Lepore states, "Appalled by their astounding losses during the war, many colonists in New England believed that God was punishing them for their sins, not least among their failure to convert the Indians to Christianity." (99)
While there were many parts of the book that I found fascinating, it was the description of Roger Williams and his encounter with the Narrangansetts on March 29, 1676 that really caught my attention. Notwithstanding the fact that his house was on fire, "Williams walked to the outskirts of town to meet with the Narragansetts and force them to answer..." The Narrangansetts gave three reasons: 1) "they confessed they were in A Strang Way", 2) "we had forced them to it" and 3) "that God was [with] them and Had forsaken us for they had so prospered in Killing and Burning us far beyond What we did against them". Williams responds in a rage saying that "God favored the English." (120).
Given that Roger Williams (and John Eliot, et al) sought so passionately to know the Indians, learn their languages, and ultimately convert the Indians to Christianity, did this relationship with the Native Americans allow the Native Americans to incorporate this concept of "holy war" or would the answer be the same had mission work such as Williams's and Eliot's not exposed the Indians to the colonists concept of God/ Christ? Do you think the Native American response was more psychological (just like severed heads on the side of the road, etc) to play to the colonist's belief that "God was punishing them" or was it a true religious belief of "God is with us and against you"? In what ways can the historian answer this question due to the scarce lack of written primary Native American sources?
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