Ecuview: Racism in Theologica Doctrine (Quince Duncan) This item first appeared in the Peru- based Latin-American Press of Oct. 10 1991.
The development of racism as a doctrine first emerged within theological discourse. In 1529 Paracelsus (a Swiss doctor, 1493- 1541) denied that the Amerindians were descendants of Adam and Eve, thus initiating a debate that divided its participants into two distinct groups: those who adhered to the theory of mono-genesis (the single origin of all humanity) and those who believed in polygenesis (various origins).
The issue caused so much debate and confusion \ “+ Pope Paul III (1534-1549) was forced to emit Sublimes’ Deus, in which he formally recognized the humanity of the Amerindians and called on Christians to respect their liberty and property. The conquerors, however, rejected the papal document in both theory and practice. Basing their argument on Aristotle’s concept of nature, they claimed that the Indians were predestined by nature to servitude. This discussion was formalized in the debate between Juan Gines de Sepulveda and Fray Bartolome de las Casas in Valladolid, Spain, between 1550 and 1551.
For Sepulveda, the indigenous person was by nature inferior, given to vice, irrational, and was as different from the Spaniard as monkeys are from humans. While de las Casas defended indigenous people, he was also the one who proposed the importing of Africans to America, arguing that they were stronger and better equipped for hard labor. (Economical Press — -WCC, Geneva).
