B.C. And A.D.

[Cyberman]

Before the word gay was popular to slur homosexuals it merely ment "happy". So if words can change and they do I don't think gays should get bent out of shape if someone says "that is so gay".

Indeed, since at least the late 14th century (CE). Also "excellent person, noble lady, gallant knight," in Middle English. Interestingly, it also had connotations of "wanton, lewd, lascivious"; hence the now-extinct 19th century "gay-house" for brothel. Apparently the modern sense of the word, dating back to at least the 1920s and probably even fifty years earlier, "likely got a boost from the term gay cat, used as far back as 1893 in American English for "young hobo," one who is new on the road, also one who sometimes does jobs."

I frickin' love language.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=gay

[Brian37]

Before the word gay was popular to slur homosexuals it merely ment "happy". So if words can change and they do I don't think gays should get bent out of shape if someone says "that is so gay".

Indeed, since at least the late 14th century (CE). Also "excellent person, noble lady, gallant knight," in Middle English. Interestingly, it also had connotations of "wanton, lewd, lascivious"; hence the now-extinct 19th century "gay-house" for brothel. Apparently the modern sense of the word, dating back to at least the 1920s and probably even fifty years earlier, "likely got a boost from the term gay cat, used as far back as 1893 in American English for "young hobo," one who is new on the road, also one who sometimes does jobs."

I frickin' love language.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=gay

There have been individuals and groups of atheists who avoid the word because it is and has been used by the religious as slur. Some people call themselves humanists or freethinkers or brights. But the truth is that if you don't believe in a god, you are an atheist. Siince I don't view that word as a slur even if others do, why would I allow them to define me?

FUCK THEM is the way I look at it. Just like the word "nigger" can be both a bigoted slur and "you're my homie".

I get down on anyone putting way too much value into the fallacy that words have magical powers. I am most certainly against bigotry, but taboos and blanket statments of "never" as a solution don't work.

Time place and context matter. A bigoted skinhead with a Nazi symbol tatoo, yea, that's obvious. But if Mel Brooks can dipict Nazis and poke fun of them in his movies and Dave Sapel can use the word "nigger" in his skits, then I am not going to shy away from poking fun of assholes who slur atheists by saying "I am an atheist kitten barbecuer".

AND I certainly wouldn want anyone objecting to Huckleberry Finn or the Holocaust Museum out of some stupid sense of political correctness.

It still always will amount to time place and context.

[Polaris]

"Common era" is all we as a species in reality have. We all rotate around the sun at the same time so while we cant fit that many zeros on years in terms of billions, our common use is 2012.

I say BCE and CE, because that in reality is the only thing we can universally measure in terms of years. Anything else is mere superstition.

That's so full of shit. It's still the same fucking Christian dating system with it centered on the supposed birth of Christ. Merely changing the names doesn't change it.

[Brian37]

"Common era" is all we as a species in reality have. We all rotate around the sun at the same time so while we cant fit that many zeros on years in terms of billions, our common use is 2012.

I say BCE and CE, because that in reality is the only thing we can universally measure in terms of years. Anything else is mere superstition.

That's so full of shit. It's still the same fucking Christian dating system with it centered on the supposed birth of Christ. Merely changing the names doesn't change it.

If you want to claim your fictional super hero gave birth to the universe and all the life on this planet, I cant stop you. But science has put the earth years at 4+ billions of years, not the mythological 10,000 year crap fans of this fictional sky daddy want to claim.

The fact we are stuck with a calender started by Christians doesn't make virgin births real. Not to mention the days and months named are POLYTHEISTIC GOD names in origin.

"We started it" ok, by that logic you should worship the sun as a god because the Egyptians were the first to perfect the pyrimid shape.

Oh and the greeks were the first to use the word "atom" so that must have ment they knew about quarks?

But your precious Jesus countdown calander was not always perfect or accurate and was STILL based on prior polythistic celestial sun and moon positions. We only hold 2012 now because it is the point we chose to keep, but it is hardly reflective of the actual age of life or the planet, nor will it ever make magic babies real.

[Darkstar]

Common Era

It has been noted that the label Anno Domini is arguably inaccurate; "scholars generally believe that Christ was born some years before A.D. 1, the historical evidence is too sketchy to allow a definitive dating."

So, I was right that the year was said to be inaccurate as the year of Jesus's birth, but switching from an explicitly christian dating system was a bigger reason.

[Minimalist]

The fact we are stuck with a calender started by Christians doesn't make virgin births real.

Indeed. It just means the calendar is horseshit, too.

[LiakosVikernes]

The fact we are stuck with a calender started by Christians doesn't make virgin births real.

Indeed. It just means the calendar is horseshit, too.

I thought that Joseph was banging that chick, or god shape shifted as a horse.

[Nine]

I thought that Joseph was banging that chick, or god shape shifted as a horse.

Joseph, Mary and God as a horse in one insane threesome? How did that not make it into the bible?

[pocaracas]

I thought that Joseph was banging that chick, or god shape shifted as a horse.

Joseph, Mary and God as a horse in one insane threesome? How did that not make it into the bible?

too unbelievable?

[Cyberman]

Probably in the Special Preachers'-Only Edition. Free hand-lotion with every purchase.