The Global Mission: How Christianity Justified Land Theft and Genocide
Land, Power, and the Myth of Divine Dominion
Have you ever wondered how a faith rooted in love and liberation became a tool of conquest and oppression?
This question is central to understanding the arc of Christianity’s evolution—from its humble beginnings in Bethlehem to its entanglement with empire, colonization, and ultimately, Project 2025.
Whether this is your first time joining us or you’ve been following this journey, I invite you to explore the intersections of faith, power, and resistance that continue to shape our world today. This series isn’t just a history lesson; it’s an invitation to unlearn the systems we’ve inherited, reimagine what’s possible, and take steps toward liberation. Together, we’ve examined Christianity’s birth, its alignment with imperial power, and the Doctrine of Discovery’s role in justifying land theft and genocide. Now, we turn our attention to how these doctrines paved the way for global capitalism and environmental destruction.
If you’d like to revisit previous articles, I encourage you to explore how the threads of supremacy culture—domination, extraction, and the denial of interconnectedness—are woven through history. If you need access to this series, scholarships are available. Just email me at desiree@desireebstephens.com.
Colonization Was a Spiritual Project
When we talk about colonization, it’s easy to focus on the physical act: the theft of land, the enslavement of people, and the violence of conquest. But colonization was never just about land or labor—it was a spiritual project. Through Christianity, colonizers claimed a divine mandate to take what wasn’t theirs, framing genocide and environmental destruction as part of God’s plan.
The threads of supremacy culture—domination, extraction, and the denial of interconnectedness—are woven deeply into this story. From the Doctrine of Discovery to Manifest Destiny, Christianity served as the spiritual justification for a global campaign of conquest. And at its heart was a warped theology that saw the land as a resource to exploit, rather than a sacred entity to honor and protect.
So, how did we get here? And more importantly, how do we unlearn these patterns—not just in theory, but in how we live, build community, and connect with the earth?
Join me as we uncover how colonial theology gave rise to capitalist systems, and imagine a future rooted in stewardship, reciprocity, and liberation.
Christianity’s Role in Colonization: The Doctrine of Discovery
One of the most pivotal frameworks enabling colonization was the Doctrine of Discovery, a series of 15th-century papal bulls that provided the theological and legal justification for European powers to claim land, subjugate its people, and exploit its resources. Far from being an isolated historical document, the Doctrine laid the ideological foundation for centuries of conquest, colonization, and systemic oppression that still echoes in modern laws, property systems, and global politics.
Here are the key papal bulls mentioned:
Dum Diversas (1452): Issued by Pope Nicholas V on June 18, 1452, this bull authorized King Afonso V of Portugal to "invade, search out, capture, vanquish, and subdue all Saracens and pagans whatsoever," permitting their enslavement and the seizure of their lands.
Romanus Pontifex (1455): Also issued by Pope Nicholas V on January 8, 1455, this bull extended Portugal's rights to territories in Africa, reinforcing the earlier permissions granted in Dum Diversas. It granted Portugal exclusive rights to trade and colonize along the African coast, further entrenching the principles that would underpin the Doctrine of Discovery.
Inter Caetera (1493): Issued by Pope Alexander VI on May 4, 1493, following Christopher Columbus's voyage to the Americas, this bull granted Spain the right to conquer newly found lands west of a demarcation line, approximately 100 leagues west of the Azores and Cape Verde Islands. It aimed to legitimize Spain's claims in the New World and played a central role in the Spanish conquest of the Americas.
These papal bulls collectively established a framework that sanctioned European colonial powers to claim lands inhabited by non-Christians, leading to centuries of exploitation and oppression of Indigenous populations worldwide.
The Core Tenets of the Doctrine of Discovery:
Terra Nullius (Nobody’s Land): Lands not inhabited by Christians were deemed “empty” and therefore available for claim and exploitation.
Religious Supremacy: Non-Christian peoples were classified as “infidels,” unworthy of sovereignty or self-determination.
Divine Mandate: Colonization was framed as a sacred duty, an act of bringing “civilization” and “salvation” to those deemed uncivilized or heathen.
Perpetual Subjugation: The Doctrine enabled the enslavement and forced labor of Indigenous peoples, legitimizing systems like the encomienda in Latin America and chattel slavery in the Americas.
Key Historical Outcomes of the Doctrine:
Genocide and Displacement: Indigenous peoples were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands, leading to widespread death, cultural destruction, and the erasure of entire civilizations.
Environmental Exploitation: By treating the land as a resource rather than a living entity, the Doctrine justified the extraction of natural resources on an unprecedented scale.
Legal Foundations of Oppression: The Doctrine became a cornerstone of colonial legal systems, influencing modern property laws and policies, such as the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Johnson v. M’Intosh (1823), which upheld the idea that lands “discovered” by Europeans could not be owned by Indigenous peoples.
Reflection Question:
How has the Doctrine of Discovery influenced modern notions of property, sovereignty, and environmental exploitation?
Connecting the Doctrine to Pillars of Supremacy Culture:
At its core, the Doctrine of Discovery embodies key pillars of supremacy culture:
Perfectionism: European colonizers framed themselves as morally and culturally superior, creating a dichotomy between the “civilized” and the “savage.”
Power Hoarding: The Doctrine enshrined the hoarding of land, labor, and resources as a divine right.
Paternalism: Colonization was presented as a benevolent act, masking the systemic violence and exploitation it entailed.
The Doctrine’s Ongoing Legacy:
Although the Doctrine of Discovery may seem like an archaic concept, its effects are alive and well:
Property Laws: The legal principles derived from the Doctrine continue to underlie land ownership in settler-colonial states like the U.S., Canada, and Australia.
Indigenous Displacement: Efforts like pipeline construction and land privatization often rely on the same logic of land as a commodity.
Global Inequities: The economic systems rooted in colonial extraction maintain vast wealth disparities between the Global North and the Global South.
Moving Toward Accountability:
To challenge the Doctrine’s enduring impact, we must address its theological, legal, and cultural underpinnings:
Repudiation: Some Christian denominations, including the Episcopal Church and the United Methodist Church, have begun formally repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery, acknowledging its role in systemic injustice.
Land Back Movements: Efforts to return land to Indigenous stewardship directly confront the systems upheld by the Doctrine.
Education and Advocacy: Understanding the Doctrine’s historical role is essential for dismantling its modern manifestations.
Reflection Question: How does the Doctrine of Discovery echo in modern systems of power, from environmental exploitation to systemic racism?
Anti-Indigenous Oppression: Erasing Culture, Erasing People
The colonization of the Americas, Africa, and beyond wasn’t just about acquiring land—it was about erasing the cultures, beliefs, and spiritual practices tied to that land. By framing Indigenous peoples as “savages” unworthy of sovereignty, colonizers justified genocide and the destruction of entire ways of life.
Christianity’s Role in Cultural Erasure
Cultural Erasure: Missionaries outlawed Indigenous spiritual practices, labeling them as demonic or primitive. Sacred rituals, songs, and ceremonies were replaced with Christian worship.
Forced Assimilation: Children were taken from their families and placed in residential schools where their languages, traditions, and identities were stripped away.
Environmental Destruction: Indigenous peoples saw land as sacred, while colonizers viewed it as a resource to exploit. This fundamental disconnect fueled deforestation, mining, and the degradation of ecosystems.
The Roots of the Colonizer’s Wounds
Before colonizers ever imposed their systems on Black and Brown peoples, many of these practices of domination and erasure were honed on European soil. Medieval Europe itself experienced cultural erasure, land theft, and violent consolidation under Christian rule.
The Enclosure Movement: In England, communal lands were seized and privatized, displacing peasants who depended on them for survival.
Witch Hunts: Tens of thousands, predominantly women, were accused of witchcraft and executed, severing Europe’s connection to its own Indigenous spiritual practices.