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The world if christian lived by christian values (piefedimages.s3.eu-central-003.backblazeb2.com)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/microblogmemes@lemmy.world
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Post:"Doing some deep reading into Cherokee history for the project that I'm working on and I am continually amazed how fucking funny old Cherokee leaders were" Book excerpt:"Drowning Bear's principal influence. however, was in holding his people to the mountains and to the old religion of the mountains. He did not succumb to Christian missionaries, but after listening to one or two chapters of the Bible, remarked, 'It seems to be a good book—strange that the white people are not better, after having had it so long.' And"
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[–] 194 points 1 year ago (6 children)

"Before our white brothers arrived to make us civilized men, we didn't have any kind of prison. Because of this, we had no delinquents. Without a prison, there can be no delinquents. We had no locks nor keys and therefore among us there were no thieves. When someone was so poor that he couldn't afford a horse, a tent or a blanket, he would, in that case, receive it all as a gift. We were too uncivilized to give great importance to private property. We didn't know any kind of money and consequently, the value of a human being was not determined by his wealth. We had no written laws laid down, no lawyers, no politicians, therefore we were not able to cheat and swindle one another. We were really in bad shape before the white men arrived and I don't know how to explain how we were able to manage without these fundamental things that (so they tell us) are so necessary for a civilized society. "

  • John Fire Lame Deer
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  • [–] 48 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

    A lot of indigineous thinking captured in one passage, particularly restorative justice.

    I was raised Christian but reading texts on Indigineous thought has been what has helped me realize what makes a good person.

    Too much in Abrahamic religions is about obedience and blind submission to authority which is why I often feel drawn to eastern religious thought also. Both Eastern religious thought and the indigineous worldview are more holistic in my view.

    I find Abrahamic religious teachings to be very exclusionary (hey if you beleive what we believe we'll let you into heaven) Almost like a country club of sorts. Eastern and Indigineous philosophy (with the exception of the caste system warping into a rigid institutionalized social hierarchy due in part to Western influence) seem to be much more inclusionary.

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  • [–] 23 points 1 year ago

    I find Abrahamic religious teachings to be very exclusionary (hey if you beleive what we beleive we’ll let you into heaven) Almost like a country club of sorts.

    So true. Thinking about it, Christian missionaries' main job is less to sell Jesus, but more to sell FOMO.

    Like a timeshare salesperson, they're not gonna talk much about the maintenance fees required (such as treating each other the way Jesus said to.) They're also not gonna talk about how so many of the other share-owners are insufferable to be around and regularly break the agreed-upon rules. Oh, but they will hype up how, for the low, low price of asking Jesus for forgiveness and getting baptized, you, too, could reserve yourself an eternal home in Paradise!

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