What is referred to as the Common Era

[greeksoldier]

I see people, mainly in the US/UK media, talking about 'year 2005 of the Common Era'. Is that a way of avoiding for pseudo-pc reasons to say 'Anno Dominii' or as we say in Greece 'After Christ'?

[Marjorie]

Yes, "Common Era" is the PC replacement for "Anno Domini." BC has also been replaced with BCE-- "Before the Common Era."

In IC XC,
Marjorie

[33ad]

I see people, mainly in the US/UK media, talking about 'year 2005 of the Common Era'. Is that a way of avoiding for pseudo-pc reasons to say 'Anno Dominii' or as we say in Greece 'After Christ'?
Quite correct! As the world becomes more secular, they do not want to acknowledge that Jesus existed, so the terms "Common Era" and "Before Common Era" have come into use.

Kolya

[Michael the Iconographer]

It is a way of avoiding the mention of the name Christ which is totally, completely inaccurate! I have a degree in history and let me tell you, there is nothing common about the past 2 millenia! Do I need to go into a small dissertation about how much different the world of 2004 is than the world of 1 A.D.? Where do I start? It is not that we are smarter, or more cultured because there were times and cultures in the past which were highly intelligent and cultured to a degree which would put us to shame, but our technology alone is such that the world of 2004 is so much different than the world 50 years ago was, let alone that of 2000 years ago. The liberals who hate Christ and therefore try to refer to all of the time since the Birth of Christ (the pivotal moment in all of history) as the Common Era are making such a huge error in doing this and showing just how ignorant they are of history itself!

[33ad]

It is a way of avoiding the mention of the name Christ which is totally, completely inaccurate! I have a degree in history and let me tell you, there is nothing common about the past 2 millenia! Do I need to go into a small dissertation about how much different the world of 2004 is than the world of 1 A.D.? Where do I start? It is not that we are smarter, or more cultured because there were times and cultures in the past which were highly intelligent and cultured to a degree which would put us to shame, but our technology alone is such that the world of 2004 is so much different than the world 50 years ago was, let alone that of 2000 years ago. The liberals who hate Christ and therefore try to refer to all of the time since the Birth of Christ (the pivotal moment in all of history) as the Common Era are making such a huge error in doing this and showing just how ignorant they are of history itself!
:amen:


Kolya

[Michael the Iconographer]

bump!

[SaintGeorge]

I have only one thing to say about BCE and CE... http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/15_1_60.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZSzeb00869US) http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/12/12_1_22.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZSzeb00869US) http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/8/8_1_35.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZSzeb00869US)
or in other words, Die!!!
Evil makes me angry...you don't want to see me when I'm angry... http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/10/10_3_10.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZSzeb00869US)

[Michael the Iconographer]

Those are great emoticons Esran! Reps on me!

[Wiffey]

I have only one thing to say about BCE and CE... http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/15_1_60.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZSzeb00869US) http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/12/12_1_22.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZSzeb00869US) http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/8/8_1_35.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZSzeb00869US)
or in other words, Die!!!
Evil makes me angry...you don't want to see me when I'm angry... http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/10/10_3_10.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZSzeb00869US)
Silly rep nazis!

[Theophorus]

So when was year 1 established? I'm sure it was not in AD 0001, but who or what power put it into effect and how?

[greeksoldier]

So when was year 1 established? I'm sure it was not in AD 0001, but who or what power put it into effect and how?
God, the father of Bill Gates :D

[Stephanida]

It frustrates me that some of my teachers are trying to be PC and therefore forcing me to use B.C.E. Before Common Era and C.E Common Era and failing me if I use BC or AD.:mad: I don't believe in all this BCE junk so why should I have to go against what I believe for a course? why should two little terms cause sooo much fuss?

The schools are becoming more and more anti-religion, in my school you are not allowed to bring religion in the classroom, they tried to make it so muslim girls could not wear that, I forget what it's called....:o and that I had to wear a small discrete cross (didn't bother me I do anyway ;) )

The teachers are not allowed to bring in any material about religion unless it is about before the 1500's usually not before 100 AD especially Christian!!!

May God have mercy on us all!

The humble handmaid of God,
Stephanida

[ladybug01]

Wow! I had always wondered what CE and BCE meant. Thanks for sharing this. It makes so much sense though-- our world is so secularized. :(

[InnerPhyre]

I have to write tons of papers every year in my religious studies classes, and we are always told to use CE/BCE. It doesn't really bother me as much as it did at first, since the goal of religious studies is always, first and foremost, objectivity. In the every day world though, you'd better believe I'll fight tooth and nail to keep it AD/BC.

[Michael the Iconographer]

CE/BCE are a total lie. I would adamantly refuse to use those names.

[OrthodoxServant86]

I'm really at a loss in understanding the whole bce/ce thing, my professors (I'm a classical civ major) don't seem to mind either way, and they themselves say AD BC despite being adamant atheists. I guess it's part of some PC drive to make the English language THE universal tongue, which I find just silly, because it is quite clear to me that every culture of the Earth has a different means of reckoning years, I mean, the Jews have a calendar dating to the beginning of creation, the Mohammedans use one relative to the time of their prophet's hejira, etc... Why can't everyone just accept that our (European) means of reckoning time is based on Christian cultural influence and move on with our lives?

In love and peace,

-Justin

PS. I wonder what would happen if the same movement arose in Saudi Arabia and all the middle east to "PC-ize" the Mohammedan calendar. Do I sense heads would roll? :scratch:

[greeksoldier]

I wonder what would happen if the same movement arose in Saudi Arabia and all the middle east to "PC-ize" the Mohammedan calendar. Do I sense heads would roll? :scratch:
I am afraid heads roll there for lesser reasons. It will be a long long time before muslims get PC in any sort of way. Total intolerance is their order of the day.

[Carl the Copt]

It does not bother me and I could not care any less if they wanted to have the date Jan 2, 9937 than 2005. So it goes, we have more weighty concerns to be worried about than what is the year of the calendar!
Carl the Copt

[Colabomb]

See, what I don't get... is why CE or BCE is acceptable to them in the first place...

I mean, because anyone who understands History knows what happened 2000 years ago. The calendar is still measured by Christ ;)

[Michael the Iconographer]

It does not bother me and I could not care any less if they wanted to have the date Jan 2, 9937 than 2005. So it goes, we have more weighty concerns to be worried about than what is the year of the calendar!
Carl the Copt

Do we really? Obviously the world has not agreed with you until very very recent times. I maintain the birth of Christ is the central moment in all of history. And for the most part, historians have agreed with me.

[33ad]

It doesn't matter where you live in the world today, or what your cultural or religious background is, because of Time Zones andt GMT we all use the same dates and time.

But each culture uses their own calender side by side with the "universal" one. e.g MP Orthodox use the old calender, we've just adjusted the dates for convinience. So Epiphany in now Jan 19 and the Circumcision of Christ and St Basil the Great's celebration is Jan 14.

But it's when you're a History Student that you run into trouble with the 'Authorities'. You have my sympathy.

But in case you haven't noticed, one could equate the secularism of the entire "Old Christian" world with what happened to Russia under Soviet rule. And like the frog in the pot of water on the stove, we didn't feel the heat until it was too late!


Kolya