Benjamin Franklin once quipped, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death an... more Benjamin Franklin once quipped, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." Though the certainties of taxes occupy no small part of modern political debate, discussions about human mortality are less forthcoming. There is wide reluctance today to broach one certain and common human characteristic: namely, some day we all will experience death. Theologian Douglas Davies characterizes modernity by its dearth of conversation surrounding this fate:
The disputes over baptismal ritual and pre-baptismal catechesis between the Franciscans and Domin... more The disputes over baptismal ritual and pre-baptismal catechesis between the Franciscans and Dominicans seemingly originated over minor details in missionary practice. At which point, they argued, were Amerindians sufficiently prepared for baptism, the efficacious sacrament of initiation into salvation and the Church? For Bartolomé de las Casas, however, baptism raised far deeper questions concerning the natural capacities of the native peoples, the use of force in conversion, and the justification of Spanish political domination over indigenous nations through the linking of baptismal identity to imperial subjugation. As Las Casas argued, the native peoples were fully human and able to comprehend and incorporate Gospel truths into their lives through the free exercise of their will. This decision to convert required complete freedom which, in the context of the Spanish invasion, was often limited or even nullified by violence and other forms of coercion. Las Casas condemned Spanish methods of evangelization that took for granted the need to use force, claiming instead that spreading the Gospel depended on its peaceful and reasonable proclamation. This proclamation had to be accompanied by thorough and prolonged catechesis, giving the natives opportunity to make reasoned decisions to convert or remain outside of the gently-introduced religion. Las Casas's evangelistic method also recognized the rights of the native nations to self-government, separating conversion to the Church from its implications in European society as a sign of membership and submission to the king as well. No decree of the Church could place Christian converts under the political subjugation of the foreign king, and the pope was wrong to imagine that in his role as Vicar of Christ he could impinge upon the sovereign rights belonging to nations in other areas of the world. Eventually, after many disputes and decrees, Las Casas's mode of evangelization triumphed in the missionary endeavor. The peaceful conversion of natives without coercion after a thorough catechesis became the later norm of the missionary Church in New Spain, excluding violence, politics, and haste from the evangelical task.
Benjamin Franklin once quipped, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death an... more Benjamin Franklin once quipped, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." Though the certainties of taxes occupy no small part of modern political debate, discussions about human mortality are less forthcoming. There is wide reluctance today to broach one certain and common human characteristic: namely, some day we all will experience death. Theologian Douglas Davies characterizes modernity by its dearth of conversation surrounding this fate:
The disputes over baptismal ritual and pre-baptismal catechesis between the Franciscans and Domin... more The disputes over baptismal ritual and pre-baptismal catechesis between the Franciscans and Dominicans seemingly originated over minor details in missionary practice. At which point, they argued, were Amerindians sufficiently prepared for baptism, the efficacious sacrament of initiation into salvation and the Church? For Bartolomé de las Casas, however, baptism raised far deeper questions concerning the natural capacities of the native peoples, the use of force in conversion, and the justification of Spanish political domination over indigenous nations through the linking of baptismal identity to imperial subjugation. As Las Casas argued, the native peoples were fully human and able to comprehend and incorporate Gospel truths into their lives through the free exercise of their will. This decision to convert required complete freedom which, in the context of the Spanish invasion, was often limited or even nullified by violence and other forms of coercion. Las Casas condemned Spanish methods of evangelization that took for granted the need to use force, claiming instead that spreading the Gospel depended on its peaceful and reasonable proclamation. This proclamation had to be accompanied by thorough and prolonged catechesis, giving the natives opportunity to make reasoned decisions to convert or remain outside of the gently-introduced religion. Las Casas's evangelistic method also recognized the rights of the native nations to self-government, separating conversion to the Church from its implications in European society as a sign of membership and submission to the king as well. No decree of the Church could place Christian converts under the political subjugation of the foreign king, and the pope was wrong to imagine that in his role as Vicar of Christ he could impinge upon the sovereign rights belonging to nations in other areas of the world. Eventually, after many disputes and decrees, Las Casas's mode of evangelization triumphed in the missionary endeavor. The peaceful conversion of natives without coercion after a thorough catechesis became the later norm of the missionary Church in New Spain, excluding violence, politics, and haste from the evangelical task.
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