Native Ritualism

As in Canada and the US, there is a movement underway get native peoples to reconnect with their pagan pasts. This seems to come largely come from academics and politicians that are antithetical to modern missionary efforts and want to redress the missionary efforts from the past. Sadly, the Catholic church has been largely silent and it is well known here that as long as one is baptized Catholic, one may participate in whatever other religious form(s) one desires. Some literature that we have read here in Mexico have been scathing towards missionary activities despite the incredible social benefits that have arrived as a result of missionary activity. One can see rituals such as the cleansing ritual in the above picture performed daily at the Zocolo right in front of the Metropolitan Cathedral, the largest colonial cathedral in the Americas. Please don't misunderstand me: I love all the different cultures found in the world. I love watching the native dance and the brightly colored costumes and I appreciate the fact that God made these cultures and sent His Son to redeem people, not from these cultures, but inside of these cultures. I feel privileged to be called to be apart of a divine program called The Great Commission where people from , "...every nation, from all tribes, and peoples and languages stand(ing) before before the throne and before the Lamb (Jesus)..."(Rev. 7:9 ESV) To turn back the clock and embrace paganism would be a horrible disaster for everybody, but for women and children in particular. As much as the Spanish conquest was unduly harsh on the native peoples of Mexico, it was a far cry better than was taking place before they arrived. Mel Gibson's acclaimed movie Apocalypto addresses this issue in some fashion. I don't recommend the movie to everyone because of the language at times and the bloody violence but one can get a taste, if not a bitter taste, of what life was like before the Spaniards arrived.