"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, bejewelled
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
crib, 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 neighbour 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"