Religion

How the Society of Jesus Sold 272 Enslaved Africans to Finance Their Missions in 1838

The Society of Jesus, known as the Jesuits, is a Catholic religious order renowned for its commitment to education, missionary work, and theological scholarship. However, their history includes a troubling chapter: the 1838 sale of 272 enslaved Africans to...

Chiuta’s Gift: The Tumbuka Creation Story and the Origins of Life and Death

The Tumbuka people are an ethnic group primarily found in southeastern Africa, particularly in Malawi, with communities in Zambia and Tanzania as well. Known for their rich cultural heritage and strong connection to traditional beliefs, the Tumbuka have a...

The Time When Everything Divided: The Creation Story of The Kaluli People of Papua New Guinea

The Kaluli people of Papua New Guinea believe that everything in the world was created to address the issues of cold and hunger. The Kaluli are a clan of indigenous people who live in the rain forests of the Great...

Invisible Churches: How Enslaved Africans in the US Resisted Their Owners’ Obedience Doctrine

During the era of American slavery, Christianity became both a tool for oppression and a source of hope for enslaved African Americans. Slaveholders leveraged the Christian faith, twisting its messages to reinforce submission and obedience to them. Out of...

Pope Nicholas V: The Pope Who Granted Portugal the Right to Enslave Africans in 1452

Pope Nicholas V, born Tommaso Parentucelli in 1397, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1447 until his death in 1455. While his pontificate is remembered for its contributions to art, and...

The Creation Story of the Bakongo People of Africa and Its Similarity to the Big Bang Theory

The creation story of the Bakongo people, an ethnic group primarily defined as the speakers of Kikongo, offers a fascinating perspective on the origins of the universe. The Bakongo have historically inhabited regions along the Atlantic coast of Central...

Augustus Tolton: The Runaway Slave Who Became a Catholic Priest in the US

Tolton was an African-American born into slavery in Monroe County, Missouri, around 1854. During the Civil War, he fled to Quincy, Illinois, with his family and eventually became the first publicly recognized Black Catholic priest in the United States. Tolton's...

How Catholic Missionaries Aided Belgian King Leopold in Committing Atrocities in Congo

Few chapters in colonial history are as harrowing and tragic as the exploitation of the Congo Free State under the rule of King Leopold II of Belgium from 1885 to 1908. While the atrocities, described as one of the...

The Beautiful Rock-Hewn Churches of Ethiopia

The Rock-hewn Churches of Lalibela are eleven monolithic churches carved into the rugged landscapes of Lalibela, in Ethiopia, these remarkable structures were commissioned by King Gebre Meskel Lalibela in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and aimed to...

The Doctrine of Discovery: How the Catholic Church Authorized Colonial Powers to Seize Lands and Subjugate People in Africa

The Doctrine of Discovery was instrumental in legitimizing European colonialism in Africa. As European powers embarked on voyages of exploration and expansion, they carried with them the papal bulls that provided divine sanction for their actions.
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Margaret Douglass: The White Woman Imprisoned in Virginia for Teaching Black Children to Read

Margaret Crittendon Douglass was a white woman and former slaveholder, who was convicted and jailed in Norfolk, Virginia, for...
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