Don't be a dumb forwarder: The REAL Ben Stein on Christmas

So I rarely open forwards—I mean rarely! But today this one intrigued me because the subject was: CBS News—Ben Stein Comments.

I love and admire Ben Stein. He is so brilliant. I so miss his "Mondays at Morton's". So I couldn't resist the temptation despite the threat of a virus that has caught me more than once before. Plus, I wanted to see if what people are forwarding is accurate. I read this quote that was supposedly from Albert Einstein about God on someone's MySpace. I read it and knew it was completely untrue. Albert Einstein was agnostic. I really, really hate when people misquote people. I hate it even more that people just take it at face value, and then re-quote it! I like to admire intelligent people for what they said or have done, not for what they haven't!

So I read the email and by the end I knew that it was not Ben Stein, because it said:

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 youthinking. 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, Ibelieve 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?"

And then went on more about God and morality and religion. It was just not in his style to talk about God in the way this email did, he does talk about God, but not like that. Plus, I don't really recall him speaking of Billy Graham. I bet Billy Graham started this. However, the email had an interesting point, some of which I agree with and some of which I think is complete and udder hog-wash hypocritical "chrisitian" banter (christian with a little "c," because I consider myself Christian and there are definitely others who call themselves that but whom I am enraged to be associated with). So that you can know the truth and let anyone who sends you anything under the guise of Mr. Stein, I googled it and found the real one (in true Ben Style):

Herewith at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating heart:I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they 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 at all about Tom Cruise's wife.Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are. Is this 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. 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.

…ahhh Benny-ya gotta love him! (Even though I still care about Nick and Jessica) For more great writings of Ben Stein visit (HIS webpage): http://www.benstein.com/stein2.html
Merry Christmas Everyone!!!! ..hmm they need to get little Christmas trees that I can put in here. -->>> <-supposed to be a Christmas tree!