The effects of European exploration on this continent are said to have been uniformly evil because of the "Chiistian chauvinism" that dominated the world view of the West. Stories of the brutality and oppression that (supposedly) fall on a culture because of Christianity have become commonplace. Of course most of these "atrocities" cannot be substantiated, but, then again, men who hate God have never been discouraged by an absence of facts to support their assertions. They know that a lie, if repeated often enough, will eventually supplant the truth. This has happened. So complete has the triumph of The Lie been that even Christians reflexively apologize for the "multitude of evils" they have been told were committed by their brethren.

Now, surely there have been many lamentab1e errors, painful mistakes, and even outright crimes committed in the name of the Savior. Sin and hypocrisy are (and have ever been) sad realities. and no one should seek to justify them. But, when we find that many of the "crimes" are pure fabrications or ghastly exaggerations, we need to realize something other than a "search for truth" is afoot.