The well-meaning folly of abolishing AD

SIR – Attempts by the National Trust and other organisations to replace the calendar terms BC and AD with BCE and CE (report, November 13) are ignorant as well as offensive.

BC and AD overtly reflect Christian chronology, and may be ignored by Muslims and others employing different calendars should they choose.

However, “Common Era” plainly implies that all cultures are expected to reckon dates before or after the birth of Christ. Nikolai Tolstoy

Southmoor, Berkshire

SIR – Once again some well-meaning people at a National Trust property have felt that it is the trust’s job to change our attitudes towards their bien pensant world view. This sort of thing goes beyond mere political correctness: there is a danger of it creeping along the spectrum towards social engineering.

Similarly, last year the decision by the trust to “out” the donor of one of its properties as gay and demand that its volunteers wear Gay Pride badges triggered a backlash from volunteers.

I have been a member of the National Trust for more than 30 years and am now quite concerned that it feels its remit goes beyond its “day job” of being the guardian of our heritage. Don Webber

Bembridge, Isle of Wight

SIR – If the National Trust and the BBC want to “avoid offending non-christians”, perhaps they should invent their own calendar. John Brandon

Tonbridge, Kent

SIR – It seems to me that the people who routinely take offence do so vicariously on behalf of those who they believe will take offence but who invariably don’t. Martyn Pitt

Gloucester

SIR – I have always been intrigued by the fact that I first encountered the terms BCE and CE in the course material given to me by the Church of England 25 years ago, when I trained for what was then the post of Reader. Alan Mabey

Hook, Hampshire