Happy Thanksgiving and Calvinism

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Happy Thanksgiving to my American Protestant and Catholic siblings in Christ. When you think about it, Thanksgiving is an American Calvinist tradition! Any insights to share in thanking God for His divine providence resulting in our religious freedom in America? What do you believe about Thanksgiving being a Calvinist tradition?

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The first Thanksgiving Day!
 
So you’re first claiming that the first celebrants of Thanksgiving in the New World were Puritans? I DO believe that Virginia (and its Anglicans) was just a little bit ahead of y’all (Jamestown) and I do believe that St. Augustine in Florida and Santa Fe in New Mexico (both founded by Catholics) were ahead even of Virginia. . .

And all of those (and the Vikings before them and heck, the people who crossed the Bering strait and were living here when the Europeans etc. got here) had celebrations of Thanksgiving to the Creator on a regular basis.

So what was your claim again about Thanksgiving being a “Calvinist” holiday?😃
 
So you’re first claiming that the first celebrants of Thanksgiving in the New World were Puritans? I DO believe that Virginia (and its Anglicans) was just a little bit ahead of y’all (Jamestown) and I do believe that St. Augustine in Florida and Santa Fe in New Mexico (both founded by Catholics) were ahead even of Virginia. . .

And all of those (and the Vikings before them and heck, the people who crossed the Bering strait and were living here when the Europeans etc. got here) had celebrations of Thanksgiving to the Creator on a regular basis.

So what was your claim again about Thanksgiving being a “Calvinist” holiday?😃
Happy Thanksgiving Day to you dear sister in Christ. We are talking about the roots of Thanksgiving Day celebrated by Americans on Thursday. The first Thanksgiving is a Calvinist tradiition, is it not? I didn’t mean to derail your celebration tomorrow.
 
So it’s the Calvinists to blame for this gluttony?

God bless
 
Thank you, Adam and the best wishes to you too during the holiday celebration. You’re not derailing my celebration. After all, harvest celebrations have been a part of the Catholic Church for centuries, as they have been for all societies indeed since humanity became ‘socialized’.

But I still don’t think that you can say that Thanksgiving is "Calvinist’ in origin as though it was only with the Calvinists that people got the idea of praying in thanksgiving to their Lord.

Thanksgiving, celebrations of such in the community with food and festivities, etc. predate the Pilgrims and the other (earlier) settlers of the U.S. (and elsewhere).

While a lot of today’s Americans may eat what they think is the ‘original meal’, few of them are chowing down on boiled cod and sampen (which would have been found on the plates in New England that first year), and different areas of the U.S. have different foods and customs.

But (no matter what your faith tradition), do enjoy the holiday and its true meaning.
 
Fine… you can claim Thanksgiving. Catholics call dibs on CHRIST - MASS. 👍
 
Were the Pilgrims Calvinists? Whatever. Was a good idea and a great tradition. It was Lincoln who made it a national holiday in the 1800s. FDR moved it to the 4th Thursday in November in 1936.

The History Channel has a very good documentary on the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving. According to it, 60 Indians showed up unannounced and unexpected. Because it was an Indian custom to always provide food and shelter for visitors, the Pilgrims, not wishing to be rude and cause a problem, immediately made a feast for their uninvited guests. And that was the first Thanksgiving.

And a very good idea it was…and is! And let’s hope God continues to Bless the US.
 
So it’s the Calvinists to blame for this gluttony?
:rotfl:

I bet it wouldn’t take much work to find other things to blame on the Calvinists. 😃

For all Americans, a prayer of thanksgiving for all our Lord provides us, and the blessings he has bestowed upon our great nation, great because of those blessings.
Jon
 
Happy Thanksgiving to all on here from CA May God bless them all and all Our priest and nuns. So enjoy the Turkey
 
I wasn’t aware that the Indians were Calvinists… 😃

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours ~

and BTW “chief” I’m still waiting for the “pig roast”!!! 😛 and it’s almost turkey day!!
 
Were the Pilgrims Calvinists? Whatever. Was a good idea and a great tradition. It was Lincoln who made it a national holiday in the 1800s. FDR moved it to the 4th Thursday in November in 1936.

The History Channel has a very good documentary on the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving. According to it, 60 Indians showed up unannounced and unexpected. Because it was an Indian custom to always provide food and shelter for visitors, the Pilgrims, not wishing to be rude and cause a problem, immediately made a feast for their uninvited guests. And that was the first Thanksgiving.

And a very good idea it was…and is! And let’s hope God continues to Bless the US.
Thanks for the posts! I will thinking more along the lines of divine providence, and how God provided for the Calvinist Pilgrims through the Indiians. What moved the Indians to provide food and shelther for the Calvinist Prilgrims, but the sovereign hand of our God.
 
I think we should thank the American Indians who provided the original feast!😛
Well, almost… we should thank the Lord God for providing for those Pilgrims through the native indians, keeping the traditions of Calvinism alive and well in America. Did you guys know that originial Universities in America like Princeton and Harvard were Calvinist Seminiaries?

In 1893, Baedeker’s guidebook called Harvard “the oldest, richest, and most famous of American seats of learning.”[7] Harvard College was established in 1636 by vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, making it the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. The college was named for its first benefactor, British-born John Harvard of Charlestown, a young minister who, upon his death in 1638, left his library and half his estate to the new institution. The charter creating the corporation of Harvard College was signed by Massachusetts Governor Thomas Dudley in 1650. In the early years, the College trained many Puritan ministers.[8]

During its early years, the College offered a classic academic course based on the English university model but consistent with the prevailing Puritan philosophy of the first colonists in New England. The College was never affiliated with any particular denomination, but many of its earliest graduates went on to become clergymen in Puritan churches throughout New England.[9] An early brochure, published in 1643, justified the College’s existence: “To advance Learning and perpetuate it to Posterity; dreading to leave an illiterate Ministery [sic] to the Churches…”[10] Harvard’s early motto was Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae “Truth for Christ and the Church.” In a directive to its students, it laid out the purpose of all education: "Let every Student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the maine end of his life and studies is, to know God and Iesus Christ which is eternall life, Joh. 17. 3. and therefore to lay Christ in the bottome, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and Learning.[11]

On June 11, 1685, Increase Mather became the Acting President of Harvard College. On July 23, 1686 he was appointed the Rector, and on June 27, 1682 he became the President of Harvard, a position which he held until September 6, 1701.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_University
 
I wasn’t aware that the Indians were Calvinists… 😃

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours ~

and BTW “chief” I’m still waiting for the “pig roast”!!! 😛 and it’s almost turkey day!!
LOL… I believe the elect indians were converted into Calvinist Christians. Have you heard about David Brainerd, the Calvinist missionary to the indians?

If you are an American Christian, you’re roots are in Calvinism and not Catholicism. 😃

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brainerd
 
Well, almost… we should thank the Lord God for providing for those Pilgrims through the native indians, keeping the traditions of Calvinism alive and well in America. Did you guys know that originial Universities in America like Princeton and Harvard were Calvinist Seminiaries?

In 1893, Baedeker’s guidebook called Harvard “the oldest, richest, and most famous of American seats of learning.”[7] Harvard College was established in 1636 by vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, making it the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. The college was named for its first benefactor, British-born John Harvard of Charlestown, a young minister who, upon his death in 1638, left his library and half his estate to the new institution. The charter creating the corporation of Harvard College was signed by Massachusetts Governor Thomas Dudley in 1650. In the early years, the College trained many Puritan ministers.[8]

During its early years, the College offered a classic academic course based on the English university model but consistent with the prevailing Puritan philosophy of the first colonists in New England. The College was never affiliated with any particular denomination, but many of its earliest graduates went on to become clergymen in Puritan churches throughout New England.[9] An early brochure, published in 1643, justified the College’s existence: “To advance Learning and perpetuate it to Posterity; dreading to leave an illiterate Ministery [sic] to the Churches…”[10] Harvard’s early motto was Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae “Truth for Christ and the Church.” In a directive to its students, it laid out the purpose of all education: "Let every Student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the maine end of his life and studies is, to know God and Iesus Christ which is eternall life, Joh. 17. 3. and therefore to lay Christ in the bottome, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and Learning.[11]

On June 11, 1685, Increase Mather became the Acting President of Harvard College. On July 23, 1686 he was appointed the Rector, and on June 27, 1682 he became the President of Harvard, a position which he held until September 6, 1701.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_University
Actually I agree with you - it is a Calvinist holiday, and has a lot to do with this country and its roots. Now Christmas is another story. I don’t think the Pilgrims really celebrated it. Anyway Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for your insights!
 
Christ-Mass is a universal celebration for all Christians. However, you can have Columbus day.
You lose big time then, Thanksgiving is a Universal holiday celebrated not just but Christians, but all American’s regardless of faith alike. Including Athism, Islam, Hinduism, Jeudism etc.
 
Actually I agree with you - it is a Calvinist holiday, and has a lot to do with this country and its roots. Now Christmas is another story. I don’t think the Pilgrims really celebrated it. Anyway Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for your insights!
Ah… I live on the other side of the Oregon trail from you. Now, didn’t Pocahonats convert to Protestant Christianity… or maybe even Calvinist Christianity? We know she wasn’t Catholic.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocahontas
 
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