[StBernard] Eloquent

[Westley Annis]

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. 

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