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Chapter 25: The Original Sin of America is Religious Persecution & the Genocide of God's True Remnant - the French Huguenots
"Slavery" was "One" of America's Sins However, Religious Persecution & Genocide was "The" Original Sin of America |
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The principalities operating behind Spain's Catholic Conquistadors who murdered the French Huguenots because they were Protestants - they may have thought they thwarted God's plan for America. But, they were wrong - because the blood of the French Huguenots - America's first Martyrs - still cries out from the ground and it is the blood of the Martyr that America is founded on!
"The" original sin of America: To murder God's remnant who fled France because of religious persecution and came to America to establish a place where they could worship the Lord in spirit and in truth that is "The" original sin of America.
Again, in 1565, at the bequest of the Catholic Pope, the Spain's Catholic Conquistadors sailed all the way from Spain to what is now known as America to murder the French Huguenots who fled France and settled in what is now known as Florida because of religious persecution at the hands of the Catholic Church in France. The French Huguenots came to the New World and established the first successful colony on what is now known as American soil. It was here that they established a place where they could worship the Lord in spirit and in truth - only to be tracked down and murdered by Spain's Catholic Conquistadors.
Slavery was a sin of America - but it wasn't "The" original sin of America: Many people as well as Historians believe that the original sin of American Democracy was "Slavery - but not so. Spain's Catholic Conquistadors brought 500 African slaves with them in 1565 so without a doubt slavery was one of the original sins of America - but it is not "The" original sin of America.
"The" original sin of America was the Persecution and Murder of God's Remnant the French Huguenots!
And, just as Abel's blood cries out to the Lord from the ground, the blood of the martyred French Huguenots cries out to the Lord from the ground.
Genesis 4:10 10 And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. NKJV
Revelation 6:9-11 9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. 10 They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them. NLT The Spirit operating behind Cain was a Murdering Spirit of Religious Persecution and it was this same Murdering Spirit that was Operating through Spain's Catholic Conquistadors: Just as the first murder committed in the world was the consequence of religious differences between Cain and righteous Abel, so it was with the first murders between Spain's Catholic Conquistadors and the French Huguenots on what is now known as American soil. Spain's Catholic Conquistadors murdered the French Huguenots as heretics - not because they were Frenchmen: hence the differences were religious in nature.
Spain's Catholic Conquistadors placed signs on the trees where they murdered the French Huguenots that read: as heretics - not because they were Frenchmen: hence the differences were religious in nature.
The murder of the French Huguenots as well as that of Abel were not the deaths of ordinary people, but the death of God's servants.
The Circumstances Surrounding Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel were a Foreshadowing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Abel's sacrifice was acceptable unto the Lord because he offered a "Lamb" - which was a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ who was crucified as the "Lamb of God" during Passover when the Israelites were actually slaughtering the Lamb for "Passover.
And, this indicates that Abel as well as Cain had the knowledge of the "Gospel of Jesus Christ". We know from the conversation God had with Cain that Cain knew what was right and acceptable in the eyes of God and what was not - Genesis 4:307
Hebrews 11:4 4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. KJV
Hebrews 12:24 24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. KJV
The Victory of the Cross: Genesis 3:15 reveals that the Lord put enmity between the serpent and the woman and between the serpent's seed and the woman's seed (a reference to Jesus Christ). There will be enmity and conflict man and his spiritual enemy - the spiritual serpent. The serpent may bruise our heel - but the seed of the woman will bruise the serpent's head - which manifest itself at the crucifixion of the woman's seed. The death and resurrection of Christ Jesus is the greatest example of the woman's seed bruising the serpent's head.
Cain's sacrifice was from the ground - which was unacceptable to the Lord - probably because like the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil it grew from the ground and according to Genesis 3:17 the ground was cursed
Like Christ - Abel was an innocent man who was betrayed by someone he knew - his brother. And, Christ was betrayed by Judas someone He knew and as Believers we are brothers and sisters of Christ. "Religion" was at the core of the betrayal of Abel and "Religion" was at the core of the betrayal of Christ.
The banishment of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden for disobeying God was a foreshadowing of the times that Israel was sent into captivity for their disobedience as well
Adam and Even ate a "Fig" - not an apple. That's why they clothed themselves with "Fig Leaves" which were symbolic of their sin for eating of the forbidden fruit. And, that also explains why the only thing that Jesus Christ cursed was the "Fig Tree" because like the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden it bore no fruit that was good.
America’s Sin of Genocide
When the Spanish conquistadors set sail in 1565 for what is now known as America, they were aware that upon their arrival there were two “nationalities” they would have to overpower in order to establish and secure Spain’s foothold in Florida: the Native American Indians and the French Huguenots. Yet, Spain’s approach to overpowering one nationality differed greatly with their approach to overpowering the other. The intent of the Spanish monarchy was only to subdue the Native American Indians, never to exterminate them. On the other hand, it was their intent to completely eliminate the French Huguenots who had established a French colony on American soil that the Spanish claimed as their own.
The conquistadors needed the Native American Indian for various reasons. They had heard many rumors about vast amounts of gold and other precious metals hidden in the Americas. They believed the natives, who were familiar with the lay of the land, would lead them to these locations. Moreover, the conquistadors needed additional slave labor to add to the 500 African slaves they brought with them.
They also needed to fulfill their “religious obligations” to convert the Native American Indians to Christianity – at least according to their secular definition of Christianity, which was unbiblical. It was while in bondage to the Spanish that the Native American Indians were forced to build the Spanish missions where the Priests would teach them about Roman Catholicism, which misrepresented Christ Jesus. Thus, the two came together. Sadly, the slaves were required to build the missions where they would be taught about the love of Jesus Christ – a love neither the conquistadors nor the priests understood or extended to the Native American Indians!
On the other hand, the intent of the Spanish monarchy was the “genocide” (extermination) of the French Huguenots. The French Huguenots were Protestants who dared to establish a French colony on soil the Spanish crown claimed as their own. The orders given to the Spanish conquistadors were to completely wipe out all French Huguenots – they were not to leave a trace of them or their Protestant Bibles on Florida soil.
The Sin of America’s Spanish Forefathers
We know from Genesis 15:13-16 that the sins of a nation become “full” in the fourth generation or approximately four hundred years, and it is at that time that the LORD will judge that nation if those sins have not been confessed on a national level.
While the sins of our English forefathers were acknowledged in 2007 on an international, national and state level, the sins of the Spanish, who were the first to bring 500 slaves to America and to inflict injustices on the Native American Indians at least fifty five years before the settlement at Jamestown, have never been publicly acknowledged.
As a result, illegal immigration and all the problems associated with it are only some of the consequences of these un-confessed sins.
In 2007, in celebration of the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, the sins of our English forefathers were confessed for the first time at all levels of government. At the international level – Queen Elizabeth; at the national level – President Bush; and at the state level – the lawmakers of Virginia and other states all publicly acknowledged the injustices that the Native American Indians and African Americans endured at the hands of America’s English forefathers. (See article on Jamestown at the end of this chapter.
In addition to the same sins committed by our English forefathers, America’s Spanish forefathers committed the Sin of Genocide. Genocide is the deliberate and systematic intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a religious, political or ethnic group.
The first international war fought in North America was the battle fought between Spain and the French Huguenots in 1565. When Spain brought their religious wars to America in 1565, the King of Spain instructed the conquistadors to kill all the French Huguenots – simply because they were “Protestants”. The leader of the Spanish conquistadors in Florida, Pedro Menendez, after murdering the French Huguenots at Fort Caroline, hung some of their bodies on trees and over their heads, placed placards that read: “Not unto Frenchmen – but unto Lutherans” [1]
This was a clear acknowledgement that they were not killed because they were French, but because they were Lutherans (Protestants). At that time, the Roman Catholic Church and those loyal to the pope considered all Protestant denominations as heretics – enemies of the Church. As a consequence, these heretics became objects of their wrath; if they did not recant and submit to the man made traditions of the Roman Catholic Church, the mistaken attitude was that they deserved to be put to death.
The following accounts support the premise that Spain’s objective to supplant the French Huguenots from Florida was not to just subdue the Huguenots, but was an act of genocide. Spain’s attack was deliberate and systematic with the intent to completely destroy a specific religious group – Protestants.
“If the settlement at Port Royal had been a disquieting intrusion, Fort Caroline, under the very nose of Havana and on the path of the treasure fleets, was an imminent menace to New Spain. Its import was plainly stated in the reports to Philip from Mexico. … In urging action before Coligny could send Ribaut to relieve the colonists, the same report continued: ‘seeing that they are Lutherans … it is not needful to leave a man alive, but to inflict an exemplary punishment, that they may remember it forever.’” [2] (emphasis added)
“To expel and castigate the French and to plant his own power solidly in Florida, Philip had at last picked a man who would not fail. … Menendez’s contract was a typical conquistador’s agreement. … Above all he was to see that none of his colonists were Jews or secret heretics. And he was to drive out the French settlers ‘by what means you see fit.’ … Menendez sailed from Cadiz on July 29, 1565. … On the 28th of August he dropped anchor in a harbor about the mouth of a river and gave to it the name of the saint on whose festival he had discovered it – Saint Augustine (San Agustin). Seven days later he went up the coast, looking for the French. In the afternoon he came upon four of Ribaut’s ships lying outside the bar at St. John’s River. Menendez, ignoring the French fire, which was aimed too high to do any damage, led his vessels in among the foe’s. ‘Gentlemen, from where does this fleet come?’ he demanded, as we are told, ‘very courteously.’ ‘From France,’ came the answer from Ribaut’s flagship. … ‘Are you Catholics or Lutherans?’ ‘Lutherans, and our general is Jean Ribaut.’ In answer to like questions from the French ship, Menendez made reply: ‘I am the General; my name is Pedro Menendez de Aviles. The is the armada of the King of Spain, who has sent me to this coast and country to burn and hang the Lutheran French who should be found there, and in the morning I will board your ships; and if I find any Catholics they will be well treated.’” [3]
“Menendez, it is affirmed, hanged his prisoners on trees, and placed over them the inscription, ‘I do this, not as to Frenchmen, but as to Lutherans,’” [4]
Note: This was the first of three attacks on the French Huguenots. This attack took place at Fort Caroline. The few women and children that Menendez spared was because he feared God would punish him otherwise. Nonetheless, in keeping with his original objective, King Philip ordered that they too be killed either directly or indirectly.
Jean Ribault, leader of the Huguenots, and other French Huguenots were away from the Fort at this time. Menendez, intent on ridding Florida of all Huguenots, subsequently “systematically” and “deliberately” tracked them down – killing all who escaped or sparing only those women and children referenced above.
“After a brief rest at the post, which he rechristened Fort San Mateo, Menendez marched swiftly back to St. Augustine. He learned presently that one hundred and forty men from two French ships wrecked by the storm were nearby. … Menendez made a quick march to the spot. When the castaways pleaded that their lives be spared until the arrival of a French ship to take them home, Menendez answered that he was ‘waging a war of fire and blood against all who came to settle these parts and plant in them their evil Lutheran sect. … For this reason I would not grant them a safe passage, but would sooner follow them by sea and land until I had taken their lives’” [5]
Note: This was the second of three attacks.
“Shortly after Menendez had reached St. Augustine, Indians informed him that Jean Ribaut and two hundred men were at Matanzas, having been cut off there, as the other Frenchmen had been … Menendez set out immediately. Once more were the same ceremonies repeated; and Ribaut and his two hundred men were induced to surrender. When with their hands bound, … they were asked: ‘Are you Catholics or Lutherans and are there any who wish to confess?’ Seventeen Catholics were found and set aside. … ‘I put Jean Ribaut and all the rest of them to the knife,’ Menendez wrote to Philip, ‘judging it to be necessary to the service of the Lord Our God, and of Your Majesty.’” [6] (emphasis added)
Note: Jean Ribaut was murdered in this third and final attack. The Catholics in the group were allowed to live. Again, the Spanish wanted to rid Florida of French Huguenots, not Catholics. This is consistent with genocide.
“The fate of the captives may be gathered from the endorsement, in the handwriting of the king, on one of the despatches [sic] of Menendez. ‘Say to him,’ writes Philip the Second, ‘that, as to those he has killed, he has done well; and to those he has saved, they shall be sent to the galleys.’” [7] (emphasis added)
Note: The “captives” are from the group that had refused to surrender when Ribaut and the other French Huguenots were murdered, but who have now surrendered approximately three weeks later. Menendez felt they posed no threat because they were few in number, only to be ordered to be put to death by King Philip (the survivors being sent to the galleys meant sure death for them). Again, this is consistent with the definition of genocide.
Conclusion
For years some lawmakers on Capitol Hill have insisted that the country of Turkey publicly acknowledge that their forefathers committed an act of genocide against the Armenians during and after World War I. While Turkey acknowledges that many Armenians were killed – they deny that the intent was genocide. Furthermore, Turkey has made it clear that if these accusations continue, the relations between the United States and Turkey could be negatively affected.
Instead of pointing the finger at Turkey, America should step up and publicly acknowledge the genocide of the French Huguenots that occurred here in America at the hands of Spain's Catholic Conquistadors. In light of the available documentation, it is unmistakable that the objective of King Phillip of Spain was genocide, the extermination of all French Huguenots in Florida. The sins of King Phillip of Spain who ordered the genocide of the French Huguenots, the sins of the Spanish conquistadors who carried out the genocide and the sins of the Roman Catholic Church who murdered by consent when they approved of the massacre of the French Huguenots, should all be brought to light. America should publicly acknowledge these transgressions against the French Huguenots. To murder God's remnant who fled France because of religious persecution and came to America to establish a place where they could worship the Lord in spirit and in truth that is "The" original sin of America.
Bibliography
Bolton, Herbert E. The Spanish Borderlands: A Chronicle of Old Florida and the Southwest. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1921
Parkman Jr., Francis. Pioneers of France in the New World. Boston: IndyPublish.com, written bt. 1864-1892, Publisher’s Advertisement 1907
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Endnotes:
[1] As a note, even though the French Huguenots were not followers of "Martin Luther" like Martin Luther they were Protestants. Spain's Catholic Knights of Santiago referred to all Protestants as "Lutherans" because it was Martin Luther that started the Protestant Reformation and Rome hated Luther who was once a Catholic monk.
[2] Herbert E. Bolton, The Spanish Borderlands, p. 138-139
[3] Ibid, p. 140-143
[4] Francis Parkman Jr., Pioneers of France in the New World, p. 61
[5] Herbert E. Bolton, The Spanish Borderlands, p. 146
[6] Ibid, p. 148-149
[7] Francis Parkman Jr., Pioneers of France in the New World, p. 72