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



Keep Blasting!
Sifu Lamar M. Davis II
Senior Instructor
Hardcore Jeet Kune Do
Sifu@HardcoreJKD.com
JKD@windstream.net
http://www.HardcoreJKD.com
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Phone (205) 296-7070 (Incoming Only)

"Hit Hard, Hit Fast, Hit First - ALWAYS!"

"The REAL future of Jeet Kune Do belongs to US, the few, the proud, the HARDCORE! Now, what are we going to do with it?" _ Sifu Lamar M. Davis II

How I hate to agree with this; not because of Ben Stein but by the way everything he is saying is true. I once heard Billy Graham (latter part of his life) speak on Sodom and Gomorrah; he compared the cities to America and boy did they look good compared to us nowdays.

When all you can do is stand, stand and then stand some more.

Kent

Hi Kent!

Great post! I am studying in Jeremiah about
what happened to Israel leading into the
Babylonian captivity. We look like this and
like Sodom.

Unless there is national repentance in America,
I feel certain God's judgement is near!

I thank God that many are putting these kinds
of posts on the forum. My thanks to Sifu for
allowing and contributing to lifting up Jesus.

John 14:6 tells us that He is the only way and
our only hope.

God bless you and Merry Christmas!

Dick

Hi Sifu:

Good post! I have seen this before and I
say "Amen!"

Wake up, America!

God bless you, brother!

Dick

Let me start by saying there are those of us who are glad America is not what it was 40 years ago, as it was not such a great place for all its people and in fact had problem recognizing a portion as people. Having said that, I am not offended as I don't think the author meant it what was written as a slight. This is just as reminder to be mindful that people have varied experiences in this country so it is hard to make a blanket statement about our virtues without recognizing a reciprocal affect for many groups that we did not look so glowing at not too long ago.

I believe in reaping and sowing, but in a very spiritual and universal sense. I try not to give my idea of God or Most High the albatross of having to deal with Human emotions i.e. sad, happy, jealous, angry, etc. Those are the things that make us weak and I don't think a God-like being is as vulnerable as we are in all our various emotional states. I look at as an unerringly law of life, that you get out your experience on earth, what you put into it. Plant apples seeds, get apples Plant flowers and get flowers.

I think it is a grave folly to relate natural events to Gods anger at us. Katrina was a natural phenomenom and we happened to be in they way, but it was nature at its powerful best. More sad to me was the sorry, response this country had to the same and how many folks are still living without. If you want to be mad, be mad at how we treat our fellow Americans and in a larger sense, brothers and sisters. What made me sad was the looting, lawlessness, stealing by a small percentage. What made me sad was hearing Americans trying to find shelter and a safe place referred to as refugees on the news. The very people that helped build this country.

Yeah we have a lot to be sorry about as country in all our greatness

Peace!]

Jeff
atl

If we were really a GOD fearing nation then the looting, raping (in the Superdome), shooting etc... would not have happened. Yes the federal government did not respond as it should have but the local and state government did not pre-respond as it should have and not let people stay to have hurricane parties and such. The peolple that stayed after being warned should have heeded the warnings and not thought that it would weaken or go a different route Also 40 years ago yes certain groups were discriminated against; yet still today that group of people and the others still hold another group, the Native Americans, in the lowest of contempt. The majority live in less than third world conditions. GOD did not cause the hurricane but HE let it happen. Funny how it hit right before the most lude and rauchiest "party" in the world and right before a gay rights parade whose organizers made the statement that not even GOD would stop them. This was in the major newspapers of the city.

When we kicked GOD out of the schools within years the teen birth rate, teen STD rate and drop out rate rose. When we kick GOD out of our homes the divorce rate rose. When we kicked HIM out of our government the crime rate rose. All is factual and documented. Why do we then expect HIM to bless the US? Just as in the Bible so we are now days. Isreal turned to worshipping other gods and sacrificing the young (form of abortion) to Baal so GOD let other nations invade, capture, enslave and destroy HIS chosen people/nation. Why? Becasue they kicked HIM out so HE lifted HIS hand of blessing and protection from them; so HE will do to us. Isreal sactified and made legal that which GOD said not to. What are we doing? Why do people ignore GOD in the good times and expect HIM to show up in the bad times?

Were people perfect 40yrs ago; NO. But we are farther from that than they were and I don't see America or the world doing a U-TURN. I will tell people about the one true GOD and about HIS SON. Any other god is a false god.



I know this forum is about JKD and this post is not but I will not back down from telling it like it is.

kent

I agree entirely with everything you said
Tom

Well said, Brother!

God bless you.

Dick

Jeff,
I agree with much of what you said. However rather than believe that God experiences human emotions It might be more accurately said that we humans experience God given emotions. We were created in Gods image. And while we are fallen we are still in his image. The bible indicates that God experiences anger, joy, sorrow etc and certainly Jesus exhibited these in perfection.

As to natural disasters, yes they often affect the righteous but ultimately we live in a fallen world because we have turned from God. If we turn to Him he promises his protection. The further we move away the more we will experience sorrows. Yes we reap what we sow.

It has been said that grace is getting what we don't deserve and mercy is not getting what we do. May God grant us grace and show us mercy

Kimsut

well said my friend.

Thanks to you as well Dick.

Kent