Kentucky goes P.C. on B.C., A.D.




WND BRAVE NEW SCHOOLS
Kentucky goes P.C. on B.C., A.D.
State board recommends textbooks include secular dating abbreviations
Posted: April 18, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern



The Kentucky State Board of Education has recommended textbooks in the state include the secular dating abbreviations of B.C.E. and C.E. alongside the traditional Christian-based B.C. and A.D.

B.C.E., or Before Common Era, and C.E., for Common Era, have become popular among academics and some historians, largely because B.C., or Before Christ, and A.D., Anno Domini, in the year of our Lord, are based on Christianity.

According to a report in the Lexington Herald-Leader, one member of the Kentucky panel, David Webb, attempted to pass an amendment that would prevent the inclusion of the new terms, but the majority of board members voted against it last week.

"Dates throughout history have been referred to as B.C. and A.D.," Webb, who abstained from the curriculum vote, told the local paper. "It's also some degree of a faith-based issue. Especially this Easter season, I thought it was inappropriate for us to reference this."

The Kentucky recommendation proposes the use in textbooks of both designations, so a reference, for example, might be notated 700 B.C./B.C.E.

"I would want my child to have familiarity with both terms," board member Hilma Prather is quoted as saying. "I could not vote for the deletion of one or the other; I would like the inclusion of both."

Anissa Willis, a Lexington, Ky., parent, told the Louisville Courier-Journal using C.E. and B.C.E. is "more in keeping with academia."

"That seems appropriate to me, and it's also much more universally recognized," said Willis, an Episcopal priest.

The recommendation now has to go through a public hearing process. It could go into effect as soon as the 2006-2007 school year.

Martin Cothran, senior policy analyst with the Family Foundation of Kentucky, opposes the recommendation.

"Not only will this lead to confusion on the part of the students, but this is a not-so-subtle way of hiding the substantial influence of religion in the history of Western civilization," Cothran told the Louisville paper. "Our schools should not be in the business of hiding things from students; they should be in the business of revealing things to them."

The American Family Association yesterday sent an e-mail alert to its supporters about the issue.

"[The action] opens the door for the ACLU to find a liberal activist judge who will forcefully remove the use of B.C. and A.D.," warned the traditional-values group. "The ACLU types will claim that the use of B.C. and A.D. are a violation of the First Amendment because it dates history based on the birth of Christ."

AFA has an online poll asking Americans if they agree with replacing the traditional dating convention.


Royal Ontario Museum abandons Christian dating system for James ossuary

As WorldNetDaily reported, last year Australia's Department of Education changed its policy to use B.C.E. and C.E., and, in 2002, the Canadian museum displaying an ancient box purported to be the ossuary of Jesus' brother James dumped the designations of B.C. and A.D. to mark the calendar, opting instead for the more "modern and palatable" terms of B.C.E. and C.E.

I see no problem with using BCE. I actually prefer the more recent BC. "Before Calvin".

For all you C&H fans out there.

What is my state doing?

It's funny how they create "BCE" and "CE" to get rid of religion, but still base the system on Jesus Christ!

First time we have been ahead of the pack instead of 20 years behind.  It still sucks.

What a ridiculous waste of time.  The fact that it comes from Kentucky of all places really surprises me.  I would expect this kind of thing from California or New York, but Kentucky?  Come on!

-James

Well, lets put it this way, we were suppost to be using the metric system by now, so I say this is one of those things that will get some attention and then fall by the way side. Also, as mentioned above, the system is still based on Christ, otherwise they have better come up with an entirly new system of dates. When did the CE start? You guessed it same time as AD

While they are at it why don't they just change the calander, a seven day week is based on creation, so why not change that.

You just can not hide from the truth.

I say we make a new system based on the invention of the internal combustion engine.  This would be year 183

They are replacing christianity with their own religion, which is known as secular humanism.

The federal government replaces God the Father, Political Correctness is their gospel, the MSM is their prophet, and Hillary Clinton is their christ-like figure.

Quoted: It's funny how they create "BCE" and "CE" to get rid of religion, but still base the system on Jesus Christ!

Yeah. You'd think they'd pick some other artificial date.

Anyway, I got corrected once by another history person. I informed them that I had been using the BC/AD system for twenty years, wasn't changing for anything less than a lot of money, and they could "blow me".

I say we go ahead and change it further.  The new calendar will set year zero as 1960, and the acronyms will be "B.P." and "A.P."  B.P., of course, stands for "Before Pussification" and A.P. stands for "After Pussification."

How about using B.J.M.B.?  All dates are reckoned from the birth of John Moses Browning?

Does this mean we have to find new names for the 1911A1, 1919a6, etc....?

What the heck is the 'Common Era'???

sad

Quoted: What the heck is the 'Common Era'???

Nothing really.

You see, other than the birth of Jesus, and thus a major religion, NOTHING amazingly significant really happened that year. Nothing to base a dating system on anyway. No major changes to indicate a shift into a "common era" anyway.

Im rather suprised it took this long.    

BFSM and AFSM are the only abbreviations you need.

Quoted: "That seems appropriate to me, and it's also much more universally recognized," said Willis, an Episcopal priest. Huh???  I never even HEARD the term before!

Then you need to get out more.

Kentucky isn't one of the states that drive textbook design and sales. Look to places like Cali for that sort of influence.

KY people need to write their state legislaters.

BCE and CE are bullshit terms that obfuscate history, not elucidate it.

Quoted: It's funny how they create "BCE" and "CE" to get rid of religion, but still base the system on Jesus Christ!

Ignoring the christian term or label does nothing.

They are still acknowledging the christian time period.   What a bunch of dumbasses.

They don't call them "Libtards" for nothing.

I've never heard of BCE or BC either, it's stupid.  It's still based on the birth/death of Christ just tries to cover over it.

I still prefer going to a system based on the first successful nuclear bomb test.  BBB (Before Big Boom) and ABB (After Big Boom).

I've never heard of B.C.E or C.E. This is total leftist Bullshit We have been using BC and AD for EVER, no need to change it