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In an editorial written by Lucetta Scaraffia in L’Osservatore Romano, the author rips into the BBC decision to change BC (Before Christ) to BCE (Before the Common Era) and AD (Anno Domini – the Year of the Lord) to CE (Common Era). She claims that non-Christians have generally expressed little concern about use of the traditional terminology. She states, “In reality, it is by now very clear that respect for other religions is only an excuse, because those who wish to erase every trace of Christianity from Western culture are only a few secular westerners.”
Scaraffia draws parallel attempts from history such as the imposition of the French Calendar dating history to the day of the French Revolution and similar attempts by Lenin and Mussolini.
The editorial concludes, “In sum, the idea of removing the Christian calendar has very bad precedent, leaving numerous failures in its wake. It should be noted that this time, the BBC has limited itself to changing only the description, rather than the computation of time, but in doing so, it cannot be denied that it has made a hypocritical gesture: the hypocrisy of those who pretend not to know why years began to be counted precisely from that moment.”
Scaraffia argues that the terms BC and AD are not just a statement of religious importance, but that they mark a significant cultural and historical moment in time. She states, “…from that moment was the idea affirmed that all human beings are equal because they are children of God? A principle upon which human rights are founded, and on the basis of which people and leaders are judged. A principle which, until that moment, no one had supported and upon which the Christian tradition is based.
“Why should it not be recognized that from that moment the world was changed? That taboos and material impurity disappeared and that nature was liberated from the presence of the supernatural precisely because God is transcendent? Out of this was born the possibility for European peoples to discover the world and for scientists to begin the experimental study of nature which led to the birth of modern science”
Full Article: L’Osservatore Romano
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News category: World.
