Ben Stein Page
Ben Stein Page - CBS Commentary

Ben Stein Page


Only hope we find GOD again before it is
too late ! !

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 celebrities 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 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 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 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 S


Ben Stein:  In my lifetime, I have had many wonderful Jewish
Friends,
and they, like most of the Jews, all believe in God.   

Ben Stein, you are my personal "HERO"!

Johannes Rammund De Balliel-Lawrora