Deadly Moral Relativism in the Amazon Jungle
I almost blew a gasket yesterday as I read this article published by Reuters. It has to do with a video put out by people associated with YWAM (Jocum in Portuguese) depicting how unwanted children are sometimes buried alive by certain indigenous peoples in the Amazon region.
The title of the article?
Amazon Indian infanticide video said inciting hate
So, we have the people who bury their children alive (note that the article does not even try to deny that this happens) and the missionaries trying to save said children by creating public outrage against the practice.
And the villains are the missionaries!!!
The most unbelievable quote in the entire piece comes from one Fiona Watson, who apparently participates in one of the many organizations dedicated to keeping the natives in the Stone Age.
She says
The infanticide is not being explained; it’s being taken out of context.
Out of context? And in what context would this practice be justified? How are we supposed to explain the systematic burying alive of undesired children?
In situations like these I am reminded of Proverbs 24:11-12
Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?
The officials of FUNAI, IBAMA, and numerous NGOs who are in a position to do something about this, but don’t, will one day be held responsible.
Here is a link to some information on the Hakani project, and one to the video on YouTube. PLEASE NOTE: this video can be very traumatizing. Also, natives are portrayed in authentic native “garb”. If you cannot deal with that, please do not watch it. If you can, prepare to have your heart torn in two for these people.
A further note to American readers: We have no excuse to get on our holier-than-thou high horse here, not when thousands upon thousands of fetuses children are aborted murdered in cold blood every year in the name of economics, convenience, cosmetics, womens’ rights–whatever. If we do nothing about that, there is blood on our hands as well.
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I am one of those ‘villainous’ missionaries. I posted about this on my blog awhile back. I am planning a future post about the gang rape ritual of the tribe where we worked in Venezuela, as a girls initiation into womanhood.
Jungle Mom,
Thanks for posting, and for doing your part to dispel the myth of the “noble savage”. What a contradiction of terms!
Various tribes of American Indians also have immoral girl to womanhood initiation rites. I remember missionaries to the Navajos sharing about it.
AS I mentioned in the article, there is no room for any kind of cultural elitism here. But we must recognize that because something is “cultural” does not necessarily mean it is “ok”.