I decided to research this to see how close it was to what he actually said. It was a combination of his appearance on the O'Reiley Factor, and an e-mail that supposedly circulated by him in 2005. (Verified here )
Please note that I understand the irony of quoting Ben Stein to make a point about celebrity worship. However, I like to justify this particular reference by noting that Ben Stein graduated from Columbia University in 1966 with honors in economics. He graduated from Yale Law School in 1970 as valedictorian of his class. He also studied in the graduate school of economics at Yale. He has worked as an economist at The Department of Commerce, a poverty lawyer in New Haven and Washington, D.C., a trial lawyer in the field of trade regulation at the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C., a university adjunct at American University in Washington, D.C., at the University of California at Santa Cruz, and at Pepperdine. At American U. He taught about the political and social content of mass culture. He taught the same subject at UCSC, as well as about political and civil rights under the Constitution. At Pepperdine, he has taught about libel law and about securities law and ethical issues since 1986.
He was a speech writer and lawyer for Richard Nixon at The White House and then for Gerald Ford. He has been a columnist and editorial writer for The Wall Street Journal, a syndicated columnist for The Los Angeles Herald Examiner (R.I.P.) and King Features Syndicate, and a frequent contributor to Barrons.
In short, he has a good platform to teach, to advise, to comment, and it explains why (Eric Brunner) people would ask his opinion on financials in 2008, wrong or not. (Side note: to simplify his "wrong" advice is completely irrelevant)
Anyway, in reading these thoughts, I was struck by this:
- 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?
Regardless of your position on a higher power, there is value in religion. Be it Taoist, Buddhist, Hindu, Mormon, Christian, Jewish, etc. etc., there is a VALUE system that is embedded in each sect of religion. Be tolerant, do unto others as they would to you, do not kill...I could go on and on. These are present in EVERY religion.
The problem is that America has gotten so hung up on dogma, that they've completely dismissed the entire notion of religion. "Baptist don't believe in dancin' so I don't believe in God." Well that seems convenient, doesn't it? Amend your beliefs based on one sects conventions? Sure. The Catholics have done a great job at polarizing people, as well as assholes like Westboro Church.
I was born into a Lutheran family, I was raised Baptist, and I spent a portion of my adult life not claiming any denomination. I prefer non-denominational churches who are tolerant (read: the congregation is diverse, including *gasp* the homosexuals!) and preach the word of God without guilting you about your personal choices in every sermon (though conviction has it's place as well). But I am undoubtedly Christian. I believe I am saved by God's grace. I believe in a higher power. I believe in heaven and hell. And I stand by my beliefs, though my choices in my personal life don't always reflect what my religion says I am to do. I feel the need to caveat that since some people will inevitably call out hypocracy for my sins...because CLEARLY we can't have sin and forgiveness and grace. We're talking absolutes, people...pick one! :)
I know a lot of couples who didn't go to church until they had kids. Why? Because you want to instill a sense of right and wrong and help to set a moral compass as a parent, and faith is a tool to help you do that. Sure you can argue that any parent can do that on their own, but you cannot deny the value of religion in society. All religions emphasize betterment, improving human beings, a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood, love - these things are common. Putting others before yourself. The Dalai Lama said, "A good motivation is what is needed: compassion, without dogmatism, without complicated philosophy; just understanding that others are human brothers and sisters and respecting their rights and human dignity." I'm pretty sure that sums up at least 20 major religions. When I think about the kind of person who could go shoot up an elementary school, I immediately think that person is selfish. Let ME serve myself.
Instead, we seem content to let religion fall by the wayside, condemning anyone who would believe in an "imaginary being" who "tries to put a strain on the way I live my life." Particularly in America, where our hubris cripples us. This is AMERICA- the land of the FREE! Your manger offends me, your God offends me, and MY need to be free is more important than the values of your God.
The trend has been continuing over the years. If you ask more young people what they want to be when they grow up, they'll say famous. Gone are the days of wanting to be a doctor or a fireman or pretty much anything that serves others. Now kids want to be in the spotlight- because we glorify celebrity and infamy (good or bad). Because you can have your 15 mins of fame without contributing anything to society. And the weird part is that EVERYONE will complain about these hasbeens, and the Honey Boo Boo's of the world, but no one looks to change the cause. We just want to bitch about the symptoms. In fact, the only time we seem content to talk about serving others is when it comes to resources and money. The rich should really do their part to distribute wealth to serve others as a whole. Universal health care is great because then EVERYONE has access to it. I mean, what should I care about the actual consequences of any of these notions, because I will be partying with the President when I'm on MTV's "Broke and in Rehab Porn Star Challenge", right?
Religion is, if you will, a necessary evil. Politics itself is not bad. Politics are necessary as an instrument to solve the problems of human society. It itself is not bad; it is necessary. However, if politics are practiced by bad persons, out of cunning and lacking the right motivation, then of course it becomes bad. This is true not only of politics but in all areas, including religion - so I completely understand the idea of people being turned off by the notion. However, like politics, it is necessary to society. And if you can't make the correlation of our nation moving to an apathetic anti-Christian, pro "me" stance and the increase in moral bankruptcy, then you might need to take a closer look at your reasoning skills. If for nothing else, to instill the notion that you are not first. It's not about what you want and doing things that serve yourself (gimme, gimme, gimme) is not ok.
I'm sick and tired of people beefing up the politics, beefing up the worship of celebrities and only crying out to religion in tragedy, or to blame zealots for the execution of their bad motivations. "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." Morgan Freeman is not my moral compass, though there are more people who will accept him as God in Bruce Almighty than accept the teachings of Jesus, who is undeniably the most influential person in history.
There is a need for religion in society, and I hope ours finds it. Not dogma, not denomination, but religion. Because depending on ourselves to build our own moral compass is not working.
