America's first national Thanksgiving occurred in 1789 with the commencement of the federal government. According to the Congressional Record for September 25 of that year, the first act after the Framers completed the framing of the Bill of Rights was America's first national Thanksgiving.
Mr. [Elias] Boudinot said he could not think of letting the session pass without offering an opportunity to all the citizens of the United States of joining with one voice in returning to Almighty God their sincere thanks for the many blessings He had poured down upon them. With this view, therefore, he would move the following resolution:
Resolved, That a joint committee of both Houses be directed to wait upon the President of the United States to request that he would recommend to the people of the United States a Day of Public Thanksgiving and Prayer. . . .
Mr. Roger Sherman justified the practice of thanksgiving on any single event not only as a laudable one in itself but also as warranted by a number of precedents in Holy Writ. . . . This example he thought worthy of a Christian imitation on the present occasion.
That congressional resolution was delivered to President George Washington, who heartily concurred with the request and issued the first federal Thanksgiving proclamation, declaring in part:
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. . . . Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November [1789] . . . that we may all unite to render unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection.*
The dangers of the progressive philosophy have infiltrated our schools and culture at every level. Very simply put, the progressive mentality replaces God with man. Those who subscribe to this doctrine believe that mankind is capable of governing themselves without any help or direction from God.
They believe that if they take the best of the best—experts in education, government, sex, environment etc.—they can fix what's wrong with the world independent of God. Their goal is to redefine, shape, evolve, and set their own standards of right and wrong. In order to do this they must get rid of God and His word. They continue to gradually and methodically move towards this goal.
NLT Jeremiah 17:9 The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?KJG Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.ASV Psalm 53:1 1The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none that doeth good.2God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there were any that did understand, That did seek after God.3Every one of them is gone back; They are together become filthy; There is none that doeth good, no, not one.
At Jefferson Elementary School in Carlsbad, students learn that developed communities existed in New England long before the Pilgrims arrived. At Lexington Elementary in El Cajon, students at the school with the highest poverty rate in East County learn that Thanksgiving is a time to help the homeless and elderly.
And at Creekside Early Learning Center in Alpine, students spend November learning about the history of the Kumeyaay, tasting traditional Indian fried bread and crafting traditional baby carriers.
Thanksgiving has taken on different meanings at schools throughout the county, and instructors are turning to a veritable cornucopia of lessons and activities to teach children about the holiday. "Thanksgiving means so many different things today — and that's OK," said Vickie Gambala, director of the San Diego Unified School District American Indian Education Program and a Cherokee Indian. "My own granddaughter wore a Pilgrim hat and that's just fine. We can focus on being thankful and make sure we teach the history when the children are older."
Throughout San Diego County, elementary school students at many campuses don construction-paper feathered headdresses and Pilgrim hats, while others abandon that tradition for fear it is culturally insensitive.
Some teachers invite American Indians into classrooms to talk about their culture that some say has been dismissed by textbooks. Still others skip the history behind Thanksgiving altogether in favor of activities that aim to help the disadvantaged, or lessons that stress the importance of appreciating family, friends and food.
At Lexington Elementary, where 16 languages are spoken and many students are recent immigrants, teachers send their own students home with bags of food every Friday to ensure they will eat well over the weekend. They are also taught about giving to others. By helping those who are less fortunate, students really appreciate what they do have. And maybe they feel better about themselves," said Principal Sylvia Casas-Werkman. "I don't want to say we skip the history of Thanksgiving, but we really don't focus on it. We really focus on being thankful for what you have."
At Curie Elementary School in San Diego's University City neighborhood, most teachers avoid the history of Thanksgiving in the early grades "... because the children are too young to grasp the conflicts between European settlers and the people they encountered here," said Principal Chris Juarez. "We still see art projects in classrooms, but they mostly depict turkeys." Juarez said "We try not to do things that uncover bias or insensitivity."
Helping the poor, giving to others, caring for the homeless and sick are all good causes and should be promoted. However the public schools across America as a whole have revised the thanksgiving story. They leave God out and portray our founders as God-less men. This sanitized version of thanksgiving is being feed to our unsuspecting youth. As a parent you are responsible to teach your children the truth. If you don't your children, the next generation, will celebrate thanksgiving without God. You think I don't know what I'm talking about? Go on the internet and type in "thanksgiving without God" — it's already started.
When AOL updates its programs the new version is supposed to be better. When man begins to mess with, and update anything that has to do with God he always makes it worse.
ASV Ecclesiastes 9:3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea also, the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
Our children are being deliberately lied to in our public schools. A new 8.0 version of history is being taught to them. They are being taught that our forefathers the Framers of our Declaration of Independence, and our constitution were slave owners and godless men; that they were oppressive and prejudiced.
Our children are being taught that God had little to nothing to do with the founding of this country. Furthermore, it is felt that the constitution needs to be fluid and evolve because it doesn't address the needs of modern people.
They are taught to accept sinful behavior such as homosexuality, lesbianism, transgenderism, as normal behavior. That if a boy feels like a girl he can use the girl's bathroom. Target, Hershey Park, Starbucks, Hudson's Bay, Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Barnes & Noble are among the many companies who allow this ungodly practice.
KJG Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to the father. Man lives in a day and time that the bible calls man's day. However, there is a day coming when it will be the Lords day and he will do the judging.
For now, man does the judging; he sets policy and makes the laws. Not so in the future; and in the future we won't live in the administration of grace.
1 Corinthians 4:3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
We are thankful because God has shed his grace on us and has given us his son Jesus Christ.
We are thankful because there's more to life than what this world has to offer. We have been given the greatest gift possible.
If we do not speak up and stand up for the truth who will? Who will teach the next generation if the church remains the silent majority?
* Wallbuilders David Barton
Note: All scripture is from the King James Version unless otherwise noted. NIV indicates The New International Version, NKJV indicates the New King James Version, ASV means the American Standard Version, BBE means the Bible in Basic English, DBY means the Darby translation, NAU means the American Standard Version, 1995 Edition, and NAB means the New American Bible translation. For more information, go to the Works Cited page.