What’s Your Priority

God or State? Thanksgiving is a American secular holiday … but giving thanks for what we have is quite a non-secular (Christian) message. In fact, President Washington inaugurated this Holiday with this message (see below). As Christians we give thanks for what we have frequently, in daily and weekly communal Prayers of the People. So why does the Nation set aside a day for giving thanks? Is that appropriate? Should the church have a service recognizing and blessing this day our Nation has set aside? What would we think of that speech given either from our elected leaders?

Arguments can be made that separation of Church and State be driven more from the side of the Church than the state, for who wants the ugly noises and ideas from the public square to mix with the business of glorifying and worshipping God. And for decades many people in the church argued that the Church should not sully itself with things involving the State (this has been reversed of late driven largely by the advent of legalised abortion). However, the idea that the Church should hold itself aloof from the world is a new (and therefore suspect) idea. I think Scripturally speaking there is a tension for the Christian to be part of yet immersed in the world.

Specialization is a problem. Our political figures work (perhaps far too) hard at their craft. Statecraft is not so easily mastered. To climb to the heights of the political totem pole takes will desire, skill, and training. Development of personal character, wisdom, self-examination also takes a different set, alas, of skills, desires and training. The ability to deliver a good speech takes more acting skills than wisdom. Public debates rarely touch deeply enough to plumb an individuals character. What would it take for our political debates again to be savored like the Douglass/Lincoln debates, or transcribed as Plato did for Socrates? What can we either as individuals (bloggers?), or the press do to fix this situation? How might we encourage those not in the public square, but who we wish is in the public square to venture forth and test the waters?

In the age when President Washington was leading our nation, we regarded our leader in a different light than we do today. Today almost a third of our people revile our President. Of those remaining half of them reviled the former President. Few if any look to either for moral principles and guidance. We no longer choose our leaders and hold them as a leader except in a narrow political sense. Few, if any in a post-Watergate era, think of their politicians thinking that they might be our moral or spiritual leaders. Heck, we don’t for the most part, think very highly of the moral qualities of most (if not all) of any of the spiritual/moral leaders in the public square. Just observe people’s opinion of Mr Robertson, Mr Jackson, et al. Is this an age where moral fiber and character is on the wane … or as might be more likely are people with character are repelled by the reception and other requirements which come with entering the public square in this day and age. The sorts of self promotion and hubris required to put oneself into the public eye, does that not select out those people with the very character we might wish they had when they got there?

It seems to me there are two possibilities. The fault lies with either the voters or the system … or perhaps both. Are the voters at fault for the our lack of belief and trust in our publicans? Is it that we are too little discriminating? That we don’t refuse to vote for, or don’t choose to seek out men with the highest qualities for office? Is it that too many of the rewards are not up-front, but are base, derivative or downright illegal? Or is the system at fault? Is the whole electoral process one which, by intentional or unintentional design, is fixed to select so often just the man least suited to the role we ask them to play. That those we elect are so often partisan, short-sighted, and small in spirit. Consider the electoral system as is set up, what other sort of person might we elect. If the system needs changing … how might that even be considered in a manner which avoids violence?

But … I digress (badly). Should we abolish Thanksgiving? For Thanksgiving, like Christmas, is not by any means the holiday it was intended to be. Thanksgiving is set aside as a day to give thanks and prayer for the blessings we have received. What it is far more often instead is a day to endure in-laws, watch gladiators and spectacle football, pig out on far too much food, and get ready for the holiday shopping grind. How many associate the word “supplication” with Thanksgiving as President Washington intended?

To end, here is Washington’s speech establishing Thanksgiving as a National holiday.

City of New York, October 3, 1789

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 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, which we experienced 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 enabled 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 hath 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 unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease 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 third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Go: Washington