Historical Story Reference Needed

July 12, 2007 9:25 PM

Quotefilter: Need both source and text from a historical story I once read for a sermon/homily this weekend. The story concerned a Native American who was shown a church by a missionary, and the Native American responded to the effect of "why do you keep God in a building?" That's all of the detail I have, and my Google-fu is failing me on this one ....
posted by Gingercat to Religion & Philosophy (3 answers total)

I'd misremembered this as part of Lame Deer: Seeker of Visions, which I read about 12 years ago, but Amazon's "search inside this book" feature doesn't turn it up unless it's not under "god," "church," or "building." The closest it gets under those terms are these:

"White people need a church house, a preacher and a pipe organ to get into a praying mood. ... For us Indians there is just the pipe, the earth we sit on and the open sky. The spirit is everywhere." (p. 2)

and, later, about God's placement, "Tell me about the Great Spirit," I asked him. "He is not like a human being, like the white god. He is a power. That power could be in a cup of coffee. The Great Spirit is no old man with a beard." (p. 32)

... I'm still fairly sure I read this story you're talking about in a class on Native American literature but I can't find the syllabus.
posted by Tuwa at 10:35 PM on July 12, 2007

I have heard a very similar story in relation to Christianity and the Pictish/ Welsh/ norther european gods of the local hills and outdoors. Perhaps it is a common missionary tale?
posted by fshgrl at 11:07 PM on July 12, 2007

I study Indians and missions and do not recognize the story. Which is not to say it didn't happen.
posted by LarryC at 8:41 AM on July 13, 2007