# Ben Stein, Jew for Christmas? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 20, 2005, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-stein-jew-for-christmas/336491 "2005-12-20T18:58:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-stein-jew-for-christmas/336491/41 "2005-12-20T22:25:38Z")
> [@kelvinator](#): > > [The Supreme Court has found that displaying a menorah alongside a Christmas tree does not endorse religion but recognizes that both Christmas and Chanukah are part of the same holiday season](http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=9&screen=news&news_id=46664) The statement in your cite is actually a quote from a lawyer who does not cite a specific ruling. If displaying menohrahs and Christmas trees on state property is legal then who forced **jrfranchi’s** town to take their’s down? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-stein-jew-for-christmas/336491/42 "2005-12-20T22:28:07Z")
> [@Duke of Rat](#): > > My town has a “Celebration of Lights”, a big Christmas display, in a city park. I always wonder how long it will be before the ACLU drops the hammer on them. All of the displays are privately funded, but the presentation is in a city park. > > Might as well drop a [link](http://coc.pampa.com/events/lights/) so everybody can see just how subversive it is. Has the CoC contact info so the ACLU lawyers can get cracking. Why do you think the ACLU would be interested in this? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-stein-jew-for-christmas/336491/43 "2005-12-20T23:17:53Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > The statement in your cite is actually a quote from a lawyer who does not cite a specific ruling. > > If displaying menohrahs and Christmas trees on state property is legal then who forced **jrfranchi’s** town to take their’s down? It was one town over, not mine and I think they gave into a lawsuit rather than spend more than the Christmas budget fighting it. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-stein-jew-for-christmas/336491/44 "2005-12-20T23:39:52Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Why do you think the ACLU would be interested in this? Is it not a violation of church and state? It’s a Christmas display on city property. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-stein-jew-for-christmas/336491/45 "2005-12-21T00:00:17Z")
FWIW, Christmas didn’t bother Isaac Asimov, either. IIRC he wrote he always got into the spirit of the season without actually believing in the Christian elements. Of course, he also loved “The Star-Spangled Banner”, so I guess that makes him an ass-kissing jingoist conservative whore to some. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-stein-jew-for-christmas/336491/46 "2005-12-21T00:20:40Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > FWIW, Christmas didn’t bother Isaac Asimov, either. IIRC he wrote he always got into the spirit of the season without actually believing in the Christian elements. > > Of course, he also loved “The Star-Spangled Banner”, so I guess that makes him an ass-kissing jingoist conservative whore to some. Well he was a bit of an butt-kissing jingoist but I don’t think he was much of a conservative and definitely not a whore. He liked the USA the way I think only an immigrant can. He definitely disliked the USSR. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-stein-jew-for-christmas/336491/47 "2005-12-21T18:54:12Z")
> [@Duke of Rat](#): > > Is it not a violation of church and state? It’s a Christmas display on city property. There’s a difference between a seasonal display and an endorsement of religion–I’d expect, given other court rulings I’ve seen on the subject, that it’s unconstitutional if and only if they refuse to give equal time/space to other religions that request similar displays be put up (within the bounds of good taste, etc.) If a city puts up a christmas tree with city funds, and refuses to also put up a menorah or whatever the kwanzaa thing is called, on request, then I’d say it’s bad and SHOULD be an ACLU case. I have no objection to public funding for it in general, though, as long as everyone’s viewpoint is represented (where everyone is defined by the constituency of the municipality doing the decorating). ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-stein-jew-for-christmas/336491/48 "2005-12-21T19:17:42Z")
I think the fact the display is privately funded also has something to with it. It uses no public money, apparently. It doesn’t really even look religious. There are images of Santa Claus but I don’t know if Santa could really be called a religious image. Even if there were some technical violation somewhere, I think this might be a case of the ACLU picking it’s fights. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-stein-jew-for-christmas/336491/49 "2005-12-22T01:00:15Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > I would like to use your post with attribution as my new Signature, may I? Of course! You made my day. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-stein-jew-for-christmas/336491/50 "2005-12-22T01:06:38Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > FWIW, Christmas didn’t bother Isaac Asimov, either. IIRC he wrote he always got into the spirit of the season without actually believing in the Christian elements. > > Of course, he also loved “The Star-Spangled Banner”, so I guess that makes him an ass-kissing jingoist conservative whore to some. I was on a picnic with the Good Doctor in 1970 where he sang all four verses. He told us he had memorized it so that he could tell righties who insulted him that he was more patriotic than they were. 😛 Kind of like atheists knowing the Bible better than many theists - something he also did. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-stein-jew-for-christmas/336491/51 "2005-12-22T02:10:28Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Of course! You made my day. Thank You. It is also nice to make someones day. May I ask how you ended up on a picnic with Dr. Asimov? That really sounds interesting. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-stein-jew-for-christmas/336491/52 "2005-12-22T03:07:02Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > Exactly. That’s why I questioned the validity of the quote. Why would he give a shit to even bother doing a piece on it? And he always struck me as more intelligent than that. It’s a weak piece and not reflective of his capabilities, even if I disagree with his politics generally. While he can be smart and funny, he’s also capable of being a humorless, petty commentator when he wants to be. I have no idea why he wants to be that; still, there you have it. I think he’s vaguely funny at the beginning of this thing, but drops the act pretty fast. The piece itself is boilerplate. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-stein-jew-for-christmas/336491/53 "2005-12-22T15:52:34Z")
Who is shoving atheism down B.S.'s throat? Every year we are bombarded with Christmas decorations, TV shows and music beginning the day after Halloween. The promotion of Chirstmas is relentless. Yet we are now being told by Ben Stein and Bill O’Reilly that Christmas is under some kind of an attack. What? This is just a made-up issue for the right to get all upset about. Have to keep the troops in the fold somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-stein-jew-for-christmas/336491/54 "2005-12-22T17:55:59Z")
[Here is another point of veiw from the Slate.](http://www.slate.com/id/2132806?nav=nw) Christopher Hitchens seems to think differently from Mr. Stein. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-stein-jew-for-christmas/336491/55 "2005-12-22T18:02:36Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > Remember, this is the same guy who described the September 11 attacks as [“atheistic evil”](http://www.atheists.org/ftpfiles/Press_Releases/20011004.txt). Wow. I never knew he was that far to the right. I always thought he was more of a vanilla republican. Shit! ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-stein-jew-for-christmas/336491/56 "2005-12-22T18:06:15Z")
> [@kelvinator](#): > > [The Supreme Court has found that displaying a menorah alongside a Christmas tree does not endorse religion but recognizes that both Christmas and Chanukah are part of the same holiday season](http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=9&screen=news&news_id=46664) They should both be removed. The people who can’t understand that are so stupid it amazes me that they even have jobs. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-stein-jew-for-christmas/336491/57 "2005-12-22T18:50:07Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > Thank You. It is also nice to make someones day. > > May I ask how you ended up on a picnic with Dr. Asimov? > That really sounds interesting. > > Jim \ He used to come to the MIT Science Fiction Society Picnic in May. In fact, by tradition, he picked the date - and it never rained on the day he picked. I got to go to the last one he attended, before he fled to New York due to his divorce. \ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-stein-jew-for-christmas/336491.md?page=2)