Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian DiscoveryPagans in the Promised Land provides a startling challenge to U.S. federal Indian law and policy. Using history and cognitive theory, Steven Newcomb demonstrates how U.S. government officials have used religious concepts of Christendom, often unconsciously, to justify the taking of Native American lands and to deny the original independence of Indian nations. He demonstrates that the landmark case Johnson v. M'Intosh is premised in part on the Old Testament narrative of the "chosen people" having a divine right to the "promised land," and how continued U.S. reliance on ancient religious distinctions between "Christians" and "heathens" violates the bedrock doctrine of separations of church and state. An important addition to Native American and legal scholarship, Pagans in the Promised Land makes a compelling case for the reversal of this conqueror-based doctrine, which continues to influence U.S. federal Indian law and policy to this day. |
Contents
A Primer on Cognitive Theory | 1 |
Metaphorical Experience and Federal Indian Law | 13 |
The Conqueror Model | 23 |
Colonizing the Promised Land | 37 |
The Chosen PeoplePromised Land Model | 51 |
The Dominating Mentality of Christendom | 59 |
Johnson v MIntosh | 73 |
Converting Christian Discovery into Heathen Conquest | 89 |
The Mental Process of Negation | 103 |
Christian Nations Theory Hidden in Plain Sight | 115 |
A Sacred Regard for All Living Things | 125 |
Notes | 139 |
| 171 | |
| 181 | |
Other editions - View all
Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery Steven Newcomb Limited preview - 2008 |
Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery Steven Newcomb Limited preview - 2008 |
Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery Steven Newcomb No preview available - 2008 |
Common terms and phrases
Abram Age of Discovery American Indian American Indian nations asserted basis Canaan Canaanites Chosen People-Promised Land Chris Christian discovery Christian European Christian nations civilized claim cognitive theory colonization Columbus conceptual metaphor conceptual system conquer and subdue Conqueror model context continent discovered divine right doctrine of discovery dominating mentality emphasis added empire example existence federal Indian law free and independent George Lakoff grant heathen Hebrews hemisphere human Ibid idealized cognitive models ideas imaginatively Indian rights indigenous indigenous perspective Inter Caetera International Law Johnson ruling Lakoff and Johnson land of Canaan law and policy Lord M’Intosh Marshall's means mentality of Christendom monarchs Native non-Christian Old Testament pagan papal bull People-Promised Land model political Pope promised land referred religious Requerimiento sovereignty Story Tee Hit territory thee tian tion treaty tribes U.S. government officials U.S. Supreme Court ultimate dominion unconsciously United Univ Vine Deloria Jr Winter