Posted on 11/23/2004 12:49:44 PM PST by BushFaninATL
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 show 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 dy of October, A.D. 1789.
Blzbba: Then there's this:
Proclamation of Thanksgiving
Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863
This is the proclamation which set the precedent for America's national day of Thanksgiving. During his administration, President Lincoln issued many orders like this. For example, on November 28, 1861, he ordered government departments closed for a local day of thanksgiving.
The holiday we know today as Thanksgiving was recommended to Lincoln by Sarah Josepha Hale, a prominent magazine editor. Her letters to Lincoln urged him to have the "day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union Festival." The document below sets apart the last Thursday of November "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise."
According to an April 1, 1864 letter from John Nicolay, one of Lincoln's secretaries, this document was written by Secretary of State William Seward, and the original was in his handwriting. Fellow Cabinet member Gideon Welles recorded in his diary on October 3 that he complimented Seward on his work. A year later, the manuscript was sold to benefit Union troops and since then has disappeared.
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
BTTT
No.
According to the anti-Christian Left, George Washington is a dead white male, former slave owner, and drooling religionist.
Nothing he said qualifies for consideration today.
Only the priceless utterings of Saint Baldwin (ACLU founder) and Saint Marshall can be considered in matters concerning the interpretation of the Establishment Clause.
bump
Gee - a federal holiday set aside to give thanks to God!? So many people get outraged about Christmas/religion and don't even realize how Thanksgiving was started. Why would Washington do this if he wanted a separation of church and state?? Hello, ACLU???
Good posts!
This is one of the responses I got back from anothe webpage
"Harvest festivals/ceremonies/feasts etc. to give thanks to one g/God or another are older than Christianity or any church. George and Abraham are probably really sorry that they ever gave the thing the 18th and 19th century validations/interpretations only to have their words appear here as "proofs" overturning the Constitution. Like the Pope, each president speaks according to his time, his mood, and his lights, and the interpretation of history, law, and cultural practice is a moveable, developing feast."
For the libs - Thanksgiving is just a dinner party to watch the Dallas Cowboys play.
C.S. Lewis said something to the effect that every age has it's own particular blind spot. That's why we should read historical works.
And, let's not forget Thomas Jefferson, the President that the ACLU & other athiests point to as being the first to recognize & approve of a "wall of separation" between Church & State. It was Jefferson who instituted Christian worship on Sunday in the Congressional building. And it was Jefferson who, as President, was the de-facto head of public education and decreed that EVERY public school MUST teach the Holy Bible as a part of their curriculum. If the average American would spend some time reading & learning the history of their nation, they wouldn't be so easily duped by these anti-God Marxists.
Even a cursory look into America's history will totally debunk the modern day myth called the Separation of Church and State. As a former collector of antiquarian books I can say with complete certainty that Christianity was taught in public schools in early America, and I've seen early American public school books containing lessons in Christianity.
Most of the famous politicians and public leaders of early America were fond of quoting Scripture in public. Religion was embedded into the minds and hearts of early Americans and they would not dream of stripping away Christian morals, values and principles from governmental law. Christian law was actually integrated into governmental law, and that's why the anti-sodomy laws were in place in most states, as were the "blue laws". This is also why throughout the United States the sabbath day, Sunday, was traditionally a day of rest from work. It's also why a divorce was once very difficult to obtain. All of these things were Christianity in action within our government and contained in our cultural mores.
There were thousands upon thousands of placards on public buildings containing Scriptural quotes, Christian morality, the Ten Commandments, etc.
To this day the Congress begins its daily session with the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments are displayed in the U.S. Supreme Court, "In God We Trust" is still printed on our currency, and the First Continental Congress called for a "National Day of Prayer". Of course I could go on forever with this post, but I believe I've made my point. The atheists are winning the battle.
I can say with complete certainty that Christianity was taught in public schools in early America, and I've seen early American public school books containing lessons in Christianity.
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Today Christianity has been replaced with Islam. I Slam Islam !!!
I'm dubious of this. Do you have a link to a reliable reference?
My understanding is that there weren't any public schools in those days. Even if there were, it wouldn't have been like Jefferson to make a federal ruling about what should be done in state schools. I'm pretty sure that public schools didn't get started until the 1840s.
Certainly. Moroever in the very letter authored by Thomas Jefferson's coining the phrase "Wall of Separation between Church and State". The word Church refereed to specific denominations, not to religion or Christianity as a whole, and most certainly not to our Lord, meaning Jesus Christ specifically, or our Creator meaning God.
Here I must disagree. Consider who they are really fighting.
Read that in a book by Dr. James Kennedy, but can't remember which one....perhaps, "What if America Was a Christian Nation Again?" A fairly recent release. Also watched a documentary on Jefferson some months ago (History Channel or PBS) that generally debunked the notion that he was the Athiest that so many claim he was. Might make a case for agnosticism, but even that argument is not terribly convincing. I'll see if I can source that, but I really have no reason to believe that Dr. Kennedy would publish a complete fabrication like that.
Here's another reference to it...I had it slightly wrong, however, it was the D.C. Schools (not national).....
"SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE", THOMAS JEFFERSON AS THE AUTHOR?:
Thomas Jefferson was in France as an ambassador during the Constitutional Convention that ratified the First Amendment. However, some of Thomas Jefferson's words in a private letter eleven years after the ratification of the First Amendment were used to form the modern concept of "separation of church and state". Thomas Jefferson's words, "thus building a wall of separation between church and state", appeared in a private letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802, trying to assure them that the federal government would not and could not try to establish a national denomination. His words were taken out of context, and the intent of his words did not resemble the modern concept of "separation of church and state". Thomas Jefferson's words were clear when viewed in context with the rest of his letter. Further, Thomas Jefferson's deeds and other words make it clear that he would not tolerate the current concept of "separation of church and state". Let's examine some of Thomas Jefferson's words and deeds to see if he would tolerate the REMOVAL OF GOD FROM PUBLIC VIEW:
"In matters of religion, I have considered that its free exercise is placed by the Constitution independent of the powers of the General Government." (1805, second Inaugural Address by President Thomas Jefferson).
Thomas Jefferson also served as president of the Washington, DC public school system while serving as the President of the United States. Thomas Jefferson placed the Holy Bible and Isaac Watt's hymnal as the two primary reading texts for school children during his tenure.
this is at: www.sirinet.net
Nor do I, he's a good man. But a lot of fuzzy stuff gets contributed by staff researchers who don't check their sources. I'm pretty sure there were no public schools back then. Well, maybe here and there a city might have funded one, but the feds wouldn't have interfered.
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