THIS is awesome

>>>>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.
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<<<<<



LOVE Ben Stein!

 

you should probably familiarize yourself with the website "snopes.com" if you get many of these emails. it'll probably save you some embarrassment...

i think it's great that "ben stein" doesn't care that people say christmas tree. i wonder tho, how john q christian-conservative would feel about somebody wishing him a happy hanuka rather than a merry christmas. or perhaps a joyous ramadan should ramadan fall on that same time of year.

but really, nobody anywhere that i know of is suggesting people not be allowed to wish whatever blessings they want on somebody else. the issue really is whether the gov't should be in position to promote one religion over another. generally speaking, this means if you put up a christmas tree, then other similar religious symbols must be present. same with menorahs... the point is equal representation.

 

checked out snopes.com briefly but have no idea what it's supposed to do with the Ben Stein commentary. . . And I'm supposed to be embarrassed about the above?

 

simple answer: Ben Stein never said 'the above'

but , really... I have to laugh when I read shit like this:

Do people really believe that the only way to have a conscience, know right from wrong and not kill people is by worshipping Jeebus??

 

not only that, dr spock's kid didn't kill himself.

this is just another one of those stupid emails that people throw together and attribute to somebody they think people would respect.

if you really reap what you sow, isn't it somewhat pointless to push that message by sowing lies?

 

SO are we ever going to know where Ben Stein really stands on X-mas trees?

 

Since that statement directly followed the part about dr. spock, I assumed it was referring to the lack of discipline during child rearing that led to kids killing themselves as well as others, more than whether Jesus was involved. Could be wrong, but either way there is a lot of truth to that. Lots of parents became more concerned with being "friends" with their kids instead of using punishment as a way of teaching right from wrong. Guilt from divorces, one parent households, lead people to lavish their kids with whatever they want to make up for their screwups. The medias onslaught of violence on tv, movies, and in video games, has desensitized them to what used to be considered horrible acts.

Having a conscience, knowing right from wrong, and not killing people, does not require the acknowledgement that Jesus is the Son of the living God. I agree with that.

 

Bueller.....Bueller.......Bueller

 

Post office employees can't play Christmas Caroles, have a tree nor say Merry Christmas.

 

Thats because the constitution of the United States of America clearly states that there should be separation of church and state. Now I'm sure your comment pertains to while they are delivering mail and not in their personal lives.