[erl]

Okay, now for a topic completely unrelated to Peak Oil.

Lately I have seen the designation "C.E." more and more often when refering to the year. Mostly, this designation seems to be in science journals and in some textbooks. The common assumption seems to be that C.E is slowly replacing A.D.

As most of you know the A.D. designation is a reference to Jesus Christ. C.E. stands for "Common Era." Likewise B.C. becomes "B.C.E." in the new terminology which stands for simply "Before Common Era."

I was curious as to what people thought about this. Good or Bad?

Or should we go to a completely different calendaring system. Perhaps "P.O." for, well you know what for.

Or perhaps "P.P.O." for "Post Peak Oil" and "B.P.O." for "Before Peak Oil?"

To be fair, I also included the year as designated by the Hebrew calendar and the Chinese calendar. If I have excluded anyone's personal favorite, I apologize in advance.

I have my own thoughts on this but I will wait for other responses, if any, before I preach my own.

[PenultimateManStanding]

My take is that all these changes people feel compelled to make, A.D. to C.E., taking down the crosses from memorials put up by earlier generations, changing Chairman to Chairperson, the ubiquitous handicap parking spaces, the elimination of Christmas Vacation in favor of Winter Break etc., which are meant to be demonstrations of our generation's sensitivity and thus our superior humanity compared to the ignorant past will be seen by future generations (if there are any) as silly posturing and a sign of how utterly deluded the people of our time really were. Of course we know that it is being driven by an insane legal system.

[ECM]

I prefer C.E. and B.C.E. to A.D. and B.C.

It is a little easier to learn and someday the human race as a whole may progress beyond Christianity.

[smallpoxgirl]

I like your idea erl. So what year is it? I vote 2 BPO.

[k_semler]

Political Correctness is one of the main reasons this nation is beginning the long fall. The constitution gives you the freedom of press, speech, religion, assembly, and association. It has never given, nor prepoted to give, the freedom from being offended. I can write, say, and pray whatever I want wherever I want. If you do not like it, you are free to tell me to STFU. However, I am not obligated to comply with your wishes. If I do not comply, you are free to remove youself from being subjected to whatever offends you. However, if you attempt to silence me, you will have infringed upon my rights to free speech/press/assembly, and you could have a legal complaint filed against you.

The way I see it is if you don't like something, then minimise your exposure to it. If what you see offends you, divert your eyes. If what you hear offends you, listen to the radio, (or turn the damn thing off), or leave. Freedom of expression is not just for those people you happen to agree with, it is for everyone. The pussification of America, and the NewSpeak known as "Politically Correctness" is the undermining of the very principals upon which this once magnificent nation was founded. It must be crushed. We have the capability to do it, so why not? This is not "Brave New World", you are not entitled to be in a constant state of euphoria 100% of the time. If anything, we are a society that is a combination between 1984 and Brave New World. What we have is a feeling of entitlement combined with fear of speaking out against the government and "sensitive" subjects. PO is only one of the problems facing society today. What use is society when people are afraid to speak thier mind to each other? Might as well live in the USSR and inject cocaine every hour. Anyone seen my soma?

Also, the date is 05/17/2005 Ano Domini.

[smallpoxgirl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('k_semler', 'P')olitical Correctness is one of the main reasons this nation is beginning the long fall.

[killJOY]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', ' ')I can write, say, and pray whatever I want wherever I want.

[skiwi]

All I know is there has been an awful lot of tinkering with the calendar over the centuries
Reminded me of this interesting article I read a while back from that wacko Hoagland's site
...Because it's Later Than You Think

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'O')ur modern calendar, the "Gregorian Calendar," came into being in 1582 after Pope Gregory 13th issued a Papal Bull (order) to reform the calendar. The previous calendar, the "Julian," created by Julius Caesar of Rome (the Julian calendar had been adopted by the Christian Church at the council of Nicaea in AD 325, the first of the general councils of the Church), had become increasingly inaccurate and by 1582 many key religious celebrations, like Easter, had drifted far from the dates they were originally celebrated.

[RonMN]

K...High 5! I couldn't agree more! Everybody has the right to speak their mind. And if somebody disagrees with me then THEY have the right to tell me so!

Once any individuals rights are violated, it forms a link in a chain...Once the 1st link is forged it binds US ALL irrevocablly!

[k_semler]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('smallpoxgirl', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('k_semler', 'P')olitical Correctness is one of the main reasons this nation is beginning the long fall.

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('k_semler', '
')Micheal Savage. I listen to his radio show religiously, and there is not much I disagree with him on.

[heyhoser]

Not to get into a pissing match with you guys, but I prefer C.E. A lot of the reading and research I do is about societies that either lack a comprehensible date whatsover, or use dates that I have a hard time switching to (such as the Islamic and Hebrew calendar). Common Era is easier to relate to in societies that don't fall for the BS of the Apostle Paul.

Plus, AD signifies complete faith in the immaculate conception and resurrection, of which I have none.

[PenultimateManStanding]

Well we haven't changed the numbers have we? So everybody knows its just the Christian Calendar but the Christians (or their apostate descendants) lost their nerve and decided that what the heck its still the year we all have in common, right? Except we don't all have it in common and there have been and still are other reckonings of what year this is but only these damn hubristic apostate Christians have the nerve to presume its the "Common" Era. I'm saying that we aren't less presumptuous than the old-time regular Christians, we're more presumptuous!

[smallpoxgirl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('k_semler', ' ') Does this do what it did in "Brave New World"?

[k_semler]

Except the thing is, what sets the "Common Era" off from "Before Common Era? That's right, the beginning of the testement of Jesus Christ. No matter what you say the day is, (CE vs. AD), you are agnowladging Christ's significance in life, if only as a method of providing a date. If you really wanted to get away from all religion, the current year would be your current age. Then it would only be linked to your own birth, and your method of time measurment would perish with you. So unless you go by the theory that time started with your birth, you are acnowladging that there was some significant event to influence the datiing system. That is, unless you really do not care what year it is, and live from day to day like the indians do.

[smallpoxgirl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('k_semler', 'E')xcept the thing is, what sets the "Common Era" off from "Before Common Era?

[PenultimateManStanding]

So if its just a matter of practicality, then we should just leave it alone since there are all these documents that have the old system already. The only reason to change it is because of being hung-up on the religious connotations. Why should that be any big deal to enlightened people? Just a harmless old tradition, right. I'm not a Christian, but it doesn't bother me if it means Anno Dominus. People want to mess with stuff that's best just left alone.

[PenultimateManStanding]

Washington Mutual is the suckiest Bank that ever sucked and only suckers would put their money there!

[PenultimateManStanding]

HEY SMALLPOXGIRL. Why would you put your money in a bank named after a Genocidal Slave Owner? Shouldn't you put it in some Aboriginal American Bank or something?

[johnmarkos]

I say CE. As for the PC accusation, it's not like I'm offended by AD. I'm merely aware of the Latin meaning of the term, "Anno Domini."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anno_Domini

It is short for, "In the year of our Lord." Since I am not a practicing Christian (I was raised Episcopalian but I'm a practicing agnostic), I don't see why I should call it the year of "our" Lord, 'kay? Same goes for my Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, atheist, and Muslim friends. You can call it AD if you want. When you say, "Year of our Lord," I'll assume you're talking about yourself and the other Christians.

Regarding the use of the calendar: I'll take it. Since our society has standardized to this particular one, I have no problem using it and calling it what I feel like calling it. But I'm a computer programmer. In order to do my job (fighting spam), I need a conventional date system that makes sense and that everyone agrees on. As long as people understand what I mean when I say, "2005 CE," what's the problem?

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('smallpoxgirl', 'I') think the point of CE is that the reason we arrange our dates the way we do has absolutely nothing to do with our religious beliefs. We do it because it is common convention.