Hello to my echurch family. This is one forward I hope you will read.
Virgie and Hoshi
----- Original Message -----
From: "linda paul" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "Tse Chat" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2007 8:53 AM
Subject: [TSE-Chat] Something NOT to laugh about
> Hi,
> I thought this was excellent. I wanted to share. A friend sent
> it to me.
> Linda and Lilly
>
> ---- Original Message ------
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Something NOT to laugh about
> Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2007 07:27:16 -0500
>
> Something not to laugh about
>
>
> The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS
> Sunday Morning Commentary:
> 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 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.
> 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.
>
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