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 crche, 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 Nick and Jessica 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 Nick and Jessica 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 recently) 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-estee m (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?
I am editing the post to reflect what Ben actually said. Thanks Sarah...
Posted by: Stephen Grant | 20 September 2007 at 08:48 PM
Apparently only the first part of this was actually written by Ben Stein: http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_ben_stein_christmas.htm
Posted by: Sarah | 20 September 2007 at 05:05 PM
I have a new found respect for this man.
Posted by: aaron | 20 September 2007 at 11:24 AM