In the meantime, check out this article: Words associated with Christianity and British history taken out of children's dictionary.
Here's what the head of children's dictionaries at Oxford University Press has to say about the changes:
"When you look back at older versions of dictionaries, there were lots of examples of flowers for instance. That was because many children lived in semi-rural environments and saw the seasons. Nowadays, the environment has changed. We are also much more multicultural. People don't go to Church as often as before. Our understanding of religion is within multiculturalism, which is why some words such as "Pentecost" or "Whitsun" would have been in 20 years ago but not now."
Just goes to show how much language still shapes our culture; and that people KNOW language shapes culture.
On the other hand, the comments from a concerned individual are no more reassuring, in my mind. From the master of Wellington College, a private school: "I think as well as being descriptive, the Oxford Junior Dictionary, has to be prescriptive too, suggesting not just words that are used but words that should be used. It has a duty to keep these words within usage, not merely pander to an audience. We are looking at the loss of words of great beauty."
The funny thing is, being prescriptive is exactly what OUP has done. They simply have a different opinion about what words should be used and not used. Once dictionaries start being prescriptive, everything is subject to what the people in power want to describe. And thus relativity encroaches on the English language as well.
Want to change culture? define words...
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