Is Thanksgiving Next?

On November 13, 2003 , exactly two weeks before Thanksgiving, Alabama Supreme Court’s Chief Justice, Roy Moore was turned out of office. The judicial panel that removed him cited Justice Moore’s insistence on acknowledging God in his courtroom as the reason he had to go. They did not say he was a religious bigot. They did not say he twisted the law to suit his religious views. They simply said that he acknowledged God. That was unacceptable to them.

In his defense, Justice Moore said that the prayer offered before each judicial session was itself an acknowledgement of God. The oath taken by persons elected to public office as they lay their hands upon the Bible was an acknowledgement of God. The entire basis of our declaration of independence and the constitution of our government was the acknowledgment of God. Therefore, to serve as a judicial officer in the State of Alabama , Justice Moore contended that the acknowledgment of God was required.

If the new standard of qualification to serve in the government of the United States is the refusal that God exists, we are all in trouble. It’s hard to tell where these disturbing developments will take us, but, if they follow the trend, we will become a totally secular state. That means that Thanksgiving will no longer be recognized as a national holiday. Christmas will likely lose its status as well. Gone will be prayer in the halls of Congress, “In God We Trust” from our coinage, “under God” from our pledge of allegiance, the white crosses from thousands of military graves, and all mention of God in public documents or shrines. The Bible says that the nation that forgets God will be turned into hell. What will happen to a nation that does not just forget God, but deliberately and methodically expunges all traces of God from its official life? Those who seek to dismantle the Christian underpinnings of this great country must remember that our very freedoms were not the discovered outside the Bible, but are the very outgrowth of Biblical principles.

Here is the first Thanksgiving Proclamation, issued June 20, 1676 . “The Holy God having by a long and Continual Series of his Afflictive dispensations in and by the present Warr with the Heathen Natives of this land, written and brought to pass bitter things against his own Covenant people in this wilderness, yet so that we evidently discern that in the midst of his judgements he hath remembered mercy, having remembered his Footstool in the day of his sore displeasure against us for our sins, with many singular Intimations of his Fatherly Compassion, and regard; reserving many of our Towns from Desolation Threatened, and attempted by the Enemy, and giving us especially of late with many of our Confederates many signal Advantages against them, without such Disadvantage to ourselves as formerly we have been sensible of, if it be the Lord’s mercy that we are not consumed, It certainly bespeaks our positive Thankfulness, when our Enemies are in any measure disappointed or destroyed; and fearing the Lord should take notice under so many Intimations of his returning mercy, we should be found an Insensible people, as not standing before Him with Thanksgiving, as well as lading him with our Complaints in the time of pressing Afflictions:

The Council has thought meet to appoint and set apart the 29th day of this instant June, as a day of Solemn Thanksgiving and praise to God for such his Goodness and Favour, many Particulars of which mercy might be Instanced, but we doubt not those who are sensible of God’s Afflictions, have been as diligent to espy him returning to us; and that the Lord may behold us as a People offering Praise and thereby glorifying Him; the Council doth commend it to the Respective Ministers, Elders and people of this Jurisdiction; Solemnly and seriously to keep the same Beseeching that being perswaded by the mercies of God we may all, even this whole people offer up our bodies and soulds as a living and acceptable Service unto God by Jesus Christ.”

Over 300 years later, this same nation denies the even the right to acknowledge God, not to mention condoning the depth of religious fervor spelled out in this proclamation. Thanksgiving may very well be on our endangered species list. A secular nation cannot continue to observe Thanksgiving while asserting that there is no God to thank.

Let us be clear. As believers, we begin with the acknowledgment of God. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6. Acknowledgement begets thanksgiving. Thanksgiving produces submission. Submission leads to obedience. Obedience aligns us with the divine will. These steps may be easily seen in a study of the scriptures. If we reverse the order, however, we will unravel the very cords that bind us together with all of our rights, privileges and freedoms. Our forefathers, fresh the the land of religious oppression and persecution, knew that true freedom flows from God himself. We must not forget these principles today.