Someone forwarded me this email...

Apparently the White House referred to Christmas Trees as Holiday


Trees for the first time this year which prompted CBS presenter, Ben Stein,

to present this piece which I would like to share with you. I think it

applies just as much to many countries as it does to America .



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 ?

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 (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.