Remus Cernea

Remus Cernea (born 25 June 1974) is a Romanian activist against discrimination based on faith and religion, an advocate of the separation of church and state and the founder of the "Solidarity for Freedom of Conscience Association".

Biography

Born in 1974, he moved to Bucharest in 1988. In 1998, he founded the Noesis Cultural Society, an organization which edited the first Romanian e-books and multimedia encyclopedias dedicated to subjects of the Romanian culture. [http://www.tualegi.eu/remus-cernea-repere-biografice/ Remus Cernea - repere biografice] at tualegi.eu]

In 1998, together with other three students at the University of Bucharest began a campaign against the display of Orthodox icons in the classrooms and the building of a church in the university yard. He graduated in philosophy in 2002.

In 2003, he founded the Association "Solidarity for Freedom of Conscience", a secularist and humanist organization which militates for freedom of thought, separation of church and state and against discrimination based on faith and religion. [ [http://www.humanism.ro/pages.php?page=33 Statement of Principles] , at "humanism.ro", March 7 2004]

Cernea published in 2007 a book of essays and articles named "Manifest împotriva becalizării României" ("A Manifest Against the Becalization of Romania"), in which he argues that the "Becalization" (derived from the name of Gigi Becali, a nationalist politician who stresses his allegiance to the Orthodox Church) is threatening the values of an open society. [ [http://www.tritonic.ro/isbn-978-973-733-192-2.htm "Manifest împotriva becalizării României"] , at Tritonic publishing house]

Views

Cernea argues that in Romania there is an "inacceptable collusion between the politicians and the Church",fr icon [http://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2008/02/01/01003-20080201ARTFIG00478-les-projets-pharaoniques-de-l-eglise-orthodoxe-a-bucarest.php "Les projets pharaoniques de l'Église orthodoxe à Bucarest"] , in "Le Figaro", February 1 2008] and that although officially there is a separation of church and state, practically, the Romanian Orthodox Church and the state are "intimately linked".fr icon [http://www.liberation.fr/actualite/monde/277781.FR.php "En Roumanie, l’Eglise reste en l’Etat"] , "Libération", September 12 2007]

He considers himself a "freethinker", which he describes as being more encompassing than the term of "atheist", considering the term of atheist a bit too limited and wanting to retain an "area of speculation and openness". [ [http://www.humanism.ro/articles.php?page=62&article=224 A reply to Mr. Andrei Pleşu: Remus Cernea - Why I consider myself a freethinker] , "humanism.ro", January 29 2008]

Campaigns

Icons in schools

According to Cernea, following the fall of Nicolae Ceauşescu, in schools, his portraits were replaced with Romanian Orthodox icons. In 2005, Emil Moise, a philosophy teacher from Buzău began a campaign against the display of religious items in schools, [http://www.bbc.co.uk/romanian/news/story/2006/11/061114_icoane_scoli.shtml "Câteva ONG-uri cer retragerea icoanelor şi crucilor din şcoli"] , "BBC", November 14, 2006] Cernea's association supporting his case for the removal of icons from schools, arguing that the religious symbols represent a discrimination against non-Orthodox children and an infringement against the neutrality of the state.

The movement against icons in schools generated a large debate in the Romanian society and media. The Romanian Council Against Discrimination agreed with the removal, but the Ministry of Education argued that it can't remove the icons because they were not the ones who put them there in the first place and that local communities should decide whether to keep the icons or not. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/romanian/news/story/2006/12/061213_icoana_scoli.shtml "Eliminarea simbolurilor religioase din şcoli"] , "BBC", December 13, 2006]

Romanian People Salvation Cathedral

The Romanian Romanian People Salvation Cathedral is a large-scale cathedral construction project envisioned by the Romanian Orthodox Church. The government of Romania originally wanted the cathedral to be built it in the place of Carol Park, but following protests, including those organized by the Solidarity for Freedom of Conscience Association, [ [http://www.adevarul.ro/articole/utilajele-aedificia-carpati-au-intrat-in-monumentul-eroilor-comunisti-din-parcul-carol/78277 "Utilajele Aedificia Carpati au intrat in Monumentul Eroilor Comunisti din Parcul Carol"] in "Adevărul", April 15 2004] it changed the plans.

Finally, in 2007, the state gave the Orthodox Church about 11 hectares of land in central Bucharest, next to the Palace of the Parliament and it promised it will pay partly the construction costs. Cernea argued that both the donation of the terrain and giving the additional funds represent a misuse of state funds and illegal. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/romanian/news/story/2007/11/071128_catedrala_neamului.shtml "Punerea pietrei de temelie a Catedralei Neamului"] , "BBC", November 28 2007]

The Solidarity for Freedom of Conscience Association also contested the name of "Romanian People Salvation Cathedral", arguing that it has a nationalist allusion, linking being a Romanian to the affiliation to the Orthodox Church.

chool curriculum

In 2007, Cernea's association announced that the new curriculum of Romania had been quietly removed the requirement of teaching Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution from biology manuals, as well as the debate on the existence of god (the study of Voltaire, Camus and Nietzsche), from philosophy manuals. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/romanian/news/story/2007/10/071009_programa_darwin.shtml "Darwin, exclus din manualele de biologie ?"] , "BBC", October 9, 2007]

Cernea argues that the current curriculum lacks the scientific and philosophical points of view, but in the same time, in religion classes, the seven-day creationism is taught, distorting the children's understanding of how the world came into being. [ [http://www.thediplomat.ro/reports_1207.php "Romania removes theory of evolution from school curriculum"] , "The Diplomat", December 2007]

In February 2008, his association asked the Ministry of Education to readd explicitly the theory of education in the biology curriculum, arguing that Romania is the only European country in which it is not studied in detail and that in case the curriculum will not be change, the association would organize demonstrations for it. [ [http://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-esential-2453112-invatam-scoala-doar-facut-dumnezeu-sau-tragem-din-maimuta.htm#loginPanel "Ce invatam la scoala? Doar ca ne-a facut Dumnezeu sau si ca ne tragem din maimuta?"] , "hotnews.ro", February 26 2008]

Other initiatives

In 2006, the association organized a concert against the new law regulating religion in Romania, which banned "religious defamation". In the concert participated Luna Amara, Vama, Sarmalele Reci among others. [ [http://www.gandul.info/arte/quot-vrem-cultura-vrem-dictatura-quot.html?3940;268768 "Vrem cultura, nu vrem dictatura!"] , in "Gândul", October 30 2006] In May 2007, he organized a small-scale protest against president Traian Băsescu's racist and sexist affirmations, [ [http://www.gandul.info/flux/protest-mica-amploare-cotroceni-fata-afirmatiile-rasiste-sexiste.html?3996;323221 "Protest de mică amploare la Cotroceni, faţă de afirmaţiile rasiste şi sexiste ale lui Băsescu"] , in "Gândul", May 30 2007] and in August 2007, the association argued against the practice at the national radio station of beginning the programme with a reading of Lord's Prayer. [ [http://www.gandul.info/flux/asociatie-cere-srr-difuzeze-tatal-nostru-inceputul-finalul-progr.html?3996;875911 "O asociaţie cere SRR să nu mai difuzeze "Tatăl nostru" la începutul şi finalul programelor"] in "Gândul", August 8 2007]

Books

* Remus Cernea, "Manifest împotriva becalizării României" ISBN 978-973-733-192-2, Tritonic 2007

References

External links

* [http://www.humanism.ro/ www.humanism.ro: Solidaritatea pentru libertatea de conştiinţă]