[AZ-Observing] Ben Stein
- From: "Mike Loftus" <mikeloftus@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: mikeloftus@xxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2006 14:42:01 -0700
Michael E. Loftus
Subject: Fwd: BenStein
>
>
>In a message dated 02/24/2006 8:19:21 PM Eastern Standard Time,
>Sedona9@xxxxxxx writes:
>
>
>
> Subject: Profound
>
>
>
>
>
> >
> > The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by
> > him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary, Sunday, 12/18/05
> > .
> > Herewith at this happy time of year, a few
> > confessions from my beating heart: I have no freaking
> > clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover
> > of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog
> > biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers
> > at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick and
> > Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my
> > life if I know who they are and why they have broken
> > up? Why are they so important? I don't know who
> > Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do not care at all
> > about Tom Cruise's wife.
> >
> > Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and
> > asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no
> > clue who Nick and Jessica are. If this is what it
> > means to be no longer young. It's not so bad.
> >
> > Next 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
> > crhche, 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.
> >
>
>
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