Scientific Discovery: Ending The Christian Paradigm Of Domination

by Thomas Ivan Dahlheimer



On May 23, 2015, Indian Country Today Media Network (ICTMN), the world's largest Indian/Native news source, posted a comment of mine on an article entitled,[SIZE=12.8000001907349px] [/SIZE]Domination and Diversity: Galileo's Lesson for Canada. The article is by Peter d'Errico, an ICTMN columnist who is internationally renowned for writing cutting-edge articles on how to rectify injustices caused by the historic - Christian Doctrine of Discovery based - Christian paradigm of domination. This topic is internationally important. The UN, Vatican and World Council of Churches are involved with this topic. My 354 word comment is the first of two selective ICTMN comments posted on d'Errico's article.

The opening paragraph in Peter d'Errico article reads: Galileo's telescopic observations converted him to the sun-centered view of the planetary system, and thereby made him a target for the Roman Inquisition. The Church was committed to an earth-centered view of the celestial realms. Galileo's deviance from thought patterns prescribed by the Church set the stage for the historic early 17th century clash of world views.

My ICTMN comment reads: In his article, Peter d’Errico used the 17th century discovery of our sun-centered solar system to make it clear that the Roman Catholic Church made a big doctrinal mistake in the past. By so doing, he discredited the Church, which then brought into question the validity of the "Christian Doctrine of Discovery" and the governments based on that doctrine. Using scientific discovery to discredit Biblical scriptures and Christian doctrines based on them can help indigenous peoples regain their basic human rights that Christian doctrine has denied them.

My ICTMN comment also includes the following two statements:

(1.) There is a new scientific fact, based on DNA studies, that says humanity never went through a bottleneck of only two people (or, in the case of Noah's Ark, eight). Humanity evolved from a population of no less than 10,000 people. The historicity of Adam and Eve as the sole ancestors of all of us is the official position of the Catholic Church.

(2.) Scientific discovery has proven that evolution, from its origins, has been violent, brutal and very cruel. Before the first humans came forth on earth there had been five mass extinctions of animals..... St. John of Damascus wrote: "The creation of all things is due to God, but corruption came in afterwards due to our wickedness. 'For God did not make death, neither does He take delight in the destruction of living things' (Wisdom 1:13). But death is the work rather of man, that is, its origin is in Adam's transgression.'".... St. Basil the Great wrote: "It is customary for vultures to feed on corpses, but since [before Adam's transgression] there were not yet corpses, nor yet their stench, so there was not yet such food for vultures. But all followed the diet of swans and all grazed the meadows. Such was the first creation [it was, according to Catholic doctrine, originally 'pure'] and such will be the restoration after this."..... The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: "Jesus came to restore creation to the purity of its origins.".... Modern-day science has proven that this Catholic dogma is untrue and deceptive. Therefore, modern-day science has proven that the Catholic Church is an out-dated (or, fundamentally deceptive) church.

The culture war against Christianity is picking up speed.

Last week came word Saint Louis University, a Jesuit university, will remove a statue of Fr. Pierre-Jean De Smet, a missionary to Natives, from the front of Fusz Hall, where it has stood for 60 years.

The statue depicts Fr. De Smet holding aloft a crucifix as he ministers to two American Indians, one of whom is kneeling. The kneeling American Indian depicts an image of a subjugated race of people who have been given an inferior status.

The sculpture has been considered culturally unsensitive." Senior Ryan McKinley, a member of the faculty, said: "The statue of De Smet depicts a history of colonialism, imperialism, racism and of Christian and white supremacy."

Patrich J. Buchanan, twice a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination and the Reform Party's candidate in 2000, wrote: But if the founder of Christianity is the Son of God, then Christianity is a superior religion. What Ryan and those faculty and staff seem to be ashamed of, uncomfortable with, or unable to defend, is the truth for which Saint Louis University was supposed to stand.

This view of Buchanan's is the basis of the Christian Doctrine of Discovery, which caused Native tribes to losing some of their basic human rights. Because it was believed that the Christian religion was superior to pagan Native religions, it was, therefore, considered justified for white Euro-Americans Christians and the U.S., to deny the Native peoples their rights. Fr. De Smet was guilty of proselytizing the Christian religion in a way that promoted the denial of Native peoples' basic human rights.