Lost tribe of Westwood

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBSSunday Morning Commentary. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here with a few confessions from my beating heart: I have no clue whoNick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Usconstantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick andJessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I knowwhothey are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important?
I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do not care atallabout Tom Cruise's wife.
Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if Iama subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are.
If this is what it means to be no longer young. It's not so bad.
Next confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. Anditdoes not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. Idon't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmastrees.
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 inaghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothersand sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me atall that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection nearmy beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as finewith 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. Ithink people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushedaround, period. I have no idea where the concept came from thatAmerica 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 fromthat we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worshipGod 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 andJessicacame 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'snotfunny, it's intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and JaneClayson asked her "How could God let something lik e 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,toget out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being thegentleman 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 leaveusalone?" (She said the same thing when interviewed after 9- 11)
In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she wasmurdered,her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in ourschools, 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 yourneighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our childrenwhenthey misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and wemight damage their self- esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide) Wesaid 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 themtokill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we canfigureit 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 wonderwhythe world's going to hell.
Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question whatthe Bible says.
Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e- mail and they spread likewildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord,peoplethink twice about sharing.
Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freelythrough 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 tomany on your address list because you're not sure what they believe,orwhat they will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people thinkofus than what God thinks of us.
Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discardit... 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 isin.
My Best Regards. honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein