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25 Years Ago: The B.C. Easter Controversy

Published: April 5, 2026 1 minute 6 comments

It is Easter Sunday 2001 and newspapers across the country are printing articles about a comic strip that is appearing in the color comic supplement.

Easter 2001 saw a religious difference of opinion break out when cartoonist Johnny Hart used his B.C. comic strip Sunday page to celebrate his Christian religion that some Jewish leaders saw as intolerant.

The Olympian – April 15, 2001

B.C. by Johnny Hart – April 15, 2001

Courier-Journal – April 15, 2001

In a major break with standard operating procedure the syndicate that distributed the Sunday comic strip, Creators, did not notify editors of the content of the message Johnny Hart promoted in his B.C. Easter page. Newspapers editors were caught unaware when the pre-printed Sunday color comics sections to be inserted into the Sunday editions arrived on pallets days before Easter and news started spreading on the comic’s content.

The Lakeland Ledger Religion Editor Cary McMullen and Executive Editor Skip Perez explained the dilemma:

Creators Syndicate Richard Newcombe sent his regrets that they failed to give adequate warning:

Syracuse Herald-Journal – April 15, 2001

Johnny Hart defended his proselytizing to readers and editors:

Record Searchlight – April 15, 2001

Two days earlier:

B.C. by Johnny Hart – April 13, 2001 (Good Friday)
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Comments 6

  1. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Hanukkah came about after Jesus, so theoretically he never would’ve celebrated it, right? It makes the use of the menorah in this instance (and Hart’s excuse for using it) awkward, at least.

    Has anyone ever been “saved” by reading a BC strip? I’ve had evangelical relatives really appreciate them, and I’ve seen some really poignant ones taped to the fridge at church sometimes, but it reads more like preaching to the choir.

    1. The standard (seven branched) menorah is a ancient symbol of Judaism, dating much farther back. The Hannukah menorah is a special design (with nine branches), one for each day and the middle one for the “lighter”.

      1. P.S. Hart drew proselytizing comics on numerous occasions, always claiming that the offense was either non-existent or at worst unintentional. Bull$#!+. It‘s fine to make a case for one‘s own beliefs (as in the Good Friday strip shown above), but it is entirely unkosher to denigrate anyone else‘s faith, no matter what it is.

      2. Not to fundamentalist pentacostal evangelical white nationalists. I wish I had a nickel for everytime I’ve been called a communist satan-worshipping America hater by someone who doesn’t want to understand what Jesus actually meant by Matthew, chapter seven. Or what James meant by “…thou whited wall.” I can’t take them seriously when they contort the Message into greed, intolerance and hatred.

      3. I found Hart’s religious fervor annoying, but he certainly was not as bad as a FPEWN.

    2. You are wrong. Channukka dates from 165 BCE, when the Hasmonean rebels retook Jerusalem from the Seleucid empire of Antiochis IV Ephemanies (the “nutcase”). Like many tyrants, Antiochis didn’t like religious minorities and wished that everyone would worship HIS gods, one of whom was him.

      The most accurate book in the Catholic Bible is the First Book of Maccabees, which carries on the Greek tradition of writing accurate history. It’s easy to find on the internet. Read it.

      The story of the miracle of the oil is from later on.

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