Put God Back In Our Country

//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
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. //

//Bill////y 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 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
bad shape the world is in. //



//My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully, //