To bring under the sway of Christianity savage nations who…
““To bring under the sway of Christianity savage nations who do not attack us and whom we have therefore no excuse for oppressing, we ought before all things to leave them in peace, and in case we need or wish to enter into closer relations with them, we ought only to influence them by Christian manners and Christian teaching, setting them the example of the Christian virtues of patience, meekness, endurance, purity, brotherhood, and love. Instead of that we begin by establishing among them new markets for our commerce, with the sole aim of our own profit; then we appropriate their lands, i. e., rob them; then we sell them spirits, tobacco, and opium, i. e., corrupt them; then we establish our morals among them, teach them the use of violence and new methods of destruction, i, e., we teach them nothing but the animal law of strife, below which man cannot sink, and we do all we can to conceal from them all that is Christian in us. After this we send some dozens of missionaries prating to them of the hypocritical absurdities of the Church, and then quote the failure of our efforts to turn the heathen to Christianity as an incontrovertible proof of the impossibility of applying the truths of Christianity in practical life.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The quote criticizes the hypocrisy of using Christianity as a pretext for exploitation and violence, while ignoring its moral teachings.
In simple terms: It points out the contradiction between Christian ideals and colonial actions.
Recognize and reject hypocritical justifications for oppression.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- missionary work
- trade expansion
- political control
- resource extraction
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we reconcile religious teachings with historical actions?
- Can moral ideals truly guide political behavior?
The quote may oversimplify complex historical interactions and ignore genuine missionary efforts.