Use of B.C. and A.D. Faces Changing Times

Houston Chronicle ^ | April 23, 2005 | Michael Gormley

[Steve_Seattle]

"When Jews or Muslims have to put Christ in the middle of our calendar ... that's difficult for us,"

Well, whether you call it BC/AD or BCE/CE, it still pivots around the birth of Jesus. And what the hell is "common era" supposed to mean? What's "common" about it?

[OldFriend]

I am 68 years old and was taught in grammar school that BC meant before the common era.

It really had nothing at all to do with bias in my 'olden days'.

[Shanda]

Since the date was first established based on the birth of Christ, then any alteration of the name would sure sound like bias to me.

You must have attended a really strange school.

[HamiltonJay]

"They are hard for non-Jews, because they assume a centrality of Jesus ... it's not offensive, but it's not sensitive to my religious sensibilities."

Oh Bite me.

[rightwinggoth]

In A.D. 2101...

...war was beginning.

[Askel5]

It does date from creation? Now that I hadn't realized ... though I had some Jewish boys I used to babysit school me on the calendar once and did have some general idea what year it was.

[D Rider]

The main reason I like BCE and CE is that from historical evidence Christ was born in 4 BC and crucified in 32 AD...so he was born before he was born? BCE & CE solves the problem of changing the calenders.

[SengirV]

Wehn given an option, I always fill out - Year of our Lord Two housand and Five.

[D Rider]

The main reason I like BCE and CE is that from historical evidence Christ was born in 4 BC and crucified in 32 AD...so he was born before he was born? BCE & CE solves the problem of changing the calenders.

Opps! should read crucified in 28 AD. sorry

[Verginius Rufus]

Dionysius Exiguus calculated the date of Christ's birth (inaccurately) but it took a long time before it was common to date from that point...and I don't think B.C. dates were used before the Renaissance. If anyone objects to "B.C." tell them it stands for "backwards counting."

It would have been easier if an earlier event such as the creation or the birth of Abraham had been chosen as the starting point, at least for dealing with Greek and Roman history.

One thing we can count on--the comic strip B.C. won't be renamed B.C.E.

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

Hah! They can change the labels all they want, but until they change the numbers themselves, they won't change the meaning.

"Common Era", indeed. Daddy, why is it "common"?

[layman]

The current year is 5765

This is bad news ... I'm apparently either 3,760 years ahead or behind in my rent. I hope my landlord isn't a Freeper.

[lawdude]

I use another standard. This year is 63 AD. Before Dean. That's me folk!

AAPC

[Oztrich Boy]

Given the way Daylights Savings about to be yanked about again, I see no reason not to expect something more along the lines of a Metric, as opposed to monthly, calendar soon enough.

The logical thing would be to shift to radiocarbon dates - either Before Present or Present Year.
proposed inst. 55AP (Anno Present)

[Triggerhippie]

So B.C.E is short for B.C.?

That makes sense. NOT!


The calendar is not a place to make a political stand, it's how we can all agree on what date it is. Screwing with a system that has worked just fine for a few hundred years is merely begging for trouble.

[elmer fudd]

I've noticed this for about a decade now and I hate it. It's just more PC bulls--t being forced down our throats. Even though I'm not much of a Christian, I very much resent our history and cultural heritage being redefined in this manner.

[Lockbar]

Its Cat!

[Publius6961]

I have used BC and AD all my life and don't plan to change.
If someone can't understand it, or deduce it from the context, tough noogies.

[Bones75]

When I heard that (BCE/CE) I always imagined this exchange with some mr. elite uber-leftist "intellectual"...

"What does CE mean?

"Common Era, as in the years of the modern calender"

"You mean like BC and AD?"

"right"

"So when does CE start"

"The time of Christ"

"I thought that was AD, as in The year of our lord, anno domini"

"No"

"But it begins at the time of Christ, then, right?"

"Yes"

"So then it's AD, not CE, right?"

"No, it's CE.."

"What's it's based on then?"

"The Common Era"

"When did the 'common era' start?"

"The time of Christ"

"But it's not AD then?"

"No"

etc...

[Verginius Rufus]

Metric years? What's A.D. 2005 in metric?