On November 27, 2008, we noted the historic meaning of Thanksgiving. In all references provided beginning as far back as June 20, 1676, we find God at the center of our Thanksgiving. We noted the Continental Congress 1782 Thanksgiving Proclamation and George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation. An while we could have quoted a long chain of President thankful to God, we noted Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation and even the former President George Bush 2008 Thanksgiving proclamation.
It now appears that President Barack Obama is showing a patter of "mentioning God potentially every other year." Maybe he gets mentioned only in election years. In President Obama's 2009 Thanksgiving Day Proclamation God is omitted. But in Obama's 2010 Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, The President mentions the "gifts of a gracious God." He said, "As Americans gather for the time-honored Thanksgiving Day meal, let us rejoice in the abundance that graces our tables, in the simple gifts that mark our days, in the loved ones who enrich our lives, and in the gifts of a gracious God."
Now in 2011, President Obama once again omits God while turning to expressions of humanism in his his 11-paragraph 2011 Thanksgiving Day message detailed below with highlighted comments added:
Remarks of President Barack ObamaToday, in our home, we sat around the table. We thanked God for our family, children and grandchildren and His watchful oversight of our lives. We asked for His Divine guidance in the coming days before we gather again to be mindful and to again br thankful to Him for showing mercy to our nation. We asked for mercy on our country and forgiveness for the sin of our leaders and our country in departing from acknowledging Him and His will for us to be a Godly nation.
Weekly Address
Thursday, November 24, 2011
The White House
From my family to yours, I’d like to wish you a happy Thanksgiving. Like millions of Americans, Michelle, Malia, Sasha and I will spend the day eating great food, watching a little football, and reflecting on how truly lucky we truly are.
As Americans, each of us has our own list of things and people to be thankful for. But there are some blessings we all share.
We’re especially grateful for the men and women who defend our country overseas. To all the service members eating Thanksgiving dinner far from your families: the American people are thinking of you today. And when you come home, we intend to make sure that we serve you as well as you’re serving America.
We’re also grateful for the Americans who are taking time out of their holiday to serve in soup kitchens and shelters, making sure their neighbors have a hot meal and a place to stay. This sense of mutual responsibility – the idea that I am my brother’s keeper; that I am my sister’s keeper – has always been a part of what makes our country special. And it’s one of the reasons the Thanksgiving tradition has endured.
The very first Thanksgiving was a celebration of community during a time of great hardship [The evidence was that there was both bounty and peace not a time of great hardship], and we have followed that example ever since. Even when the fate of our union was far from certain – during a Civil War, two World Wars, a Great Depression – Americans drew strength from each other. They had faith that tomorrow would be better than today. [In President Lincoln's 1863 Proclamation linked previously, Lincoln said the nation drew its strength from God. While slaughtering each other, we were not drawing strength from each other.]
We’re grateful that they did. As we gather around the table, we pause to remember the pilgrims, pioneers, and patriots who helped make this country what it is. They faced impossible odds, and yet somehow, they persevered. [No thanks to God or Divine providence] Today, it’s our turn.
I know that for many of you, this Thanksgiving is more difficult than most. But no matter how tough things are right now, we still give thanks for that most American of blessings, the chance to determine our own destiny. The problems we face didn’t develop overnight, and we won’t solve them overnight. But we will solve them. All it takes is for each of us to do our part.
With all the partisanship and gridlock here in Washington [Much created by Obama and members of his administration] , it’s easy to wonder if such unity is really possible. But think about what’s happening at this very moment: Americans from all walks of life are coming together as one people, grateful for the blessings of family, community, and country.
If we keep that spirit alive, if we support each other, and look out for each other, and remember that we’re all in this together, then I know that we too will overcome the challenges of our time.
So today, I’m thankful to serve as your President and Commander-and-Chief. I’m thankful that my daughters get to grow up in this great country of ours. And I’m thankful for the chance to do my part, as together, we make tomorrow better than today. [Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow will be a better day.]
Thanks, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
In failing to acknowledge God and in taking action to politicize Thanksgiving and to shade it away from what it has been and what it is meant to be, the President words are a rebuff to the sovereign mercy and leadership of God Almighty. However the failure by our "citizen" leader does not have to be our corporate failure. We as Americans and citizens have the opportunity every day to cry our for mercy and to thank God everyday. "For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting; And His faithfulness to all generations." Psalms 100-5 NASB.
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