Are you laughing yet?

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. I think it applies just as much to
> many countries as it does to America ...
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> The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday
> Morning Commentary.
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>
> 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 crèche, 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?
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>