The meaning of "B.C.E."?

[Thomas G. Lammers]

At 12:44 PM 4/18/2005, HJJACOBSON at AOL.COM wrote:
>I go along with Mary on this one - courtesy often asks a little more effort.

I guess I lost track -- Which is the "courteous" way?  To be
"religiophobic" and change a 1200 year old way of doing things, or (as I
do) to just stay the course despite a lack of interest in things religious?

Folks who have a beef with religion could be *courteous* to
religious/traditionalist folks by conceding AD/BC.  Folks who are
religious/traditionalist could be *courteous* by conceding CE/BCE.  I think
we need a better criterion than courtesy here.  I don't think either group
is more or less deserving of courtesy.

Even if you are entirely areligious as I am, I find it dishonest to pretend
that the Christian faith, for ill or good, has made a major and pervasive
impact of Western Civilization.  I have to admit that, irrespective of my
own aversion to religion.

Though if anyone wants to start a movement to go back to the AUC dating (ab
urbe condite -- from the founding of Rome), I wouldn't object.


Thomas G. Lammers, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor and Curator of the Herbarium (OSH)
Department of Biology and Microbiology
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901-8640 USA

e-mail:       lammers at uwosh.edu
phone:      920-424-1002
fax:           920-424-1101

Plant systematics; classification, nomenclature, evolution, and
biogeography of the Campanulaceae s. lat.

Webpages:
http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/Lammers.htm
http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/herbarium/herbarium.html
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Resort/7156/lammers.html
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"Today's mighty oak is yesterday's nut that stood his ground."
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