It CANNOT mean before christ because according to research christ was born in 4 B.C and died about 27 A.D.( Pears Cyclopedia, 1959/1960 edition.) Being pagan I find the absolute hypocrisy in christianity to be very interesting ( NO i'm not saying all christians are hypocrites.) and love to find out the true facts behind the stories we were force fed when growing up.I think I know what it really stands for but i lost the books containing all that information in a house fire and have not been able to replace them.
2007-04-18 21:26:04 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It does mean "Before Christ"
2007-04-18 21:30:57 · answer #1 · answered by tracy211968 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was an educated guess that became convention by the time new information came to light. It's more important to agree on what year it is than to have it exactly reflect what it was originally designed to designate. Which is why I think it's silly to pinch a fit over BCE/CE, since those names are basically an admission of the nebulousness of the starting point.
It means Before Christ. You can imagine an asterisk and a footnote if you like, but it's much more relevant that we all mean the same thing when we talk about 45 BC. Makes the math simpler, too.
2007-04-19 04:33:48 · answer #2 · answered by Doc Occam 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It actually does stand for Before Christ. the other thing worth noting about the dating system is that there was no year 0 either, meaning that the 1st decade AD only contained 9 yrs. Anyway, BC is being replaced amongst certain circles with BCE - Before Common Era, and AD has become CE - Common Era. AD Doesn't mean After Death, but actually Anno domini which translates to in the year of our lord.
2007-04-19 04:46:01 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Quit crying, for God's sake!
What are they teaching you kids these days? You think that following the BC/AD dating system is hypocrisy? You need to look up the definition of the word "hypocrisy." And I can't believe you think that you were "force fed" information simply because somebody related what they thought was true. It absolutely amazes me how people use terms like "brainwash," "force fed," "forced," "harassment," etc. for completely inocuous conversation. You really need a reality check.
And if you took the time to investigate the matter, you would find that there is good evidence for dating the death of Herod several years later than the traditional date, placing the birth of Christ squarely in 1 BC, just as the calendar maintains.
2007-04-19 04:37:43 · answer #4 · answered by NONAME 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
So BC has some other meaning, or the people who came up with it missed the date and later it was too complicated to fix it. You can't take Jesus out of histrory, dude, not matter how hard you try. Whether you believe he was anything extraordinary or not, he's still had a profound and widespread on humanity. You've got to give him at least that. The freedoms you enjoy today and the prosperity has a lot to do with his words and his life.
BTW, what do you mean by force fed? When I teach my children to read or to play a sport or instrument. When I send them to school or teach them manners. When I share with them the wisdom that I've gained through literature and history. Is all that force fed? The things you say show your ignorance and bigotry. Here's a quote from the Bible for you:
He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his peace. Proverbs 11:12
2007-04-19 04:55:55 · answer #5 · answered by IKB 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
B.C. really does mean Before Christ.
The dating problem occured in the 1400s. When a historian was calculating the current date, he accidentally left 4 years out. By the time his mistake had been realized, it was too late for people to change it. The current year is actually 2011.
On a related note: A.D. doesn't mean "after death" It means 'Anno Domini' or "In the year of our Lord."
2007-04-19 04:33:39 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
B.C. actually does stand for Before Christ. The reason is because when the modern calendar was first began, it was in the Middle Ages and they misread some of the old Roman calendar dates. They were trying to start the calendar with the year of Jesus' birth - hence B.C. - before Christ and A.D. - anno domini (year of our Lord)
2007-04-19 04:33:54 · answer #7 · answered by treycadeboy 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree with you. But they will have an excuse, just like missed return tour dates for Jesus burning the earth. "It was supposed to be 1999, but the Lord changed his mind". I like BCE (before common era), and it is much more scientific and reasonable. A.D. means anno domini (in the year of our lord), and is also another one of those terms that should be put in the back of the file drawer.
Sorry I could not be of much help on this!
2007-04-19 04:33:19 · answer #8 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm with the other's. B.C. is BC. And we're ALL hypocrites.... All Athiests, all agnostics, all pagens, all christians. We know it's wrong to lie, and yet YOU and I all have, and we probably will in the future. THAT's called HYPOCRICY. You're on the bus whether you like it or not. It's the human condition and not specific to Christians, or Muslims or any other group for that matter. Deal with it and quit putting your baggage on others. Not tryin to rough you up pal, just look in the mirror.
2007-04-19 04:37:20 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It does mean Before Christ. But modern folks use BCE these days- Before Common Era.
2007-04-19 16:07:46 · answer #10 · answered by kaplah 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes,it DOES mean 'before Christ'.There was a mistake made in the calculation,yes,but you are mistaken in your notion that it was a made up story force fed to you-it's the truth.
I hardly see how a mistake made in calculations makes Christianity 'absolutely hypocritical'.
2007-04-19 04:30:44 · answer #11 · answered by Serena 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋