As atheists, do you feel the current calendar system should be revamped?

Question

This year is 2007, which is technically speaking 2007 years after the death of Christ. From that point of view, our calendar system has it's basis on religion. So should a non-religious calendaring system be implemented?

Answer 1

Excellent question :-)

As an atheist living in a secular country (France), I would like that kids realise in their History lessons how numerous calendars are in the World. They would understand that the current calendar they are used to is just one arbitrary calendar among many.

Using a religious calendar is quite unfair for the Believers who don't share the same religion and for all the Non-Believers, of course.

Anyway, scientists worldwide agree to use this christian-based calendar as arbitrary landmark (astrophysics, and so on), just because billions of people are used to using it as landmark for centuries. This is a habit, not a religious belief.


BUT scientists have added some fundamental modifications.

We don't say "before christ" but "before the current Era" or "before the common Era" = BCE.

We say "year 2007 CE" = "year 2007 of the Current Era".
"year -502" = "year 502 BCE".


In France, we often litterally say (without any religious connotation):
"year 2007 of our Era"
"year 502 before our Era"

According to the christian calendar, there is no year 0...

This is an incoherent situation scale according to scientists: their calendar needs a year 0 that lasted 365 years.

THEREFORE, in the scientific pseudo christian-calendar:

year 1 before christ = year 0 of the Current Era.
1 BC = 0 CE.


In France, many people say "502 before christ" without being Christians. Many also say "in minus 502".

Actually, scientists have modified the christian calendar and Christians haven't even noticed:

thanks to scientists, there is a year 0 which is worth a full year (unlike according to Christians).


I wish to also shortly speak about the name of days of the week.

In french, they are quite "romantic" because they are connected to planets' latin names:
Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturne, Sun.

So, that's cool :-)

Answer 2

AH!!!

But the MONTHS on the calendar are named for Roman and Greek gods and pagan idols.

Our calendar has it's roots in ancient Egypt. But the first people known to have a calendar of 365 days were the Sumerians of Mesopotamia about 4000 years ago. Then there were the Babylonians about 2500 years ago.

The most acurate was the Mayan calendar which is considered the most accurate, varying less than one minute a year from the Gregorian.

For historical purposes, the passage of time is divided BC and AD...and was divided by direction of Pope Gregory XIII in the late 1500's (AD). Up until his time the Julian calendar was used. Gregory ordered a new calendar to correct the errors that arose using the Julian. Much of Europe adopted it but not ALL. Our country didn't adopt it until the 1700's, Russia and Greece in 1900, Japan in the 1870's and China in 1910.

It has nothing to do with christ or religion. It is a scientifically and mathematically originated device to keep track of time....that's it.

Answer 3

no longer. there is not any longer something incorrect, and truly some issues stunning, with counting the passage of time consistent with a basic, nicely wide-unfold and fairly suggested organic experience. such with the aid of fact the orbit of the earth around the sunlight. i visit furnish you that there is a undeniable attraction to having all months have the comparable form of days. Accountants and different economic human beings wish that, with the aid of fact it would simplify accounting, quarterly summaries and something accounted for on a month-to-month foundation would be plenty less complicated. Comparisons between months would be straightforward, truly than having to normalize the information while the months had diverse numbers of days. George Eastman, of Eastman Kodak, set up a 13 era accounting calendar. each and each era had 28 days. the corporate ran on that foundation for a long term. for many every physique else, nevertheless, the shortcoming of a relentless reference would be truly disconcerting. i understand that by late March, or early April, the coldest area of iciness will usually be over. friendly spring heat temperature in April is a few thing i seem forward to, and that i will anticipate that with the aid of fact the months happen on the comparable cases interior the orbital path of the earth. once you're making the 300 and sixty 5 days 4 hundred days, then you definately shift the "season" by a pair of month's era each finished orbital era. So, iciness leads to April this 3 hundred and sixty 5 days, yet in March the subsequent 3 hundred and sixty 5 days, in February the single after that and so on. specific, human beings adapt to that, even nevertheless it does no longer be friendly. What would you do approximately issues like Christmas, or July 4? would the date of Christmas exchange each 3 hundred and sixty 5 days so as that it would stay on the comparable factor interior the iciness season, or would it not continually stay on the twenty 5th (or notwithstanding the recent December is), for this reason progressively migrate so as that normally it would finally end up throughout the time of the summer? Likewise with July 4. it could be logical, even nevertheless it would be truly problematical to convince extra effective than a handful of human beings to undertake that plan.

Answer 4

Our calendar system is a mixture. The months come from the Romans, the days of the week come from the Norse gods mostly, and the years derive from the christian counting. So what. Never change a running system.

Answer 5

I don't think so.

I think the calendar now is mostly practical. It works well and has for a long time. And I'm sure alot of people from other religions use this calendar as well.

Answer 6

I like how "Religion & Spirituality" have these little atheists group meetings deciding the worlds problems, but without God you are nothing. Enjoy your day because God lets it rain on the just and unjust alike, but not for long. Time is short and you need to consider the decisions that you have made. There are only 2 religions: God and man. Even Joshua knew and he shouted, "Choose you this day whom you will serve - God or man." Without Jesus, all the implementations in the world will not change your destiny. Time is running out. Prepare to meet your Creator.

Answer 7

There actually is something like what you are talking about. I was reading an article online and it referred to a date in history as B.C.E., which stands for "Before Common [or Current] Era". So, there is a BCE/CE designation in use, as opposed to Before Christ and Anno Domini [BC/AD]. I don't know how widespread the usage is, but it does exist. I had to look it up after I read the article.

Check this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Era

Peace!
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Answer 8

Not really... everybody's so used to this system we might as well keep using it. What date would you use to start a secular calendar anyway? Starting from the beginning would be difficult because we have no idea what year the Earth formed, and writing "January 1st, 4,500,000,001" would be a pain.

Answer 9

LMAO... I've been an atheist since I was 12. Over 15 years ago and that is the most absurd thing I've hard. I believe in absolute separation of church and state, but the calender system? Come on. Aside from the fact that it is not -purely- based on Christianity. You need to get your facts straight and educate yourself before making such statements.

Answer 10

Last time I checked, about a third of the world's population (2 billion Chinese) already disregards the Judeo-Christian calendar....