by Bryan Belrad

Created on: March 08, 2008

This issue comes down to a matter of basic respect. While many who oppose the change to the CE system either believe that we should continue to use the old way because that's the way things have always been done, or, more commonly, see this for what it is: a move toward secularism, we must keep in mind that today's age is not one of selfish ethnocentrism, but one where the whole of society must come together to respect the values, beliefs, and differences of others. In short, this change to a secular system of dates is necessary because *not everyone is Christian*.

Is it not enough for those few people who actually care whether we call a year "anno domine" to know that their system of recording the years has finally won-out as the world-dominating force? That is no mean feat. While those in Europe and the Americas may never have known any other way, there are multitudes of cultures that each possess their own rolls of the years. Not the least among these alternative methods is the Chinese calender, which has about the same number of adherents as the Gregorian system. Considering this, it may well have come to pass that the counting system we've all been familiar with might not have just changed its name, but been replaced altogether.

Another factor to consider is that, no matter that the Christians will disagree, religions come and go. It is more important than any one groups' beliefs that history record an accurate, consistent table of the years. The only way to ensure that such a thing happens into perpetuity is to disassociate our system of dates from any religion. So, in that respect, it isn't even about respect for other peoples, but about the needs of history itself.

Our culture experienced a similar crisis before, back in the ancient days following the fall of Rome. At the time, there was no universal system of recording dates. Each locality measured time by a series of milestones, usually the coronation of Kings. For example, it was not uncommon in this era to see a historic chronicle that would read something to the effect of "in the third year of the reign of King James, called 'the Conquerer'."

Needless to say, for anyone not familiar with the chronology of a given area, figuring out when certain events actually happened with regards to the rest of the world was very difficult at best. That is the main reason that a system of dates was created independent of all that, a roll of years that just kept on counting. The Pope had his best scholars figure the approximate time of Jesus's Crucifixion, the one event that all of Europe would recognize, and measure the years from that single benchmark.

Now, the time has come for our society to advance to the next step, and disassociate itself from any particular religion. History, in order to preserve a true and accurate recounting, demands no less. And society, in the interest of tolerance and respect for all people, requires it.

So, to all you nay-sayers, feel free to keep clinging to the old ways. Such is your right. But understand that the world moves on, and, if need be, it will move on without you. Clinging to the outmoded ways of the past out of a refusal to change, to adapt, or to grow, is no way to embrace the future. And doing so out of close-minded intolerance of those who do not believe as you do is no way to embrace the rest of mankind in brotherhood - which, if I'm not mistaken, is the entire point of the faith.

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