The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning
- My confession:
Commentary.
My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not
bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled
trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated
against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't
think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I
kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating
this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger
scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If
people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred
yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think
Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who
believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no
idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country.
I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my
throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should
worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?
I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too... But there are a lot of us
who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we
knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little
different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to
get you thinking.
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson
asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina)
Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I
believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've
been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to
get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly
backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if
we demand He leave us alone?'
In light of recent events... Terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think
it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few
years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.
Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou
shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And
we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they
misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might
damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an
expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they
Don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers,
their classmates, and themselves..
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I
think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's
going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what
the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread
like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people
think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles
pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in
the school and workplace.
Are you laughing yet?
Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on
Your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they
Will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what
God thinks of us.
Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... No one
will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back
and complain about what bad shape the world is in.
My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein
