Why did the Catholic Church send missions to the Native Americans in the Spanish

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Why did the Catholic Church send missions to the Native Americans in the Spanish colonies!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Because their religion believes in and commands that their religion be taught to those who haven't heard it!.

My gods could give a rat's butt less!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you!. (Matthew 29:19-20)

The mission of the Church is to proclaim and establish the Kingdom of God begun by Jesus Christ among all peoples including the Native Americans in the Spanish colonies!.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 767-769: http://www!.usccb!.org/catechism/text/pt1s!.!.!.

With love in Christ!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Incidentally, this makes Spanish colonial policy different from those of other European powers of the period, a policy expressed in the Laws of the Indies

The beginnings of this law can be traced to legislation's promulgated by the Catholic Rulers of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella which insisted that part of the colonizers' responsibility in the territories is instruction and proselytization of the natives in the Catholic faith!. This was done both out of conviction in the inherent humanity of these peoples, as wel as a means of investing on the newly-conquered subjects a level of protection from their conquerors!.

The logic can be summarized, thus: if the Indians remain pagans, they make fair game for the rapacity of the colonizers; the fear was well-founded, as the Carib Indians experienced after Columbus occupied Hispaniola, in fact one reason why Columbus was later treated badly by the crown was because of reports of his atrocities against the native population of the island!. The Catholic Majesties, at the instigation of the Spanish Catholic Church, thus ordered the Christianization of the Indians, by force if necessary, because once considered Christians, they achieve the status of co-believers in the Faith, thus falling under the protection of the Church!.

The Law of the Indies underwent a lot of revisions, in 1512, 1542,1552,1573 and 1680!. But at all times, humanitarian concern for the lot of the native populations pervaded!. This resulted from the strorng influence of the Catholic Church over civil authorities!. Although in reality much of the provisions regarding Colonists-Indian relations were brutally ignored, yet the law gave the missionaries strong legal basis for fighting for Indian rights!. Missionaries such as the famous Bartolome de las Casas, fought local colonial authorieties for just treatment to the 'new Christians!.' In the Philippines, the same thing happened, with the friars defending the dignity of Indians from the rapacity of the colonists!.

No similar concern for native populations can be seen in territories colonized by such European powers such as the English, the French, the Dutch, the Portuguese and later the Germans and the Belgians!. In many of these territories, native populations were simply massacred to oblivion!. Thus, in the Eastern U!.S!. where English settlers came to, entire Indian nations simply disappeared, while in formerly Spanish areas such as California and Texas, native populations survived under the protection of the Spanish missions churches which were not built for the white settlers but for the Indians!. The same policy also resulted in the wholesale massacres of the aboriginal peoples of Australia under the British, and had the new United States government had a similar law, it would not have allowed Indians into reservations and massacring those who resisted, as in the Indian Wars of the West!.

The movie "The Mission" presented the difference between how Spanish and Portuguese colonial administration treated their Indian populations!. Here, a flourishing Indian territory under the administration of the Spanish Jesuits was to be ceded to Portuguese colonial administration!. As a result of the change in administration, the entire set-up was dismantled with much bloodshed and the survivors reverted into their old ways, making them prey to their new masters!.

While other colonialists viewed the native Indians as nothing but savages, the Spanish missionaries endeavoured to elevate their status by making them Christians!. This may be seen today as forced proselytization, but in the understanding of the people at that time it was the best they can do to save them, and in practical terms they did!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Missions for the missionary!. The Catholic church has a history of forcefully spreading it's religion, to gain wealth, land and power!. They have no compunction about killing, maiming, enslaving and destroying the native culture to achieve their goal of domination!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

To convert them and steal their gold!. The church and the crown were the two powers in Spain!. The church wanted the converts and the crown wanted the gold!. So it was a sort of unholy symbiotic relationship!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

one of Jesus' commands to his disciples was to go out and spread the good news to all people!.!.!.!.therefore the missions were sent to those parts of the world where it had not reached!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The priests genuinely believed that if the natives weren't converted to Christianity, they would be sentenced to Hades!.Www@QuestionHome@Com