing in its most recent edition about D035, a resolution passed by Gen Con 09 in which the Episcopal Church repudiated the "Doctrine of Discovery".  You may ask, as did I, exactly "WTF" is the "Doctrine of Discovery"? 

Seems that it is a doctrine that "began in 1455 when Pope Nicholas V, by way of his order "Romanus Pontifex," gave Portugal's King Alfonso V permission to "invade, search out, capture, vanquish, and subdue all Saracens and pagans whatsoever, and other enemies of Christ wheresoever placed, and the kingdoms, dukedoms, principalities, dominions, possessions, and all movable and immovable goods whatsoever held and possessed by them and to reduce their persons to perpetual slavery."

In other words, the proponents of this resolution see the centuries-old "Doctrine of Discovery" as the basis for all subjugation of native indigenous peoples, including the manner in which Native Americans have been treated by white in the settlement of America.  Interestingly enough, when this issue was posed to Queen Elizabeth II, she punted it to Archbishop Williams, whose conclusion was that he could not deal with it because the Anglican Church did not exist at the time of formation of the doctrine.  But that, of course, did not stop the intrepid deputies of Gen Con 09.

I have some questions:

• Didn't the Anglican Church repudiate everything having to do with Roman Catholic doctrine, including the "Doctrine of Discovery", when King Henry VIII told the Pope he was going to divorce Catherine and marry Anne Boleyn?  If not then, at least when he dispossessed the Catholic Church of its property in England and executed those like Sir Thomas More for clinging to Catholicism?
• Last time I checked, we can "Google Earth" darn near any spot on the globe, so isn't the "Doctrine of Discovery" just a bit out of date?  I don't think there are any indigenous people left for Christian explorers to subjugate.
• Lastly, isn't it ironic that a church that has, in modern times, pretty much repudiated the entire concept of "sin" in favor of a secular, social, "if it feels good it must be OK" theology, at the same time continues to plumb the dusty depths of history to find something for which they think we all should apologize, regardless of how many centuries before it may have occurred?

My question for those who voted in favor of D035 is "what are you going to do about it?"  Just as with all of the self-congratulatory "apologies" over slavery, this is only so much wasted verbiage and dead trees to print it on unless one couples the "apology" or "repudiation" with substantive action.  We cannot go back and "apologize" to Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, or Geronimo for taking their lands or killing them and their people, and I suspect they would laugh at us even if we could.  If you're thinking about deeding the Black Hills to the Sioux tribes, I would suggest you might tell Fr. Tim Fountain his landlord may be about to change.  Yet the sponsors of these measures seem to think they have really "done something" by passing a wordy resolution repudiating an archaic doctrine.

Just ask Fr. Fountain and others who are quite acutely aware of the plight of Native Americans in this day and age, there are plenty of things that could be done of substance to actually help the descendents of those indigenous tribes white Americans either eradicated or herded onto reservations.  Some tribes are getting theirs back a little bit at a time by operating casinos, but by and large education, health care, and the ability to become part of modern society are lacking among these once-proud people.  Again, while I do not advocate handouts and quota systems, much can be done to move our world into actual, effective equality from its current sad state.

So, I hope Episcopalians have not injured their shoulders patting themselves on the back for passing D035, because there is a lot of heavy lifting yet to be done if such sentiments are to mean anything beyond yet more wasted verbiage in church resolutions, of which we now have a bumper crop.

 

 

Comments

[Timothy Fountain]

Well, I don't live in the Black Hills so no landlord worries - but I appreciate your points!

I will have to do some digging, but it is documented that the infallible General Convention passed a number of resolutions back in the day expressly intended to destroy the complex, matrilineal but very supportive Lakota family structure.

The Lakota already have "words" - standing SCOTUS decisions hold that the Black Hills were taken in violation of treaty. But the court also allowed that it would not be feasible to return the territory so the only award could be monetary. The tribes have not taken the money, although there is some debate emerging among them on that front.

The church's role is complicated and ambiguous. On the one hand, many tribal members are Episcopalians (once clan/family members adopt something, it becomes a tradition not easily abandoned.) There is respect among many for the efforts made by the church to show respect for tribal culture and to include that in the way the reservation churches are organized and worship.

But there's also the inescapable reality that we are the face of the "White Man's God" who helped destroy the tribal culture, steal their land and consign them to hellish conditions.

Complicated, real problems. Resolutions are totally inadequate to them. The tribes know how to identify empty words, they also are receptive to sincere spirituality. National TEC majors in the former and skips the latter in many ways.

[Pennie Opal Plant]

As a Native American woman, I can say that the passage of the resolution to "Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery" is very important to me. And, it is very important as a means of inspiring other Christian religions to do the same.

Granted, we can't change what has happened in the past but we can make it a bit easier to move forward with more honesty and an understanding that the genocide and horrors that were perpetrated by Christian Europeans upon Indigenous people has not only not been forgotten by their descendants, but has also been acknowledged with steps taken toward reconciliation.

Additionally, important steps such as these can aid Indigenous people in pressuring the governments that have yet to pass the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People which the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, of all the countries represented at the United Nations, did not pass. Four countries which were colonized by European Christians and which still have Indigenous populations which continue to struggle with the horrors reaped upon them and which are still struggling with issues of sovereignty, land rights and human rights.

I would ask those who do not think this is an important step, "What if this history applied to you. What if your family had been so ill treated. Would you still feel the same about this resolution?" One step at a time...toward the concept that we truly are one human family. It is wonderful to see that some Christians are deliberately and compassionately taking those steps.

[Trimble]

Pennie, thank you for your comment. There is no question Native Americans have been, and continue to be mistreated as a group. My point, with which I think you will agree, is that too many people make gestures such as the apologies for slavery and the repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery, and think they have "done something", but give it no follow-through. The only real way to atone for past mistakes is to treat the descendents of those who were mistreated with respect that is due any human being. "Apologies" without follow-through, in my mind mean very little and ring very hollow.

[emma]

God "Creator" is just. His laws are absolute and stand above "Man's Laws" that indigenous nations throughout the world view as the natural laws. No one can overcome these laws, the truths will be told and justice will be such. These are the original teachings that were told at the beginning of time. The spirit lives on forever and man needs to ensure that he lives accordingly...