A Special note from Ben Stein

The following was written by  Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning 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 creche, 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 Hurricane 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 okay..

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 S"