This isn’t breaking news as it’s slightly over 220 years old but it’s still a great read.
On the one hand it’s inspiring. On the other hand, it’s terribly sad to think that we have a president now who can’t bring himself to mention God at all.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
I’ll let George Washington take it from here:
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 shewn 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
November 28, 2013 at 11:40 pm
Considering GW was a mason/deist his use of the word god means as much as a Hindu or new age crystal worshiper. But I see your point.
November 28, 2013 at 11:48 pm
Absolutely true. This guy is directing this prayer to the great architect the universe…
November 29, 2013 at 2:44 am
Justice is predicated on intent. George Washington was a patriot and statesman. (Would that Obama was) God saw George Washington's humility, sincerity and love for his people…us. Atheism is claiming America. America was founded on Religious freedom of the individual citizen's free will to choose and these are our founding principles. If atheism needs a place to sqat, atheism needs to change our founding principles with three-fourths of the states ratifying the change. The Supreme Court telling people how to worship or not to worship is nonsense and anti-American. America is founded on the human rights of man, endowed by our Creator and unalienable. Thomas Jefferson said: The rights the state gives, the state can take away." Unalienable rights are God-given as with the free will and intellect of the human being's immortal soul.Atheism does not believe in the human soul or in immortality. Atheism cheats the atheist out of the truth about himself, and all people out of Justice. Atheism encourages crime through the lies it spreads and the lie that it is, but I will be damned if atheism will cheat me. Atheism can go to hell whence it came.
November 29, 2013 at 2:53 am
There is no holy postage stamp for Christmas. Jesus Christ had a human soul. There is no other god who has a human soul. Get some holy decals and affix these to your mail. The atheism in government will not prevail.
November 29, 2013 at 4:40 am
Barack Obama has nowhere near the leadership qualities of George Washington.
November 29, 2013 at 4:50 pm
@Proteios1: All prayers to the Subsistent Act of Being are prayers to our God, even if he is identified with that-which-exists, as in Freemasonry (a type of emanationist pantheism) and most schools of Hinduism (which are pantheist or monist), and also in Judaism (Kabbalah is the same school of pantheism as Freemasonry, Maimonides was the same kind of pantheist as Aristotle, Hasidism is monist and considers all rabbis to be divine emanations).
God is not a god; it doesn't take the Interpretatio Romae to say that the Tathagatagarbha of the Buddhists or To Hen of the Neoplatonists or the Waheguru of the Sikhs, is him. Since the thing they are talking about, the Form of the Good, is explicitly stated to be the essence of existence itself (even if they conflate that-which-exists with the-fact-anything-exists), they are in fact talking about our God without knowing it.