Remarks from CBS Sunday Morning
Ben Stein, Monday, November 16, 2009

My fellow parishioners,
this is a must read.
-Fr. Florin


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..

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... 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. We said an expert  should know what he`s talking about. And we said  okay. (Dr.. Spock`s son committed  suicide)

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,

Ben  Stein