Atheists, what do you think about Thanks Giving?

[Reverend Rick]

Thanks Giving is my favorite holiday. Eating great food, watching football, spending time with family and friends.

Taking a moment to reflect on the things I am thankful for. I tried my best to keep religion out of this thread, but I do say a prayer before the meal. It is probably one of the most genuine prayers I pray because I am truly thankful for my bounty in life.

So, this is a discussion folks.

I would like to hear from Atheists about how they are spending their day and how they feel about Thanks giving in general.

[Caladan]

Well im an atheist, but not an American, so my familiarity with thanks giving is mostly through popular culture. however I read an interesting article in Haaretz today about American Jews, both religious and the atheist and about thanksgiving:

Here's why Thanksgiving is good for the Jews - Haaretz - Israel News

[Smoke]

My paternal grandmother's birthday was 26 November, and we used to spend Thanksgiving in Wisconsin for a double celebration. After she died, I didn't care for Thanksgiving much until my nephews came along; when they were kids the holidays were (for me) mostly about them. When I lived in New York I always spent Christmas in New York, but I always came back to South Carolina for Thanksgiving.

Now it's mostly about John and the food. We spent a few Thanksgivings with my family and a few with our family of choice, but since John works retail, it's very hard for him to go anywhere at Thanksgiving. He has to be up at 2 am for Black Friday, and he doesn't like to get less than eight hours sleep, so the last couple years we've had Thanksgiving at home, just the two of us.

I stayed up late making pumpkin pies and crackling cornbread; I crumbled the cornbread and a few leftover corn muffins that were getting dry into a pan with chopped onions and celery and added some spices and put it in the fridge to make dressing with later. I put the turkey in the oven in a covered roasting pan about 4:30 this morning and set my alarm for 8 am so I could check on it. Later, I'll add turkey drippings and the meat from the turkey neck to my dressing and bake it -- I'd add the liver if I had it -- and make mashed potatoes, collard greens, green beans, and biscuits, and open up some cranberry sauce.

The green beans were put up by my Aunt Mae; her beans are the only canned green beans John will eat. I usually make a bread pudding, whipped cream and caramel sauce, homemade cranberry sauce and fresh collards, or at least some of that, but I've been sick this week so I'm going easy on myself. Canned cranberry sauce and collards, whipped cream from a can and no bread pudding at all.

This afternoon, we'll eat, and John will give thanks to me for cooking and I'll give thanks to John for doing the dishes. John's a Christian, but if he thanks god it's between the two of them; we don't pray together or anything like that. We'll say that maybe next year we'll be able to spend the holiday with some others; maybe John will be out of retail by then. John will go to bed early, and I'll work on some of my projects and probably look in on RF.

It's not a bad day, but we'd like to share it with more people. Everybody we know has a regular Thanksgiving routine, though, and while we're welcome to join them they don't want to change it by coming here. I'll tell the story about the Thanksgiving when Great-Grandma upset Grandpa by sitting in his accustomed seat, even though John has heard it every year since we've been together. John will call his parents and I might call mine.

God doesn't enter into at all. It really never was about God for me. We always had an especially long grace before eating when I was growing up, and for much of my adult life I celebrated Thanksgiving early to avoid feasting during the Nativity Fast, but otherwise it's always been about the feast -- the company as well as the food. I'll offer up a little prayer of thanks to the turkey, not that I believe it can hear me, but it seems right to me to remember that somebody paid the ultimate price for our feast. I don't make a production of it; John doesn't know I do it.

I spend most of the day thinking about Grandma; always have, even before she died. If she were alive she'd be 106 today.

We'll eat leftovers for days. Usually most of the turkey goes into sandwiches open face or otherwise, but I'll say, If it's moving slow I'll make a casserole on Monday. It's never come to that yet.

[Smoke]

Oh -- John just came running in and turned on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. "I forgot!" he said. "Been on an hour and a half. God, I'd love to be there." Not me. I can take it or leave it, even on tv.

[Caladan]

Originally Posted by Smoke

I'll offer up a little prayer of thanks to the turkey, not that I believe it can hear me, but it seems right to me to remember that somebody paid the ultimate price for our feast. I don't make a production of it; John doesn't know I do it.

Thats kind of sweet actually. the little pagan secrets of our lives

[Reverend Rick]

Thanks for sharing.

[mball1297]

What does atheism (or theism) have to do with Thanksgiving? Last time I checked it was an American holiday, not a religious one.

[Alceste]

Canadian Thanksgiving was in October. Grandma came in from the coast to celebrate her 90th birthday. My extended family went up to the summer cottage Grandpa built and had a big turkey dinner. The next day we shut the place up for winter.

I'm not sure what Thanksgiving has to do with God. I can feel and express gratitude without reference to anybody's deities. If I were going to thank one for something I'd probably pick Quan Yin.

[Apex]

Here are a couple articles about Thanks Giving. The first is from famous atheist PZ Myers, the second is from Friendly Atheist, which mentions PZ's article.

Happy Wary Vigilance Day! : Pharyngula

Sorry, I don't believe in Thanksgiving Day. This whole notion that one should have vague and aimless feelings of gratitude for the nature of one's existence is just too weird, and the bow-your-head-at-the-table and radiate-blessings-at-the-cosmos tradition is pointless and silly. Don't get me wrong: I can be appropriately and happily grateful to people who have gone out of their way to do good for me — Mom will get a phone call, and my wife will get a hug, and they really are appreciated — but for the most part, our existence is not the product of selfless altruism, and there is nothing out there that can be aware of just how glad you are to be alive, no matter how fawning and fulsome you may be.
The universe is cold and uncaring.

Friendly Atheist by @hemantmehta » My Thanks

Thanksgiving is my favorite American holiday. Its connection to religion is only peripheral so we atheists can participate easily, it celebrates one of humanity’s best attributes, and it only tangentially invokes our history of slaughtering the indigenous population (not as badly as Columbus Day, at least).
I treat Thanksgiving a bit like liberal religious individuals treat prayer. Gratitude is a powerful emotion and I find it genuinely does me good to express it. There’s real value in reflection and appreciation for the good things in life. I think PZ Myers might be missing that point…

To read the whole things just click the links.

[atotalstranger]

I see Thanksgiving as I do other holidays - generally, a chance to see family, get together, try to relax, etc. Personally, I've never really "reflected" on Thanksgiving that much, as the concept of taking a particular day to be "thankful" seems somewhat nonsensical to me. I'm thankful daily for the good things in my life, and try to convey gratitude to those who deserve it as often as possible. I don't need a day to be told to think about how thankful I am.

I've never really seen Thanksgiving as a religious holiday, but if I'm at someone's house where they say a prayer before eating, I sit quiety while they pray and then enjoy a good meal. Yesterday, my wife and I had another couple over to our house for Thanksgiving. They asked if we were going to pray before eating. I said that we don't, but they're more than welcome to if they wanted.