AN UPDATE TO EARLY POST:.... the following statement is not true, you can visit snopes to see for yourself.. however it has been a widespread rumor, thank you Vickie B. for clearing it up... Apparently the White House refers to Christmas Trees as Holiday Trees now. False statement. But...something prompted CBS presenter, Ben Stein, to write the following.... .or didn't. Regardless, I agree.
" 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 nativity scene, 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... terrorist attacks, 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 a bad shape the world is in. My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully, Ben Stein"
Wow....just wow...Amen.
ReplyDeleteWow! A very insightful piece. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI love Ben Stein!
ReplyDeleteIn the case of today's children, parents every day are reinforcing the notion that even small children have total control over their world. How many times have you overheard a parent saying, "Do you want ....?" when they should be TELLING the child what to do. With children making so many of their own choices, instead parents doing it for them and leading the way and setting an example, children are raising themselves ... and many of them are doing a pretty poor job of it.
Our society is a mess and this is an interesting perspective. I don't think Jewish people ever seemed offended by Christmas. I am not sure where the whole Holiday vs. Christmas started. It's tiresome.
ReplyDeleteBen Stein makes so much sense. Thanks for sharing his thoughts!!
ReplyDeletei love you!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Ben wrote, wish more people did. I will pass this forward.
ReplyDeleteI like him!
ReplyDeleteWay to go, Ben! Brilliantly said!
ReplyDeletevery well stated.
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is, is that I believe most people feel this way; but it's the minority who have the biggest mouths and the loudest voices who manage to accomplish what they want and affect so many other people's lives. And until we all stop being so politically correct, start speaking our minds and letting others know what is really in our hearts, we will continue down this slippery slope of becoming sheep.
ReplyDeleteBlessed today by his thoughts - and by your sharing them! Totally agree. Wish more folks would wake up to the wisdom in his words.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.snopes.com/politics/christmas/ornaments.asp
ReplyDeleteThe Christmas tree White House thing is made up. I'm not sure where the Ben Stein piece came from and most of the commenters seem to be agreeing with his sentiments rather than criticizing the WH about holiday trees.
I just wanted to point that out.
In general, people on both sides of Stein's argument expect for others to agree with them, but we just aren't that homogeneous as a society as we once were, across any metric. Belief or non belief is just one instance (says your friend, the Presbyterian elder and deacon Sunday school teacher for 20 years in Texas).
Vickie
amen
ReplyDeletewell said.
Insightful and am always glad when someone so articulate speaks out and takes a stand- even when the impetus for the stand is erroneous :) Well said- Ben! Thanks for sharing, Karen- I didn't see this on fb.
ReplyDeleteI have read this before and I enjoy how Mr. Stein puts things in perspective, for all of us.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first blog I've ever posted on, though I do enjoy so many of them.
ReplyDeleteI'm a Jew, raised during the 50's when schools had Christmas trees and we sang Christmas songs, and the 10 commandments were posted and pictures of Jesus were in the hall ways of the public grade school I attended.
My teacher prayed with us all before class and the Bible was allowed to be on the desks of teachers.
Not one time was I offended, not one Christmas tree or the singing of Silent Night at the school pagent made me feel uncomfortable. I enjoyed every second of the season.
Why was I not offended? Because none of the adults told me I should be. It's really that simple.
Thanks having the courage to post it Ben Stein's words.
I remember school the way Suz described it--we sang "My Country Tis of Thee" every morning during our "morning devotions" which consisted of reading of a Bible verse and a simple prayer at our little 6 classroom neighborhood public school. We even had simple devotions during homeroom at the infamous Central High School where I graduated. No doctrine was forced on anyone. I grew up in a non-religious home- choosing to join a church myself when I was 16 yrs. old. I've always thought God's hand of protection lifted when prayer was thrown out of schools. Oh, I know anyone can silently pray in class- no one can prohibit that, but that is not the same as saying - "we do not honor God in this place or ask his protection and blessing here." Ben Stein said it well!
ReplyDeleteV
Wow! Well said indeed!
ReplyDeleteAMEN!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAmen Amen AMEN!
ReplyDelete