The
following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS
Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession:
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.
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 okay.
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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Only a small portion of this was actually recited by Ben Stein... seven years ago... http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/confessions.asp
ReplyDeleteIt's still good stuff, but it's pieced together from multiple sources.
Interesting! I wondered the same thing as I tried to find a source for the article (I received it as a forward)--but definitely very inspiring regardless of who said it!
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