Happy Columbus Day!

[Everybody Wang Chung]

Columbus Day has always taken on a rather unique theological significance in Mormonism. After all, our scriptures offer a definitive account of the continent's actual pre-Columbian settlers.

[Tom]

I am pleased to report that Brother Columbus has had his temple work completed. He was baptized and confirmed by proxy on 21 August 1877, and he was ordained a high priest and received the initiatory and the endowment by proxy three days later. Inexplicably, however, Columbus was not sealed by proxy to his parents until 1939, and he was not sealed to his wife, Filipa Moñiz Perestrelo, until 1938. Fifty years passed before Columbus and Beatriz Enríquez de Arana were sealed by proxy.

Speaking of Columbus Day celebrations, here is an excerpt from Wilford Woodruff’s inspiring journal entry describing a celebration in Salt Lake City in 1892:

The great celebration of the arival of Christopher Columbus upon the American continent was held to day in Salt Lake City The Assembly met in the great Tabernacle 5000 school children met in the Lower room But there was so much noise & confusion in the Assembly of Little children that the speakers could not be hea[rd] W Woodruff was called upon to Dismissed the Meeting

[Doctor Steuss]

Deseret News had a piece about Columbus on Sunday.

The subheading was:

Portrayals of Columbus as a villain often rely on select moments taken out of context, while dismissing a great deal of other evidence, including his own stated intentions

Link

I'm not sure what context or stated intentions helps put a positive spin on sex trafficking children, and writing about how there was a lot of demand for 9 and 10 year olds (that he was happy to meet). I didn't notice anything in the article about how to make reducing the native population of Hispanolia by 94% into a tale of heroism instead of villainy.

Apparently, saying you're doing stuff in the name of Christianity is the ultimate whitewash.