...hope we find God again before it is too late !

Mail from  Kolambrath, Michael : I like the authors approach in this write up. Roshan, you will like this one.  :) Mike Remarks from CBS Sunday Morning - Ben Stein I Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late ! ! The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday  Morning  Commentary. 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 Hurricane 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.  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 okay. 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 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 in. My Best Regards,  Honestly and respectfully, Ben Stein God Bless You, --------------- Comments: Dr. Sainath Roshan, That was a good read. I was particularly interested in Billy Graham's daughter's reply that we cannot expect God's blessings and protection if we have for decades been demanding he leave us alone. She is very right. Why are we so obsessed with not talking about God in our schools and colleges? I can understand the Government's need to keep a secular face; but does that translate to not considering God anywhere in its daily dealings? Or acknowledging his blessings and grace? At the same time, thinking deeper about what the lady said, I would not agree totally with her. God was never a good businessman. Whether we ask him or discard him, he will always protect and guard us. That is what true love is all about and God is the personification of it. Belief in God is not a guarantee or warranty statement that disasters and calamities will not occur. Belief in God is more like a safety net that helps us withstand these upheavals. Nature has its course to follow and God will not interfere with it. I would rather say that belief in God is more like an anchor that keeps us safe in the harbour of hope and courage. Without that, we are adrift at the first sign of turmoils in our lives. Regards, Sainath  ---------- Comments: Self Beautiful thoughts. I totally agree. Being secular in outlook and being an atheist are two different things. I also find it rather disturbing that 'value education' is given the least importance in most educational institutions today. I swear that everything I have today is because of my interaction with and proximity to highly evolved souls throughout my school and college days, people whose life -compass was firmly, constantly and clearly pointing towards Him! I owe my peace of mind, state of happiness, stability in life, insight and a sense of direction (yes, the best things in life are not things!) to them. As Mark Twain said, "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education."  -Roshan