A LONG but provoking read
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From: Marysville, WA
A LONG but provoking read
In light of the season, and all of us posting threads, I thought you might find this interesting....
>
> If they know of him at all, many folks think Ben Stein is just a
> quirky actor/comedian who talks in a monotone. He's also a very
> intelligent attorney who knows how to put ideas and words together in
> such a way as to sway juries and make people think clearly.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS
> Sunday Morning Commentary, Sunday, 12/18/05.
>
> Herewith at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating
> heart: I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on
> the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits
> and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They
> never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it
> change my life if I know who they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important?
>
> I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do not care at all
> about Tom Cruise's wife.
>
> Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a
> subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are.
>
> If this is what it means to be no longer young, it's not so bad.
>
> Next confession:
> I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it
> does not bother me even a little e 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 crèche, 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-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?
>
>
> If they know of him at all, many folks think Ben Stein is just a
> quirky actor/comedian who talks in a monotone. He's also a very
> intelligent attorney who knows how to put ideas and words together in
> such a way as to sway juries and make people think clearly.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS
> Sunday Morning Commentary, Sunday, 12/18/05.
>
> Herewith at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating
> heart: I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on
> the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits
> and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They
> never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it
> change my life if I know who they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important?
>
> I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do not care at all
> about Tom Cruise's wife.
>
> Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a
> subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are.
>
> If this is what it means to be no longer young, it's not so bad.
>
> Next confession:
> I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it
> does not bother me even a little e 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 crèche, 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-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?
>