Thanksgiving Without God

Even thanking the universe, earth, the turkey, etc. is pointless.

I don’t “thank” any inanimate or unwilling object.

Thanksgiving is for thanking loved ones and loved ones alone.

Spend all your efforts showing them thanks and don’t waste any time on anything that can’t thank you back.

Like Meredith above, I read the article and have never associated Thanksgiving with the Christian God. While I do know the Pilgrims story of giving thanks, the association this holiday has with that faith is nothing like the furor and close ties with Christmas.

It’s all about giving thanks for tangible things in life: Good health, good food, employed and paid to afford food to eat.. etc.

Well if it’s supposed to be Christians Only, then why did we invite the Native Americans?

Well if it’s supposed to be Christians Only, then why did we invite the Native Americans?

To save their souls, obviously. God expect performance from his recruiters.

I’m surprised to learn that people didn’t realize Thanksgiving has its roots in christian dogma. Interesting.

Mostly, it’s a time to get together with family and lick wounds. Mine has lost an awful lot of people in the October-January stretch over the years. Now that I am grown, I try to take in stragglers, to give them something a bit more familiar than take out. That’s pretty easy in a college town.

But, as a genocide scholar, I spend a lot of time being thankful that I’m alive and a lot of time being thoughtful about those who aren’t. Our history is a long and sordid one, and Thanksgiving–while harvest feasts long predated the colonies–is all wrapped up in it. It’s territory I tread lightly.

Also, I experiment with nontraditional proteins. This year will be rabbit and rainbow trout. We hate turkey.

“give thanks to the universe?” the universe doesn’t give a crap whether we are here or not and won’t care when we’re gone.
Be thankful for the people in your life and actually perform the act of thanking them for their love, friendship, counsel, and swift kicks in your butt when it’s called for. That’s what I’m thankful for.

Productive people can observe Thanksgiving to celebrate the success of their work, without attributing their material supplies to a god.

To save their souls, obviously. God expect performance from his recruiters.

Initially there was some controversy over whether native Americans had souls. Then it apparently dawned on someone that they would be an awesome way to increase the Church’s numbers. In the long run it worked very well in the Spanish and Portuguese colonies. Unfortunately, those countries have the most devout followers these days.

Growing up in a very religious family, Thanksgiving was all about God. It wasn’t always pleasant for me. I like spending time with my family and am glad I can do that. That’s what I use the holiday for.

“I give thanks to the turkey that gave its life…”

No turkey gives its life. It has its life taken away from them.

Happy Vegetarian Thanksgiving, Hemant!

Joe No halo-

Definitely. The idea of animals consenting to their own violent deaths is a myth people have created.

So why does an article about atheists interview a Pagan? If he was an atheist Pagan, that would make sense…

Anyway, it seems all the “vaguely spriritual woo” people are complaining about comes from an interviewee who doesn’t seem to (unambiguously) identify as atheist. Doesn’t seem like it should be too shocking to me.

Although I’ve never really considered Thanksgiving as “Christian only”, I have always connected it to a degree with church, since the small Southern Baptist church I grew up in always had a special sermon for it, and we sang Thanksiving themed hymns. Plus, the prayer before the family meal tends to be considerably longer that day. Definite intertwining there. So, I could see how people with similar experiences might think, ‘How do people who don’t pray to anyone do this thing?’ when thankfulness is ultimately associated with ‘Thank God’ in their minds.

When I was a little girl, I was under the impression that Thanksgiving was about the Pilgrims thanking the Indians for helping them survive. Of course, I did learn that the Pilgrims came here seeking religious freedom, but I never thought to connect their harvest celebration with giving thanks to a deity. Particularly since I didn’t even hear about deities until I had already been celebrating Thanksgiving for several years.

From the article:

Larimer will join an old high-school buddy at the friend’s mother’s home for dinner, and he will bow his head if the group prays.

“I don’t fall into that angry atheist crowd,” he says. “I’m going to respect other people’s beliefs … and would hope others would respect my right to believe in what I believe in.”

Um, I’m not an “angry atheist” either, but what does that have to do with bowing your head? There’s a difference between being respectful and being submissive. I would never interrupt anyone’s prayer, but I would absolutely never pretend to pray to a god that I don’t believe in. Wouldn’t that actually be disrespectful to the people who take things like prayer seriously?

I’ve never thought of it as a Christian holiday, but then I’ve never been a Christian.

It makes sense, I guess. If you believe that everything you have is attributed to divine will, then a day of giving thanks should logically be devoted to whatever deity you think is responsible. Whatever. As far as I’m concerned, they’re welcome to celebrate it however they like. For my part, I’ll continue to thank the people who have tangibly helped to make my life as good as it is.

From Bill Logan 2001

For what we are about to receive
let us be truly thankful
…to those who planted the crops
…to those who cultivated the fields
…to those who gathered the harvest.

For what we are about to receive
let us be truly thankful
to those who prepared it and those who served it.

In this festivity let us remember too
those who have no festivity
those who cannot share this plenty
those whose lives are more affected than our own
by war, oppression and exploitation
those who are hungry, sick and cold

In sharing in this meal
let us be truly thankful
for the good things we have
for the warm hospitality
and for this good company.

Amen

-Ran into this some years ago and use all or parts of it regularly. (generally if I’m a guest at a place that asks me to “say grace”)

I think many of the quotes will sound like stereotypical new-age hippy stuff to the “Real Americans” that read it and it will further cement their impression of us as “other”.

Like others, my Thanksgivings always involved pilgrims, Indians, and turkeys, with no mention of God. As a kid, I don’t even think I knew why it was the pilgrims had come to America in the first place. Or perhaps I just wasn’t paying attention when I was told.

However, none of that stops me from giving thanks to Optimus Prime for defending us from the Decepticon menace.

Here is the proclamation that Lincoln issued when thanksgiving was made a national holiday. It does show that the day was set aside to thank God for his blessings:

Proclamation of Thanksgiving
by the President of the United States of America

The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful years and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the Source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the field of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than theretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.

In testimony wherof I have herunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

[Signed]
A. Lincoln

I’ll be working all day Thanksgiving and the day after, regardless of what my boss wants.

Chicago,

i may volunteer at a homeless shelter this year, that would be different.

I would encourage you to do that. It is a great way to celebrate this holiday. A good reminder of the fact that not everyone is as blessed ( or fortunate) as we are.

Not a big fan of the Christian affinity for groveling and proclamations of unworthiness. The idea of enforced gratitude is similarly repellent; thanks should be given freely and only when it is earned. So I’m not too keen on Biblical types having any say on what Thanksgiving should be about.

New Age types irritate me even more. No, don’t thank Mother Earth. “She’s” not your mother (or anyone else’s), “she” didn’t provide you with anything, and “she” doesn’t give a shit whether you live or die (or whether you were ever born for that matter).

Sorry, I’m a bit grumpy today. I just found out I’ve gotta work on Thanksgiving, so I’m gonna be eating leftover turkey.

Thanksgiving is simply a harvest festival; like all good holidays, it was co-opted by the Christians to be All About God.

I feel the same way about XMas, which is why I feel no Atheist Guilt at celebrating Non-Religious Winter Solstice Food- and Gift- Binge Day.

I give thanks to the turkey that it gave its only begotten son that we may be stuffed. Full of turkey.

*Hemant: It tastes like baby.

http://farmsanctuary.org has a “feed a turkey” day. You give the turkeys their favorite foods: stuffed squash, cranberries, etc.
I thought that was extremely sweet. I don’t know if I’ll actually do it … Maybe I’ll just stay home and feed a squirrel.

The story about pilgrims and indians is utter bullshit. It never happened. What did happen was a lot of genocide, including a white power party followed by a lynching of native men. In the 1600s when the puritans came over on the mayflower, there was a bounty for murdering or capturing as a slave the local native americans. The term ‘thanksgiving’ comes from a speach by John Winthrop, and it was held to give thanks to God for their victories in their ‘war’ (read genocide of civilians) against the Pequot. The history of this holiday is racism and genocide and that should be enough to do away with it, as should the massive level of racism that goes along with white kids playing native around this time of year. The puritans weren’t benevolent and they didn’t come for religious freedom (because they already had that in the Netherlands), they were genocidal theocrats. It is long past time we stopped pretending otherwise.

One of my religious friends seems surprised whenever I celebrate a holiday… except Halloween. That’s the “devil’s day” (his words) so he’s not surprised I participate… however he can’t understand why a non-believer would want anything to do with any other holiday.

This article would completely baffle him.

I’ve never associated Thanksgiving with Christianity, but I think there’s an idea some people hold which basically says that atheists can’t be thankful, since they don’t believe in a God that they could thank. This never made much sense to me, as there are so many people to be thankful to.

I like Thanksgiving, personally, because it means seeing old family friends who we don’t visit too often.

Even though I grew up in a religious household, I’ve always thought of Thanksgiving as a secular holiday. Even as a vegetarian who despises the turkey industry, I freaking LOVE Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite. It gives me a chance to cook tasty gourmet veg food (that I normally don’t have time to make), hang out with my L.A. family, play games, and relax.

I will be thankful that my brothers and I are all reasonable and logical people despite all the churchiness of our upbringing!