The American elites are guided by their desire to emulate the European elites and, as a result, anti-religious values and principles are coming to dominate the academic, news media, and judicial class in America.
Let me give you just one small example of the secular pressures. There is now a convention in scientific publications to replace Anno Domini (AD) with common era (CE). This is an entirely artificial and intellectually incoherent dating system. There is no common era. The year 2011 is a Christian date. This year is 5771 in the Hebrew tradition. It is 1432 anno Hegirae in the Islamic calendar. It is Vikram Samvat 2067 in the most commonly used Hindu calendar. And of course, in remembrance of the first great anti-Christian (and failed) revolution, it is 219 in the French Revolutionary calendar. Factual honesty would lead the scientific community to revert to AD as their designator but secular cultural pressure rejects recognition of the Christian calendar in favor of an artificial replacement.Proponents of Common Era notation assert that the use of BCE/CE shows sensitivity to those who use the same year numbering system as the one that originated with and is currently used by Christians, but who are not themselves Christian. Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan argued, "[T]he Christian calendar no longer belongs exclusively to Christians. People of all faiths have taken to using it simply as a matter of convenience. There is so much interaction between people of different faiths and cultures - different civilizations, if you like - that some shared way of reckoning time is a necessity. And so the Christian Era has become the Common Era."
Of course, Annan does not make clear why if the world adopts a Christian calendar, Christians must then throw the calendar notation under the bus for the benefit of the world. It is really not an adoption of the Christian calendar, but more of a takeover of the calendar and then turning it into something it is not. One wonders if non-Christians started attending Catholic masses for wafer and wine, if that would result in Annan calling for the wafer and wine to be switched to a coke and fries, given the new interaction.
Astrobiologist Duncan Steel makes the quite logical point that if one is going to go mad and replace BC/AD with BCE/CE then one should reject all aspects of the dating system (including time of day, days of the week and months of the year) as they all have origins related to pagan, astrological, Jewish and Christian beliefs.
Some people already use it (I think I saw it on Wikipedia manytimes). I read it as BCE = Before Christ's Era, and CE = Christ's Era.
ReplyDeleteAs an atheist, I think this is a waste of time. Aren't there better things to try and change? And really, I celebrate christmas, easter, and don't give a damn where and who generated the days or what their meaning is supposed to be. AD and BC is fine with me.
ReplyDeleteIt is not about sensitivity. It's about erasing history, specifically, the defining role of Christ on what we call European high culture, still the most widely trusted and valid social lingua franca in the Western and Westernized world.
ReplyDeleteA better way to show tolerance would be this:
When Westerners adopt Eastern practices, like yoga or ayurveda or Chinese medicine, how about interviewing Indian or Chinese experts, rather than always looking for a Western expert?
How about giving a place on Wikipedia to an outstanding alternative journal like Dissident Voice, that broke stories FAR ahead of most of the MSM, instead of marginalizing it, just because many of the writers are foreigners or immigrants?
These are specific concrete actions extending equal respect to equal (or greater) achievement.
Without that, this kind of PC nonsense is only tyranny masquerading as good manners, as Charleton Heston said. (I'm paraphrasing)
BCE and CE have been used commonly on the History Channel for years. A little inconsistant given the History Channel's penchant for showing Bible-based historical programs. I guess it just depends upon the particular shows' producers.
ReplyDeleteBCE and CE have been in use for a long time. As a history major in school, these are the terms we used. The fact that anyone is calling attention to this now is because faux conservatives are looking for more cheap shots against faux liberals. It's all a moot point, BCE and CE are already standard usage.
ReplyDelete"It is really not an adoption of the Christian calendar, but more of a takeover of the calendar and then turning it into something it is not."
ReplyDeleteKind of like how Christians stole their holidays from other religions?
Oh, please...CE/BCE notation has been in use for hundreds of years. Not to mention that in some scholarly medieval circles the term Common is used synonymously with Christian.
ReplyDeleteCheck out the new TV serial "good christian bitches" - World Net Daily has a circular petitioning against it..
ReplyDeleteConnect that to the BCE vs BC change...
Now add that to the Rajaratnam conviction..
And ask yourself if the liberal establishment journalists are really NOT racist, sexist, and antireligious bigots.
Can you imagine Hank Paulson or Lloyd Blankfein with an ankle bracelet...or a show about good Muslim or Jewish bitches?
Santa sets up shop in hell before that happens.
Also, I wouldn't use terms like 'racist' that are overused and misapplied, except that that's what the PC crowd uses to control everyone else. So they need to have their own standards applied to them.
ReplyDeleteCE has been used for a long time in some circles. And there are probably good reasons to use it in many international settings.
But, as Bob says, this change is being proposed from on high...and that gives it a significance it wouldn't otherwise have. That's the issue.
Besides, any traditionalist (not conservative) would certainly wince...
'In the year of our lord' means something..whether it offends anyone or not. Common era is kinda pablum.
But then, this is an age of pablum..