I look forward (tic) to the enlightened responses.....


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, bejewelled 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 crib, 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? 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 neighbour 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 Stein

I hated it.......so much so that I c/p'd it to one of my best friends and his wonderful family who are Jewish.

I'm sure it will be received in the same intent as sent.

Thanks for a great piece.

edit: I'm not Jewish.......like that matters

I love crap like this because it's so willingly deceitful.

Essentially Ben makes the following arguments:

1. Natural disasters like Katrina happened because we've--as a nation--become more secular.

2. We stopped disciplining our children with spankings, and now they have no values and so they murder strangers/schoolmates/themselves

Now I say willingly deceitful because I don't for a moment believe either of these things above are true... Natural disasters don't seem to me to be particularly related to church attendance. There's no recent upswing in them that I find credible (and neither do any of the people who believe Ben's screed above, because if they did, Global Warming would be a far more reasonable explanation, which is surely impossible).

As far as our children being corrupt murderers, you can feel free to investigate the *actual* violent crime rates in the US and note that they're at lifetime lows. So any change that has happened in Ben's years on this planet are POSITIVE and Ben should be thanking Dr. Spock and the other positive progressive changes we've made (including policing, policy, and -gasp- legalized abortion) which all have plausible linkages to crime rates declining.

The thing that HAS changed, the thing that I think makes Ben so unhappy, is that he lives inside his little echo chamber with a number of you. The big thing that has changed is not the arrival of natual disasters, nor is it the increase in violent crime... It's the speed/sensational news culture, selectively amplified by agenda-driven news networks and blogs. If you choose to live in those, you can easily convince yourself the world of the 50's (or Reagan) were utopia.

But it wasn't.

Just another person trying to use religion to influence the ignorant.

The writing changes in the middle of that speel, and it becomes a Right-Wing opinion piece. Check Snopes, the Ben Stein part ends with:

"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? 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."

Which was the part that actually made sense. Pretty obvious when he starts quoting Billy Graham's daughter that we have left Mr. Stein behind. I could not believe that he would be insinuating that lack of school prayer caused a hurricane, he is not that dumb.

I totally agree with the celebrity worship stuff, it infects our whole country. I think he is trying to get across that Americans worry more about Honey Boo boo than taking care of their own sh!t, which is true.

Were we supposed to give a f.uck what Ben Stein thinks?

Why?

Because he's a celebrity?

Way to step on your own dick there, Ben. Shut your face.

It explains very well why we must have seperation of church and state.

I heard it a long time ago, and then again recently:

Explaining faith to a believer isn't necessary.
Explaining faith to a non-believer isn't possible.


Control freaks have no faith. But that doesn't mean that things can't change. Some may just find that the road they are on is not the road they want.
I only know that where I'm at today (where ever that is in the big picture) is a direct result of where I've been.

But then it is all a process..........I'll let you know when I arrive (Don't hold your breath.)

There is no "explaining" faith...that's why they call it faith.

Trying to make it sound logical is impossible...it doesn't work that way.

Fish on...

Todd

P.S. And it still has no place whatsoever in governance.

or in the courtroom?

something about truth, whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help me Todd?

That's why they require things like "proof" and "evidence" in the courtroom...not "faith".

Fish on...

Todd

If you really want the GOP to be anything other than a laughable footnote when kids read about them twenty years from now, you should get them to adopt this idea.

Fish on...

Todd

I wonder how many years will go by while the GOP does this exact same thing.

I'm going with eight years.

If they go beyond that they will be the "third party" because someone else will take their place.

Fish on...

Todd

That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me and I appreciate the compliment. Taking into consideration the fact you're a dumbfu.ck I'll just pray for you.

Bless your heart.

Thankyou RowvsWade for the thoughtful commentary by Mr. Stein.
I am not of the Jewish faith, however, his view of some of the events
of the last few decades is pretty much on the mark
I especially appreciate the article's ability to generate a lot of Labial
froth in the dumbchit libtard environs.

Indeed.

Fish on...

Todd

"Religion is the biggest cult out there."

Quote worthy.

We should draft teenagers to run the country. Hell they know
everything. Get 'em before they forget.

Just a side note.......I marvel at the ridiculous "don't spank the kids, it changes who they are" group.

Hell, that's the idea, isn't it?

As usual, you're only off by quadruple.

http://www.pewforum.org/Unaffiliated/nones-on-the-rise.aspx

No, not better.

Won't be better until you add in the 15% "nothing in particular" respondents which will get you to the correct answer.

Were you being serious?

kinda like Centrists are Right Wing?

'Factor in those that are religious for 2 hours on Sunday mornings and assholes for the rest of their lives and the numbers changed dramastically.'
Lol
Ya mean they are not assholes for a least 2 hours a week?

Yeah, entirely serious, Hank.

Nobody -- NOBODY here thinks the "cultish" behavior we're discussing and those trying to impose "church" doctrine onto public policy are part of the group identifying as nothing-in-particular.

Except maybe you. And try as I might I can't seem to point out that distinction clearly enough for you to resolve it.

Happy Thanksgiving to you too.