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While they may not be the language of everyday life, the new terms BCE, Before Common Era and CE , Common Era (first invented in the sixth century AD) are now the rule in order to express politically correct sensitivity to non-Christians.
Earlier this year, the first print run of a four-volume Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization was pulped by its American academic publishers following an outcry that it was biased in favour of Christianity, evidenced by its use of BC and AD instead of BCE and CE.
But, whether it’s BC or BCE, both systems take the Gregorian calendar as their starting point .
As the Telegraph’s Christopher Booker noted: “The trouble with this politically-correct effort to spare offence to Muslims, Jews, atheists or other non-Christians from the use of a d.ating system tied to Jesus, is that it prompts any child to ask ‘So what is this Common Era based on?’, and brings up the very point it seeks to avoid.”
Ah makes sense now - I thought for a moment that hexadecimal numbers had been introduced in the KS1 curriculum!Sally-Anne wrote:"Before Common Era" and "Common Era" - the non-Christian alternative to BC and AD. A bit politically correct, IMHO, and highly unlikely to make any sense to a single 10 year old in England!
That's in year 3 now I believe..KenR wrote:Ah makes sense now - I thought for a moment that hexadecimal numbers had been introduced in the KS1 curriculum!Sally-Anne wrote:"Before Common Era" and "Common Era" - the non-Christian alternative to BC and AD. A bit politically correct, IMHO, and highly unlikely to make any sense to a single 10 year old in England!
If it's meant to be 'inclusive of non-Christians, surely the 'CE' should at the very earliest hang on until six hundred and whenever to include Muslims, or sometime in the 20th century(?) for Rastafarians, etc. I don't think they really mean us atheists, somehow, but like you, I'm not that bothered that 'year 1 CE' is the same as 'year 1 AD'. Ideally, I suppose, one would date the 'common era' from the appearance of the first hominids, but that really would be a little daftbooellesmum wrote:I only came across these terms last week when DD doing history homework. Personally think it's very silly - and I am an atheist.
Still getting over them being taught at primary that AM is "after midnight" and PM "past midday " though.
Obviously doesn't take a lot to throw me!
, or rejoicing that at least they weren't taught 'after midnight' and 'past midday'...