BC vs BCE?

[Mocca]

What are your thoughts on the usage of the abbreviations BC (Before Christ) and BCE (Before Common Era)?

 

[Mirelys]

I really couldn't care less.

 

[TeddyKGB]

I am in favor of it.

 

[Exist]

I use BC.

BCE....everyone knows that it's just trying to be BC, but it isn't. Sad little BCE.

What we need is another earth changing event. Space colonization, WWIII, you name it.

Then we don't have to worry about BC or BCE, and Christians will feel like the Jews who still use that bones old system.

 

[Abbadon]

It's just easier to remember and say BC instead of BCE.

I know, only one letter difference, but you've got to work that little bit more just to make sure they don't think you just trailed the "ee" sound on the C.

 

[Mocca]

Hmm, should've made a poll.

Anyway, I'm in support of it, at least in formal writing. It seems like a petty detail, but not all people are Christian. Referring to an era as "Before Christ" when much of the world is not Christian seems archaic.

 

[DailyBlessings]

I think it's silly. Why pretend that dating things after Christ isn't related to him? There's no reason to assume that our traditional method of dating pertains in any way to a "Common Era". That said, in my line of work I do often use BCE/CE, out of stylistic consideration, but I really don't see the point. It's replacing one representation of cultural arrogance with another. I use B.P. when applicable, since it doesn't inflict any bias, but of course that's no use in describing current events.

 

[uhhh_i_forgot]

I can see the argument for BCE, but I think people should stop worrying about petty things if their wanting to change something as minor as that. I'm for BC, since its been there for over a millenium (not sure of the exact date it became official).

 

[Mocca]

Er, what's BP?

 

[DailyBlessings]

Er, what's BP?

Sorry, before present. It is usually only used for prehistorical references.

 

[zoziw]

Let's just adopt the chinese calendar and be done with it.

 

[DailyBlessings]

Let's just adopt the chinese calendar and be done with it.

I don't know about the Chinese calendar, but I've often thought it would be a good idea to adopt a "dead" system like that of the Mayans, and just offend everyone equally. Like Latin used to be used in academic circles.

 

[MoonlessNight]

I use BCE (when appropriate) because everyone in the scholarly world uses it now, but I see it as rather pointless. Before Christ, Before Common Era, it's still basing our dates off the same event. I think that a daring system should note just what it is reffering to, so I like BC for that reason, though I wouldn't be opposed to a new dating system if something sufficiently important happened. The trick is recognizing what that event would be.

 

[peepnklown]

I use BCE, but it doesn’t bother me when people use the latter.

 

[Blackguard_]

Referring to an era as "Before Christ" when much of the world is not Christian seems archaic.

Not archaic, "parochial". But better that then nonsensical. I mean, the Common Era begins with the same event as the AD system. BCE/Ce annoys me becasue it is jsut trying to be PC. If you want to get rid of a Christian centered calender, it does not make sense to base it on the birth of Christ.

I don't know about the Chinese calendar, but I've often thought it would be a good idea to adopt a "dead" system like that of the Mayans, and just offend everyone equally. Like Latin used to be used in academic circles.

I hear you, I've been sorely tempted to refer to this year as 2759 A.U.C.("since the founding of the city", i.e. Rome)

We should switch to 2759 AUC- It starts with a non-religious event and the year 2759 sounds futuristic. Plus, the event its based on being mythical means history/archeology cannot prove the calender wrong, such as how scholars now think Jesus was born between 4 and 6 BC.

use BCE (when appropriate) because everyone in the scholarly world uses it now,

Yeah, lots of my teachers use BCE/CE. I wrtite out "in the year of our Lord" on papers when I want to spite them.

 

[Mocca]

Not archaic, "parochial". But better that then nonsensical. I mean, the Common Era begins with the same event as the AD system. BCE/Ce annoys me becasue it is jsut trying to be PC. If you want to get rid of a Christian centered calender, it does not make sense to base it on the birth of Christ.

Well, it would be nearly impossible to change the system now. In the 1970s or so the US tried to switch to the metric system. Whoops.

Anyway, many don't believe in Jesus Christ (or at least all the supernatural tacked on to his story), yet they still use the numbers of our dating system solely because everyone else uses it. 0 BC and 0 AD are simply years that someone decided to pick to reference years off of, for many people. BCE is simply a secular form of refrencing years before said "refrence year."

I wrtite out "in the year of our Lord" on papers when I want to spite them.

ROFLMAO!

 

[Ave Maria]

I prefer BCE (Before Common Era) and CE (Common Era).

 

[xMinionX]

I use BCE, but it doesn’t bother me when people use the latter.

Ditto.

 

[loriersea]

On the very rare occasions when I've had to use either (I studied English literature in grad school, so anything before 1066 was basically dead to me ), I use BCE, just because it's the academic convention. But, I could care less either way. I like BCE and CE better, though, just because I think "common era" has a nice sound to it.

 

[levi501]

How about...

BSGNJMHEWSCC?
(Before Some Guy Named Jesus May Have Existed Whom Some Consider Christ)