Chill, Everybody

Instead of directly thanking a man-like God, with whom you seek to communicate using the tools of language, and of whom you assume would be understanding of the subtleties of your thoughts, you might instead express appreciation, to no one in particular, but to yourself, and whomover might care to hear, or overhear.

Being that I am not an unhappy person, I would express appreiciation for life, more than for any specific things. I would express appreciation for the matter that forms our bodies and the earth upon which we walk, the engery that motivates our spirits and sustains our lives, the rythms of time, which enable us to gather the experiences and knowledge of our lives, and arrange them all along the way as we go, and the balance that puts all things in their places and enables all things to work as they do.

Both believers and non-believers need to be thankful for this life, it's only polite and the food is good.

The more that I have read this entry by Mr. Tully the better I have liked it. Not to say that I did not at first, but was not that moved. Yet he displays several of the traits that I admire most coming from a person 'of faith'. One is that you can sense that he is genuine in his belief, but he does not go about spouting it or preaching it. I do not need to know, (or have to hear), how he pursues his spirituality and love of God to know that it is true for him. Yet he also leaves me to have my own beliefs and process of worship without negating it. It is left alone, but an open door remains. And that leads me to believe there is an open mind behind the door. I like that.
Thanksgiving to me is not fundamentally religious as much as humanistic and cultural. Cultural in it's inclusion into American ritual for so long, but also symbolically as a sharing of the physical and spiritual abundance of two distinct and foreign peoples gathering together to appreciate life. It is uniquely suited as a optimistic and positive message that peace and prosperity and communion can occur across cultures, peoples, religions, aisles...
One of the prerequisites for success in bridging differences is what Mr. /tully displays. Allowance for difference, setting aside conflict as a communication choice in relationship, and the intent toward harmony.
Lightheartedness cannot hurt, either.
I second the motion.
Chill, everybody.

As a retired Episcopal priest I concur in the main with Bill Tully. That we were, are and will continue to be, for the most part, a "religious people," is true. But there is a reason why the Founding Fathers were so insistent that no state religion, official religion, or ANY religion be established. The principles of the Enlightenment guided them far more than the Holy Bible. This fact continues to be a bitter pill- particularly for many in the Christian religious community - to swallow

Jefferson would have fought to the death for the right of any man or woman to worship their God in their own way - or not!

Jackson remained generally unsympathetic to any religious observance, personally. However throughout his presidency there was a markedly the strict adherence to the "right to worship" or not.

Lincoln's deep seated and healthy skepticism and distrust of "established religion" (he stedfastly refused membership in any denomination) is well documented. He struggled throughout the darkest days of his presidency to infuse the issues of slavery, war and rebellion with some sort of broader "theological" purpose and meaning.

He seemed to have settled on a sort of inscrutable and transcendent "Divine Providence" (cf. the Second Inaugural Address). And it's of no small historic consequence that his Thanksgiving Proclamation followed the Emancipation Proclamation, which followed the Battle of Antietam. That he discerned "patterns of Providence" as inscrutable is beyond dispute.

He unquestionably had a clear sense that divine Judgement (read accountability) most definitely attended the events and the course of human history. That he made no distinction between a religious or sectarian understanding of history is perhaps his greatest legacy - and THAT remains worthy of "Thanksgiving."

"And just how do you understand that word, "God?""

Guess it depends what's behind it, if you're talking to me. Monotheists only got the one word and but a couple faces. The *word* means whatever someone wants it to mean at the moment. Gotta pay attention.

And just how do you understand that word, "God?"

That's pretty important, I think.

For some reason, here, I think of Star Trek.

I remember, as a kid, seeing Captain Kirk preside over a shipboard wedding, and here's this show from the mid-Sixties talking about the future...

And they had this very familiar ceremony with a reference to (I think it was delivered so well there cause actually a lot of the cast were quietly Jewish) 'Our Many Beliefs.'

And I think, when I hear conservative Christians trying to mark territory about what government says, whine about a 'War On Christmas' to justify not giving non-Christian soldiers a decent burial, and otherwise try and alienate the very diversity which makes our nation great, well, maybe it comes from a young age, when it comes to what it's fitting for a President to say on these occasions,

What would Mr. Spock think? What would *really* represent the best in us?

Are we Jim Crow, are we Cotton Mather? Are we Eugene MacCarthy?

Or are we the United Federation of Planets? :)

"I'm a religious person, and my beliefs and practices make me want to say more about the meaning of thanksgiving and about creation and about God, as I understand that word. But I don't rely on the president or the nation to uphold my practice or definitions. Maybe I and my non-religious friends can agree to give thanks for that!"

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I like the way you stated the above… “as I understand that word”

I wish that people understand that we each of our own interpretation of the “word”- regardless of what religion you are in. You are correct that the President should not have an impact on how each interpret that word. However, we live in the days of technology. Many countries are able to watch the President speak, at any time (CNN being one major international news outlet). For me personally, I prefer the President and Government officials simply give thanks. Yet, to call on a prayer---that depends. Will he/she (President) will ask for a moment of silent… or will he/she will speak spoken words of prayer-influenced by their own theology. Matter of fact, the writer’s theology for I believe prayers are best when it comes through the heart vs. reading someone’s personal heartfelt words or analytical word. It is now meaningless-scripted. In addition, inconsiderate for he/she is the President of people with many faith and non-faith. He/she is a world leader who is also being watched in many countries---countries of different faith or lack of. Although, I have a free-will of turning the channel when I feel discomfort and detach without taking offense---there are people who do.

I believe simply giving thanks without mentioning a Divinity is best if one wants to make a proclamation. If we happened to have a President one day who is of Muslim faith, Buddhist faith, or Pagan faith---would the President Prayer of Proclamation would be widely accepted? Again it is what the President understands the word? This is what I would like to ask of many Christians who hold no issues with our Presidents, who majority in history if not all are/were Christian…would they like to hear the President of a faith outside of them say a prayer, simply give thanks without mentioning of divinity, or nothing at all…

blessings