#religitard

The Papal Bulls of the Doctrine of Discovery: Religion, Power, and the Justification of Empire

The 15th century marked a turning point in global history, as European powers began expanding beyond their borders in search of land, wealth, and influence. Central to this expansion was a set of religious documents issued by the Catholic Church—most notably Dum Diversas, Romanus Pontifex, and Inter Caetera. Together, these papal bulls formed the ideological backbone of what later became known as the Doctrine of Discovery. While framed in religious language, these documents functioned as political tools that helped justify conquest, exploitation, and the subjugation of non-European peoples.

The first of these, Dum Diversas, issued by Pope Nicholas V in 1452, explicitly authorized the Portuguese crown to wage war against non-Christian populations. Its language permitted the conquest and enslavement of these groups, granting religious legitimacy to actions that were fundamentally economic and political in nature. Although slavery existed long before this decree, Dum Diversas marked a significant moment in which the Church formally endorsed its expansion under the banner of Christian authority. The document reveals how religious justification could be used to normalize and even encourage domination over others.

This foundation was strengthened by Romanus Pontifex in 1455, which expanded Portugal’s rights over territories along the West African coast. It granted exclusive control over trade and reinforced earlier permissions to conquer and rule non-Christian lands. In doing so, it introduced a system in which European powers could claim vast regions of the world with little regard for the people already living there. The bull effectively turned exploration into sanctioned appropriation, blending religious mission with imperial ambition. It also set a precedent for dividing the non-European world among European states, as though it were theirs to distribute.

The third major document, Inter Caetera, issued by Pope Alexander VI in 1493, extended this logic to the Americas following Christopher Columbus’s voyage. By drawing a line across the Atlantic and assigning lands on either side to Spain and Portugal, the papacy asserted authority over territories it had never seen and peoples it did not understand. This act demonstrated the extent to which religious power was intertwined with geopolitical strategy. Indigenous populations were not consulted or recognized as sovereign entities; instead, they were treated as subjects of conversion and control.

Taken together, these three papal bulls reveal a pattern: religion was used not merely as a system of belief, but as a framework for legitimizing expansion and hierarchy. The idea that Christian nations had a divine right to dominate non-Christian peoples created a moral structure that justified colonization and its consequences. These documents did not act alone in shaping history, but they provided a powerful endorsement that influenced law, policy, and attitudes for centuries.

Critically, the legacy of these bulls extends far beyond their original context. Their principles were later embedded in legal systems, including colonial law and court decisions that shaped land ownership and Indigenous rights. Even today, debates continue about their lasting impact and the extent to which their assumptions remain embedded in modern institutions.

1. The Law of Discovery

The first principle is often called the Law of Discovery. It held that when a Christian European nation “discovered” land not already ruled by another Christian power, it gained an exclusive right to claim that territory.

In practice, this meant Indigenous peoples who already lived on the land were not recognized as sovereign owners in the European legal sense. Instead, their land could be claimed by the discovering nation, which gained the first right to acquire it—by treaty or force.

This idea later became embedded in legal systems. A famous example is the U.S. Supreme Court case Johnson v. M'Intosh, which ruled that discovery gave the U.S. ultimate title to land, while Native Americans retained only a limited right of occupancy.

The lasting impact of this principle is enormous: it helped justify centuries of land dispossession across the Americas and beyond.

2. The Law of Christian Superiority (or Religious Justification)

The second principle is sometimes described as Christian superiority—the idea that Christian rulers had a moral and religious right to dominate non-Christian peoples.

Documents like Dum Diversas explicitly authorized rulers to subdue, conquer, and even enslave non-Christians. This wasn’t framed as random violence, but as part of a broader religious mission tied to spreading Christianity.

From a modern perspective, this principle is widely criticized as a form of religious and cultural supremacy. It created a framework where non-Christian societies were treated as inherently inferior or lacking full rights.

This idea played a major role in:

Justifying conquest in Africa and the Americas Supporting the transatlantic slave trade Framing colonization as a “civilizing” mission

Today, many scholars see this as one of the most harmful aspects of the doctrine.

3. The Law of Terra Nullius (Land Belonging to No One)

The third principle is often summarized as terra nullius, a Latin term meaning “land belonging to no one.”

Under this idea, land could be claimed if it was not being used in ways Europeans recognized—such as permanent settlements, agriculture, or formal political systems. Even when people clearly lived there, their land could be treated as effectively “empty” under European law.

This principle was applied in places like:

Australia North America Africa

It ignored Indigenous systems of land stewardship, governance, and culture.

The Old Testament:

A god who commits genocide, drowns babies, orders bear attacks on children, and throws tantrums like a tyrant.

Then someone realized how terrible that god looked. So they wrote a sequel. The New Testament. Suddenly God is love. Turn the other cheek. Jesus dies for your sins. Same franchise, new personality.

But the threat never changed. Old Testament: worship me or die. New Testament: worship me or burn forever. Same abuse, different packaging.

I have no doubt that they'll create a third testament in the future. They'll call it a new revelation, add more rules, soften the old contradictions, and try to make the whole thing believable again. Same pattern. Same God. Just another patch.

So Adam and Eve sinned thousands of years ago, and somehow I'm the one who has to pay for it?

I have to work hard to impress God. I have to pray every day. I have to go to church. I have to worship. I have to beg for forgiveness.

So, Jesus is coming back to judge us for the same sins he died for?