In Fourteen Hundred Ninety-Two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue
And the rest is history. But which history? Who's history? A multiculturalist view of American history or a European view? Great political leaders such as Newt Gingrich and Jessie Helms remind us the American continent was founded on the principles of The Bible by Christopher Columbus and the Europeans who followed him. Even the Declaration of Independence refers to God and the Creator. Six weeks after Columbus landed in the Americas, he wrote about this land: "it should be for the enhancement and glory of the Christian religion, nor should anyone who is not a good Christian come to these parts."
Yet, purveyors of multiculturalism view Columbus and his followers as bigoted slave traders, persons with no moral principles who destroyed entire cultures and then stole their land. Multiculturalists say:
Well, there's the multiculturalist's point of view, now let's hear God's point of view. Let us turn to The Bible to see if Columbus followed the principles and examples set forth in The Scriptures.
Again, the multiculturalists say:
But in Numbers 33:52-53, God said to his chosen people:
In Numbers God saw what he wanted his people to have and he told them to take it. And from those humble beginnings God's people built a strong and righteous nation - just like God's followers did when they founded America.
And again, the multiculturalists say:
Columbus was "a murderer, a rapist, the architect of a policy of genocide that continues today." "His marauding band hunted Indians for sport and profit - beating, raping, torturing, killing ...." and "Columbus tore children from their parents, husbands from wives." A few years after Columbus, Cortez captured and killed Aztec emperor Montezuma and most of his people. He then took the spoils of Montezuma's city. (The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia.)
But in Deuteronomy Chapter 2:33-35, God's chosen people said:
And in Isaiah Chapter 13:16 God said:
God's chosen people smote and utterly destroyed men, women and little ones. They took cattle and spoils of the city for profit. They also "ravished" (The Bible doesn't wallow in vulgarisms) the wives of the conquered. Need I say more? After all, the Lord delivered the inhabitants of the Americas before Columbus and Cortez who then applied the principles of The Bible to bring God to the Americas. Today, are not ninety-five percent of the inhabitants of North, Central and South America Christians? We thank you Christopher Columbus.
On the five-hundredth anniversary of Columbus' voyage to America, the National Council of Churches declared the year was "not a time for celebration" but a time for "reflection and repentance," when European descendants should acknowledge there history of "oppression, degradation, and genocide."
Shame, shame on you National Council of Churches for not recognizing God's handiwork. You must stop being swayed by every new fad and popular idea and hold fast to the everlasting moral principles set forth in the The Bible.
Did Columbus and those who followed him make mistakes? Without a doubt. In fact, The Bible warned about the very mistake made by Columbus:
Wisdom from The Bible! Each year around Columbus Day the multiculturalists in America rally to criticize and denounce Cortez and Columbus. Well, the multiculturalists certainly are pricks in my eyes, and they vex me in the land wherein I dwell.
Yet, there is also a more benign view of the whole Columbus/Cortez experience. Was not the European's encounter with the Indians a cultural exchange:
Now, brothers and sisters, who got the better deal?
Remember, "For I am the LORD, I change not;" Malachi 3:6
Christopher Columbus: Sinner or Saint?
In 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail across the Atlantic, a voyage that would forever alter the course of history. But how should we view his legacy today? The historical narrative surrounding Columbus has long been debated, with perspectives ranging from that of a noble explorer bringing Christianity to the New World to that of a colonizer responsible for oppression and destruction.
Many supporters argue that Columbus and the European settlers who followed him laid the foundation for a Christian civilization in the Americas. Leaders such as Newt Gingrich and Jesse Helms have pointed out that America was founded on biblical principles, a sentiment reflected in the Declaration of Independence, which references a Creator. Columbus himself wrote of his mission: "It should be for the enhancement and glory of the Christian religion, nor should anyone who is not a good Christian come to these parts."
However, critics present a vastly different picture. Many historians and scholars argue that Columbus was responsible for exploitation, enslavement, and violence against the Indigenous peoples. Some claim he initiated a legacy of oppression that continues to this day. Anthropologist Jack Weatherford describes Columbus’ actions as brutal, citing instances of forced labor, displacement, and violence against native populations.
To better understand Columbus' actions, it is worth examining biblical precedents. In the Old Testament, God commands the Israelites to take possession of lands and drive out their inhabitants. Numbers 33:52-53 states:
"Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it."
Similarly, Deuteronomy 2:33-35 describes the Israelites conquering cities, taking spoils, and leaving none of the previous inhabitants alive. Some have drawn parallels between these biblical accounts and Columbus' arrival in the Americas, arguing that he saw himself as fulfilling a divine mission.
Yet, history is more complex than a single interpretation. While Columbus undeniably played a key role in bringing European civilization and Christianity to the New World, his actions also had devastating consequences for Indigenous communities. The National Council of Churches, for example, has urged reflection and repentance for the "oppression, degradation, and genocide" that followed European colonization.
Ultimately, Columbus' legacy is a matter of perspective. Should he be celebrated as a visionary explorer who spread Christianity, or should he be critiqued for his role in the suffering of Indigenous peoples? The debate continues, and perhaps the best approach is one that acknowledges both the achievements and the moral failings of history.
By examining Columbus through both biblical and historical lenses, we can strive for a more nuanced understanding—one that neither blindly venerates nor wholly condemns, but rather seeks truth and justice in history.
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