Criminals and Clergy; Cutlasses and Crosses

     "Man is a Religious Animal," Mark Twain once wrote.  "He is the only religious animal.  He is the only animal that has the True Religion... several of them.  He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat if his theology isn't straight."  

     A circumstance that seems perfectly made for Mark Twain's humorous but deadly serious statement was the religious intolerance between Catholicism and the Protestant reformers since Martin Luther.  This deep schism in the Christian faith very often led to religious strife and war on the European continent.  So dire was this turmoil that many people were forced to seek a new life across the ocean in the Caribbean islands and later, in North America.  Unfortunately, and perhaps not surprisingly, these same religious wars and persecution that they sought to escape were waiting for them in the Caribbean as soon as they arrived. 

     Since the Spanish were the first Europeans to discover the tropical shores, they declared the formal faith of the New World (to which all residents must accept) to be Catholic.  Naturally, when people of Protestant nationalities arrived, their religious affiliations didn't suddenly change.  The struggle between the Christian faiths resumed with no less ferocity.  However, the protestant English, Dutch, and French had a no less forgiving point of view.  They saw the Spanish Catholics as Papists and Idolaters.  In other words, regardless of what side one might be on, it was common, if not expected, to condemn the other side to flames of damnation.  Ironically, differences in faith became a prime and convenient excuse for wanton robbery of one's fellow man.
     So concerned was Spain of religious purity in the New World that it imported its infamous Inquisition to deal with heretics, i.e., Protestants, Jews (Judaizers),  Islamists (Moriscos), and Indians (heathens or alleged devil worshipers).

     In 1492, when the Spanish first came to the Caribbean, the Inquisition was at the height of its influence in Spain.  Torquemada was the creative monster that dreamed up the idea of torturing the truth out of suspected heretics for the sake of preservation and purity of the Catholic faith.   Though he had been dead for over a century by this time, Torquemada's inventive torture techniques and patient gathering of information on infidels had far outlived him and would continue to for the next three hundred years.  It only seemed natural, then, that this black current of suspicion would find its way to the Caribbean.  The thought of the aforementioned fates at the hands of the Spanish Inquisition lived fearfully in the hearts of most Buccaneers.  Spanish fortresses all along the Main were honeycombed with prison cells and nasty little pits, many at sea level, in which captive infidels were held, sometimes for years, until they were sentenced or until they died and the crabs had picked their bones clean. 

     But religious condemnation did not merely pass between people of European descent.  At the worst of times, the Spanish saw the natives as soulless devil worshipers.  At best, they were considered uncivilized people incapable of properly managing their own land.  While Spanish soldiers explored the New World, their Dominican priests went with them, bringing finely sculpted icons of the Madonna, the Saints, and Christ on the Cross.  These were all objects with which to impress upon the native people the true faith.  Unfortunately, and perhaps ironically, this faith was more often than not used to relieve one's conscience of terrible deeds, rather than the other way around.  For example, the Spaniards did consider their mistreatment of the natives sinful because "people without souls" did not deserve full measure of moral consideration.  This was manifested in many ways.  For instance, since Indian women had no souls, copulation, or even rape may not be considered sinful for a soldier.

     As for the Buccaneers, they were primarily of the Protestant faith, which is to say, Anglican, Huguenot, Puritan, Quaker and so forth.  At Port Royal there were a number of churches, both Protestant and Catholic, and there was even a Mosque.  No doubt, many of them were not terribly focused about the fine details of their faith given their chosen profession of thievery (or at least didn't see the irony of their ways).  But while the Buccaneers may have been lacking in religious commitment, they more than made up for it when it came to superstitions.  Among them, luck was a very important trait, especially for a leader.  All manner of rumors could multiply rapidly if conditions warranted.  If a man had been successful at inspiring them on a raid and it was profitable, it was not enough to merely elect him again to lead them on the next adventure on the merits of his success.  If his good luck was consistent, rumors might multiply that he had been born with a caul, a thin membrane covering the face at birth, which was a sure sign of a leader.  If the captain had some unusual attribute, like being left-handed, this might be cited as a lucky condition.  An indication of good fortune on a dark and cloudy night at sea was the appearance of a ‘corpus sant’ a heavenly glow on the upper yards and sail in the faint guise of an angel.  This angel was assumed to guide them safely on their way.  No matter they had just robbed and murdered for a few pieces of eight and some cocoa beans; the angels were with them! 

     If anyone attempted to keep a woman aboard for personal reasons it was considered a sure sign of bad luck to come and would not be permitted.  If the sky turned overcast and color of the sea became cloudy, disaster was imminent.  Worst of all was the sighting of a ghost ship through the fog.  If anyone reported it, they were all as good as dead.  The list of superstitions about the sea were endless.  Since illiteracy was rampant, most of it must have been devoutly believed.

For much more on the subject, you can also read my historical novel, The Brethren Prince, available as an e-book at the Amazon Kindle store, Apple iBooks, Barnes and Noble, and other major e-book retailers.