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Thy Will Be Done: The Conquest of the Amazon : Nelson Rockefeller and Evangelism in the Age of Oil Paperback – January 1, 1996

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 64 ratings

Examining the motives, deeds, and tragic repercussions of their intervention in the Amazon and Central America, a study reveals the legacies of Nelson Rockefeller, who secured natural resources for American corporations, and Cameron Townsend, who saved souls at any cost.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Thy Will Be Done confirms in vivid detail what Indians in the north have known for a long time. Many American institutions and their leaders are involved in a global conspiracy to destroy Amazon Indians and their living environment for the sake of quick profits. In the same manner, they destroyed our healthy economy by slaughtering the buffalo and attacking our sleeping villages to get us out of the way. We can do much more to help the Amazon people. It is not too late." -- William Means, Chair, International Indian Treaty Council

"
Thy Will Be Done is essential reading for every citizen looking for freedom in an age in which democracy rings hollow, as global corporations, a superpower government, and religious fundamentalism combine to colonize the world in an era of 'free trade.' The ecocide and genocide in the Amazon can be lessons of the ecocide and genocide being unleashed on a global scale by all-powerful corporations operating without frontiers and without limits." -- Vandana Shiva, Author, Biotechnology and the Environment and Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Development

"
Thy Will Be Done makes a monumental contribution to the literature on modern corporate colonialism. A truly heroic endeavor, its documentation is nothing short of Herculean. I am recommending it wherever I go." -- David Korten, Former Ford Foundation project specialist, Author, When Corporations Rule the World

"A blistering expose" --
Publishers Weekly

"An extraordinary piece of investigative history. Its message is powerful, its data overwhelming and impressive.
Thy Will Be Done deserves wide attention." -- Howard Zinn, Professor of History Emeritus, Boston University, Author, A People's History of the United States

"If you want a crystaline understanding of the problems around the globalization of the economy -- including the role of oil companies in the destruction of the rainforest and its peoples --
Thy Will Be Done is essential reading. Filled with drama as well as facts, I recommend it with great enthusiasm." -- Randall Hayes, Executive Director, Rainforest Action Network

"It is about time that the connections between the search for natural resources, corporate power, the intelligence communities, evangelical missionaries and the destruction of native peoples and their cultures were documented in detail. Such connections have been raising havoc in the third world for centuries. Colby and Dennett deserve a salute." --
Laura Nader, Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley

"The real story of Amazonia is buried in labyrinths of hidden deals and corporate scheming, disgraceful dissimulation and outright lies -- as impenetrable as popular images about the forest itself. The big losers are, as always, the tribal peoples 'in our way.' Here at last is a book which shines light onto this monstrous, secret -- and tragically, continuing -- scandal. Read it! --
Stephen Corry, Director, Survival International

"This book is vital reading for anyone working in solidarity with the poor in Latin America. It is packed with valuable information and gives numerous insights into how our country got involved in supporting Latin American dictators.
Thy Will Be Done is a classic for our times." -- Father Roy Bourgeois, Former Maryknoll Missionary to Bolivia, Director, School of the Americas Watch

"This is a rich and fascinating book on a significant and heartbreaking subject, the work of American religion, business, politics and wars in the eradication and mass murder of the native peoples in the Amazon rainforest. Based on 18 years of research in numerous archives, nearly 200 interviews and a bibliography 20 pages long, it is probably the definitive study for the region it covers. I know of no other book like it." --
John Womack, Jr., Professor of Latin American History, Harvard University

"This well-documented, clearly written book alerts us to the immense suffering and damage in the Amazon and elsewhere caused by multinational corporate greed and ultraconservative religious ardor, headquartered in the United States and abetted by covert foreign policies. The systematic violations against human dignity and ecological integrity continue and can only be stopped by being brought to light. To that end, this book does a highly commendable job. --
Los Angeles Times

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins (January 1, 1996)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 1008 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060927232
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060927233
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.6 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 2 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 64 ratings

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Gerard Colby
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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
64 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2013
This book is a real eye opener and is packed with jaw dropping research about some of the most evil men to ever walk this earth. Sadly many of those evil men claim to be Christians. If you ever wondered what is wrong with American Churches, and how they exist in such an Anti-Christ state (sorry couldn’t resist saying that – pun intended); then you must read this book. I grew up in a fundamental protestant church and later switched to independent Baptist. I still consider myself a Christian but cannot think of any church I would feel safe attending – they seem to be the new Brown Shirts IMHO. As I remember the Protestants relied on organizations like SIL and Wycliffe Translators which turn out to be CIA fronts. The Baptist did not use SIL as far as I can tell, but they all have one thing in common: a sense that America is God’s hammer. They are all pro-war, pro-imperialism. I do not care if it is Pentecostalism, Charismatic of any brand, Baptist even the liberal SBC as well as the conservative and sometimes extreme right IFB the American Christian is a warmonger and a globalist and Thy Will Be Done proves it. I say all of them because I cannot think of any of American’s spiritual leaders that are not essentially a warmongers.
I never understood why the American church was such a contradiction to the teachings of Christ and so willing to submit, cooperate and directly assist the evil of the US Federal Government in all its wars on the one hand and on the other believe that the end time prophesies callout a one world government which America seems to be building. Thy Will Be Done provides great detail as to how this came to be even though they are not writing from a Christian perspective nor does the book considering anything the Bible has to say.
I found the book to be so useful that each time I hear of a Christian organization I look to see if they or any organizations they are affiliated with are mentioned in Thy Will Be Done and generally they are. It would be great if the book was updated to address things like the US Command centers that are extensions of the Pentagon and seem to be areas were interesting religious organization spring from and direct to the area of the world that the particular command center focuses on.
Examples would be:
U.S. Northern Command: In Colorado Springs, also HQ to may US based “Christian” organizations. Colorado Springs is somewhat of a Vatican City for US religions.
United States Southern Command: In Miami: De facto capital of Latin America and HQ for many religious organizations focused on Latin America.
Central Command: In Tampa an area where Mohamed Atta and the so called 911 hijackers based in the US. I am not sure if there is a large religious outreach headquartered there with a Middle East focus. (If you know of any please leave in the comments.)
U.S. Pacific Command: in Honolulu. Lots if US religions the Asian missionary or other outreach focused on Asia.
AFRICOM and HQ USEUCOM: In Stuttgart Germany. This one is new (2008), but I bet that Stuttgart Germany is, or soon will be, loaded with religions that have missionary or other outreach to Africa.

Finally besides recommending this book, I hope there are those who would like to spread this understanding. If you have information regarding American religions with military affiliations or if you know of any religions that have headquarters or a prominent presents in any of the US Command Centers, please leave me a comment with details.

Also recommend reading the article in the January 1986 Mother Jones Magazine by Carolyn Weaver entitled "Unholy Alliance" in which she covered some of the ties between the Moon organization and the evangelical movement in America. Both CIA fronts as well.
29 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2018
Having lived and worked in the Brazilian Amazon for two decades, this book served as an epiphany to me. Why do the environmental groups just go to meetings to lobby for more government control? Why are Indian lands and parks located on top of the region’s mineral resources? Why do my Indian friends all complain about the “mechanism” of collusion between the Rockefeller-initiated FUNAI and the NGOs yet no one listens to them? Why does the environmental movement spend billions on government lobby and regulations and not a nickel on putting the fires out in the indigenous lands and parks that they created? Because they don’t care about what is on top of the land, they care about what is underneath the surface. The vast majority of the environmental groups are mere tools of the investment banks that are using conservation units and parks to inventory what is underneath. To understand the dynamics of the Amazon today and why it will be completely razed to the ground with “all the king’s horses and all the king’s men” trying to save it, just follow the money......all the way back to the 50s. It is strange how Godfrey Rockefeller became head of WWF after they had already mapped the Amazon. Follow the subsequent “donations”/investments by all of the Rockefeller foundations and you will see a striking pattern. They secretly launched and funded the lion’s share of NGOs working in global conservation and then they placed Wall Street Titan’s to run their weaponized NGOs to lead the charge to fill the void the CIA and State Department created for the Money Trust.

What this phenomenal book did for me was to explain what they exactly were trying to “conserve”. What gave me chills in reading this masterpiece were the names, people of power that I personally knew, met, or was told about during my Amazon journey. Irrefutable. Pure truth. Brilliant. Selfishly, I feel like this book was written for me as it made reason out of chaos, cut through the layer upon layer of propaganda, describes the world for what it is, a brutal fight for riches and power. It brought me peace.

Now I understand why people in power and science that should want to create real solutions for Amazon conservation turn a blind eye to lessons coming from the field. Now I understand why they focus on attacking private property, free enterprise. The monopolists harnessed environmental socialists to use as foot soldiers, just like they used missionaries in phase 1. They control all sides of the debate, and they control the money, which means they control the government, which means they control all of us..until the truth sets us free. A huge “thank you” to the authors for liberating my soul.
36 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on October 18, 2017
The book arrived in a timely manner and was as described
M.C Reidy
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book, though very much biased in favour of ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 29, 2017
An excellent book, though very much biased in favour of the US as opposed to "nazi" Germany. I am sure revisionists could have a field day with this one. Yet, research on Nelson Rockefeller's control of the CIA, religious groups and dispossession of South and Central American Indians from valuable oil and mineral bearing lands is painstaking, brilliant and disturbing.
One person found this helpful
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GJ Glass
5.0 out of 5 stars An education in how far powerful men go to secure natural resources on the cheap. Eye-opener.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2021
Recommended. Factual and carefully researched.
One person found this helpful
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