:)

This is dedicated to everyone who enjoys bashing my religion- but is immediately offended by me bringing up theirs, or lack thereof. Open Your Eyes.




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 celebrati ng 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 cr�e che, 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 fi nd 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
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 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 the m to kill
strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it
out. I think20it 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 obscen e 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
Nothing says I love you like flowers! Find a florist near you now.