Columbus, Israel, and Mormon Beliefs

Christopher Columbus—the Epic Hero who revived Judeo-Christian heritage in America

Dinner Topics for Monday



Columbus and the Jewish Connection

Little known is the fact that Columbus may have been a convert from Judaism to Christianity, and that he sought to gather the lost tribes of Israel to the fold of Jesus Christ.

Columbus Day, October 12,(observed this year on October 8) has been observed as an official U.S. holiday since 1934. The year 1992, marked the five-hundredth anniversary of Columbus's first landfall in the New World.

Since then, many of the epic stories that make up our great American history have been purged from the schools. The rising generation is growing to adulthood with little or no knowledge of their rich heritage of liberty and their Judeo-Christian roots. October 12, if observed, no longer has much to do with the far-reaching significance of Columbus’ discovery. Like the birthdays of Washington and Lincoln, Columbus Day is being overshadowed these days by the new state religion: Islam.

Even those who did study some basic history during the 20th century, however, did not have the opportunity to know the epic hero who was Christopher Columbus. Little known is the fact that Columbus may have been a convert from Judaism to Christianity, and that he sought to gather the lost tribes of Israel to the fold of Jesus Christ. Following are excerpts from an article by Shirley Heater which documents inspiring facts about this nearly-forgotten hero. Truly this is a story to save in your personal “Treasury of Epic Stories”, to pass on to your children and grandchildren.

Christopher Columbus: Man of Vision and Faith

by Shirley R. Heater

Was the discovery made by accident, or was Columbus led by God? The Book of Mormon says he was led by the Holy Spirit, and now we have confirmation of this in Columbus's own words, as well as additional new insights. An authentic Columbus manuscript has gone virtually unexamined until recent years. In Columbus's Book of Prophecies, translated into English in 1991, he provides his own answers about Divine influence in his accomplishments.
Christopher Columbus, as he is known to English speakers, was born Christopher Colombo in the seaport of Genoa, Italy, in 1451.
 His sailing career began when he was about 13 or 14 years old. He became a skilled seaman and navigator on merchant ships which traveled the Mediterranean Sea. In 1476, he joined his brother Bartholomew in the Portugal city of Lisbon, where they worked together on map-making. His Portuguese name was Cristovao Colom.

During his eight years in Lisbon, Columbus expanded his sailing experience into the Atlantic Ocean. He married, became the father of a son, Diego, and shortly thereafter was widowed. It was also during this period that his "vision" of sailing to new lands and saving lost souls germinated. He sought backing for his proposed venture from King John II of Portugal who turned him down.

Undaunted, he went to the port city of Palos de la Frontera in Spain, taking his young son with him. They were befriended by the friars of the monastery at La Rabida and then at Las Cuevas in Seville, who embraced and encouraged his ideas. His name took on the Spanish form, Cristobal Colon.

The magnitude of his intended enterprise soon opened the doors to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. Their interest did not wane even though other matters kept them from following through with their approval for seven years.

During that prolonged period, he made his home in Cordoba (Cordova) where he met a young woman who became the mother of his second son, Ferdinand. [Note: He is still known throughout the Spanish-speaking world as Cristobal Colon Christopher Columbus, the English form, comes to us by way of the early colonists. Whatever the version of his name--Cristoforo, Cristovao, Cristobal or Christopher--the meaning is the same: "Christ bearer" (Sale 1990: 254n)].

Isaiah and the Isles of the Sea
 
Columbus and Nephi [from the Book of Mormon] had special regard for Isaiah, the Old Testament prophet most often quoted or referred to in both Columbus's Book of Prophecies and the Book of Mormon. More intriguing is the fact that Nephi and Columbus selected the same portions of Isaiah and that each saw himself fulfilling those prophecies.

The Book of Mormon identifies the seed of Lehi as a remnant, a branch broken off which will be restored to the knowledge of their covenant and their Redeemer (e.g., 1 Nephi 4:15-17). Nephi and his brother, Jacob, are the only Book of Mormon writers who crossed the ocean, and they uniquely view their promised land as an island. Nephi, who delighted in the words of Isaiah (2 Nephi 11:8), "likened" them to his people (2 Nephi 8:3) in their literal fulfillment.
When Columbus was led to the "isles of the sea," the door was opened to the lands occupied by the remnant of the Book of Mormon people. This set events in motion for the eventual restoration of the knowledge of the covenants.

Lost Tribes and Other Sheep
 
Through Columbus's writings, it is obvious that he fully expected to find the lost tribes of Israel (Wiesenthal 1973:61). He saw himself as "Christ-bearer" (the meaning of his name Christopher), God's messenger to bring a knowledge of the Savior to the lost tribes
Particularly noteworthy is Columbus's inclusion of John 10:16 in his Book of Prophecies: "I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen [fold], and I must bring them also; they will hear my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd" (Brigham 1991:264-265). It is with great foresight that he believed that the "flock" would not just be "Israel after the flesh" but that a "spiritual Israel" would be formed of all who would come to Christ (208-209).

When Jesus visited Lehi's descendants, he told them that they were the other sheep of which he had spoken and that he had still other sheep (3 Nephi 7:20, 24-26). He also told them that those Gentiles who repented would also be numbered among his people (v. 37). There are specific promises in the Book of Mormon to restore the Lamanites to "the knowledge of their Redeemer, ... and be numbered among his sheep" which are yet to be fulfilled (Helaman 5:104). This restoration was set in motion when Columbus was led to the New World, followed by Gentiles who brought the "record of the Jews" 0 Nephi 3:155-161). It will culminate when they receive the Book of Mormon and the two books "grow together" (2 Nephi 2:17-23).

The Jewish Connection
 
Was Columbus Jewish? There are several proponents of Columbus's Jewish heritage, with varying viewpoints. Some believe "What there is abundant circumstantial evidence that Columbus was of a Jewish background, at least on one side of the family" (Fuson 1987:16).
The description of Columbus in the Book of Mormon as "a man among the Gentiles" could be interpreted either as a Jew or a Gentile (1 Nephi 3:145).

Columbus is seen either as a converso, a converted Jew (Madariaga 1949:54-65,119-135), or a marrano, a professing Christian who was still a secretly-practicing Jew (Wiesenthal 1973:124-133). Whether or not he was of Jewish ancestry is an interesting proposition. Columbus's writings are abundantly interwoven with professions of faith and belief in Jesus Christ as his Savior (Brigham 1991:179-181), and he affirms his faith in a letter to the king and queen of Spain (182-183):

Columbus's mission was permeated with a "Jewish flavor." Many Jews supported his venture, providing maps, instruments and finances. Many crew members are believed to have been Jewish. In anticipation of finding the lost tribes on his first voyage, Columbus took along a converso, Luis de Torres, an experienced interpreter who "knew how to speak Hebrew, Chaldean, and even some Arabic" (Fusan 1987:100-101).

Upon arrival in the New World, Hebrew was probably spoken in an attempt to communicate with the natives. In the log of his first voyage, Columbus linked the beginning of his voyage to America (early morning of August 3rd) and the expulsion of all professing Jews from Spain (effective at midnight of August 2nd) (Fusan 1987:52). The Jewish people were hopeful of finding a new place of refuge (Wiesenthal 1973:88). The New World was to become a haven for Jews and a new promised land. In fact, the first refugees came in the late fifteenth century; many were marranos (Sachar 1992:10). Columbus also desired to free Jerusalem from the Muslims and restore the Holy Land to the Church. This could only be financed by discovering new lands and gathering enough gold, silver and precious stones (Fusan 1987:34). However, he knew that his desire to bring freedom to the people of the Old Testament could ultimately come only through their conversion to Jesus Christ.

President Obama, Terrorism, and Libya

Does Obama Foreign Policy Restrain or Encourage Terrorism?

Vote in Related Poll
From American Family Association

Muslim rioters murder U.S. ambassador, three others

Much like the Syrian debacle, much like the Iranian debacle, much like the Iraqi debacle -- [this is] the same sort of failed policy," he tells OneNewsNow. "They do not understand that part of the world, they don't listen to people who do -- and as a result we shed a lot of innocent blood."

Bob Maginnis, Family Research Council

The U.S. ambassador to Libya and three American members of his staff were killed in the attack on the U.S. consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi by protesters angry over a film that ridiculed Islam's Prophet Muhammad, Libyan officials said Wednesday.

They said Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed Tuesday night when he and a group of embassy employees went to the consulate to try to evacuate staff as the building came under attack by a mob guns and rocket propelled grenades.
The three Libyan officials who confirmed the deaths were deputy interior minister for eastern Libya Wanis al-Sharaf; Benghazi security chief Abdel-Basit Haroun; and Benghazi city council and security official Ahmed Bousinia.

The State Department said Tuesday that one American was killed in the attack. It has not confirmed the other deaths.

The attack on the Benghazi consulate took place as hundreds of protesters in neighboring Egypt scaled the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and tore down and replaced the American flag with a black Islamic banner.

The attacks in Benghazi and Cairo were the first such assaults on U.S. diplomatic facilities in either country, at a time when both Libya and Egypt are struggling to overcome the turmoil following the ouster of their longtime authoritarian leaders, Moammar Gadhafi and Hosni Mubarak, in uprisings last year.

The protests in both countries were sparked by outrage over a film ridiculing Muhammad produced by an Israeli filmmaker living in California and being promoted by an extreme anti-Muslim Egyptian Christian campaigner in the United States. Excerpts from the film dubbed into Arabic were posted on YouTube.
 
Stevens, 52, was a career diplomat who spoke Arabic and French and had already served two tours in Libya, including running the office in Benghazi during the revolt against Gadhafi. He was confirmed as ambassador to Libya by the Senate earlier this year.

One foreign policy debacle after another

Chad Groening - OneNewsNow
National defense analyst and Pentagon advisor Bob Maginnis says the initial reaction of the U.S. consulate in Cairo to condemn an anti-Islam movie is another sign of the appeasement attitude of the president when it comes to Islam. The perpetrators of Tuesday's attacks in Egypt and Libya cited that reaction as a reason for their actions.

Maginnis, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel who is now senior fellow for national security at the Family Research Council, says this is another in a long line of Obama foreign policy debacles.

"Much like the Syrian debacle, much like the Iranian debacle, much like the Iraqi debacle -- [this is] the same sort of failed policy," he tells OneNewsNow. "They do not understand that part of the world, they don't listen to people who do -- and as a result we shed a lot of innocent blood."

Continue and vote in related poll

Atheist Defends Christianity against Islam Religion

Christianity compared to Islam

Kudos … to Newsweek

by Tim Wildmon

President, American Family Association

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

If there ever was a contrast in worldviews, it is with Christianity and Islam.

Yes. Kudos to Newsweek magazine for giving a cover story to a subject mostly under-reported by the mainstream media: the worldwide persecution of those who practice the Christian faith.

The cover for the February 13 issue reads: "The War on Christians." Inside, the article by Ayaan Hirsi Ali is headlined this way: "The rise of Christophobia: from one end of the Muslim world to the other, Christians are being murdered for their faith."

Ali goes into great detail with one horror story after another from around the world. Despite the promotion of political correctness in the United States, it is becoming clear to most Americans - at least those who are paying attention - that Islam in not a religion of peace.

It is, in fact, a religion of war, violence, intolerance and physical persecution of non-Muslims. These atrocities are being committed against Christians because they are considered infidels, and therefore it is a Muslim's duty to defeat the infidel - in any way necessary.

"We hear so often about Muslims as victims of abuse in the West and combatants in the Arab Spring's fight against tyranny," writes Ali. "But, in fact, a wholly different kind of war is under way - an unrecognized battle costing thousands of lives. Christians are being killed in the Islamic world because of their religion. It is a rising genocide that ought to provoke global alarm."

It is interesting to note that Ali is a professed atheist and international spokesperson for women's rights.

If there ever was a contrast in worldviews, it is with Christianity and Islam. One of the most striking differences is that Christianity teaches, practices and encourages charity. Islam does not. It is Christians from the U.S. who are doing the majority of the private charity and humanitarian work around the world. Just these past couple of weeks alone, I was reminded of several examples of this.

The first example is two young ladies from Saltillo, Mississippi - twin sisters Haleigh and Heather Moore - who are currently running across the country from Louisiana to California to raise money to dig water wells in Third World countries through World Vision. They are motivated by their belief that God wants them to care about other people in need.

The second example is my colleague Buddy Smith, who along with wife Carol, just returned from a week-long trip to Ecuador where they participated with Operation Christmas Child in distributing thousands of shoe boxes of supplies to children who have little or nothing and who are dependent on Christian missions organizations.

Since 1993, Samaritan's Purse (headed by Franklin Graham) has distributed in excess of 94 million shoe box gifts around the world … all in the name of Jesus Christ.

As an aside, you may remember that Franklin Graham, having seen firsthand the persecution of Christians by Muslims in the countries where he works, called Islam "evil" and "wicked."

A third example came to mind while I was at the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Nashville in February, when the president of Gospel for Asia came up to me to thank me for the $153,314 that our radio network, American Family Radio, helped raise for them last fall—monies that were applied to buy all kinds of basic human needs for the "untouchables" in India.

American Family Association/American Family Radio has been participating in this project with Gospel for Asia for several years. Why do we care about the outcast people of India? Because in the Bible, Jesus instructs us to do so.

As far as I know, there is no such comparable work being done around the world by Islamic groups or organizations.

Religion, more than anything else, affects the values and morals of a culture, a society, a country.

American Culture of Liberty or Muslim Culture?

Another Reason to Home School ...

Dinner Topics for Tuesday

NYC public school teaching mandatory Arabic..what do you think?

Fox News Blog

A public school in Manhattan will be the first in the city to require students to study Arabic. Students at PS-368 will be required to take 2 classes a week for 45 minutes each. The principal states that Arabic is "a critical-need language" and also believes that it will help the school obtain a prestigious International Baccalaureate standing.

So we want to know..what do you think? Is this a great idea and would you sign the permission slip? OR would you have a problem if your child's school started teaching mandatory Arabic lessons?

NYC Public School Mandates Arabic Language Studies for All 2nd Through 5th Graders

From The Blaze

PS 368, a public elementary school in Manhattan, New York, has implemented a school-wide mandate that is capturing headlines. Principal Nicky Kram Rosen is requiring all 200 students in grades second through fifth to spend two 45-minute sessions each week learning Arabic.

The requirement, which will begin next semester, is intended to help bolster the school’s standing. Rather than focusing on more common (some would argue even more useful) languages like French or Spanish, Rosen has chosen Arabic in an effort to achieve an International Baccalaureate, which would apparently be a wonderful sentiment for the school’s reputation.

“She proposed this to the parent association. They were very supportive,” explained Angela Jackson, the CEO of the Global Language Project, a group backing the initiative. “Arabic has been identified as a critical-need language. It means they can spin the globe and decide where they want to work and live.”

The program was created as a partnership between the Global Language Project and the Qatar Foundation International. Currently, children are participating in a pilot version of the class during their free afternoon periods. As far as potential objections to the program go, the school will need to focus on those incidents, should they become a problem, on an individualized basis.

The Arabic requirement becomes mandatory in September. But PS 368 is a so-called “choice’’ school and no kids, even those living nearby, are forced to attend it. If the school ever enrolls a student who objects to learning Arabic, administrators will deal with that on a case-by-case basis, Jackson said.

Mohamed Mamdouh, who teaches the pilot program, said, “Soon, Arabic will be a global language like French and Spanish. These kids are like sponges. It’s amazing to see their progress.’’

Mamdouh yesterday played a version of duck, duck, goose with the kids using the Arabic words for mother and father — mama and baba — for ducks and geese.

NY1 is reporting that teachers at the school also hope that, in addition to language skills, students gain a better understanding of the Middle East and Arab culture. So far, no opposition to the program has been reported. 

Would YOU express opposition if it were your child?

Comments

Don’t you think it would be good for the little darlings to learn English language, rules and structures FIRST!!!!! Good grief, they can’t speak, read or write basic English…..(KAYDEEBEAU)

What’s really sad is that each of those little kids in the picture know more about their ethnic heritage than they know what it even means to be a good American. I’m this, your that! Be an American first! Learn English first! All cultures are not equal, all nations are not equal!

 

“When Race becomes lifted up over accomplishment, we have then lost what it means to be an exceptional nation among nations”. JMS.