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From: iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Ivan A Derzhanski)
Subject: Re: Why AD Latin, BC English? - summary & followup
Message-ID: <CxF1IB.4As@cogsci.ed.ac.uk>
Organization: Centre for Cognitive Science, Edinburgh, UK
References: <mccombtmCx60L9.J2B@netcom.com> <lhbCx8DIG.EFt@netcom.com> <37147n$315@mcmail.cis.McMaster.CA>
Date: Sun, 9 Oct 1994 17:20:33 GMT
Lines: 38

In article <37147n$315@mcmail.cis.McMaster.CA> moylek@mcmail.cis.mcmaster.ca (Ken Moyle) writes:
>	That still leaves the problem, as someone pointed out a while 
>ago, as to how to schedule the day-to-day work of these oh-so impartial 
>departments..... does one have classes on day one, day two and day four 
>rather than on Moon Day, Tuer's Day and Thor's Day?  Oh, sorry, I 
>forgot.... it's only Christianity, the evil 
>Euro-centric/ethno-centric/white/patriarchal bugaboo that needs to be 
>voided in the study of partiality. (semi :)

There is also the question whether the use of the Germanic or Romance
names of the days of the week is as explicit a reference to the Germanic
or Roman religion as the expression `before/after [the birth of] Christ'
is to Christianity.  It somehow seems to me that it isn't.  I don't have
a problem with the second day of the week being associated with Tiw, even
though Tiw is as mythical a figure as Yahweh, but I'm not prepared to state,
even indirectly, that I'm counting the years from someone's birth, let alone
someone who can be referred to as `[the] Christ'.

>Really, though, the late-20th century notion that only the biases of
>the majority need to excised is inconsistant, if not slightly patronizing.

What is patronising is the majority's assumption that everyone belongs
to it.  Due to the vitality of Christianity, inconsistent as it may be
with the late 20th century, it is much easier to be counted as a Christian
than as a worshipper of Thor or Jupiter (or Marduk, for that matter).

And many of us would much rather worship the Sun and the Moon, Woden
and especially Freo :-) than the illegitimate son of Joseph the joiner.

That's just two reasons for which you'll see non-Christians (not only
atheists) objecting to references to Christianity more violently than
to references to other religions.

-- 
`That's yer oan problem, Judas', they telt him.  `It's nae concern tae us.'
Ivan A Derzhanski (iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk/chaos.cs.brandeis.edu)  (The G-- G--)
* Centre for Cognitive Science,  2 Buccleuch Place,   Edinburgh EH8 9LW,  UK
* Cowan House E113, Pollock Halls, 18 Holyrood Pk Rd, Edinburgh EH16 5BD, UK
