CHRISTMAS TREE

Ted and All,
My reaction to this post, and I underline that it is my personal
opinion, is that the Christmas Tree message is chock full of untruths.
Our real problem in this troubled land of ours is not that people are
turning away from God. The problem is that we invented God in the
first place. And each Tribe, or Nation, or Ethnic Group, has modified
our invention to look like themselves.
When the person next to me prays to God or to Jesus or to Allah or to
Buddha or to any of the dozens of personal Gods, I am not offended.
That person has come to their belief just the same as I came to mine.
As an Agnostic, I "pray" to my fellow human beings and to all life
upon this Garden of Eden Planet of ours. So I turn to the person
praying beside me and tell them that I am an Agnostic. And I reach
out to embrace them. They pull back. Afraid of me. Or perhaps they
are offended by my lack of their Faith, and they wish to strike out at
me. Or they begin to attempt to convert me.
And that is the basis of our human problems. There is so much fear in
how we approach those who are different than ourselves, that there is
no room for understanding and love.

Carl Jarvis
On 2/3/15, ted chittenden <tchittenden@cox.net> wrote:
> Hi to all.
>
> The below was forwarded to me (and others) by my Aunt Louise. While I (now)
> believe all of it to be baloney, nevertheless it is going around the emails,
> and there are a lot of conservative white people with power who support it.
> --
> Ted Chittenden
>
> Every story has at least two sides if not more.
>
> From: "Louise" <dunewalkers@frontier.com>
> To: "Aaron Thomas" <aaron33thomas@hotmail.com>,
> "Allison North" <gorphiat@hotmail.com>,
> "Brent Thomas" <brent.w.thomas@intel.com>,
> "Donna Thompson" <schipinn@wvi.com>,
> "Edward Gross" <revedgross@sbcglobal.net>,
> "Elaine Donahue" <jedonahue@centurylink.net>,
> "greg gustafson" <howlingbear56@gmail.com>,
> "Joyce Thomas" <jkthomas1013@sbcglobal.net>,
> "Karey Dean" <karendadean@gmail.com>,
> "Kirsten Thomas" <KThomas@ortc.com>,
> "Lou Fields" <wandie1941@msn.com>,
> "Maggie Weld" <maggiepie1244@yahoo.com>,
> "Nancy Lane" <whiteowl65@charter.net>,
> "Ramona Klemm" <WELLWITHMYSOUL7@aol.com>,
> "Shawn Thomas" <jimshawn@me.com>,
> "Ted Chittenden" <tchittenden@cox.net>,
> "Velma Headley" <grammyvelma@yahoo.com>
> Subject: Fw: Fwd: CHRISTMAS TREE
> Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2015 10:45:36 -0800
>
> This is really something I think we need to think about and take it to
> heart. After reading it, how can we say we don't understand why we are in
> the mess that we find our nation in today. Louise
>
> Subject: Fwd: CHRISTMAS TREE
>
>
>
>
> The following was written by Steven Levy and recited by him on CBS
> Sunday Morning Commentary.
>
>
> My confession:
>
> 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.
>
> 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. Steven 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.
>
>
>
>
>
>
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