[on Thanksgiving as a secular holiday]
In Christianity Today's Leadership Journal, Eric Reed decried a "thankless society" that has forgotten the holiday's putative religious significance. R. Albert Mohler Jr. of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary called the secular vision of Thanksgiving "empty and false" on the Washington Post religion blog, On Faith. And conservative Web site WorldNetDaily offers up Thanksgiving-themed magnetic bumper stickers that counsel, "Remember to thank HIM"—perhaps an admonition to those who would merely thank their lucky stars.
33 comments
Yes, it was the day that Jesus ate turkey, then unbuckled His divine belt, and took a nap on Mary Magdeline's sofa, and refused to do dishes because football was on.
Not very many Americans are descended from the Pilgrims.
God didn't bail them out of starvation, the local natives did, much to their chagrin, as later events proved.
So, perhaps on Thanksgiving Day, we should all give thanks to the natives who saved the original fundies from starvation, and allowed America to be conquered by them and their descendents.
Why do fundies feel the need to re-write history?
Sorry, dumb question. When history (science, reason, common-sense) disagrees with your world-view, simply change it to match.
I don't thank GOD or astrology.
I do, however, thank my family for being able to afford such a wonderful meal.
"Remember to thank HIM"perhaps an admonition to those who would merely thank their lucky stars"
who that leprechaun on the front of the box?
news flash, he, the trix rabbit, and tony the tiger are corporate mascots used to appeal to small children, they don't really exist.
Instead of thanking "HIM", why don't we thank the Native Americans? You know, because they're the ones who saved the Pilgrim's asses. I don't think Jesus told them what crops to grow and how. And at the very least, we can be sure that the native Americans existed.
For the Puritans, thanksgiving was a day of fasting and prayer. The feast was a harvest festival, not a religious occasion.
If you want to celebrate a religious Thanksgiving, spend the day fasting.
I dunno, sure, thank HIM. And while you're about it, don't forget to thank HIM for all the other stuff as well... you know, famines still infesting parts of the world, major wars that are currently raging in Africa and the Middle East, drunken drivers running over kids, armed robberies that end in violence, rapists and serial killers and so on. I mean, if he created everything, he's responsible for all those too, right? Yeah, thanks a lot, fairytail beard in the sky.
Thank HIM? Who? My dad? Some other guy who's so important he gets all caps even as a pronoun? I'm not sure I can think of too many people that fit the bill. I think I'll go for the Native Americans who were kind enough to help the new settlers, even if they were a bit too trusting. That and of course anything and anyone that actually exists and has made my life better.
Still not getting this HIM stuff though...you sure we're talking about the same holiday?
Ah yes, Thanksgiving. The beginning of the murder of the Native Americans and the rape of this country I call home.
How can I not be thankful?
"Eric Reed decried a "thankless society" that has forgotten the holiday's putative religious significance" Putative is right.
I am British, and we don't celebrate Thanksgiving. But someone has made the point that Thanksgiving was originally supposed to be thanking the Native Americans!! For the food they gave the original settlers, without which they would have died. Isn't that why specific foods - turkey, corn, etc - are eaten for Thanksgiving?
Leonora , "vegetarian" is the Iroquois word for "not very good hunter". ;)
Besides maize, there were yams and other roots, and squashes, pumpkin being the obvious one.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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