Native religions dead and gone?

Someone responded via e-mail to Navajo Preachers Bash Navajos:The Native American religious ceremonies are a thing of the past. The ceremonies were an important part of existence before the teaching of the Bible, feeding the spiritual being of the native people. The practice made the people whole, with each tribe exercising its own method or ritual. As a result of each tribe performing its own ritual, the religious practice defined the tribe and became a live form or spiritual existence. Before the Bible, these religious practices were practiced as a means for continued existence, which is not necessary anymore. Today, many traditional religious practices are contaminated by progress and other non-traditional influences. In essence, the pure form of these religious practices performed previously no longer exist today.

Today the native religion is practiced by those who are not necessarily "completely" traditional--remember now I am talking in general terms, all tribes nationwide. The native religions in many respects have evolved into the dark side of man, feeding the spirit with impure, unworthy and soiled practices--witchcraft. It would be great to turn back the clock and reinstate the native religion in the pure form because there were many positive aspects of the practice, which cannot be duplicated by the highly trained professionals of today, including doctors, nutritionists, church leaders, etc. and yes psychics. We all as modern-day native people have to make choices including religious ones, but as you know, there cannot be a mixture or duplicated practice of any religion, including native religion with non-native religion.Comment:  I don't know anything of the sort, friend. Several of your claims are flatly false:

1) It's true that some Native religious practices died out as their practitioners disappeared. But hundreds, perhaps thousands, of them are still, er, practiced religiously.

2) Many Native cultures have successfully combined Native and Christian religious practices. Only Christian fundamentalists would think this isn't possible or desirable.

3) Native religious practices have always evolved over time. Change isn't "contamination."

4) Why would Native practices be subject to contamination but not Christian practices? As many people have noted, Jesus probably would be appalled if he saw a typical Christian religion with its grandiose churches, ostentatious icons and rites, and wealth-oriented televangelists.

5) The Bible may have helped individual Natives, but it hasn't helped Natives as a whole. It arguably inspired avaricious Europeans to cross the ocean with their dreams of conquest and disease-ridden bodies.

Red Jacket speaks

This posting reminds me of an excellent quote on Native beliefs:We understand that your religion is written in a book. If it was intended for us as well, why has not the Great Spirit given it to us? Why did He not give to our forefathers the knowledge of that book, with the means of understanding it rightly?

Brother, you say there is but one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why not all agree, as you can all read the book?

Brother, the Great Spirit has made us all. But He has made a great difference between His white and red children. He has given us a different complexion and different customs. Since He has made so great a difference between us in other things, why may we not conclude that He has given us a different religion, according to our understanding?

Brother, we do not wish to destroy your religion or take it from you. We only want to enjoy our own.

Chief Red Jacket (Seneca), 1805For more on the subject, see Hercules vs. Coyote:  Native and Euro-American Beliefs.

Note:  I've edited this message slightly to fix its mistakes and make it more readable.