BC - before christ. AD - After death. Why?

Question

I know that bc and ad stand for something else in another language, but is the above what it translates to in english.

If so why would time be based on christ, if a lot of people dont believe.

Why is so much stuff based around christianity.

I'm not offended by bc and ad, and am not complaining or anything i was just wondering!??

Answer 1

You don't have to use that.

I use B.C.E (Before Common Era) and C.E. (Common Era).

Answer 2

AD actually stands for Anno Domini, not After Death. And the BC-AD calendar is the Christian calendar. Other religions have different calendars. For example, the Chinese New Year is on a different date then the one Christians celebrate it (I think sometime in mid January). Time in the Western world is based mainly on the BC-AD calendar, because most people in that area are Cristians, but in other parts of the world, years and months go by a different one.

Answer 3

I guess you would have to take a look back though history..
in the Western Worlds.
When Christianity first started taking over.

Just because the King or Queen or Lord of the household accepted the faith it didn't mean all his tenets on his land did too.

And as religion spread so did the teachings and of course Dates, Calenders, money trade.. All the learning and culture of Christianity came too.

So in order to keep up with the times and be able to trade etc. Without be left behind.. They took on the new outlook.
In a sense thrust upon them.
But it didn't mean they had to become Christian,
They didn't have to believe in Anything.

Just like if the government now change something we would all have to follow no matter our unrest.
be it currency or holidays or dates, etc.

So Pretty much the same, as back then, Just the owner of the lands had the say.

You still have alot of the Eastern Countries and Beliefs that don't use the AD and BC..
But some are slowly changing over because again..
Majority are using one type of calendar and in order to keep things in order to trade.
You would have to take a look at what others are using.
It wouldn't mean they would have to believe in Christ.

Answer 4

A.D. = Anno Domini = Year of our Lord
Latin.

Not sure who just Englihs for B.C. -- before Christ.

Inconsistent, that is true.

Some 1500 years ago most of the European countries were, at least, nominally Christian. They decided to count the years from a common standard rather than each country counting the years of their Sovereign's Reign. Therefore they decided on counting the years from the Incarnation of the King of Kings. They calculated from the probable date of the Incarnation. That was reckoned as Year 1. The year before that was the year 1 BC. There was NO year zero.

Now in post-Christian era instead of B.C. and A.D., to be "politically correct" many use the abbreviations: B.C.E. and C.E.

Answer 5

BC: Before Christ

AD: Abbreviation for the term Anno Domini Nostri Jesu Christi (or simply Anno Domini) which means ""in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ."" Years are counted from the traditionally recognized year of the birth of Jesus. In academic, historical, and archaeological circles, AD is generally replaced by the term Common Era (CE).

Answer 6

AD means anno domini or in the year of our lord. everything is based on that because christianity is a major world influence and Christ likes the BC thing.

Answer 7

ok now. i'm a historic past instructor. Draw a horizontal line on slightly of paper. contained in the middle is a mark. Label it 0 (0). on the left write, earlier Christ. (BC) on the right, write Anno Domini (ad)(12 months of our Lord) "0" is at the same time as Christ changed into born, so write JC there. about an inch to the right, make a mark and label it ad 33. that's at the same time as Jesus died, so make a touch go there. thanks to the right, make a mark and write ad 2008. Write ME there, because it really is the position you're. it really is the way it somewhat works. ad skill 12 months of Our Lord, not After lack of existence. at the same time as writing dates, you often write 500 BC or ad 500.

Answer 8

BC Before Christ
AD Anno Domini (in the year of our lord)

Because they used to. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, it was the Roman Catholic church that took over.

Answer 9

That is not what AD translates to in English.

You must have had a bad history teacher.

And time is not based on Christ. They guy who made our calender was a monk.

There are many other calenders but we just don't use any of them in the west.

Answer 10

Well, the reason we have Christian-based things in our culture is because we are descended from a Christian theocracy.

By the same token, you may as well ask why do most Americans speak English, when they're not even British?

Answer 11

In the past folks were not as free to state thier belife as we are today the roman church is responsible for the following (which I prefer to the modern Comon ERA and before the Common Era
the initials mean
Bc- -- before Christ
AD ---Anno domino (greek for in the year of our Lord!)