To Heaven or Hell

For more than half a century, Lascasian scholars have periodically noted that little if any study has been done on the theology of Bartolomé de Las Casas and, in particular, on his soteriology. This study addresses this lacuna by initiating a discussion concerning the various pathways to salvation that this religious figure espoused in his copious writings in defence of the indigenous peoples and out of his passionate concern for their salvation. This investigation demonstrates that, in the Brevísima relación, he predominantly employed the tradition based on ecclesial and divine law that baptism was necessary for salvation. Yet, in this and other writings, he also proposed alternative salvific avenues based on the eternal law of God's Providence and the role of Christ in salvation history as head in actu of all unbelievers, as well as elucidated pathways to salvation generated by natural law, which upheld the religious beliefs and practices of the indigenous peoples, including human sacrifice. His consequent ground-breaking defence of religious freedom and religious pluralism predated similar proclamations from Vatican II

Baptism · Epistemology · Heaven · Indigenous · Pluralism (philosophy · Sacrifice · Soteriology · Theology · History · Latin American history and culture · Philosophy · Religious studies · Religious Studies

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