Pagans in the promised land : decoding the doctrine of Christian discovery

Summary: "Pagans 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 separation 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. policy at home and abroad."--BOOK JACKET.

Record details

ISBN: 1555916260 (alk. paper)
ISBN: 1555916422 (alk. paper)
ISBN: 9781555916268 (alk. paper)
ISBN: 9781555916428 (alk. paper)
Physical Description: xxviii, 186 p. ; 23 cm.
print
Publisher: Golden, Colo. : Fulcrum Pub., c2008.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 171-180) and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Ch. 1. A Primer on Cognitive Theory -- Ch. 2. Metaphorical Experience and Federal Indian Law -- Ch. 3. The Conqueror Model -- Ch. 4. Colonizing the Promised Land -- Ch. 5. The Chosen People-Promised Land Model -- Ch. 6. The Dominating Mentality of Christendom -- Ch. 7. Johnson v. M'Intosh -- Ch. 8. Converting Christian Discovery into Heathen Conquest -- Ch. 9. The Mental Process of Negation -- Ch. 10. Christian Nations Theory: Hidden in Plain Sight -- Conclusion: A Sacred Regard for All Living Things.