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Mackenzie Nalepa

The Developing World

Critical Analysis Paper

10/21/16

The Mission

In todays society, when most people think of missions trips they most likely are

picturing going to a developing country, building houses, and providing the necessities

and resources that the inhabitants of that country might otherwise be lacking. The side

they probably do not think about as often is the side that involves bloodshed and death. In

the movie The Mission, there is evidence of both sides to missionary work, as well as a

clear collision between church and state and how both sides impacted the lives of the

Guarani people of South America. The conflict then arises, which force had the greater

impact in terms of what their overall goals were. Although it may seem like the end result

of the missionary work by the Jesuits was unsuccessful due to bloodshed, it was

successful in the sense that the Jesuits were able to unite the principles of missionary

work and colonialism because they were able to show the Guarani people what it means

to have faith while also giving them the skills they need to improve their quality of life

through inculturation.

Prior to watching the film, my assessment of the aim of the missionary enterprise

to make Christians out of these people was that the Jesuits were simply going to the

land of the Guarani people to teach them the ways of God and not necessarily immerse

themselves within their culture. In the very first scene where one of the fathers was seen

floating down the river and over the waterfall tied to a cross, I did not have high hopes
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for Father Gabriel and his intentions to go back to their land because it seemed as though

the Guarani people had no interest in their missionary work. This feeling began to change

shortly after when Father Gabriel first got to the jungle and sat there playing his

instrument while the Guarani people stood there motionless as they admired in awe.

Based on the fact that they had all arrived with weapons in hand, it is evident that they

were prepared to fightmost likely because they were not fond of intruders. I believe it

was the peacefulness of Father Gabriels music that first introduced the Guarani people

with bigger intentions than to just take their landa concept that may be foreign to them.

It was the assimilation of Father Gabriel and the Jesuits into the Guarani culture

that proved most beneficial in their success. This is not just the only scenario where this

type of approach was seen as successful. During the Ming dynasty, China was under a

strict and rigorous policy that prevented missionaries from fulfilling their intentions. It

was not until they applied a rigorous adaptation to local culture that they were able to

become successful (Clarke, pg 2). Matteo Ricci was so successful because he was able to

impress the Chinese with his ability to read and write their language, and impact their

culture (translation of Euclidean geometry to Chinese) (Clarke, pg 3). Through this, they

gained an appreciation and respect for Ricci and saw him as one of them and, in turn,

were more readily open to what he had to say pertaining to his missionary work. The line

from this reading that stood out to me the most was Valignanos insight questioning the

purpose of putting a Portuguese church into Asia when you can just have an Asian church

in Asia (Clarke, pg 2). Religion is not based on geographical location, but rather a belief

system, so it makes sense that individual cultures should be able to apply their own

culture to their beliefs. This same principle can be applied to the film. Why change the
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culture of the Guarani people when you can just add to it? Through Father Gabriels

assimilation of their culture, the Guarani people were able respect him. That respect

allowed them to more readily listen to what he had to say. He was not there to destroy

their culture; he was there to turn it into something more.

Another influential point in the film was when Cardinal Altamirano came to see

not only the mission of the Guarani people, but all of the other missions implemented by

the Jesuits. When Don Cabeza visited one of the other plantations, he asked what the

difference was between this plantation versus any other plantation owned by the Spanish

or Portuguese. Father Gabriel responded with this plantation is for them not for you

showing that the work of the Jesuits was to promote the well being for the people, not for

the government. This is where there comes to be a slight difference between church and

state. When Cardinal Altamirano came to the Guarani mission, he was in awe of what he

saw and how much the Jesuits had accomplished. As a viewer, it was confusing to see

him still order the Guarani people to relocate after seeing his initial reaction. After some

analysis, it is clear that the Cardinals reaction showed he wanted to help the Guarani

people, but he made his decision based on the greater good of his nation (to prevent war

with the Spanish)an ethical dilemma. In this instance, the church even acted as the

state. In that sense, Father Gabriel and the Jesuits followed more of a liberation theology

where they wanted the Guarani people to be free from political, social, and economic

oppression that would be implanted on them if the Spanish and Portuguese take over their

land.

The separation of church and state has always been a topic of controversy ever

since it was added to the First Amendment. In his article, Religion and Diplomacy,
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Kerry noted that we should have a more sophisticated approach when it comes to foreign

policy and religion (Kerry, pg 4). His suggestion was that the State Department initiate

the Office of Religion and Global Affairs. This would be a strategic way to incorporate

both church and state in a productive manor rather than one overpowering another, or

having no contact at all. The opposing side would argue that church and state have no

business even being in the same building as each other. Whether we like it or not, it is

impossible to completely eliminate any overlap between church and state because a

substantial amount of our political involvement in other countries has some sort of

religious purpose. People today even base their voting opinion on the topics such as

stance on abortion and gay marriage that pertain to religious affiliation. By creating this

new department, church and state may still remain separate but at the same time be able

to collaborate. Kerry also mentioned that the office would initiate engagement aboard,

such as with Muslims in Indonesia, to discuss trade, investment, and to promote

democracy (Kerry, pg 3). Like the principle of culture assimilation discussed above,

individuals and/or nations are more likely to listen when there is a common ground

between the two parties.

It was not until the end of the film that my assessment of the missionary

enterprise fully changed. During the last scene, when Rodrigo, before his last breath, sees

Father Gabriel walking out peacefully with the Guarani people into open fire, it showed

how Rodrigo realized that Father Gabriels approach was the right response to the

Spanish. To me, this was the most influential scene. It is clear that the overall main goals

or intentions of the Jesuits were to convert the Guarani people to Christianity, but Father

Gabriel did so in a way that benefitted their culture and taught them skills that could
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improve the way they lived. When the Guarani people were told that they had to leave the

land, you could tell their devastation by the way they reacted to the newsthey did not

want to leave the beautiful thing that had all just helped create, and they did not want to

go back into the jungle where they had to fight to survive. Some may argue that it would

have been more beneficial to the Guarani people if the Jesuits had not tried to interfere

because ultimately it resulted the death of the majority of the people. To counteract that

argument, it is safe to say that whether the Jesuits had arrived or not, the Spanish would

most likely have still come to take the land. Although fighting back was not the smartest

option, the Jesuits left the Guarani with skills they can use in the future. To the adults and

children who survived, they have a new foundation to improve their already existing

culture in away that promotes their newfound faith in God.

Overall, the efforts of the Jesuits to improve the quality of life of the Guarani

people seem short-lived, but the fact that they were able to implement such a beneficial

impact shows the overwhelming potential that cultural assimilation can have inter-

societal relations. To unite the ideas from this film, to todays society, I was able to

connect this film to The Ethical Traveler: How to Escape the Tourist Trap article we

read earlier in the semester. Like the ideas of Father Gabriel, and Matteo Ricci, John

Kerry, in order to establish good relations among nations, there needs to be a sense of

respect between both parties. If someone is traveling to a foreign country, it makes sense

to adapt to their customs because they were there first. When we go over to someones

house we do not follow our rules, we follow their rules. The same should apply when the

Spanish came to the Guarani territory, when the Jesuits wanted to establish a church in

China, and when political leaders want to impede on world issues involving religion.