# CE and BCE **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 10, 2014, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009 "2014-02-10T22:12:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009/1 "2014-02-10T22:12:33Z")
Look, I like change and all, but this one is just a mess. I’ve tried but the similarity of letters of BCE CE and the religious system’s calendar which has been the common calendar of BC (and AD) now cause a unnecessary pause to figure out WTF time they are talking about on both timelines, which are the same, but the terms are different but enough the same that it causes this pause. An major example of good intentions gone wrong. Now we have 2 time line, the second one totally unneeded as it is the first one, also with common related letters that are interchangeable and confusing. I won’t even go into the CE/BCE being re-coopted as the Before Christan Era /Christan Era - so both will always co-exist. It also reasserts that Christianity is the defacto eternal standard, as that is what we use as out standard of time and that modern society has agreed to this with the new system. I’m not saying don’t make a new calendar, I’m not saying make it non-religious, I’m saying what was done with BCE/CE did not serve either purpose and is a benefit to no body ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009/2 "2014-02-10T22:36:03Z")
Maybe not to you, but to people growing up and learning it for the first time, they will consider CE and BCE to be the default and a hundred years from now nobody will even remember we used to use BC and AD ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009/3 "2014-02-10T22:37:36Z")
I always thought it was a nice, clean solution: exact same years, zero math involved (no Jewish calendar or Stardates to convert to). And you don’t have to think about Jesus or his birthday (which I could see an Atheist/Jew/Muslim/Free Agent\* being annoyed by). Plus it’s not like his birthday was on ‘January One, Year Zero’ anyhow, so that Anno Domini stuff doesn’t hold water anyhow. \*_Or worse, a Recovering Fundie. Life ain’t easy for us…_ ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009/4 "2014-02-10T22:38:56Z")
“Christian” era? Common era, you mean. I can why a lot of people might believe “C.E.” stands for “Christian Era”, though. A lot of people think (or thought) that “A.D.” meant “After Death.” ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009/5 "2014-02-10T23:04:20Z")
Filing this one under “'Oo givee rat’s ass?” ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009/6 "2014-02-10T23:22:08Z")
It’s just a cowardly evasion to pretend it isn’t christian dating. As a fad it never caught on in Britain, and will probably be regarded as an historical curiosity in 50 years time, much the same as we now regard the extraordinary antics of the 1920s. I am certainly not christian ( nor any other religion ) but to consciously _pretend_ it means common era when it fits to, and is begotten of, the birth of Christ, seems not only pathetic, but as doomed as persuading the muslim world that the date of the Hegira now marks the death of the Regent of Japan, and they should in future downplay the Prophet to please a bunch of europeans’s over-exquisite whininess. Good luck with that. ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009/7 "2014-02-10T23:26:51Z")
BC and BCE have been used since the 16th century. Don’t you think it’s time to get over it? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009/8 "2014-02-10T23:30:04Z")
Happy Holidays everyone! ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009/9 "2014-02-10T23:53:13Z")
It’s good because CE can mean both “Common Era” and “Christian Era”. As a non-Christian, I’m happy, and Christians can still feel included. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009/10 "2014-02-11T00:00:03Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > It’s good because CE can mean both “Common Era” and “Christian Era”. As a non-Christian, I’m happy, and Christians can still feel included. You misspelled deluded. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009/11 "2014-02-11T00:07:18Z")
Do we really need to spell it out? ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009/12 "2014-02-11T00:07:34Z")
Don’t forget your burnt offerings this Thor’s Day. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009/13 "2014-02-11T00:22:55Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > It’s just a cowardly evasion to pretend it isn’t christian dating. […] > > I am certainly not christian ( nor any other religion ) but to consciously _pretend_ it means common era when it fits to, and is begotten of, the birth of Christ, seems not only pathetic, but as doomed as persuading the muslim world that the date of the Hegira now marks the death of the Regent of Japan […] What do you mean, “pretend”? There is no pretense in recognizing that the Gregorian calendar, along with its historical era of which this is year 2014, is now a worldwide standard used by historically Christian and non-Christian cultures alike. It is in literal truth an era “common” to most of the modern world. That recognition doesn’t in any way contradict or deny the fact that this calendar era has its historical origins in Christian culture. Nobody is trying to “persuade” Christians that the Common Era is anything but another name for their Anno Domini. But it makes perfect sense to have a new, secular name for calendar concepts that have expanded beyond a particular religious community to serve a more general purpose in more diverse populations. Similarly, it makes perfect sense to refer to “the weekend” rather than “the Sabbath days”. Personally, I don’t have any quarrel with the traditional BC/AD nomenclature, and I willingly use it where, e.g., editors or publishers expect me to use it in compliance with their house rules. But I think it’s silly to find fault with having an alternative name for it that’s more general and less sectarian. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009/14 "2014-02-11T00:26:28Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > “Christian” era? Common era, you mean. I can why a lot of people might believe “C.E.” stands for “Christian Era”, though. A lot of people think (or thought) that “A.D.” meant “After Death.” W-w-wait, what? “After Death”?!? Do they think Jesus was born in Year Zero, but then we measure AD from his death… 35 years later? So there’s a third of a century unaccounted for? And anything that happened during Jesus’s lifetime has no date?\* And if you say "Well, they say “After Death”, but they really mean “After Birth” – that’s pretty stupid, too. Excuse my head exploding at people’s ignorance. \*So, Augustus Caesar died between _“Before Christ”_ and _“After Death”_, so Tiberius became his successor in… umm, no particular year. “Hey, Lazarus, we missed ya-- when’d you get back?”\* “Uhh, Tuesday of… lemme check my calendar… oh, crap, that’s right.”\* ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009/15 "2014-02-11T00:39:56Z")
> [@digs](#): > > W-w-wait, what? “After Death”?!? Do they think Jesus was born in Year Zero, but then we measure AD from his death… 35 years later? So there’s a third of a century unaccounted for? And anything that happened during Jesus’s lifetime has no date? The interwebs are awash in puzzled seekers of knowledge pondering this exact issue. To take a few samples: [Ask.com:](http://www.ask.com/answers/98118461/if-bc-stands-for-the-time-before-christ-and-ad-is-after-death-what-s-the-time-called-in-between) > [@](#): > > If BC stands for the time “before Christ” and AD is “after death” what’s the time called in between? [funtrivia.com:](http://www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question118222.html) > [@](#): > > Does B.C. mean “before Christ” and A.D. mean “after death”? [wiki.answers.com:](http://wiki.answers.com/Q/AD_after_death_BC_before_Christ_so_what_is_the_period_of_time_when_Jesus_was_alive?#slide=1) > [@](#): > > AD after death BC before Christ so what is the period of time when Jesus was alive? This is actually another reason it makes sense to have the alternative BCE/CE nomenclature, as the transition from 1 BCE to 1 CE is easier to understand when you’re not distracted by fallacious notions of how the lifespan of the historical Jesus fits into it. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009/16 "2014-02-11T00:49:27Z")
Religious nutbar OP doesn’t like the terms BCE and CE. Also doesn’t know what they actually stand for. In other religious news, Pope still Catholic. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009/17 "2014-02-11T01:00:38Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > “Christian” era? Common era, you mean. I can why a lot of people might believe “C.E.” stands for “Christian Era”, though. A lot of people think (or thought) that “A.D.” meant “After Death.” And even more people think the “A.D” goes after the year, it doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009/18 "2014-02-11T01:15:34Z")
> [@LibrarySpy](#): > > BC and BCE have been used since the 16th century. Don’t you think it’s time to get over it? I didn’t realize it was quite _that_ old, but I went to a Catholic high school and I remember seeing it over 20 years ago (in my Catholic school), so I’m surprised it’s controversial or confusing at all. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009/19 "2014-02-11T01:21:26Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I didn’t realize it was quite _that_ old, but I went to a Catholic high school and I remember seeing it over 20 years ago (in my Catholic school), so I’m surprised it’s controversial or confusing at all. Of course it isn’t, really, except among a nutjob minority. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009/20 "2014-02-11T01:24:10Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > This is actually another reason it makes sense to have the alternative BCE/CE nomenclature, as the transition from 1 BCE to 1 CE is easier to understand when you’re not distracted by fallacious notions of how the lifespan of the historical Jesus fits into it. Not to mention that, if the Gospels are to be believed, Jesus was born no later than [4 BC](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4_BC). Put **that** in your pipe and smoke it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ce-and-bce/681009.md?page=2)