Here's a Brief Overview of Thanksgiving and Why We Celebrate It
On Thanksgiving Day most Americans gather together with family and friends for food, fellowship, and football. We grossly overeat, share stories from the past, hopes for the future, and then watch TV while digesting. Is this how it has always been? Not surprisingly, the answer is “no.”
Clearly TVs weren’t around in the beginning, so they aren’t part of this discussion. As many things happen in America, Thanksgiving began as something entirely different from what we now experience, and the modern iteration of the holiday bears no resemblance to its origins.
Indeed, long before and for a time after it became an official national holiday, there was a higher likelihood the day would be marked by fasting, not feasting. Not only was there no turkey, stuffing, or cranberry sauce, but the purpose of setting aside a national—proclaimed in official government documents—day of Thanksgiving was to give thanks and praise and honor to God.
We are fortunate to have an abundance of documentation of past Thanksgiving Day proclamations written by former presidents and governors. Some years it was all thanks and praise. For others it was thanks, praise, fasting, and repentance—all focused toward God.
Let’s take a quick jaunt through history, shall we? While there are, literally, hundreds of official Thanksgiving Day proclamations, I’ll highlight excerpts only a few here.
Governor William Bradford issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation in 1621, the year after they had arrived on the Mayflower. Half of them died that winter, and yet, several months later, he urged the people to give thanks to God for the ways in which He had blessed them.
During the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress offered this one in 1777:
“Forasmuch as it is the indispensable duty of all men to adore the superintending providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with gratitude their obligation to him for benefits received, and to implore such farther blessings as they stand in need of; and it having pleased him in his abundant mercy not only to continue to us the innumerable bounties of his common providence, but also smile upon us in the prosecution of a just and necessary war, for the defense and establishment of our unalienable rights and liberties … It is therefore recommended to the legislative or executive powers of these United States, to set apart Thursday, the 18th day of December next, for solemn thanksgiving and praise; that with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts, and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor; and that together with their sincere acknowledgments and offerings, they may join the penitent confession of their manifold sins, whereby they had forfeited every favor, and their humble and earnest supplication that it may please God, through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of remembrance …”
Also during the Revolutionary War in 1779 while Governor of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson issued a Thanksgiving Proclamation:
“…that it be recommended to the several states to appoint THURSDAY the 9th of December next, to be a day of publick and solemn THANKSGIVING to Almighty God, for his mercies, and of PRAYER, for the continuance of his favour and protection to these United States; to beseech him that he would be graciously pleased to influence our publick Councils, and bless them with wisdom from on high, with unanimity, firmness and success; that he would go forth with our hosts and crown our arms with victory; that he would grant to his church, the plentiful effusions of divine grace, and pour out his holy spirit on all Ministers of the gospel; that he would bless and prosper the means of education, and spread the light of Christian knowledge through the remotest corners of the earth”
In the first act following the framing of the Bill of Rights in 1789, Congress passed a Resolution urging a national day of Thanksgiving, which was offered by President George Washington a few weeks later:
“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor … Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation—for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war—for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted—for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.”
In 1864, three years into the War between the States, President Abraham Lincoln issued this Thanksgiving Day proclamation:
“Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do hereby appoint and set apart the last Thursday in November next as a day which I desire to be observed by all my fellow-citizens, wherever they may then be, as a day of thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God, the beneficent Creator and Ruler of the Universe. And I do further recommend to my fellow-citizens aforesaid that on that occasion they do reverently humble themselves in the dust and from thence offer up penitent and fervent prayers and supplications to the Great Disposer of Events for a return of the inestimable blessings of peace, union, and harmony throughout the land which it has pleased Him to assign as a dwelling place for ourselves and for our posterity throughout all generations.”
As is clear, Thanksgiving Day was to be a day set aside for thanksgiving and praise—and often fasting and repentance—to God. Let us not forget that in the midst of fellowship and food with our family and friends.
This Thanksgiving, wouldn’t it be great if we elevated the holiday (originally meaning “holy day”) from mere gluttony? What if we began a new tradition of reading one (or more) of these Thanksgiving Day proclamations from our own history? What if we also chose to spend some time in prayer and thanksgiving to the One who has blessed us beyond all measure, even though we have offended and rejected Him time and again?
To reiterate Abraham Lincoln, "I do further recommend to my fellow-citizens aforesaid that on that occasion they do reverently humble themselves in the dust and from thence offer up penitent and fervent prayers and supplications to the Great Disposer of Events for a return of the inestimable blessings of peace, union, and harmony throughout the land which it has pleased Him to assign as a dwelling place for ourselves and for our posterity throughout all generations.”
Amen.
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“This Thanksgiving, remember the One the holiday is about in the first place--God. Give him thanks and praise.”
Last Sunday, in a sermon on Psalm 103 , my pastor asked a question.
“As we approach Thanksgiving, are we truly thankful? Or do we simply say we are thankful because a date on the calendar says so?”
Both are likely true. I am certainly thankful, and I do my best to express that to God and others around me as often as I can. But it’s helpful to have a day to say so. It’s an annual reminder to do something we should be doing all of the time.
We seem to be worse at expressing thankfulness in politics than in other areas of life. I am thankful for my wife, children, family, job, health, and so on. But when it comes to politics, gratitude is not something I usually consider. One glance at my Twitter feed, and I know I’m not alone.
For conservatives, this is a big problem. This is because conservatism is based on thankfulness. One cannot be a conservative without it. As Yuval Levin says, "Conservatives tend to begin from gratitude for what is good and what works in our society and then strive to build on it, while liberals tend to begin from outrage at what is bad and broken and seek to uproot it."
To be a conservative means that there is something worth conserving. It means that there is much more right with this country than wrong. It means that we don't throw our hands up and recklessly tear it down. Conservatism seeks to conserve that which we should value, and so we cannot identify what is worth conserving without expressing gratitude toward what is good.
Of course, there is plenty to be upset about: Conservative policies seem stalled in Congress, the national debt continues to climb, an un-elected and unresponsive bureaucracy seems entrenched in Washington, Obamacare hasn’t been repealed, society continues to secularize, our culture continues to struggle with the fallout of the sexual revolution, and our divided country struggles to confront bad actors like North Korea and Iran.
We cannot, however, let our frustration with what is wrong blind us from all that is good.
Conservatism recognizes the harsh realities of nature, history, and the fallen state of man. Despite these things, we are blessed to live in a nation that emphasizes freedom, equality, rule of law, private property, and minority rights. We recognize that that these blessings are exceedingly rare occurrences in this world, and we are among the few, living or dead, to ever experience them.
Gratitude also has a way of putting our problems in perspective. “Thanksgiving is set aside not to plunge us deeper into political division, but to fix our eyes on the good which we share in common,” C.C. Pecknold, a professor at the Catholic University of America wrote . When we list out the things for which we are most thankful, there is a reason friends and family so immediately come to mind before any political matter. The most precious and important parts of our lives exist outside of the politics.
Once again, thankfulness informs a conservative political philosophy that says not all things should exist in the political realm. We leave it to liberals to politicize everything from sports to food to weather. They are the ones writing articles on how to proselytize their cranky conservative uncle over the Thanksgiving table. Conservatism, rooted in proper gratitude, gives perspective to such matters and puts political issues of the State in their proper place.
If we are to be conservatives in the day to day slog of controversies and news cycles, it is important that we never forget the foundation of our political philosophy. We should not be living out our days in constant outrage or anxiety. In order to advance the cause of conservatism, we must have gratitude for the things worth conserving. If there’s nothing worth conserving, then we are simply progressives of one shade or another.
What are some things you think are worth conserving? What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? I'd love to read about it in the comments.
Happy Thanksgiving! https://www.themaven.net/theresurgent/contributors/thanksgiving-is-the-foundation-of-conservatism-6IF7zArMKEehw---6PfaCw
Psalm. Isn't that the same book that tells you to kill kids?
I was just seeding an article as to what it is to be a conservative.
“Conservatism recognizes the harsh realities of nature, history, and the fallen state of man. Despite these things, we are blessed to live in a nation that emphasizes freedom, equality, rule of law, private property, and minority rights. We recognize that that these blessings are exceedingly rare occurrences in this world, and we are among the few, living or dead, to ever experience them.
Gratitude also has a way of putting our problems in perspective. “Thanksgiving is set aside not to plunge us deeper into political division, but to fix our eyes on the good which we share in common,” C.C. Pecknold, a professor at the Catholic University of America wrote . When we list out the things for which we are most thankful, there is a reason friends and family so immediately come to mind before any political matter. The most precious and important parts of our lives exist outside of the politics.
Once again, thankfulness informs a conservative political philosophy that says not all things should exist in the political realm. We leave it to liberals to politicize everything from sports to food to weather. They are the ones writing articles on how to proselytize their cranky conservative uncle over the Thanksgiving table. Conservatism, rooted in proper gratitude, gives perspective to such matters and puts political issues of the State in their proper place.”
And I'm pointing out the cherry picking of the bible.
I was just wondering what it’s like when your fellow conservatives write articles like the above on sites conservatives frequent and when they get placed here, you end up siding with this sites secular progressives? There are a couple of religious people on the left here who get attacked by their secular left friends whenever they talk about God even though they go to great effort to try to differentiate their Christianity from that of right leaning Christians.
There is a way to avoid that. A large number of people who claim to be religious claim they have a "personal relationship" with their god. What is so hard about keeping it personal? I don't care what go you worship (Abrahamic, Norse, or one of the 1500 gods the Egyptians worshiped).
Now as far as differentiating between left and right leaning Christians, I really don't waste the time to differentiate between the two. Plain and simple, they are Christians. The belief comes from the same book written in such a way that there is no real correct interpretation and has caused so much strife in the world.
The strife in this world is caused by the evil one who has temporary dominion here, not by God or the Bible.
The strife in this world is caused by the evil one who has temporary dominion here, not by God or the Bible.
God cast Lucifer (the evil one) and the other fallen angels down here.
so yeah, totally gods fault.
He cast them out of Heaven after their failed rebellion there . They chose to come here.
That's if you cherry pick your bible. Unfortunately many of your fellow followers chose to carry out the calls for death that in enclosed between those covers.
E.A Please tell US, how is " cherry picking the Bible " stating what the BIBLE says?
I say cherry picking because they stop just short of where the same book (Psalm) tells them to smash children off the rocks. How can you think that this god loves you then turns around and tells them this?
E.A NO stick to the Point you made that I responded to, Does the BIBLE not state that Humanity Chose Satan as their Ruler, in Genesis 3?
Does it also NOT say in Genesis 3 that Mankind will Suffer and DIE Because of that Satanic lie " No you will Positively NOT die " and do not Most Earthly religion follow that SATANIC lie?
As to YOU misquoting Psalms, that was explained to YOU numerous times, I will not waste My Breath, doing it again! Repost::
18 Eagle Averro 2 weeks ago
26.1.2.1.… Eagle Averro replied to magnoliaave @26.1.2.1.… 3 days ago
E.A Please read with care... Life is a Gift ,,, in Genesis 3 1-19 we are told that the Opposite of life is?
Gen 3:but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.
E.A So eternal Life when disobedient was promised by Whom?
....
19
By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.”
Unless you have something that I do not at this point comprehend, if so please elucidate!
Satan's lie? Going through the bible, much of what is attributed to "Satan's lie" is nothing more than human nature. Much of which we see in daily life today. In addition, Genesis would have you believe that the population of the world began with two people. I really wouldn't call being a product of incest a "gift".
We obviously see two very different sides of the bible. Where you see a God that loves, I see a malevolent one one that slaughters and kills.
E.A OK I think ALL on this site, will now KNOW about your Prejudice and lopsided, so there is no need to continue Suffice to say that when one wants to talk about the BIBLE, then one has to stick to the BIBLE, If I wanted to talk about Physics and then Quoted Genetics, I am sure many here will wonder about MY state of Mind,, Bye Bye!
In regards to this subject, it's no more lopsided than yours. We see it from different points of view. That seems to bother you for some reason.
Have a good weekend.
E.A Ditto!
It’s almost like a group of our secular progressive atheist friends raided the seed. It’s sad that some can’t accept the religious origins of the Thanksgiving Holiday and respect those who still follow those origins like we follow original intent when it comes to the constitution.