I have some news for you. The Spanish state, its church, and its representatives did a LOT of enslaving of the Native Americans. The missions that pepper California and Mexico were almost entirely dependent on the labor of enslaved natives, and they were horrifically brutal about it, too. In a book I have on the subject, there's an example of one priest who complained about how the natives were treated, and he was summarily relocated. So, Christianity had an enormous role in enslaving and murdering native Americans, and it had nothing to do with Merchants.