Connection Magazine, The Premier Good News Publication www.connectionmagazine.org

"POP QUIZ"

by Ben Kinchlow

What is Thanksgiving? Quick! Ask a middle school or high school student what Thanksgiving means.

Here's another quick quiz for you. Which of these quotes is by a President of the United States?

(a) 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 appoint Thursday, the 26th day of November 1789 . . . that we may all unite to render unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection.

(b) We often forget the Source from which the blessings of fruitful years and healthful skies come. . . . No human wisdom hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God. . . . I therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States . . . to observe the last Thursday of November as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.

The answer?

(a) President George Washington

(b) President Abraham Lincoln… when he set aside the last Thursday of November officially as Thanksgiving Day.

In 1941, Congress permanently established the 4th Thursday of each November as a national holiday. America paused to remember God.

However, in the words of Bob Dylan, "the times, they are 'a changin'".

Modernists consider most of you a bunch of old fogies, religious fanatics, or a bunch of ignorant church people. To these "modern" secular educators, God is an outmoded concept. A Department of Education researcher reported that in many history text books used in your public schools, as many as thirty pages were dedicated to the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving… without a single mention of the Pilgrims' devout faith in God!" Thanksgiving is even described as being a period of time "when the Pilgrims gave thanks to the Indians."

President Clinton wrongly (deliberately or inadvertently) gave us this definition of Thanksgiving - "…When the Pilgrims of the old world mingled and fellowshipped in celebration with the American Indians of the new world" to "live together in peace with respect and appreciation of our differences…".

Apparently, Thanksgiving had absolutely nothing to do with God. Not so for Washington and Lincoln, nor President Reagan, who gave his definition of Thanksgiving - "There is no question that this treasured custom derives from our Judeo-Christian heritage. 'Unto thee, oh God, do we give thanks', the psalmist sang, praising God not only for the "wondrous works" of his creation, but for loving guidance and deliverance from dangers."
Part of these "dangers" have to do with a deliberately orchestrated and persistent assault on our religious liberties. This is not just a "Constitutional divergence", but a premeditated strategy to remove every vestige of God from the public square. The Ten Commandments and the Pledge of Allegiance are only the beginning. As the Palestinians are not willing to "co-exist with Israelis", these anti-God forces are not content to "peacefully co-exist with Christians". To them, the "perfect society" is totally secular. Thanksgiving, in their mind, is a time, to celebrate "cultural diversity" and free themselves from the "superstitions of the past". Convinced that God is a relic of an unlearned yesteryear, it is their duty as modern intellectuals to free mankind from this superstitious nonsense. God must go!

It's not too late. Always remember … absent God, there is no "milk of human kindness", no charitable concern, and no compassionate outreach. Secular societies have no Salvation Army, Good Will, church feeding programs, or welfare (which is inspired by Christian charity).

So, whether you have abundance, or a free meal at a shelter, you have many of reasons to be thankful if you're reading this article in the United States of America.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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