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 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