A Proposal for the Better Supplying of Churches in Our Foreign Plantations, and for Converting the Savage Americans to Christianity, By a College to Be Erected in the Summer Islands, Otherwise Called the Isles of Bermuda

Name: A Proposal for the Better Supplying of Churches in Our Foreign Plantations, and for Converting the Savage Americans to Christianity, By a College to Be Erected in the Summer Islands, Otherwise Called the Isles of Bermuda
Author: George Berkeley

By George Berkeley

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About This Book

An essay proposes founding a college in the Bermuda islands to supply well-trained clergy for colonial churches and to prepare young Indigenous Americans as missionaries. It criticizes poorly qualified colonial ministers and planter neglect of religious instruction for enslaved people, and recommends recruiting native children under ten, preserving their language while educating them in Christian doctrine, rhetoric, history, practical mathematics, and some medicine. Graduates would receive orders and return as missionaries. The proposal outlines organizational steps such as seeking a royal charter and funds and emphasizes shaping students with religious zeal and civic virtue to improve morals and facilitate conversion.

About the Author

George Berkeley

George Berkeley (1685-1753) was an Irish philosopher and bishop known for his contributions to the development of idealism and empiricism. His most notable work, "A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge," challenges the materialist view of reality, proposing that objects only exist as perceptions in the mind. Berkeley also explored the nature of vision in "An Essay Towards a New Theory of Vision," where he examined how we perceive distance and depth. His philosophical dialogues, particularly "Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous," engage with skepticism and atheism, showcasing his commitment to the interplay between faith and reason. Berkeley's ideas have significantly influenced modern philosophy and continue to be studied for their innovative approach to perception and existence.