The reading of Chief Seattle’s words has blown my heart. Feeling of sympathy and anger gushed over me as I read the short yet deep pages of This Sacred Soil. Many quotes stood out in my heart, but most importantly, “Your God is not our God. Your God loves your people and hates mine” (Seattle, p100).
As I learned about European history and their wars between religion, a question stuck to my head ever since: If Europeans were devoted Christians, why did they cause wars, killing men which is the biggest sin you could possibly commit? Then I scold myself, as a believer of Christianity, I commit sin continuously as well. However the matter is different, I have never killed a man. So how could the Christians, who probably were more passionate, defy against God’s law?
I felt great shame as Chief Seattle stated the words, “Your God loves your people and hates mine”. Not only I was ashamed of the people who committed wrong acts to the Natives but I felt shame since they showed an unrighteous image of God to them. God is holy, loving, and affectionate no matter what. God doesn’t differentiate among people but loves us all equally. How could the white people, the so called “Christians”, represent a false impression of God that way? Chief Seattle continues, “The white man’s God cannot love our people or he would protect them”. It is sad that is how God was portrayed in the Native Americans’ eyes. If I could go back in history, I would want to stop the wrong doings of these Christians and ask my question, “Why kill a man if God forbade you to do so?”
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