Doctrine of Discovery Resources
The 222nd General Assembly (2016) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) called the church to confess its complicity and repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery. The action also called for a review of the history of the doctrine and the writing of a report on the doctrine.
The Doctrine of Discovery was first articulated in 1452 by Pope Nicholas V as the Papal Bull “Dum Diversas” and in 1496 by King Henry VII of England as a patent granted to John Cabot, which authorized and justified the destruction, killing, and appropriating of the lands of indigenous peoples and nations. The Doctrine of Discovery was incorporated into U.S. law in the 19th century when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case, Johnson vs McIntosh, 1823, stating that European nations had assumed dominion over the lands of America upon discovery and as a result Native Americans had lost their rights to complete sovereignty as independent nations and retained a mere right of occupancy in their lands. A U.S. Supreme Court case as recent as 2005, City of Sherrill v. Oneida Nation of Indians, utilized the Doctrine of Discovery as legal precedent for the final decision. This doctrine laid the groundwork for the genocide of indigenous peoples around the world; the colonization of Africa, Asia, Australia, the Pacific Islands, and the Americas; and the transatlantic trafficking in persons used as slave labor.
In recent years, partly in response to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, faith communities, including the World Council of Churches, have begun to examine the Doctrine of Discovery critically. This study has led the WCC and denominations in the United States to repudiate the doctrine.
Report to the 223rd General Assembly (2018)
Study and Video Resources
Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre los derechos de los pueblos indígenas United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Environmental Justice with Indigenous People
The Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery: A Biblical Reflection| United Church of Christ
Intercultural Resolution
The Doctrine of Discovery: In the Name of Christ (43 minutes) | Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition (Anabaptist) Doctrine of Discovery presentation by Dr. Roxanne Gould All Nations Church
Discovered, or Stolen? United Church of Christ
The Episcopal Church Exposes the Doctrine of Discovery Episcopal Church
Worship Resources and Church Statements
Rethinking Columbus Day according to the Revised Common Lectionary, Year A
Living on the Path of Respect: A Worship Service on the Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery
Lenten Lament: Seeking Right Relations
Native American Day in the PCUSA
The rich man and Lazarus and the Doctrine of Discovery
Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Informe sobre Visiones eclesiales y sociales de los pueblos indígenas | Consejo Mundial de Iglesias
Statement on doctrine of discovery and impact on Indigenous Peoples | World Council of Churches
Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery | Episcopal Church