The National Park Service: Hostile To Christianity. And To The Public.

The National Park Service: Hostile To Christianity. And To The Public.

From their HFC Editorial Style Guide:

So evidently BC and AD are a big no-no with the NPS. They never say why. But this is what they say at the beginning of their style guide:

References often disagree—that is why style guides exist—and questions of style must be decided with the public foremost in mind. This is the audience for whom National Park Service public media are produced, not scholars, historians, scientists, or bureaucrats. It is important that the editorial style used throughout your publication, exhibit, web page, podcast, audiovisual production, or other media be consistent.

Yeah, you and your friends and everybody you know uses BCE and CE, right? Sheesh . .

Here's their Contact Form if you want to tell them how you feel.

Comments

[M.L.Boyer]

I just downloaded the HFC Editorial Style Guide revised 8-4-2008, and the reference to dates says this:
AD (full caps) Use only if reference to the year is so vague as to be misunderstood;
AD precedes and is separated from the year by one space. Also,
use “between AD 1150 and 1600,” not “between AD 1150 and AD 1600.”
Britain was invaded successfully in 55 BC and AD 1066
BC BC follows and is separated from the year by one space.

[John Foust]

Gosh, wasn't there some way to implicate Obama in all of this?

[Sparticus]

Sadly, many churches and their ministers are so liberal as to be harmful to not just Christianity but to our entire Western culture. Whether or not Pastor Bankson fits in this group I can't say for certain, but if he can't recognize the open hostility of much of the Western elites for their own culture, especially the Christian aspects of it, then he may very well be, at the very least, a so-called "useful idiot."

Calendrically, it doesn't matter when Jesus was born. Besides, the Park Service booklets are not academic; they're for the general public, who understands BC & AD but is confused by BCE & CE.

[twitter.com/KnowTea]

I was taught, at the Christian college I went to over 20 years ago, that BCE/CE were to be preferred in general academic works, while BC/AD continue to be used in some Christian works. Given the many revisions to the calendar over the centuries, "BC" doesn't really work anymore, since most timelines estimate that Jesus was born around 5 BC! BCE/CE isn't "hostile" to anything. (And I say this as a Christian minister.)

[Stephen]

I never even knew about the BCE thing before. But now, thanks to your post, I will use it instead of BC. As a member of "the public" I feel no hostility regarding this at all.