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Sitaram · Site Admin Joined: 14 Sep 2005 Posts: 1079

WOULD YOU DO IT IF IT WERE ON TV?

Matt, an eighth grade teacher, was in a huge hurry. With guests
arriving at his home shortly, he had a small list of things to buy.
With 14 items in his basket, he decided to chance it and use the "10
items or less" express line.

Matt's heart pounded when he saw Phil, one of his students, come
toward him. Matt talks a lot about honesty and ethics and, as he
feared, Phil was all too happy to catch him doing something wrong.
Sure enough, with a big "gotcha" smile Phil loudly proclaimed, "You
have too many items. That's cheating."

On the scale of moral transgressions, misusing the express line is a
misdemeanor. But the inconsistency between Matt's words and actions
can, nevertheless, seriously undermine his message about the
importance of ethics and his personal credibility. Whether he's
officially "on duty" or not, a teacher is expected to set a good
example. It's the same for all people in authority, including parents
and bosses. And when they fail to do so, there are consequences.

Yes, it's unfair to judge a person's character by such small
offenses, but many will. Though we judge ourselves by our best
intentions and most noble acts, others are likely to judge us by
our last worst act.

Here's a simple strategy: act as if there's a tiny TV camera on your
shoulder broadcasting all your words and actions. If what you're
thinking of doing isn't consistent with the image you want to convey,
don't do it.

- Michael Josephson,

http://www.charactercounts.org

===============================

Sitaram comments:

Although I do not share his religious beliefs, I had always admired
Billy Graham as a model of good character and unblemished moral
rectitude UNTIL the day I learned about his anti-semitic remarks,
recorded without his knowledge on Nixon's tapes.

Of course, he publicly expressed his sorrow for those remarks, but as
one acquaintance of mine commented, "Yeah! Right! He is sorry THAT HE
GOT CAUGHT!"

http://www.adl.org/presrele/ASUS_12/4048_12.asp

We were shocked to learn that a man of the cloth and stature of the
Rev. Billy Graham held anti-Semitic views and freely shared them with
President Richard Nixon, as revealed on the just released Nixon
tapes. Rev. Graham's assertion that Jews had a "stranglehold" on the
country and that a second Nixon Administration "might be able to do
something," is chilling and frightening, even today, 30 years after
the statements were made.

It is shameful that one of America's most respected religious leaders
and a spiritual advisor to Presidents believed and espoused age-old
classical anti-Semitic canards.

http://www.adl.org/presrele/ASUS_12/4056_12.asp

New York, NY, March 19, 2002 ... The Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
today accepted the apology of the Rev. Billy Graham for anti-Semitic
remarks he made in a conversation with President Richard Nixon at the
White House. In his apology, the Rev. Graham stated that "racial
prejudice, anti-Semitism or hatred of anyone with different beliefs
has no place in the human mind or heart."

"We accept the apology of Reverend Billy Graham," said Abraham H.
Foxman, ADL National Director. "These words, unlike his previous
words uttered 30 years ago, are full of sadness and repentance. This
is the Billy Graham we thought we knew."

On the recording, the Rev. Graham, a spiritual advisor to presidents
and an American icon, is heard asserting that Jews had
a "stranglehold" on the country and that a second Nixon
Administration, "might be able to do something."

http://slate.msn.com/id/2063030/

Richard Nixon's reputation as a hateful, vindictive anti-Semite was
reinforced late last month when the National Archives

http://www.nara.gov/nixon , which has

been releasing the 3,700 hours of Nixon's tape-recorded White House
conversations in installments since 1996, dropped another batch.

Whenever new Nixon tapes are released, the next-day stories
invariably highlight the most outrageous tidbits, which typically
include some anti-Jewish slurs. This go-round was no exception. Along
with Nixon's apparently unserious threat to nuke Vietnam, reporters
pounced on this 1972 exchange about Jews in the media between Nixon
and the Rev. Billy Graham:

Billy Graham: This stranglehold has got to be broken or the country's
going down the drain.

Richard Nixon: You believe that?

BG: Yes, sir.

RN: Oh, boy. So do I. I can't ever say that, but I believe it.

BG: No, but if you get elected a second time, then we might be able
to do something.

As the Chicago Tribune noted
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/printedition/chi-
0203010267mar01.story , Nixon, Graham, and Chief of Staff H.R.
Haldeman also cracked anti-Semitic jokes, discussed which journalists
were Jewish, and lamented that Washington reporting had deteriorated
since Jews entered the trade.

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/102/story_10207_1.html

WASHINGTON (AP), March 2, 2002 - In former U.S. President Richard
Nixon's Oval Office, Rev. Billy Graham didn't mince words in
describing his feelings about Jewish people and the media: "This
stranglehold has got to be broken or this country's going down the
drain." On Friday, the 83-year-old evangelist apologized for his
words spoken 30 years ago and captured on an audio tape. The
conversation was among 500 hours of Nixon tapes released this week by
the National Archives. Most were recorded between January and June
1972.

"Although I have no memory of the occasion, I deeply regret comments
I apparently made in an Oval Office conversation with President
Nixon ... some 30 years ago," Graham said in a statement released by
his Texas public relations firm. "They do not reflect my views and I
sincerely apologize for any offense caused by the remarks."

In the conversation with Nixon, the Southern Baptist evangelist
expressed disdain for what he saw as Jewish domination of the media.

In his statement, Graham distanced himself from those comments and
said his legacy has been one of working for stronger bonds between
Jews and Christians.

"Throughout my ministry, I have sought to build bridges between Jews
and Christians," he said. "I will continue to strongly support all
future efforts to advance understanding and mutual respect between
our communities."

Graham has been in frail health for years.

The friendship between Graham and the president began during the
Eisenhower administration, when Nixon was vice president.

At a later point in the conversation, when Nixon raises the subject
of Jewish influence in Hollywood and the media, Graham says, "A lot
of Jews are great friends of mine."

"They swarm around me and are friendly to me. Because they know that
I am friendly to Israel and so forth. But they don't know how I
really feel about what they're doing to this country, and I have no
power and no way to handle them," Graham says.

Nixon replies: "You must not let them know."

=================

Sitaram comments:

Christians, supposedly, do not have to imagine a little television
camera upon them to bolster their behavior since, in their beliefs,
God is not only watching their actions, but also knows their every
thought.

http://misslink.org/chapel/askaminister/christian/thoughts.html

The Bible gives us a description of the things we are to think on
(Phillipians 4:8). We are also told to bring every thought into
captivity (2 Corinthians 10:5). One thing that can help you is to
memorize and meditate upon the Word of God and pray. Generally, when
you do these things in response to the wicked thoughts of the enemy,
he will leave you alone in that area. However, you must be consistent.

Another thing to remember is, "what I think about will affect what I
become" (Proverbs 23:7). If you think evil thoughts long enough, you
will perform evil deeds. This is why your thought life is so very
important. The Word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents
of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

http://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/nbi/361.html

For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees everything under the
heavens (Job 28:24).

He counts the number of the stars; he calls them all by name (Psalm
147:4).
And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare
to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account (Hebrews
4:13).

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them
falls to the ground apart from your Father's will (Matthew 10:29).

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered (Matthew 10:30).

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I
set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah
1:5).

The Scripture not only tells us that God knows everything, it lets us
know many of the specific things that He knows. The Bible says that
God knows everything under the heavens. He knows every star by name
and all of the creatures in the universe. God knows every thing that
is occurring down to the smallest detail. He fully knows human being -
including the number of hairs on our head. He knows our very
thoughts. In fact, he knew all about us before we were born.

One writer put it this way.

Though limitless the universe, and gloriously grand, He knows the
eternal story of every grain of sand.

http://www.olpbc.com/Library/Vernon_Johnson/39.htm

According to Heb. 4:12, 13 God is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart and every creature is manifest in his sight for
all things are naked and open to the eyes of him with whom we have to
do. According to Job 26:6, "Hell is naked before him and destruction
hath no covering." Job also said in 42:2, "I know that thou canst do
every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee." This
is in harmony with Ps. 94:11, "The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man,
that they are vanity." Also Prov. 15:26 testifies to the wickedness
of our thoughts and that God knows them, "The thoughts of the wicked
are an abomination to the Lord." Lest we think we are not among the
wicked 1 Cor. 3:20 says, "The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise,
that they are vain."

David lamented in Ps. 69:5, "O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and
my sins are not hid from thee." Jeremiah recorded the words of the
Lord in 16:17, "For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not
hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes." The
Lord said in Matt. 10:26, "Fear them not therefore: for there is
nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not
be known." That nothing can be hid from God is manifest in Prov.
15:3, "The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and
the good."

http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/odb/odb-09-10-03.shtml

The Bible tells us that God knows our every thought and every word on
our tongue (Psalm 139:1-4). And when we don't know what to pray for,
the Holy Spirit "makes intercession for us with groanings which
cannot be uttered" (Romans 8:26).

These biblical truths assure us that we can have communication with
God even without a word being spoken, because He knows the intentions
and desires of our heart. What a comfort when we are perplexed or in
deep distress! We don't have to worry if we can't find the words to
express our thoughts and feelings. We don't have to feel embarrassed
if sometimes our sentences break off half-finished. God knows what we
were going to say. We don't have to feel guilty if our thoughts
wander and we have to struggle to keep our minds focused on the Lord.

And for that matter, we don't have to worry about a proper posture in
prayer. If we are elderly or arthritic and can't kneel, that's okay.
What God cares about is the posture of our heart.

http://homepages.which.net/~radical.faith/sermons/trinity8.htm

Psalm 139 must rank as one of the most intimate and yet universal
pieces of religious writing.

It reminds us, rather bluntly, that under God we are all one anyway.
None of us can get away from his presence. We cannot escape his
influence even if we cross the seas, or rise to heaven or descend to
hell. God knows no political or national boundaries. All life is one
under God. We really cannot get away from God, because he is part-and-
parcel of our very makeup, of life itself. Or to quote Genesis, we
are made in his image, and as Paul says, we `live, move, and have our
being' in him.

As far as the psalmist is concerned, God knows our every thought,
something that the author obviously finds both wonderful and fearful.
So should we!

Yet despite being made in his image, we are not robots, and we have
freewill to do as we please. Presumably this is why Jesus talks of
the `wheat and the darnel' in Matthew's gospel and of the separation
that is to come between the righteous and the unrighteous. We have
the paradox of the ever present, all seeing and knowing God who,
according to Jesus loves us mightily, allowing us to blunder our way
into hell if that is our wish. God lets us make our own way, mistakes
and all.

We are, each of us, free to choose to be wheat or tares (weeds).

======

Sitaram comments:

St. John Chrisostome says somewhere, in one of his homilies:
(paraphrasing from memory), "In the parable of the wheat and the
tares, the REASON that the workers are instructed to leave the tares
alone until the final harvest is that, MYSTICALLY, wheat may become
tares, and tares may become wheat (i.e. human beings who are good may
choose to become bad, while bad people may become good.)"

Had Billy Graham been able to read the post (above) of Michael
Josephson, professional ethicist, and had he put Josephson's wisdom
into practice, then he would not have been publically disgraced when
the tapes were released from the arhives.

It is amusing to think that Jesus was a Jew and yet so
many "Christians" see the Jews as adversaries and even enemies.

Of course, even if Billy Graham HAD taken Michael Josephson's advice,
still, Billy Graham would have harbored such anti-semitic thoughts in
his heart, and Jesus points out that even to THINK a sin (with relish
and savour and conviction) is to be guilty of the sin even before it
is committed.

It is also interesting to observe that Billy Graham himself "swarmed
around" such powerful figures as Eisenhower and Nixon with the hope
of gaining something from their power and authority.

Did Jesus swarm about the politicians and religious leaders of his
day hoping thereby to gain some favor or advantage? I think not!
Yet, Graham criticizes the Jews saying, "They swarm around me and are
friendly to me. Because they know that I am friendly to Israel and so
forth." Often we criticize others for faults which are also our
own. Sometimes, it is form of karmic justice that the faults which
we criticize in others BECOME our own.

Rachel

well now i feel totally depressed.
being a jew is hard enough without finding out that a man you have always respected and well loved and turned others toward doesn't like you because you are of the house of david, of the tribe of judah.
and as for richard nixon, well all i can say is having read about his behaviour just makes me feel tired.
having said that i will state that i still care about both of them and forgive them.
i honestly don't think i could be on television, i am far too aware of my faults and wouldn't want to affect any other mortal in a negative way.when i write i can sit back and edit and make proper changes.
but how could i do so this way?

_________________
The universe belongs to one who can look at the world as 'once upon a time' rachel

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