No Fear

[Mercy Now]

  I may get a lot of flack for this but I like the spirit of this article.

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 church, 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.
My Best Regards.
Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein

[Polly]

I understand the spirit of it and therefore why you posted it, MN.

[GertrudaRose]

I'll take the bait.  Sorry, but I think this article has romanticized much of religious history.  But then again, my favorite bumper sticker says "We let God rule politics once and it was called the dark ages" (or something like that).  (This is where i get on the soapbox.)

Ben Stein mentions that he doesn't mind the Christmas Tree or the Menorah that is a little distance away.  But in my neck of the woods if someone put up a pentagram there would be many ignorant people that would object, thinking it the sign for Satanism. 

He says he doesn't like to see people pushed around for their religion.  But what about the many Christians that believe that it is their responsibility to "save my soul from everlasting damnation"?  It is these types of people that do the most pushing around against me.

The removal of mentioning God from schools and government caused Katrina?  I do believe that a spiritual people (spiritual, not religious) will be better in tune with the environment and not do things that result in terrible weather patterns.  If Katrina was divine justice, I think it was more from Mother Earth objecting to our misuse of her gifts, rather than a judgement from a god that is mad because his name was not mentioned.

And how is Dr Spock responsible for the way that the current generation is raising their children?  The parents that used Spock's teaching in raising their kids are now dying off, the kids are in their 50's & 60's.   One of those kids is me.  Spock was  discredited long ago. So tell me, then, why is it that my young adults are among the few that were told to use manners and play nice and wash their hands after going to the bathroom.  Spock never mentioned any of those things.  But I notice that these were not taught in the early day care centers.

I really don't mind it being called a Christmas Tree, but factual history shows that it was originally a pagan celebration of Yule that started the tradition.  Yule was also the origin of Christmas Cookies, hanging mistletoe, etc.

But what does rankle me is the saying "Jesus is the reason for the season".  That is also not true historically.  The Solstice holidays belonged to others long before the Christians came along.  If it makes them feel better about celebrating a pagan holiday to incorporate their beliefs, that's fine with me, but please don't turn my holiday around and tell me that you know the real reason for the season.  I find that insulting.  What other modern religion has the gall to tell a people that their holiday is now null & void and supplanted by a new religion? (This is where i get off the soapbox.)

So I think I have made a bigger target of myself than you, Mercy Now.  You just posted this nice article and I had to go and get all cranky about it.  I love you all, though, and I hope I didn't get anybody terribly riled up!

[Mercy Now]

No bait intended.:)

As I said I expected a lot of flack and I adhere to what I also stated that I like the spirit of this article.

GR, I was once Wiccan for quite a long time. I know about Wicca from the inside out . Again there is a version for the non-initiate and a version for the initiate.

The pentagram is displayed everywhere at Christmas. It is simply a five pointed star. It has different symbolism for different cultures but in Wicca it depends on how it is drawn.  I believe you are referring to the pentacle.  

[GertrudaRose]

Sorry about the pentagram/pentacle mistake.  I'm not very familiar with the Wiccan traditions, but I think you're right - I mean pentacle, not pentagram.  I should have searched for a symbol from my own tradition.

I also enjoyed the spirit of the article, but I think he is highlighting that there is a difference between religion and spirituality.  Have you ever read "The Faith Club"?  A true account of 3 women that tried to write a children's book after 9/11 from 3 different viewpoints - Christian, Muslim, and Jewish.  It took them 2 years of meeting twice a month to find common ground.  The common ground turned out to be spiritual, not religious.

This holiday season, no matter anyone's tradition or religion, is about love, hope, and joy, isn't it?  All of the trimmings and gift-giving and gatherings and eating together - isn't it really all about how we relate to each other in the spirit of love & friendship?  Doesn't the change of date into the new year make us want to envision a better year ahead for all of us?  Let's all create a future for ourselves that involves loving and supporting each other and the planet we live on!  Maybe we should start a thread for discussion of what we want our common future to look like, since we create what we envision.

icon_tree

 

[DreamTime]

Thank you for that post, Mercy. I like Ben Stein and I can hear where he comes from, but I must say: Hear! Hear! to you GertrudaRose. I agree with your post completely. I love this season - but only for the family, friendships, atmosphere (and decorations), and the general "feeling" this time gives out. I sometimes do wish that more "people" knew the true beginnings of this season instead of all the "lies" the past church leaders attached to it, but, hey, live and let live. If they are happy believing in what they believe in and if it makes them better people for it, then let them be, I say. Besides, I have learned the hard way that you can not change the opinions or beliefs of die-hard Christians.

[Sily]

  ....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.....

Mercy Now -- see the part I quoted?  That was not written by Ben Stein, per snopes.com.  Here's the link at snopes that says that part above was added by someone other than Ben Stein.

---

I join everyone here that loves Christmas.  icon_heart 

*starts to sing* ... icon_indy

Code:

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you "Be of good cheer"
It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
It's the hap -happiest season of all
With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings
When friends come to call
It's the hap - happiest season of all

There'll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow
There'll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories of
Christmases long, long ago

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
There'll be much mistltoeing
And hearts will be glowing
When love ones are near
It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

There'll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow
There'll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories of
Christmases long, long ago

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
There'll be much mistltoeing
And hearts will be glowing
When love ones are near
It's The Most Wonderful Time
It's The Most Wonderful Time
It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year