Comments on: Thanksgiving without a Giver

By: Gifts

Gifts — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:31:29 +0000

Loving it very much.

By: lurkerfan

lurkerfan — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:53:47 +0000

Thanks for the link. I too am agnostic and find it inappropriate to celebrate my personal good fortune without a concern for the less fortunate. Could this be a virtually universal part of being human, as evidenced by the almost universal dictate to care for the poor in all religions?

I live in a region dominated by conservative Christians who vehemently value personal freedom, as described by Michael in the first post above, and its logical extension into free market economic principles such as Rand’s “philosophy.” At its worst, this belief system seems to imply that the rich deserve to be rich and the poor deserve to be poor.

But somewhat to my surprise, this second holiday season of a deep recession with local unemployment at 10 percent has prompted an extraordinary outpouring of spontaneous projects to address the basic needs of those suffering due to joblessness, homelessness, hunger, and cold. These efforts have somewhat restored my faith in the basic goodness of most of my neighbors, despite their wrong-headed political beliefs that too often parrot Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh.

By: Mark Dionne

Mark Dionne — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:48:20 +0000

“If animals can show gratitude, surely man can do the same” Dogen Zenji (1200â€“1253)

By: Shared Items From Google Reader – November 27, 2009 at timlauer.org

Shared Items From Google Reader – November 27, 2009 at timlauer.org — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:00:57 +0000

[...] Thanksgiving without a Giver [...]

By: davidw

davidw — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:31:39 +0000

Jonathan, just one comment on your excellent comment: It’s also Judaism, Islam, etc. etc.

By: Jonathan Allred

Jonathan Allred — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 02:12:20 +0000

Thoughtful post, gave me a lot to think about. Perhaps if the believer’s gratitude was imbued with a sense of responsibility, it would be less of a problem? Rather than saying “I’m really glad you gave me this, sure wish everyone else had this too” you could say “I’m really glad I have this, I understand now that I should use it to bless my brothers and sisters”. Isn’t that Christianity? Letting us participate in the Giver’s work?

I do agree that merely being grateful without considering those that go without is repulsive. But I don’t think that’s the only way to be grateful.

By: Michael Payne

Michael Payne — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:18:15 +0000

While I agree that gratitude might be less problematic for atheists, but as a believer myself, I don’t know if I would cite uneven distribution of material blessings as a problem. For me, from a Christian perspective, injustice in the world only serves to underscore the incredibly high value placed on individual freedom.

It seems to me that from God’s perspective, it is more acceptable to permit all manner of evil human behavior than to intervene and restrain a single person from choosing a particular action. As bad as some of my choices are, I am thankful that they are mine to make.