A lot of you may or may not have seen this before, I just received it through an email, so I am sharing it.

Remarks from CBS Sunday Morning


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 crèche, 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

Thank you for posting this.

Ben Stein is a very perceptive social commentator. I admire him for his "in between the eyes" observations.

I have read this before and it's STILL GOOD!!! Thank you for posting it.

This is politics not religion.

Also his words represent one person's opinion .
Why should the rest follow him ?.
Is he Jesus too....?. .

Great share {{{{{Bonnie}}}}}

I have no care what people put up in their yards or on personal property for any holiday they choose to celebrate. I only have issues when the government will place a naitivy scene up and not any other religious representation. Either they will represent ALL religions or they will represent none. There will be no favoritism towards one over others.

Since some people might have a problem with a naitivity scene with an upside down cross next to it to represent the satan worshipers, we need to leave religion out of the government.

It was okay up until they started with the "asking god to get out of the schools" crap.

What a load of crap.



Anyone who does not recognize the Christian slant on the above statement is probably a ... you guessed it..a Christian.

So because we can't allow this country to become one that forbids freedom of religion... and I mean other than Christianity.... then that means (to some idiot) that we have told god to get out of our schools and out of our government and out of our lives.

No No No. It simply means that freedom of religion means just that.

FREEDOM OF RELIGION.

Which also mean freedom from religion for atheists and agnostics.

If you want to live in a country ruled by one religion, then go to Iran.

JB

This is so true. It's actually a lie to claim that we have told God to get out of our schools and our government. Or stupidity. (whichever is a more convenient excuse )

However, Christianity doesn't believe in Freedom of Religion. Or perhaps I should say that their doctrine (the Bible) doesn't believe in a Freedom of Religion. The Bible teaches to murder anyone who teaches anything other than that God of Abraham (Ironically that would include Jesus). It also says to murder every man, woman, and child in the town from whence the heathen came. And also slaughter all of their animals, and destory all of the possessions and burn the entire place to the ground and don't ever build on that spot again.

That's what the Bible Teaches!!! It's in Deuteronomy.

The Christian God has absolutely no love for anyone who doesn't worship him and he gives his ok to murder all heathens and destroy they towns and everyone who lives in them.

That's what the Christian Bible teaches whether people are willing to own up to it or not.

http://www.thebricktestament.com/the_law/religious_tolerance/dt13_13-15.html

The Bible teaches us that genuine faith is "more precious than gold that perishes" (1 Peter 1:7). Indeed such faith is going to be "tested by fire". You can expect difficulties and persecutions in your life of faith, as well as blessings. Therefore to encourage you to hold onto and develop your faith, we will consider some of the benefits of faith.

1. Faith brings salvation. (Ephesians 2:8,9). Whosever believes in Him has eternal life. (John 3:16), and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. (John 5:24). The just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:17)

2. Faith brings answers to prayer. "And whatever things you ask in prayer, really believing, you will receive." (Matthew 21:22). Since God tells us to pray for our daily bread (Matthew 6:11), faith is therefore a key to our material provision.

3. Faith brings all the benefits of salvation into our lives (Ephesians 2:8,9). This includes healing, prosperity, peace, love, joy (1 Peter 1:8), deliverance from demons and the curse, sanctification of the mind and emotions (the salvation of the soul) and any other benefit which the word of God promises to us.

4. Faith is a spiritual force through which our ministry for Christ becomes effective. (Mark 11:23; Matthew 17:19,20). Faith is a major key to ministry success. It brings to you what you need for your ministry, and by imparting it to others through your life and your ministry of God's Word, you enable them to receive the blessings of God's grace mentioned above.

5. In particular, faith is the major key for an effective healing and deliverance ministry. Jesus Christ "the same yesterday, today and forever" lives in the Christian (Hebrews 13:8, Galatians 2:20), and through the Christian wants to reveal the power of salvation to men in a way they can see and feel. In this way, our evangelism concerning the Kingdom of God will not be in talk, but in power (1 Corinthians 4:20).