Over the River ...

Well, Thanksgiving is almost upon us. My wife and I will leave tomorrow morning for our annual visit to my folks in my hometown -- and we will make our annual stopover in State College, PA, for a little shopping Penn State style. According to the AP, this nation could possibly see Thanksgiving made illegal as a national holiday. Maybe in the not too distant future. 

 It might sound ridiculous, but Thanksgiving is apparently seen as: a typical part of the targeted phenomenon known as ''civil religion,'' referring to generalized acknowledgments of the national heritage of faith in God that fit as many religions as possible. However, nonbelievers, or followers of religions with many gods, or with no gods, could find reason to object, even while they enjoy roast turkey and an extra day off [Messenger-Inquirer.com (Archived)]. 

Perhaps people with no religious or spiritual inclination do take offense with Thanksgiving. But I believe that most other religious traditions -- regardless of the number or lack of deities -- have at their heart a common cause in Thanksgiving. The oldest spiritual traditions involve celebrations of thanks for good harvests and prayers of sustenance to help the family through the coming winter. I also believe that anyone who actually has a problem with Thanksgiving is someone who actually has a gripe with the Judeo-Christian culture that seems to permeate the United States -- particularly at the commercial (one might call it "secular") level. 

Whatever your personal inclination, I do wish each and every person who stops by this blog a very Happy Thanksgiving. Whether or not you are a US citizen, whether or not your country celebrates a national day of thanks, I wish that you have enough: Enough food, enough love, enough liberty .... enough of whatever you need to get through the day.