Remarks from CBS Sunday Morning - 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.