Apparently the White House referred to Christmas Trees as Holiday Trees
 for the first time this year which prompted CBS presenter, Ben Stein, to
 present this piece which I would like to share with you. I think it
 applies just as much to many countries as it does to America …
 
 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 ? 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 Hurricane 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 okay.
 
 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?