A national day of Thanksgiving was first declared by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, to be observed at the end of the harvest season, in late November. Over the decades the date moved around several times, and in 1942 President Franklin Roosevelt issued a proclamation declaring Thanksgiving Day to be observed on the fourth Thursday of November, where it has remained ever since. It is important to note that the initial Thanksgiving celebration and the formal establishment of Thanksgiving Day occurred during times of deep conflict in the country and the world.
Which, of course, is where we find ourselves today in America. Accusations, violence, and distrust threatens to fray the fabric that has held us together for nearly three centuries. Rituals of gratitude – which range from the gathering at a Thanksgiving meal to expressions ofmutual appreciation across difference – be they racial, religious, economic, or political — not only lift the soul, but can have the effect of moving the needle toward hope and health.
On Sunday evening, November 23, Braver Faith (a “department” of Braver Angels) hosted “Thanksgiving Voices”, a webinar featuring four religious leaders who spoke eloquently of gratitude. Surrounding their presentations were Braver Angels members who offered brief prayers from ten different religious traditions (Hindu, Bahai, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, Unitarian, and four other Christian denominations). You can view the full 75-minute event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yunxXOp3fk0
Don Samuels, a Baptist minister from Minneapolis, former city councilman and organizer of prayer vigils after occasions of violence in that city, spoke of the need for thanksgiving to be a regular practice: “Thanksgiving Day is day one” of giving thanks for the full diversity of humanity. Rabbi Michael Holzman, co-founder of “faith 250”, an initiative that has organized religious leaders around the country to study America’s founding documents in preparation for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, talked about Thanksgiving as a “day of seeing”. He described the current cultural tendency of misrecognition and disorientation; a “recognition deficit”. Gratitude is a spiritual curriculum that we need to engage in, a skill we need to develop in order to see one another in our full humanity.
Maury Giles, the CEO of Braver Angels, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints (who has served as a Bishop in that denomination) mentioned two hundred scientific studies that demonstrate that the practice of gratitude produces a healthier heart. Gratitude is also a spiritual power that changes hearts. Shaykh Ibad Wali, a Muslim leader in the One America, a movement that seeks to build bridges between and within faith communities, indicated that gratitude comes from trust. He drew on the example of Mary, who had “not been touched by a man”, yet in faith trusted the message from Gabriel that she would give birth to Jesus.
What was most gratifying for me as I hosted the webinar was that the passion and depth of the presentations and prayers created a community of common witness. A witness to thanksgiving and to hope, yes, but most importantly a demonstration that the differences in religious practice, theology, history, and identity, which have long been used as weapons against one another, can be brought together to support one another, strengthen democracy, and promote courageous citizenship.
The founding fathers of America identified religion as a load-bearing wall for the American experiment in democracy. At the time of America’s founding, that wall was limited to Protestant Christianity. 250 years later the load-bearing wall has grown to include so many different and life-giving religious expressions. If we can embrace the religious differences – and learn from them, that load bearing wall can be even more solid and strong. I witnessed that on November 23. And I am grateful.
Happy Thanksgiving.
