CrossCurrents A Catholic Reflects on Faith in Our Times
Bernard
F. Swain, Ph.D. www.CrossCurrents.us
Thank God for Thanksgiving
Halfway through my wifeÕs wonderful Thanksgiving
apple pie, I had this thought: Thanksgiving is the perfect American holiday—and
the perfect antidote to some of the preposterous mail I get from this column.
Why the perfect American holiday? First,
because it celebrates the essential spirit of a country to which people
ventured seeking a better and freer life and survived heroically. Second,
because it commemorates, not some self- inflating glory (such as wealth or
power or military victory or political achievement) but rather the most humble of
acts: gratitude. Third, because we express our gratitude not to some sovereign
or general or flag or even the country itself – but to our supreme
creator.
And finally, Thanksgiving is the perfect
American holiday because it combines national pride and religious faith in a
way no other holiday does.
As for ÒThanksgiving the perfect
antidote,Ó I should explain that CrossCurrents naturally provokes reader
comments, and some of that mail is fairly outrageous. Recently, for example one
e-mail touted the wisdom of radioman Paul Harvey, campaigning to Òput God back
as the foundation of our families and institutions.Ó For Harvey, a prime test
of success is including prayer in public events like football games. And he is
prepared to rebut his critics:
"But it's a Christian
prayer," some will argue.
Yes, and this is the United States of AmericaÉIf I went to a football game in
Jerusalem, I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer. If I went to a soccer game
in Baghdad,
I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer. If I went to a ping pong match in
China, I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha. And I wouldn't be
offended. It wouldn't bother me one bit.
But of course, HarveyÕs comparisons are
totally inappropriate. Jerusalem is capital of a nation where Judaism is the
official state religion. Baghdad is capital of a nation where Islam is the
official state religion. China is a nation where atheism is the official state
religion (and any prayer Harvey heard would be state-approved and
state-controlled).
IsnÕt it obvious? In all these countries,
Harvey would hear the approved prayer of the official state religion. But we
Americans live in a nation which has no official state religion. There can be no comparison between them and us.
Has Harvey not read the U.S. constitution?
DoesnÕt he know the First Amendment prohibits the very thing he finds so
attractive in Jerusalem, Baghdad, and China? No doubt heÕd be happier living in
the land where the official religion is Christianity. But that land is not
America.
And here is where Thanksgiving can help
us, for there is something essentially American about a holiday linking our
national well being with GodÕs goodness. It reflects North AmericaÕs place as
the most religious of all advanced industrial cultures (remember, Canada has
thanksgiving too!). But notice: there is no national Thanksgiving prayer, no
national Thanksgiving liturgy or ritual. It is a celebration all religions can
join, centered mostly on a family meal (not just traditional turkey and English
dishes, but the myriad ethic variations on Thanksgiving dinner found among the
children and grandchildren of immigrants) and the dominant autumn ritual of
contemporary America, football.
In my native Massachusetts, that includes Thanksgiving
Morning football games between traditional high school rivals, such as my
childrenÕs alma mater Boston Latin (AmericaÕs oldest public school) battling
Boston English at Harvard Stadium in the oldest Thanksgiving rivalry, dating
from 1887, and Plymouth North against Plymouth South in AmericaÕs hometown, where
Thanksgiving was born. Ironically this most religious of our national holidays
has only been a legal US holiday since 1941.
So on this day millions of American
families sit together and offer prayers of thanksgiving before the annual feast.
Does Harvey think theyÕre all Christian prayers? What about American Jews and American Muslims? American
Hindus? Buddhists? Sikhs? Mormons? The list goes on and on, and
the list is growing.
The truth is, Thanksgiving shows us what
America really is. It is not a
completely secular society. Nor is
it a Christian state. It is, rather, an officially neutral state inhabited by a
broadly religious population representing many religious traditions. In this
culture, it makes perfect sense to have a holiday where the entire country
pauses to give thanks to God – but no sense at all to start the holiday
football games with a Christian prayer.
This gives Thanksgiving a special symbolic
significance in our time. For IÕm afraid that weÕre living in an era when too
many Americans have become extremists on religion.
Some of these Americans would prefer a
completely secular country where religion remains a purely private matter, and
has no impact on public life, let alone on public policy. Such Americans ignore
two facts: 1.The U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of religious practice
under the First Amendment; 2.Many religions preach public as well as private
values, so they cannot be practiced freely if they are restricted to purely
private matters. And since religious life continues to thrive in America, the
dream of a completely secular society is not only a constitutional impossibility,
it is also a cultural fantasy.
But recently another sort of extremist has
become even more prominent. Many Americans these days cling to the mythic idea
that the United States has always been, and always should be, a ÒChristian
nation.Ó And while it is true that AmericaÕs white settlers were Christians, it
is also true that our nation was born only by separating itself from England, its
Christian King, and its established religion, the Church of England. The whole
point of the First Amendment was a refusal to imitate the Christian nation from
which we won our independence. People pressing to ÒrestoreÓ America as a
Christian nation are, in fact, engaged in the extreme effort to create a
counterfeit country that would not be the United States at all.
The truth about America is, naturally
enough, some place between these two extremes. American never was, nor will it
be, a completely secular society. America is not, and should not be, a
Christian state.
In a completely secular society, there
could never be a public and legal holiday with the express purpose of giving
thanks to God. And in a Christian state, such a holiday would employ the symbols
and rituals of Christian tradition, leaving no room for traditions as American
as turkey and football – and apple pie.
So thank God for Thanksgiving.
© Bernard F. Swain PhD 2005
Send Your Comments and Questions to bfswain@juno.com
Dr. SwainÕs
opinions do not represent the views of this parish or any other official body.
Bernie Swain has
devoted more than 30 years to adult spiritual formation in dioceses in the US,
Canada, and France. Since 1991 he has maintained a private practice as trainer,
teacher, and consultant to leaders in parishes and other religious
organizations. He holds degrees in theology and political science from Holy
Cross, Harvard, The University of Paris, and The University of Chicago.
His writings include Liberating
Leadership (Harper & Row,
1986) and more than 200 articles in periodicals such as The National Catholic
Reporter, Commonweal, The Miami Herald, The Catholic Free Press, The Pilot,
Harvard Theological Review, and
Liturgy.
A lifelong layperson,
he lives in Boston with his wife and three children. Visit his website at:
CrossCurrents
Is a weekly subscription
service for parish websites.
Individual Subscriptions
are also available.
For Information, contact bfswain@juno or call 617-282-0183