This blog post about the overlapping of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah had this very interesting passage:
Uh, a holiday started by religious exiles? And that started as an official national holiday in 1863 of Thanksgiving and prayer? That doesn’t sound non-religious to me. Does it to you? And how does your viewpoint shape how you celebrate (or don’t celebrate) Thanksgiving?
Used to be, but isn’t any more. It still has religious overtones, but, like Christmas and even Easter, it can be celebrated by anyone without being dependent on religion.
It’s a little like the days of the week: we can talk about Wednesday without anyone worrying that we’re showing reverence for Wotan. Thanksgiving isn’t quite that divorced from its religious origins, but it’s moving in that direction.
While Easter is absolutely a religious holiday, Thanksgiving is not. I am atheist and have no qualms observing, even reveling, in Thanksgiving. Not the same for Easter.
I guess it depends on what you mean by “religious.” If you mean “has or ever had any association with any sort of theism” then yes, it’s a religious holiday. If you mean “was originally a holy day within a given religion” then no, not at all. There’s nothing inherently Christian or Jewish or Muslim or Hindu or even theist about being grateful for the good things in your life.
And in common culture it hasn’t been a day of prayer for at least my lifetime. Hell, these days it’s barely even a holiday in and of itself, but rather the day you carboload and plot your strategy for Black Friday.
To me, Thanksgiving isn’t necessarily about offering prayer. Yes, of course it can be and is for many people, but for atheists it obviously isn’t and I’d agree with CrazyCatLady in that being grateful does not automatically translate into giving thanks in prayer.
In my experience, it’s a holiday that celebrates family and friends; you let them know you are grateful to have them in your life and spend some time together to reflect upon the good things you have.
While it may have begun as a day of prayer, I don’t think it was ever included as a high holy day by modern organized religions.
Sure the Pilgrims prayed at the original Thanksgiving meal, but they probably prayed at every meal. That was how they rolled back then; they were fairly religious Christians. But they also gave thanks in a purely non-religious way. And the feast was basically a harvest festival, which is something that probably all cultures have. So as an atheist, I have no problem with Thanksgiving. (And I’ve been in many immigrant houses and they all celebrate Thanksgiving as an American tradition.)
Thanksgiving is no more a religious holiday than Halloween or Christmas is.
I’m an atheist and I consider it a non-religious celebration of fall harvest.
Do Christians go to church for Thanksgiving? Do churches even have special Thanksgiving services?
Thanksgiving is mainly about family, turkey, and football. It’s my favorite holiday because, growing up Jewish, it was the only big family celebration that we took part in as part of the community. Well, that and Halloween as kids, a holiday also with religious roots but these days is almost completely secular.
But the statement “purely national with no religious roots at all either blatant or subtle” is clearly untrue. There are clear religious properties of the holiday both in origins and current practice, but today they are pretty subtle and de-emphasized.
What a ridiculous quote. As opposed to what other “purely national with no religious roots” holidays? April Fools? Arbor Day? Inauguration Day?
Totally secular.
Agreed. Any religious aspects of the holiday are optional and not necessary. Also, Thanksgiving represents the American version of fall harvest festivals or feasts that date back to before Christian times in Europe.
Also, note that in the first Thanksgiving the super-religious Pilgrims invited the pagans next door to join them for dinner (as according to the story we all learned in school and from the Peanuts television special).
Some do, but most Thanksgiving services are held the Tuesday or Wednesday before, in my experience.
I was raised in a very religious family (church at least once a week and often more, mandatory for anybody living in the house) but we never went to church on Turkey day when I was a kid in the 70s and 80s. That said, many churches in my father & sisters’ denomination – Church of God in Christ – has started having such services, and I’ve gotten my ration of shit from my sisters for not attending with them. Of course I don’t go on Xmas or Easter any more, either.
I’m Roman Catholic ,and we have Mass almost every day. Thanksgiving was different only in the timing -Mass would be at 9 or 10 am instead of 7 or 8- and possibly the focus of the homily.
I used to attend at a United Church of Christ that always had a service on Thanksgiving Day followed by a lunch.
I’ve not known any to have services on Thanksgiving Day, but I’ve certainly attended special Thanksgiving services from time to time.
Some on Tuesday or Wednesday before (Possibly involving other churches from the community as well), others at the normal time on Sunday morning, but with extra focus on giving thanks.
Fourth of July comes to mind as the best example. I’d say Memorial Day, Veterans’ Day, Labor Day, Washington’s Birthday, and Martin Luther King’s Birthday are also better examples than Thanksgiving. Though I don’t think of Thanksgiving as being particularly religious.
Starting with the OP, none of the posters bothered to go back to the original
Thanksgiving event except Dewey Finn.
IIRC, the puritan Pilgrims invited their Pagan neighbors to a feast that lasted
three days because it was by word-of-mouth announcement. It was nothing
like today’s single meal. Like Halloween, the event does not have a Christian
or Jewish basis.
Cheers, Singanas