The Confession
I normally don’t even open these so called chain e-mails. You know the type, the ones that are sent around from list to list, and often, due to computer illiterates who don’t know how to “blind carbon copy” their list, you end up reading pages of e-mail addresses before you actually get to the message they want you to read.
I don’t know why I muddled through the pages of e-mail address to actually read this message, but I’m glad I did. I guess part of it is being somewhat of a Ben Stein fan. What’s so odd is that the man is incredibly dry, but I find him humorous, and more importantly, very intelligent.
Before I decided to post this, I checked out one of my favorite web sites called Urban Legends and sure enough, they had a write up on this particular e-mail. “The Confession” as it’s called, isn’t all Ben Steins. I hope you take the time to find out on your own what is and what isn’t. I’ve hyperlinked some of the myths and rumors below in the “added” material.
So why am I highlighting this e-mail with some false information? Two reasons actually. One, it’s a good lesson in not taking what you read on the internet as fact. (I could write a book about the crap I’ve heard and read about concerning YTB.) And two, I think it’s a good message on a couple of levels. It’s sad that any type of believe in God (or Company in our case) is condemned.
I see far too many times that people focus on the messenger instead of the message in an attempt to discredit the entire message. In my view, that’s not all that smart, especially if you can figure out what the truth really is.
That being said, this message hit home for me and my hope is that it does for you as well. I also hope that if any of you may have had this forwarded to you and you took the entire message as fact from Ben Stein, you can now have a better understanding between what’s fact and what’s fiction.
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 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.
[end of Ben Steins original comments, the rest added below.]
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; its 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 yet?
OUR country is supposed to have freedom of religion, so why do we let atheists take that freedom away from us. They can go to some other country where they do not believe in God (God in any religion). We may not all believe in God the same way, but we all believe. People from all over the world come to OUR country so they can practice the freedom of their own religion, and they believe. Don't let the atheists take that freedom away from us and control our country! If they don't like it THEY CAN LEAVE......or live with the same freedom the rest of us have......the freedom to choose what to believe. But don't let them dictate to the rest of us and take away our freedoms no matter what religion you believe in. Don't let them make our country a communist country. Tell them WE BELIEVE and we feel sorry for them that they don't.
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.
I don’t know why I muddled through the pages of e-mail address to actually read this message, but I’m glad I did. I guess part of it is being somewhat of a Ben Stein fan. What’s so odd is that the man is incredibly dry, but I find him humorous, and more importantly, very intelligent.Before I decided to post this, I checked out one of my favorite web sites called Urban Legends and sure enough, they had a write up on this particular e-mail. “The Confession” as it’s called, isn’t all Ben Steins. I hope you take the time to find out on your own what is and what isn’t. I’ve hyperlinked some of the myths and rumors below in the “added” material.
So why am I highlighting this e-mail with some false information? Two reasons actually. One, it’s a good lesson in not taking what you read on the internet as fact. (I could write a book about the crap I’ve heard and read about concerning YTB.) And two, I think it’s a good message on a couple of levels. It’s sad that any type of believe in God (or Company in our case) is condemned.
I see far too many times that people focus on the messenger instead of the message in an attempt to discredit the entire message. In my view, that’s not all that smart, especially if you can figure out what the truth really is.
That being said, this message hit home for me and my hope is that it does for you as well. I also hope that if any of you may have had this forwarded to you and you took the entire message as fact from Ben Stein, you can now have a better understanding between what’s fact and what’s fiction.
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 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.
[end of Ben Steins original comments, the rest added below.]
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; its 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 yet?
OUR country is supposed to have freedom of religion, so why do we let atheists take that freedom away from us. They can go to some other country where they do not believe in God (God in any religion). We may not all believe in God the same way, but we all believe. People from all over the world come to OUR country so they can practice the freedom of their own religion, and they believe. Don't let the atheists take that freedom away from us and control our country! If they don't like it THEY CAN LEAVE......or live with the same freedom the rest of us have......the freedom to choose what to believe. But don't let them dictate to the rest of us and take away our freedoms no matter what religion you believe in. Don't let them make our country a communist country. Tell them WE BELIEVE and we feel sorry for them that they don't.
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,
Ben Stein
PS - If you’d like to keep up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB feel free to sign up for my FREE Newsletter. Just like here, it’s loaded with food, water and sunshine to grow your YTB business.
Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812
Learn How To Become A Travel Agent
Book Your Travel & Vacations With
Travel Reservations: 1.800.243.4450
RTA #24635
Ben Stein
PS - If you’d like to keep up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB feel free to sign up for my FREE Newsletter. Just like here, it’s loaded with food, water and sunshine to grow your YTB business.
Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812
Learn How To Become A Travel Agent
Book Your Travel & Vacations With
Travel Reservations: 1.800.243.4450
RTA #24635
