Happy Thanksgiving
George Washington gratefully announced the following in the first Thanksgiving Day 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. . . .
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 tranquillity, 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.
Can you hear Michael Newdow screaming? It must be agonizing for atheists and constitutional revisionists like him to read the documents of our Nation’s history.
I am grateful to God for all of His many blessings in my life and my family. Like Washington, I thank God as well for the Nation of which I am a citizen–The United States of America. I am grateful for the religious freedom I enjoy. Despite attempts by the Reverend Barry Lynn and others to castigate and banish religion from the public square, Americans can worship God publicly and privately without fear of government interference. Many Christian Chinese risk death, incarceration, and separation from their family by choosing to worship God according to the dictates of their consciences while Americans doddle to church every Sunday worrying if they’ll finally make it on time for the opening prayer. Truly, Washington’s thanks to God for our religious liberty is a blessing we Americans take for granted.