Author Topic: Ben Stein on Christmas  (Read 272 times)

Offline Odee

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Ben Stein on Christmas
« on: November 01, 2007, 10:42:26 AM »
The  following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday  Morning Commentary.

Quote
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-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  

 
                                                                Amen

 
:aok
~Nobodee~   Get Poached!
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Offline AWMac

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Ben Stein on Christmas
« Reply #1 on: November 01, 2007, 10:47:35 AM »
Good post Odee.

:aok

Mac

Offline Dichotomy

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Ben Stein on Christmas
« Reply #2 on: November 01, 2007, 10:49:57 AM »
Indeed :aok
JG11 - Dicho37Only The Proud Only The Strong AH Players who've passed on :salute

Offline midnight Target

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Re: Ben Stein on Christmas
« Reply #3 on: November 01, 2007, 10:55:51 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by Odee
The  following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday  Morning Commentary.


 
                                                                Amen

 
:aok


Well, SOME of that was written and read by Ben Stein. This part was not:

Quote
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,



Kinda changes the entire silly message when you delete that part out... and Spock's son DID NOT commit suicide.

Offline texasmom

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Re: Re: Ben Stein on Christmas
« Reply #4 on: November 01, 2007, 11:09:15 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by midnight Target
Spock's son DID NOT commit suicide.

You're right. It was his son's son: his grandson.
<S> Easy8
<S> Mac

Offline AWMac

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Re: Re: Re: Ben Stein on Christmas
« Reply #5 on: November 01, 2007, 12:04:54 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by texasmom
You're right. It was his son's son: his grandson.


By Col. Plum in the Library with a Lamp....*picks a card*

Your turn.....

:D

Mac

Offline Mickey1992

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Ben Stein on Christmas
« Reply #6 on: November 01, 2007, 12:06:07 PM »
I knew when it got to the Katrina part that Ben Stein could not have written that crap.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/benstein2.asp

Offline Holden McGroin

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Re: Re: Ben Stein on Christmas
« Reply #7 on: November 01, 2007, 01:01:45 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by midnight Target
Kinda changes the entire silly message when you delete that part out...  


But if you delete it in, it makes even more difference.
Holden McGroin LLC makes every effort to provide accurate and complete information. Since humor, irony, and keen insight may be foreign to some readers, no warranty, expressed or implied is offered. Re-writing this disclaimer cost me big bucks at the lawyer’s office!

Offline Odee

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Ben Stein on Christmas
« Reply #8 on: November 01, 2007, 03:18:07 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Mickey1992
I knew when it got to the Katrina part that Ben Stein could not have written that crap.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/benstein2.asp
Well gosh, then why does SNOPES say it's TRUE?

Granted further down Snopes shows the added coda, but the message itself remains pretty true to the original content.

BTW - Thanks for the link displaying the whole story.  Yer a peach of a Chinese Mouse :p
~Nobodee~   Get Poached!
Elite: Dangerous ~ Cmd Odeed

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Offline Mickey1992

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Ben Stein on Christmas
« Reply #9 on: November 01, 2007, 03:46:54 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Odee
Well gosh, then why does SNOPES say it's TRUE?


I meant that Stein would not have written the crap from Katrina on down.