OT this hit deep, think about it.

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. 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

Here are two emails I sentto a whole host of people after reading Dave's post:

Ist email:
"I don’t have much use for the sentimental stuff that floats so readily on the Web , nor do I hold much stock in those (so much evident in our modern media) who love to tell us, directly or subtlely, how to think. (That includes Fox who really doesn’t want us “to decide”.) I also had to do a web search to be sure I remembered who Ben Stein was. And lo and behold I found this on my tractor site. If from a lesser mind , I probably would not pass this on:"

2d Email:
"Kathleen Callaghan pointed out that Snopes says my attribution to Stein was only partially accurate. See here:
Link

Sorry for not checking it myself --- assumed the accuracy of my trusted tractor buddies. ( Always I believe people in overalls....) Sorry for interrupting your day with inaccurate stuff.

Too bad, anyway, that Stein didn’t say it.

Merry Christmas"

Jared

I read this as the US Government can't approve or deny a religion. They have no say what so ever. Government can't make a private citizen pray or worship, nor can they keep them from praying or worshiping.

I think our country was founded on the idea to have freedom of religion, not no religion at all.
I feel the separation of church and state is designed to let you worship in whatever fashion you choose, not a free reign to ban anything that offends a very small minority.

Look up the definition of the word `religion`. Tell me atheism doesn`t fit that bill???

By removing God from everything, the government is establishing a systematic set of beliefs that there is no God...

Seems to me, when it comes to atheism we ain`t doing a very good job of separating church and state.

Not trying to be offensive, but we have to start seeing what true atheism is. It`s not being uncertain about what to believe, or that there might not be a God. It is by the very definition a religion all it`s own. Every one has a right to choose what to believe, but I hope you realize when you start down the road of removing God from anything public, you open the door wide open for a system of beliefs that is the exact opposite of what our founding fathers established....

If the ones who don't value life would just "off" themselves instead of us, then maybe the rest of us could live in peace.