 |
| 1909 painting The Worship of Mammon by Evelyn De Morgan. |
Except for a minority of people that are practicing
Christians, Christmas has effectively been killed off. Nativity scenes and even
Christmas trees (which have nothing to do with Christianity) are all but
abolished in the public square. Now we can officially pronounce Thanksgiving
Day dead, dead, dead.
Here is George Washington's original proclamation establishing
the holiday and the reasons:
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; and Whereas both Houses of
Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the
people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be
observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of
Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to
establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"
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
in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of
tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable
and rational manner in which we have been enable 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 has been pleased
to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our
prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech
Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether
in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties
properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all
the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional
laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all
sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to
bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge
and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among
them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal
prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.
The death knell of this holy holiday was the recognition of
"Black Friday", named because it was usually the first day retailers books
went from red to black; they finally were showing in their profit column for
the year. That in turn became a huge sales day, and this year the celebration
of profits and discounts bled into the holy day of Thanksgiving itself. Many
now leave their family and friends gathered to share love and show gratitude
for what they have, to get more stuff. To trample each other, fight, endanger
themselves by being part of mobs, to get things.
The material has replaced the sacred, and Thanksgiving Day was at one time
sacred.
Now it's become a day to worship mammon. Mammon isn't a
deity as many think, but it's idea, that of riches to the point of gluttony,
and it has been personified. It's greed and avarice. A lot of writers of
fiction and theology have created beings to represent the idea.
We've been warned against putting things before God:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where
thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also."
There were some employees, most notably of Walmart, that
refused to work that day. Not so much for the reason that it's a Holy Day, but
for want of more money, more pay, and more benefits. (It also turned out a huge
number of the protesters were not employees, but hired union thugs bussed in.)
The government has also officially weighed in to take the
sacred out, and have renamed the day Family Health History Day, which was
introduced nine years ago. Their proclamation:
"An important
step in prevention and wellness is learning about health conditions in our
families that may put us at increased risk for diseases such as diabetes, heart
disease, some cancers, Alzheimer’s disease, mental illness and many others.”
Surgeon-General Regina Benjamin wants us to track illnesses from one generation to the
next so health care providers can predict what may befall each of us. She wants us to "prepare for a Thanksgiving Day family
conversation" by making a list of relatives, including parents,
grandparents, brothers, sisters, and cousins.
“On this Thanksgiving
holiday, I hope you and your family will take a few minutes to create a family health
portrait.” ... “Learning your family’s health history can be an enjoyable way
to invest in the future of your health and your family’s health.”
Juxtapose that against Washington's proclamation we acknowledge
God, and be grateful for God's grace, blessings and favors.
You won't ever see this again on TV, but this was part of our culture, and we were better off for it.
We've gone from that, to this.
