Rethinking Thanksgiving
The historical
roots – at least the mythical if not the factual version – of the Thanksgiving holiday
in the US are widely known. Pilgrims fleeing religious persecution in England immigrated
to the rocky shores of what would become Massachusetts. These pilgrims would
not have survived without the assistance, especially gifts of food and
agricultural instruction, which they received from the natives. Thanksgiving for
these pilgrims, as for many in subsequent observances of the holiday, believed
their perceived blessings to be God's gifts.
Today, describing
our perceived blessings as God's gifts increasingly rings hollow among believers
in God, agnostics, and atheists. Scripture reminds us that the rain falls
indiscriminately on both the just and the unjust. That is, good and bad things
happen to everyone and are not special blessings intended for a select few. We more
accurately attribute the pilgrims' perceived blessing of a bountiful harvest to
help from their neighbors than to God's direct intervention.
More broadly,
belief that God is responsible for everything that happens is diminishing among
believers and rejected in principle by atheists. For example, positing God's direct
control of everything that occurs problematically makes God responsible for
evil as well as good. In short, Thanksgiving's underlying premise that the good
things we enjoy in life come from God whom we rightly thank for blessing us is
increasingly suspect if not dismissed as erroneous.
Concurrently,
the continuing urbanization of the US population distances people from having a
personal appreciation for Thanksgiving as a harvest festival.
Yet, in
spite of the erosion of the historical reasons for celebrating Thanksgiving,
the feast remains popular. Attendance at religious and communal Thanksgiving services
has precipitously declined as have the number of people who self-identify as
religious. Nevertheless, families and friends persist in gathering annually at Thanksgiving,
often travelling great distances at considerable cost to attend.
Thus, Thanksgiving
is a feast that invites rethinking. Proposed below are an alternative reason to
give thanks to one another if not to God and an ethical imperative that observing
the feast of Thanksgiving can strengthen.
First, give
thanks to those we love and those who love us. These relationships give life
meaning. Believers appropriately include God among those we love and those who
love us. Believers and non-believers appropriately express their gratitude to family
and friends whom they love and by whom they are loved. Important expressions of
gratitude include spending time together, sharing a special, festive meal
together, and verbalizing why a mutual relationship is life enhancing. Observing
Thanksgiving celebrations over the last several decades suggests that numerous
people have already shifted from a theocentric feast to a feast that celebrates
the important persons in their lives.
Second, reinterpret
Thanksgiving's traditional harvest imagery in terms of contemporary ecological
concerns. Thanksgiving is an excellent opportunity to renew our commitment to
caring for the earth and most life forms that dwell on the earth. Giving thanks
for most life forms is more honest than giving thanks for all life forms, e.g.,
I personally find it impossible to give thanks for mutant cells that cause
cancer, bacteria and viruses that cause severe suffering or death, etc.
The
Church as well as the US presently lack an annual, widely observed festival
focused on ecological concerns. Although Earth Day has gained some traction, it
falls far short of Thanksgiving's enduring popularity. Reinterpreting Thanksgiving
in ecological terms is an excellent opportunity to heighten awareness and to
strengthen our commitment to safeguarding the earth and most of its life forms.
Ideally, families and friends who gather to share a Thanksgiving meal might develop
a new tradition of engaging in an ecological action in addition to current traditions
of watching televised parades and football games, playing pickup football games,
and shopping.
These two
reasons for rethinking Thanksgiving broadly overlap. Illustratively, a prime
reason for protecting the environment is to preserve opportunities for future
generations to live rich, fulfilling lives.
Rethinking
Thanksgiving will require the Church to rework its Thanksgiving liturgies and
observances to emphasize giving thanks to those we love, receiving thanks from
those who love us, and living as stewards responsible for caring for creation.
Rethinking Thanksgiving will better align the feast with what is already
occurring while preserving links to the holiday's historical origins.
Comments
Mary Anne Chesarek