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| | Author | Messages | |
regancolston1214
Posts:167
 | | 11/02/2007 11:16 PM |
 Alert |
A lot of truth in this
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 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?
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 | | | |
| | stinkerbell2
Posts:0
| | 11/02/2007 11:59 PM |
Alert | | Sounds about right!!! I have "heard" this before and I too love it!! | | | |
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| | JasonY
Posts:1973
| | 11/05/2007 9:20 AM |
Alert | | Very nice post. Thank You. | |
"Your village called.........they're missing their idiot" | |
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| | ChimneyDuck
Posts:191
| | 11/05/2007 9:53 AM |
Alert | Some of that letter was written be Ben Stein, but some wasn't. You can check out the original at:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/benstein2.asp
Oh, and I checked on Dr Spock's son. You may be happy to hear that both of Dr. Spock's sons are alive and well.
Any emails that have pleas to forward are usually bogus in some form or another.
People putting famous peoples names on their writings without their permission irks me, though the sunscreen one attributed to Kurt Vonnegut was hilarious. Though in this case Mary Schmich actually published the essay in the Chicago Tribune and someone published it on the internet under the guise of Vonnegut's commencement speech to the 1997 MIT graduation. | |
http://www.maricopabikeclub.com - Join us for a bicycle ride. | |
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| | JasonY
Posts:1973
| | 11/06/2007 2:57 PM |
Alert | No God, No Peace
Know God, Know Peace
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"Your village called.........they're missing their idiot" | |
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| | lovecopasometimes
Posts:46
| | 11/26/2007 5:59 PM |
Alert | | Amen JasonY. You couldn't have said that better. | | | |
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|  | rwallick
Posts:44
| | 11/28/2007 3:55 PM |
Alert | Posted By regancolston1214 on 11/02/2007 11:16 PM
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?'
Ben Stein
I always get a kick out of statements such as that above by Billy Graham's daughter (guess she doesn't get credit for being her own person -- only his daughter.) It's a joke 
First, with the exception of the U.S. the wealthiest countries are those with the least religious populations (and the U.S. is falling farther and farther behind.) See http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=167. The least religious countries have higher life expectancies and much lower infant mortality rate. Crime rates are lower and poverty much less a problem. I could write a tome on differences between religious countries and non-religious countries but I suggest, if you really want the truth, to research it for yourself.
Perhaps our problem is that we haven't gotten god regulated to god's place -- not in school, not in government, and not push god into other peoples lives. Maybe if we follow suit, we will have god's "blessings" too.
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"The real trouble with war...is that it gives no one a chance to kill the right people."
- Ezra Pound | |
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| | Jason
Posts:3378
| | 11/29/2007 9:32 AM |
Alert | First, with the exception of the U.S. the wealthiest countries are those with the least religious populations (and the U.S. is falling farther and farther behind.)
That's interesting, don't you think? We're the wealthiest nation on the planet and we're also the most religious of the industrialized nations. Should tell you right there that you can't logically draw the parallel that you're trying to. | |
Joined: Jul 2005 | |
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