“In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” We learned that in school. We also memorized the names of the 3 little ships that carried Christopher and his merry men on a perilous journey to what would later be called, “the new world.” I have good memories of Columbus Day.

It is true, Columbus’ navigation and geography left something to be desired. He thought he was in India when he landed. He even named the indigenous people Indians. But as a child, I thought it was a nice story about a brave man. A Christian man.
As an older adult, I realized the story was not so nice. Columbus had more faults than a broken compass. He was not a kind man. And despite his name, Chrisopher was not very Christian.
He committed mass rape, amputation, and murder against the residents of the Carribeans. In a matter of years he had virtually wiped out groups of the native population. His behavior was so deplorable that his employers had Columbus dragged back to Spain in chains.
Some cities in the United States have changed Columbus Day to Indigenous People Day. The name change can do nothing to bring back the people groups Columbus eradicated. But it is a start toward forgetting the man who committed such crimes, while claiming to be a Christian.
Mark Ross
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