Thanksgiving: Saying grace “Atheist” style
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Thanksgiving is the time of year when all Americans, regardless of religion, sit around a great big table and eat themselves into a coma. We Atheists are no different.
Secular Coalition for America president Herb Silverman offers an example of a secular grace that you can use during dinner tonight:
Let us take a moment to think about where the food we are about to enjoy has come from and to acknowledge those who worked to bring us this food. Let us appreciate the earth, the sun, the air, and the water needed to nourish the plants and animals. Let us thank the farmer who cared for the plants and animals and the migrant worker who toiled to harvest the crops. Let us thank the laborer who processed the food, the truck driver who brought the food, and the grocery store workers who displayed it. Finally, let us thank our friends who prepared this meal and have provided us with the opportunity to be together and share each other’s company.
It’s perfect, really, thanking nature and the people who made the meal possible. Only someone so narrow-minded religious could find that offensive being a God wasn’t included in the list.
Many thanks to The Friendly Atheist for their contributions to this story.
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You don’t have to be any religion to be thankful for what you have. And you certainly should be that every day. So I agree that sometimes, making a big deal out of saying that over a turkey one day a year is hypocritical, if in fact, you don’t live that way every day: with or without religion.
It’s laughable that people try to turn Thanksgiving into a religious holiday. I have a feeling we’ll be chomping down on homemade pizza I finally learned how to make, watching movies, perhaps some L&O, and singing the Campfire Song Song and Musical Doodle.
As concerns Thanksgiving in one’s home: Their home = their rules, guests included. That said, I don’t blame you, thejeanmachine, for walking out. That’s kind of creepy…
And here’s what I’ll be doing the day after Thanksgiving…
I’m hopeless…
I LOVE SpongeBob!
I learned a lot about Thanksgiving from Collin’s post: The Truth about Thanksgiving and Turkeys
Farmers who care for animals? What planet is this? Farmers imprison animals in cages that are barely big enough to turn so that the animal stands in its wastes often with foot infections, then the animal is hauled on a freezing or scorching transport belching diesel fumes. If the animal is not dead by the time s/he arrives to the slaughter facility, then the most that can be hoped for is that the murdering technique does take effect, and the animal is not scalded to death. Yes, lots of thanks went into this meal.
I’m with you, Cheyla. Everything you wrote is exactly the scenario that occurs in the meat industrialized complex.
Nothing has changed since The Jungle (Upton Sinclair). My understanding is that the industry is far worse now.
Thank you for stopping by.
I’m there also!!
My husband’s family has always said a sweet, generic “thank you” before meals. It’s one I can be very comfortable joining in on. There are so many ways to worship, or not. Or have a blending of beliefs that is fluid. How do we really know? We tend to get so caught up in dogma & labels in this country.
No reason for people to shove religion down other peoples throats. If someone specifically approaches me and says they are feeling depressed and think religion might help I’m happy to share.Otherwise people’s beliefs are their own business.
When I cook and “host” we go around the table and verbalize and sometimes discuss something we’re thankful for in our lives.
Amen.
If I host, no grace is said at all, that is this atheists style. Nice thoughts in this little prayer.
My niece is cooking her first Thanksgiving dinner tonight. The other day, she sent out emails to the family lettings us know about her 3 rules for dinner. One of the rules is that they say grace and we must all wait to start eating. I have no problem with this really. But I think I’ll print this out and hand it to her. It’s much more inclusive, not to mention realistic!
I no longer go to those neighbors where they do the praying. Severl years ago we went to dinner at a neighbors and they actually got down on their knees! Can you beleive it? We left.
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