Ben Stein Christmas in America

The following is attributed to Ben Stein


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, 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 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.


The information posted above has been altered to some extent. For Ben's full statement visit http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/confessions.asp


Thanks Richard