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Thanksgiving and Christmas

The debate is out there. For me and my family these two holidays are not about the material or even theological issues.

Thanksgiving for us is: family, food, fellowship, and most importantly Thanks to our Heavenly Father for all his blessing through out the year.

Christmas is another happy time of year for us. Yes there is debate over the actual time of birth of Jesus Christ. But for us. it is time to reflect on the story of his birth rather than the actual day, because without a birth there is no death and without death no resurrection.

Share these times with your family.
God Bless.
 
I agree with you about Christmas.

I still don't understand Thanksgiving - is it where you thank the Indians for allowing your ancestors to rape and pillage their land? Or is just for their welcome and the raping and pillaging came later?
 
I agree with you about Christmas.

I still don't understand Thanksgiving - is it where you thank the Indians for allowing your ancestors to rape and pillage their land? Or is just for their welcome and the raping and pillaging came later?

Couldn't agreee more with JesusIsTheWord.

But thanking God for raping indians' land? Do people on this board actually celebrate thanksgiving day by thanking Indians for allowing the original settlers (who were not even my ancestors, by the way) for letting them rape their land? My family, and every Cnristian I know, uses it as a time to give extra thanks and recognition to God for all the good things He has given us. Is that wrong?

I guess this year, I better find an Indian to thank!:)
 
Couldn't agreee more with JesusIsTheWord.

But thanking God for raping indians' land? Do people on this board actually celebrate thanksgiving day by thanking Indians for allowing the original settlers (who were not even my ancestors, by the way) for letting them rape their land? My family, and every Cnristian I know, uses it as a time to give extra thanks and recognition to God for all the good things He has given us. Is that wrong?

I guess this year, I better find an Indian to thank!:)


Is that so?

For a long while I didn't know what it was about, then I was led to believe it did involve thanking Indians - so this celebration has nothing to do with them then?
 
I agree with you about Christmas.

I still don't understand Thanksgiving - is it where you thank the Indians for allowing your ancestors to rape and pillage their land? Or is just for their welcome and the raping and pillaging came later?

Copied from Wikipedia
Thanksgiving day is a harvest festival celebrated primarily in the United states and Canada. Thanksgiving was a holiday to express thankfulness, gratitude, and appreciation to God, family and friends for which all have been blessed of material possessions and relationships. Traditionally, it has been a time to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. ....it goes on to say ......This holiday has since moved away from its religious roots.......... To this is strongly disagree.

Raping and pillaging land? Strong words. Native Americans typically don't believe that anyone owns land, so they never really saw it as their land. I'm curious who are the rappers and pillagers you are painting in this picture? Do they have a face we might recognize? Who are they?
 
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:lol That's basically what we celibate. But, you know Thanksgiving is a good time to just be grateful and to be remind that all we have comes from God.

What are you thankful for?

Haha! You mean 'celebrate'? :lol
 
Is that so?

For a long while I didn't know what it was about, then I was led to believe it did involve thanking Indians - so this celebration has nothing to do with them then?

I suppose originally part of what the pilgrims were thankful for was the help they had received from the Indians. (It was before all the land raping occurred.) At least that's what I seem to remember from elementary school history classes, and it is still acknowledged in plays, skits, and decorations. But the original purpose of the holiday was to set aside a special time to give special thanks to God for everything He had provided to them, whether through the Indians or by other means.

I was just saying that I don't personally know anyone that has made it part of their holiday to personally thank present day native Americans. But if someone has reason to be particularly thankful to God for something native Americans have presently done over and above other groups, then that would probably be part of their celebration.
 
Whatever the original reason was, here's the proclamation that made it official:

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State​
 
I agree with you about Christmas.

I still don't understand Thanksgiving - is it where you thank the Indians for allowing your ancestors to rape and pillage their land? Or is just for their welcome and the raping and pillaging came later?

no, the early pioneers that were christians were agianst that google john winthrop the first governor of mass and what he says on what the city of the hill is supposed to be.
 
Couldn't agreee more with JesusIsTheWord.

But thanking God for raping indians' land? Do people on this board actually celebrate thanksgiving day by thanking Indians for allowing the original settlers (who were not even my ancestors, by the way) for letting them rape their land? My family, and every Cnristian I know, uses it as a time to give extra thanks and recognition to God for all the good things He has given us. Is that wrong?

I guess this year, I better find an Indian to thank!:)

lewis w is part native american and my wife has seminole blood in her.
 
Since I started this thread I'll simply state: I meant for my family we give thanks to God for the years blessings. The pagan part of the holiday is not an issue.
 
:toofunny This has got to be the funniest thread I have ever read on this forum!

Let's see if I can sum up what Thanksgiving is all about for you Lamplady:

Every year Americans eat too much food in order to thank the celebrated celibate rappers, ll cool j, Eminem, Dr. Dre as well as Lewis and Mrs. Cranman!


Got it now?
 
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