Christ's Empire

A very pithy quote from the Vatican on the BBC's using of "BCE" and "CE" instead of "BC" and "AD":

“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. (Link)

Indeed so. When someone says "BCE" and "CE", they may as well mean "Before Christ's Empire" and "Christ's Empire", because we all know which event marks the beginning of the so-called "common era". You can't erase history, even if you don't like it. Even when trying to wipe out mention of Christianity, the BBC is forced to keep the obvious reference to it.

If the BBC really believed that "Before Christ" was somehow offensive to non-Christians, then surely they should change the "computation of time" and not merely the "description"?

That'd be a bit tricky, though. Secularism, being such a boring, empty, sterile affair, doesn't really have any great dates to mark, or notable figures worth celebrating. Shall we date it from the founding date of the National Secular Society? When was that - anyone know without looking it up? Thought not!

Since secularism is so sterile, secularists as a result tend to being pursue tedious and empty causes. Religious people always reflect their religion, whether their religion is called "Christianity" or "secularism". Thus secularists, instead of carrying out something of cultural significance, are left to spend their time getting professionally offending on behalf of people who weren't actually offended, and arguing that in order to avoid offence we should testify to Christ's conquest without mentioning his name. Is that what victory is meant to look like? If that's victory, one wonders what a secularist admission of defeat would be...

As the Vatican point out, even if you hate Christ, it's a simple matter of honesty to state that his coming has been the most revolutionary event of human history. Like it or not, Christ is the Lord of history; he will reign and the nations shall submit to his sway - sometimes, whether they can bring themselves to name him, or not.