Ways of the World Chapter 16: Growth of Christianity

I found it very interesting to see the difference between the European explorers/conquerors and other explorers/conquerors. The European explorers were extremely forceful with the natives when it came to the adoption of Christianity. When the Europeans came to a new land they would not only contribute to the spread of disease, population collapse, loss of land, and forced labor, they would force the Christian religion amongst the people. The settlers would claim an absolute religious truth and sought utter destruction of local gods and everything associated with them. This was a new phenomenon with the European conquerors, earlier conquerors, made no attempt to abolish any of the local deities and/or religious practices.
I found this fairly disturbing and sad. For many of the natives, if they did not adopt the ways of Christianity they were killed, so they had no other options. Many accepted baptism, contributed to the construction of religious churches, attended services and embraced the different idols and practices of Christianity. In many ways the natives lost their culture and their traditions completely. The native people were forbidden from practicing their traditions. As time passed, the new generations were immediately immersed into the new ways of the Europeans, losing valuable insight to their native traditions.
The destruction of the monuments and worship temples resulted in the lost of history and knowledge. The European settlers could have learned much valuable information on the area or the history of the natives, that could only enhanced their knowledge. However the Europeans were too close-minded to give anything but Christianity a chance and now many traditions and histories were lost or altered. And not only did the Europeans destroy their culture they did it in the most disrespectful way possible. They smashed religious images and ritual objects, as well as urinated on shrines, desecrated the remains of their ancestors and humiliated anyone who stood up to them for their beliefs and culture.
This horrible conversion that occurred in Spanish American colonies, did not continue in other parts of the world. For example in China the people were stronger and more independent so they were not easily conquered. The European missionaries or traders did not threaten China and they were able to keep their traditions and culture. Europeans had to go the Chinese leaders and ask to be allowed to be in the country. The Chinese people never fully became interested in the Christian way and were able to keep their own traditions and beliefs.