I recently received a forwarded message about a statement Ben Stein made on a commentary show.  It's reproduced below.  I just have some random rants about this I'd like to post as follows...

Well, I agree that everyone should live in harmony and that if you believe in God, you should be allowed to.  However, I don't believe the world has turned their backs on God.  Instead, those of us who don't believe have asked to not have it stuffed down our throats (you can still pray in school, just don't force others to).  I can't believe people like Ben Stein are already stating that we are an atheist country!  My experience is quite the opposite, and it doesn't matter where I go (Seattle, West Plains,  Washington DC, etc), God is still alive and well in the hearts of those who believe. 



Also, I really don't think God has anything to do with tragedies like Katrina, Columbine, 9/11, etc.  God, if he exists, doesn't interfere with our lives unless he has a specific purpose.  He doesn't sit back because we've asked him to, he simply doesn't interfere.  I think my step-dad (a weekend theologian) would agree that, for the most part, God created everything and gave free will to us, so the decisions people make and the tragedies that ensue are the cause of the things.  If he exists, sure he could intervene, but then that negates free will, period.  It's a hard thing for people to grasp... a loving God that doesn't act when we are in trouble, but I say to you, he lets us learn from our mistakes. 

What mistakes?  Providing crappy school systems, parents that don't teach their kids right from wrong, and a society that doesn't care for everyone.  This is what lead to school shootings.  God let us make those decisions (and WE let our government make those decisions for us). 

Or how about the government of Louisiana not getting the levees up to par as was suggested by experts long before Katrina hit?  That's not God's fault.  In fact, you may argue that he worked through those experts to try to head off the disaster, but the powers that be (IE government) didn't listen.

And don't even get me started on 9/11! 

People worshiping celebrities?  Yes, it's true!  Who's to blame?  The celebrities?  Nope.  Try big business and their marketing and capitalism turning human being or ideas (like Spider-Man, Star Trek, Scientology) into gods.  

If we want to point the finger, let us look in the mirror and point there first, because we are the ones allowing these things to happen.  God, if he exists, has equipped us with the ability to think, reason, and react, but we let others suppress those abilities.   That's probably got something to do with why Ron Paul wasn't elected. :(

Phil, an druidic agnostic atheist who believes in something a little different

Message I'm replying to:
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary  along with someone else's add in after paragraph 4.  Regardless to who added to it, I still agree with the whole thing! 

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.

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 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, or pray.  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?
Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send i t 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