Why did missionaries attempt to align Indigenous gods with Catholic religious icons?

Question

It allowed Indigenous peoples to continue practicing their religion but pretend to convert to Catholicism
It made Catholicism seem more familiar and the conversion process easier for Indigenous peoples
It demonstrated the inadequacy of Catholic religious doctrine
Missionaries avoided any support or use of Indigenous cultural beliefs

Answer 1

The correct answer is: It made Catholicism seem more familiar and the conversion process easier for Indigenous peoples.

Missionaries often sought to align Indigenous gods and beliefs with Catholic religious icons as a strategy to facilitate conversion. By integrating elements of Indigenous spirituality into Catholic practices, missionaries aimed to make the new religion more relatable and acceptable to Indigenous communities, thereby easing the transition to Catholicism. This approach often allowed for a syncretism of beliefs, where Indigenous peoples could retain some of their cultural identity while adopting aspects of the Christian faith.