Another quote from Melville concerning missionaries

"To read of pathetic accounts of missionary hardships, and glowing descriptions of conversions, and baptisms taking place beneath palm-trees, is one thing, and to go to the Sandwich Islands and see the missionaries dwelling in pituresque and prettily furnished coral rock villas, whilst the miserable natives are commiting all sorts of immoralities around them, is quite another" from Typee.

It is clear that Mr. Melville was not fooled by the false Babylonish religion spread by missionaries in his century. If he were alive today he be even more negatively impressed with Christendom.