An analysis of how religious bias shaped U.S. federal Indian law.
Pagans in the Promised Land
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"...shines an informative light into understanding the conscious-and unconscious-founding principles of 'the United States of America' empire." -- The Indypendent, April 25, 2008
"...a must-read for anybody wishing to understand what truly motivates American policy towards the indigenous peoples within its borders." -- Blogcritics.org, April 27, 2008
"...a powerful book. Read it and you'll understand how this dominating mentality influences U.S. domestic and foreign policy today." -- Indian Country Today, April 23, 2008
In "Pagans in the Promised Land," Steven Newcomb...argues that Indian law scholars fail to appreciate the religious dimensions of Marshall's decision. Newcomb, who is Shawnee/Lenape, also breaks new ground by making use of "the tools and methods of cognitive theory" in order to expose-and challenge-the "negative, oppressive, and dominating concepts that have been mentally and, from an indigenous perspective, illegitimately imposed on our existence." While other scholars have explored the religious underpinnings of the doctrine of discovery, Newcomb offers new insights by consciously connecting "the biblical basis of the claimed right of Christian discovery and dominion" with the "mentality of empire and domination." By its use of cognitive theory, Pagans in the Promised Land presents a new perspective on the doctrine of discovery. Newcomb forcefully argues that an essential part of the decolonizing process "must occur in the mind." His book sets forth a fresh way to think about, and decode, federal Indian law. --Great Plains Research Vol. 19 No. 2, 2009 from the Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln by Blake A. Watson, University of Dayton School of Law
In 1933, after Denver boss Joe Roma was found "slumped in his favorite overstuffed chair in the front parlor,...riddled with seven bullets, six of them to the head," his up-and-coming bootlegging proteges Clyde and Eugene Smaldone took over his profitable operations. Over the years, the brothers and various other family members were frequently in the news, occasionally in jail, and generally in control of their realm. Theirs was an independent operation, but the Smaldones enjoyed the friendship of crime superstar Al Capone and were frequently in cahoots with New Orleans Mafia boss Carlos Marcello, to whom Clyde was particularly close. The Smaldones contributed to Denver's municipal ambience positively, too, as restauranteurs and generous contributors to charity. Kreck's detailing of the doings of a relative outpost of the racketeering industry is, besides a rich chapter in Colorado history, an excellent addition to the popular literature on organized crime. --Booklist (September 15, 2009) of Chicago, IL by Mike Tribby
In "Pagans in the Promised Land," Steven Newcomb...argues that Indian law scholars fail to appreciate the religious dimensions of Marshall's decision. Newcomb, who is Shawnee/Lenape, also breaks new ground by making use of "the tools and methods of cognitive theory" in order to expose-and challenge-the "negative, oppressive, and dominating concepts that have been mentally and, from an indigenous perspective, illegitimately imposed on our existence." While other scholars have explored the religious underpinnings of the doctrine of discovery, Newcomb offers new insights by consciously connecting "the biblical basis of the claimed right of Christian discovery and dominion" with the "mentality of empire and domination." By its use of cognitive theory, Pagans in the Promised Land presents a new perspective on the doctrine of discovery. Newcomb forcefully argues that an essential part of the decolonizing process "must occur in the mind." His book sets forth a fresh way to think about, and decode, federal Indian law. --Great Plains Research Vol. 19 No. 2, 2009 from the Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln by Blake A. Watson, University of Dayton School of Law
"...a powerful book. Read it and you'll understand how this dominating mentality influences U.S. domestic and foreign policy today." --Indian Country Today, April 23, 2008
"...a must-read for anybody wishing to understand what truly motivates American policy towards the indigenous peoples within its borders." --logcritics.org, April 27, 2008
"...shines an informative light into understanding the conscious-and unconscious-founding principles of 'the United States of America' empire." --he Indypendent, April 25, 2008
I enthusiastically agree with Newcomb's conclusions: we must reject and move away from the Conqueror model as well as the Chosen People-Promised Land model of the Old Testament; we must recognize that these models are embedded in federal Indian law and are simply falsehoods based on the American imagination; and we must learn the power of traditional Indigenous knowledge for the sake of ourselves and all of humankind in this new era of American dominion. This book is a great piece for all scholars of Indigenous studies, an especially great piece for teachers, and, as hinted at before, an excellent piece for white Americans in need of beginning lessons in understanding why Indians might still be a little upset about history. --American Indian Quarterly, Fall 2009 by Leola Tsinnajinnie, University of New Mexico
"...a must-read for anybody wishing to understand what truly motivates American policy towards the indigenous peoples within its borders." -- Blogcritics.org, April 27, 2008
"...a powerful book. Read it and you'll understand how this dominating mentality influences U.S. domestic and foreign policy today." -- Indian Country Today, April 23, 2008
In "Pagans in the Promised Land," Steven Newcomb...argues that Indian law scholars fail to appreciate the religious dimensions of Marshall's decision. Newcomb, who is Shawnee/Lenape, also breaks new ground by making use of "the tools and methods of cognitive theory" in order to expose-and challenge-the "negative, oppressive, and dominating concepts that have been mentally and, from an indigenous perspective, illegitimately imposed on our existence." While other scholars have explored the religious underpinnings of the doctrine of discovery, Newcomb offers new insights by consciously connecting "the biblical basis of the claimed right of Christian discovery and dominion" with the "mentality of empire and domination." By its use of cognitive theory, Pagans in the Promised Land presents a new perspective on the doctrine of discovery. Newcomb forcefully argues that an essential part of the decolonizing process "must occur in the mind." His book sets forth a fresh way to think about, and decode, federal Indian law. --Great Plains Research Vol. 19 No. 2, 2009 from the Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln by Blake A. Watson, University of Dayton School of Law
In 1933, after Denver boss Joe Roma was found "slumped in his favorite overstuffed chair in the front parlor,...riddled with seven bullets, six of them to the head," his up-and-coming bootlegging proteges Clyde and Eugene Smaldone took over his profitable operations. Over the years, the brothers and various other family members were frequently in the news, occasionally in jail, and generally in control of their realm. Theirs was an independent operation, but the Smaldones enjoyed the friendship of crime superstar Al Capone and were frequently in cahoots with New Orleans Mafia boss Carlos Marcello, to whom Clyde was particularly close. The Smaldones contributed to Denver's municipal ambience positively, too, as restauranteurs and generous contributors to charity. Kreck's detailing of the doings of a relative outpost of the racketeering industry is, besides a rich chapter in Colorado history, an excellent addition to the popular literature on organized crime. --Booklist (September 15, 2009) of Chicago, IL by Mike Tribby
In "Pagans in the Promised Land," Steven Newcomb...argues that Indian law scholars fail to appreciate the religious dimensions of Marshall's decision. Newcomb, who is Shawnee/Lenape, also breaks new ground by making use of "the tools and methods of cognitive theory" in order to expose-and challenge-the "negative, oppressive, and dominating concepts that have been mentally and, from an indigenous perspective, illegitimately imposed on our existence." While other scholars have explored the religious underpinnings of the doctrine of discovery, Newcomb offers new insights by consciously connecting "the biblical basis of the claimed right of Christian discovery and dominion" with the "mentality of empire and domination." By its use of cognitive theory, Pagans in the Promised Land presents a new perspective on the doctrine of discovery. Newcomb forcefully argues that an essential part of the decolonizing process "must occur in the mind." His book sets forth a fresh way to think about, and decode, federal Indian law. --Great Plains Research Vol. 19 No. 2, 2009 from the Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln by Blake A. Watson, University of Dayton School of Law
"...a powerful book. Read it and you'll understand how this dominating mentality influences U.S. domestic and foreign policy today." --Indian Country Today, April 23, 2008
"...a must-read for anybody wishing to understand what truly motivates American policy towards the indigenous peoples within its borders." --logcritics.org, April 27, 2008
"...shines an informative light into understanding the conscious-and unconscious-founding principles of 'the United States of America' empire." --he Indypendent, April 25, 2008
I enthusiastically agree with Newcomb's conclusions: we must reject and move away from the Conqueror model as well as the Chosen People-Promised Land model of the Old Testament; we must recognize that these models are embedded in federal Indian law and are simply falsehoods based on the American imagination; and we must learn the power of traditional Indigenous knowledge for the sake of ourselves and all of humankind in this new era of American dominion. This book is a great piece for all scholars of Indigenous studies, an especially great piece for teachers, and, as hinted at before, an excellent piece for white Americans in need of beginning lessons in understanding why Indians might still be a little upset about history. --American Indian Quarterly, Fall 2009 by Leola Tsinnajinnie, University of New Mexico
About the Author
Steven T. Newcomb (Shawnee/Lenape) is the indigenous law research coordinator at the Sycuan education department of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation in San Diego County, California. He is cofounder and codirector of the Indigenous Law Institute, a fellow with the American Indian Policy and Media Initiative at Buffalo State College in New York.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Pagans in the Promised Land is a text that posits the academic truths about the "Christian Doctrine of Discovery." The text exposes the Christian roots that grow back through the "U.S. Supreme Court" toward the "Papacy" and "Holy Church," which reveals the self-evident truth that not all men are created equal from the Christian perspective.
Moreover, the idea of separating the church from state in the U.S. is really an illusion. In fact, it is the "Christian Doctrine of Discovery" that U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Marshall effectively integrates into U.S. and International Law for the purpose of expanding the "holy church's [and American]empire." In so doing, oppressing and dispossessing indigenous people and the Native Nations around the world of their land, property, liberty, freedom, independence, and basic human rights.
Newcomb effectively weaves the understanding that Christianity is just a religious ethnocentric construct. A racist mind set that metaphorically places "The White Man's Imagination" at the center of the universe, making the white Christian "divinely" superior to all other races on the planet/universe, as affirmed by St. Peter in the Popes' Papal Bull documents. Therefore, giving themselves the self-proclaimed "divine" right to be the "Chosen People" to wage "Crusade" on ANY land inhabited by the non-Christian and thereby claiming those lands in the name of the Christain Monarchs.
This book is a tough read for the Christian, but is a must-read for those wanting to understand the "Why" behind the ongoing oppression and genocide of indigenous people around the world.... Read more ›
Moreover, the idea of separating the church from state in the U.S. is really an illusion. In fact, it is the "Christian Doctrine of Discovery" that U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Marshall effectively integrates into U.S. and International Law for the purpose of expanding the "holy church's [and American]empire." In so doing, oppressing and dispossessing indigenous people and the Native Nations around the world of their land, property, liberty, freedom, independence, and basic human rights.
Newcomb effectively weaves the understanding that Christianity is just a religious ethnocentric construct. A racist mind set that metaphorically places "The White Man's Imagination" at the center of the universe, making the white Christian "divinely" superior to all other races on the planet/universe, as affirmed by St. Peter in the Popes' Papal Bull documents. Therefore, giving themselves the self-proclaimed "divine" right to be the "Chosen People" to wage "Crusade" on ANY land inhabited by the non-Christian and thereby claiming those lands in the name of the Christain Monarchs.
This book is a tough read for the Christian, but is a must-read for those wanting to understand the "Why" behind the ongoing oppression and genocide of indigenous people around the world.... Read more ›
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A look at the government's relations with the native people of this country
June 9, 2008
Format:Paperback
Is the United States policy on the Native American Indians far more based in religion than we believe? "Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery" is a look at the government's relations with the native people of this country and how the treatment of the natives, non-Christian indigenously, may be part of a sub-conscious Christian doctrine that the country has been following for centuries. Intriguing information from first page to last, "Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery" is deftly written and highly recommended to community library Native American studies collections.
12 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Obstacles to World Peace Continue: U.S. Policies through an American Indian Scholar's Eyes
March 2, 2008
Format:Paperback
Every educator or world peace advocate must read this book. Passionate and compelling arguments inspire readers to be more informed about overlooked and archaic policies in the U.S. Government. This contemporary work examines and explores doctrines that began with Indian Nations and are still being implemented in other areas of the modern world. Pagans in the Promised Land written by a Native American Scholar, Steven Newcomb, delivers some stimulating arguments based on over 20 years of research. This book is a must read for all universities prompting engaging classroom discussions.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery
September 28, 2012
By PinkyT
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Book arrived in good time and in good shape. I still have not had time to sit down and read it, so cannot comment about it's contents, other than it seems an interesting premise that is quite believable when considering the present state of affairs in this country and the rest of the world.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Mary Gilbert
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Reading Pagans in the Promised Land has re-interpreted for me our history in North America. I am not Native American, but have become involved in their wisdom and truth after spending time with Indigenous Peoples, including Native Americans, at the UN. Around the world the Indigenous Peoples are communicating with each other and standing up to speak with one voice about their common beliefs and interests. Great things are going on.
Right now there is an important convergence of interests among Indigenous Nations and others who love the living Earth and want to work toward restoring the planet's health. Pagans in the Promised Land has provided me with the context I need to sustain my activism. I love the lawyer-ly attention to detail and to getting things straight. There is truth to the analysis of metaphor in our shared history. I am grateful for this book and will share what I have learned as well as recommending it to others.
Mary Gilbert
Quaker Earthcare Ministry
Right now there is an important convergence of interests among Indigenous Nations and others who love the living Earth and want to work toward restoring the planet's health. Pagans in the Promised Land has provided me with the context I need to sustain my activism. I love the lawyer-ly attention to detail and to getting things straight. There is truth to the analysis of metaphor in our shared history. I am grateful for this book and will share what I have learned as well as recommending it to others.
Mary Gilbert
Quaker Earthcare Ministry
3 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I do not dispute Newcomb's scholarship. It is first rate. I do however, take issue with some aspects of his central argument. There is no question that American attitudes, inclusive of law and politics, is inherently biased against American Indians, as well as being rife with racism. What is not depicted, however, is that despite these attitudes, America and its colonial predecessors had no choice but to deal with Indian Nations, and recognise inherent rights to sovereignty. It was not until Chief Justice Marshall engaged in revisionist history in reinterpreting the Royal Proclamation of 1763 that the racism became the law in the case of Johnson v. McIntosh (1823). This was done for political reasons covered well in Conquest by Law by Lindsay Robertson.
Although clearly not intended, if the rationale for this book were accepted as legal cannon, it would severly undermine the notion that sovereignty and self government are pre-existing rights that are inherent based on the legal history. If such rights were never recognised in the European derived legal history, then any contemporary assertion of these rights could ONLY come about at the whim of the colonial nation-states.
The reality was that contextually, despite words to the contrary, state practice clearly recognised Indian sovereignty and ownership. They had no choice as Indian Nations were politically and militarily strong. True military dominance was not achieved until the mid 1800's and that is of course when the legal system came to the conclusion that tribal sovereignty and self government was a legal fiction rooted in paternalism.
So, while one would be inclined not to criticise this book, it would be unwise for the reader not to explore further.... Read more ›
Although clearly not intended, if the rationale for this book were accepted as legal cannon, it would severly undermine the notion that sovereignty and self government are pre-existing rights that are inherent based on the legal history. If such rights were never recognised in the European derived legal history, then any contemporary assertion of these rights could ONLY come about at the whim of the colonial nation-states.
The reality was that contextually, despite words to the contrary, state practice clearly recognised Indian sovereignty and ownership. They had no choice as Indian Nations were politically and militarily strong. True military dominance was not achieved until the mid 1800's and that is of course when the legal system came to the conclusion that tribal sovereignty and self government was a legal fiction rooted in paternalism.
So, while one would be inclined not to criticise this book, it would be unwise for the reader not to explore further.... Read more ›
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
This book doesn't tell the truth about Christianity
Understand this???!!! You who think you know absolutely everything there is to know about Christianity versus paganism. The truth is this book tells lies! Read more
Published on April 6, 2010 by Siuyinh
3.0 out of 5 stars
Endless Chain of Propoganda and Logical Fallacy
Pagans in the Promised Land is little more than logical fallacy after logical fallacy, out of context quote after out of context quote. Read more
Published on March 11, 2010 by C. Westman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of christian...
Thank you. The shopping time was much longer than I expected but I will continue to use amazon.com
Published on September 7, 2009 by Lillian R. Tavares
