Ben Stein

Apparently the White House referred to Christmas Trees as Holiday Trees for the first time this year which prompted CBS presenter, Ben Stein, to present this piece which I would like to share with you. I think it applies just  as much to many countries as it does to America ...

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 crčche, 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  ?  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  Stein