Some Thoughts Worth Considering....

A friend in Kerrville sent me a copy of this article, and since I am questioning so many sources these days, I looked it up and found the complete commentary. It made so much sense to me, I thought it worth sharing. Even if you may not agree with all of it, Ben Stein makes some very valid points, especially in light of the recent angry dialogues concerning political correctness. Let me know what you think.


(Ben Stein on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary On 08.30.09,
In Commentary, Television, religion, By Dan Calloway.
Published August 30, 2009 at 5:50pm EST; The Chronicler’s Web)

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.


Ben Stein
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 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 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 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 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

Football

For long periods at a time, unlike the diligent 1HW, I do not blog. He views it as a discipline, a daily writing task which he enjoys. I should really do better! After all, I frequently see all kinds of things which should inspire me to write! So I am determined to follow his example and do better! Thus, the following blog, which may seem totally out of character.

I just love college football! Part of this may be due to to my father's playing football for Heidelberg College in Ohio, where he was named to the "Little All-American College Football Team" in the late 1930's. As a result, he was recruited for Ohio State, where he then played football. The pictures of him in the leather helmet are absolutely priceless! He was a noseguard, as I recall. So the idea of watching football came quite naturally to me in our household.

I can remember when we spent a Thanksgiving in Columbus Ohio, back around 1949 or 1950, when there was a HUGE snowstorm. Mom and Dad had planned to attend the famous OSU-MU rivalry, and there was a question about whether the game would take place because the snow was so heavy. A question about the game continuing? OSU v. MU? Without a question, the game went on, even thought thefans (and probably the players) could not see the field. Never mind... everyone enjoyed it! Not too long after that, I can remember sitting on the sidelines beside the players' bench, watching West Point football, when my dad taught there.
So, it was rather anticlimactic to watch the University of NM play football, even though it was during some of the best of their season when I attended there in the early 1960's.

However, in the fall of 1970, my football fantasy returned! I vividly remember sitting on the 35 yard line, 10 rows up in the student section, watching Oklahoma University return to its national prowess under Chuck Fairbanks and then Barry Switzer! Oh, what a thrill to have been in those stands when Oklahoma beat Nebraska to win the national title that year!! We yelled, we cheered, we sang "Boomer, Sooner," and I loved it! Nothing can compare to the thrill of being part of such a huge crowd urging a champion on! Who would have ever guessed that in 2003 I would begin to cheer the Nebraska Huskers on? Wherever you are, then that is where you cheer! And that is why for the past several years we have also cheered Texas on!

Then comes the hard part for me: Who do I cheer for when they play each other? That remains as a challenge! I guess I am just happy for any of the successful teams when they win, but I always seem to rank Oklahoma as first, Nebraska as second, and Texas as third. And, of course, Ohio State is ALWAYS in there because of my dad. And, I can still sing the Ohio State fight song!

I hope some of you feel happy cheering for your teams, too. It is such fun to see these talented young men play on the field, as well as to know that they are also completing an education. Now, if the funding would just be there for the music and history students, as well......