Ben Stein's Confession

[OCNaturalDoc]

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 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.

Ben Stein

[OCNaturalDoc]

mr stein's point is about respect, tolerance and acceptance. some people don't know how to behave anymore, so they've bought into believing they have to act all 'pc' around each other during the holidays---as if they'd commit a crime by saying 'merry christmas' or 'happy hanukah'. this needs to stop.

this 'pc' thing is a sham --- it's not 'political', nor is it 'correct'. in the referenced case, 'pc'-ness has desecrated our cultural beliefs. it's only been in the last 20 years or less (depending on where you live) since schools (and whole towns) have put the kabosh on singing christmas carols --- claiming they must be 'holiday' songs -- or nothing at all.

why the homogenization? where's the education? isn't there room for everyone to be different anymore?

this feels like the precursor to "one world".

mr stein also made a point about america being perceived as an atheist country --- and it's not. there is an atheist population, but we are not an atheist nation. if you've ever been to our government buildings in washington, dc, you'll see moses, the 10 commandments, the words "in God we trust" and more christian references, as the US was founded on christian principles.

i grew up in an episcopal church. when i was in high school, our minister prepared a seder during passover in my church to teach what passover was about. this was unprecedented, and i remember some parents totally freaked. we (the kids) thought it was kewl, but kids are open-minded cuz their job is to be open to learn. and that's a good thing!

i suppose this open-mindedness stayed with me as i grew --- i taught K-1 after undergrad. the demographic was the usual mix of boston catholics, protestants and jews. we sang the dradel song for hanukah, christmas songs for christmas, and generic 'dashing through the snow' songs starting at thanksgiving. we even spun a few dradels. i had each child get up in front of the class and give a talk about how they celebrated their holidays...or what they did the nite before, because some traditions last for more days than others.

side effects:
• everyone learned something about each other
• everyone learned something about different cultures
• everyone learned something that would serve them as they grew up and made their way in the world
• everyone felt included, respected and understood
• bonus: we had a bigger song list!
• a good time was had by all
• i learned a lot of yiddish, which turned out to be very helpful years later :-)

and if i were still teaching today, i'm pretty sure the list would even be longer to include other faiths.

bottom line: the more we understand each other, the less we fear, and the better we get along. we can still be together and be separate.

[caseyjo]

Truth is different for all people..That's the thing about it. Who's truth is the truth? If we all could realize our inner child..The ability to look at everything like it is new and interesting and not set in stone , we might not get so old and jaded and Right about everything.

[Tina]

Yes he is a fun to listen to and watch, However I believe he speaks "the truth" as he sees it, which does not make it truth at all. Some will disagree with his words and some will agree, is one not speaking truth?

[Tina]

Well Stated Mr. Stein, well stated