I've been hearing the president's proclamation for years, of course, and I've noticed something interesting. The proclamation is changing. Thanksgiving is changing. Last year, I read the texts of various proclamations issued over the years. Copied below are a few of the big ones:
Here's a Proclamation of Thanksgiving given by George Washington in 1789:
By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.
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-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.
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.
and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.
From: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/GW/gw004.html
I love that George Washington seeks "to render our national government a blessing to all the people," and to promote virtue.
Here is the proclamation, written by Abraham Lincoln in the midst of the Civil War, that established our modern tradition of Thanksgiving:
By the President of the United States of America.
A Proclamation.
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields 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 cannot 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 theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe 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 heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness 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, tranquillity and Union.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.
http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm
And here is Barack Obama's proclamation of Thanksgiving, 2013:
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
A PROCLAMATION
Thanksgiving offers each of us the chance to count our many blessings -- the freedoms we enjoy, the time we spend with loved ones, the brave men and women who defend our Nation at home and abroad. This tradition reminds us that no matter what our background or beliefs, no matter who we are or who we love, at our core we are first and foremost Americans.
Our annual celebration has roots in centuries-old colonial customs. When we gather around the table, we follow the example of the Pilgrims and Wampanoags, who shared the fruits of a successful harvest nearly 400 years ago. When we offer our thanks, we mirror those who set aside a day of prayer. And when we join with friends and neighbors to alleviate suffering and make our communities whole, we honor the spirit of President Abraham Lincoln, who called on his fellow citizens to "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."
Our country has always been home to Americans who recognize the importance of giving back. Today, we honor all those serving our Nation far from home. We also thank the first responders and medical professionals who work through the holiday to keep us safe, and we acknowledge the volunteers who dedicate this day to those less fortunate.
This Thanksgiving Day, let us forge deeper connections with our loved ones. Let us extend our gratitude and our compassion. And let us lift each other up and recognize, in the oldest spirit of this tradition, that we rise or fall as one Nation, under God.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 28, 2013, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage the people of the United States to join together -- whether in our homes, places of worship, community centers, or any place of fellowship for friends and neighbors -- and give thanks for all we have received in the past year, express appreciation to those whose lives enrich our own, and share our bounty with others.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.
BARACK OBAMA
Read more: http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/texttrans/2013/11/20131127287971.html#ixzz2m0U0CrnN
President Obama states, "When we offer our thanks, we mirror those who set aside a day of prayer." We mirror those who set aside a day of prayer, (back in those quaint historical times,) but we are not ourselves encouraged to do so. Washington and Lincoln "acknowledge the providence of Almighty God," and are "grateful for his benefits." Obama merely acknowledges that Lincoln acknowledged the Almighty. Our current president is grateful to "first responders and medical professionals." Although I'm sure it's a fine thing to honor the work of first responders and medical professionals and to give them our thanks, it's not at all the same thing as thanking God, is it?
After all, this is the God who "preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over." (Psalm 23:5) This is the God who, "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20), who is "come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)
It's not the first responders nor the Native American Wampanoag to whom we should be grateful, since, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (James 1:17)
I realize that we live in a pluralistic society that must encompass the needs of a wide variety of people, and that not everyone accepts providence as divine. I'm not entirely sure how we ought to handle that, but I think it's a shame to bring gratitude down to such a human level. And I'm dead set against the actual changing of history. I'm absolutely certain that the Pilgrims, however grateful they may have been for the assistance of their native neighbors, offered thanks to the Almighty, not to the Wampanoag. That's hardly likely, after all, since we've been told repeatedly, (at Plimoth Plantation no less), that the Pilgrims killed the Native Americans in droves - not exactly what you'd do after giving hearty thanks to them.
Today I read an interesting article about this change in our public relationship with God. It states in part,
Obama wants Americans to believe they are just “endowed with certain unalienable rights.” Presumably, he’d like them to believe the government endows them with their rights just like they endow them with health care and jobs and education and, in Obama’s worldview, everything.
But what government gives it can take away.
The founders knew this, and they set out to make it clear that our rights descend from God Himself – not government edicts.
This undoubtedly comes from a very conservative site, and I take it with a grain of salt, but I find some truth in the notion nonetheless, and it's chilling to consider the result of allowing a government to dictate our rights.
I don't want to force my beliefs on others, but it seems to me that taking God out of Thanksgiving takes away the object of our gratitude. It minimizes the meaning of this momentous day. It's gone from being a day of wonder at God's bounty and provision, and an opportunity to ask forgiveness for our transgressions, to being a sort of glorified "Secretary's Day," wherein we offer a gravy-smeared salute to soldiers and nurses. And that's much too narrow for my sense of gratitude.
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