United States Government
Thanksgiving Proclamations Officially Declare Jesus Christ
God of the Nation
Largely
speaking, the Founding Fathers held to orthodox Trinitarian
Christianity. Collectively, they sought to build a nation
under the God of the Bible. The notion that the Founding
Fathers were a gang of deists, or that they would tolerate
allegiance to a God other than the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit is obliterated by their formal Thanksgiving
proclamations. Under their leadership and direction, the
United States government proposed, passed, and implemented
laws calling for civil holidays which officially called for
Americans to give thanks and worship the Lord, and named Him
as Jesus Christ.
United
States Congress Tells Americans to Repent
of Their Sins; Urges All Americans to Worship the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit
You
did not read about it in government school (or even in your
local church), but Vision Forum is pleased to offer you some
of these thanksgiving proclamation quotes. Below are a few:
Forasmuch
as it is the indispensable duty of all men to adore the
superintending providence of Almighty
God; to acknowledge with
gratitude their obligation to him for benefits received, and
to implore such father
blessings as they stand in need of...it is therefore
recommended to the legislative or executive powers of these
United States to set apart Thursday the 18th day of December
next, for Solemn Thanksgiving and Praise; that with one
heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful
feelings of their hearts, and consecrate themselves to the
service of their Divine
Benefactor; and that together
with their sincere acknowledgments and offerings, they may
join the penitent confession
of their manifold sins, whereby
they had forfeited every favor; and their humble and earnest
supplication that it may please God, through the merits of Jesus
Christ, mercifully to forgive and
blot them out of remembrance; that it may please him
graciously to afford his blessings on the Governments of
these States, respectively, and prosper the Pubic Council of
the whole; to inspire our Commanders, both by land and sea,
and all under them, with that wisdom and fortitude, which
may render them fit instruments, under Providence
of Almighty God, to secure for
these United States the greatest of all blessings,
independence and peace...virtue and piety, under his
nurturing hand, and to prosper
the means of religion, for the
promotion and enlargement of that Kingdom
which consisteth in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy
Ghost. And it is further
recommended, that servile labour and such recreation as,
though at other times innocent, may be unbecoming the
purpose of this appointment, be omitted onso solemb and
occasion.
—Henry Laurens, President of Congress, 1777
The
Chaplains of Congress were, on the November 7, 1778, ordered
to prepare and report a recommendation to the several States
to set apart the 30th day of December following as a day of
General Thanksgiving throughout the United States. On the
17th of November, the recommendation was submitted, which
being amended, was as follows:
It
having pleased Almighty
God, through the course of the
present year, to bestow many great and manifold merices on
the people of these United States; and it being the
indispensable duty of all men gratefully to acknowledge
their obligations to him for benefits received;
Resolved, That it be and hereby is recommend to the
legislative or executive authority of each of the said
States to appoint Wednesday, the 30th of December next, to
be observed as a day of public
Thanksgiving and
praise; that all people may with
united hearts, on that day express a just sense of his
unmerited favour; particularly in that it hath pleased him
by his
overruling providence to support
us in a just and necessary war, for the defense of our
rights and liberties, by affording us seasonable supplies
for our armies; by disposing the heart of a powerful monarch
to enter into an alliance with us, and aid our cause, by
defeating the councils and evil designs of our enemies, and
giving us victory over their troops; and by the cotinuance
of that union among these States which, by his blessings,
will be their future strength and glory...
And it is further recommended, that, together with devout
Thanksgiving, may be joined a penitent
confession of our sins, and
humble supplication for pardon, through
the merits of our Savior, so
that, under the smiles of heaven, our public councils may be
directed, our arms by land and sea prospered, our schools
and seminaries of learning flourish, our trade be revived,
and our husbandry and manufactures increased, and the hearts
of all impressed with undissembled piety, with benevolence
and zeal for the public good...Done in Congress this 17th
day of November, 1778, and in the third year of Independence
of the United States of America.
Editor’s
Comment: These Thanksgiving proclamations
are mini-theology lessons. Fathers, read them to your
children. What do these proclamations reveal about the
theology of the Founders? What do they reveal about the
Congress’s view of the Sovereignty of God? Of sin? Of
Providence? Of redemption? Of law? Is your pastor as
theologically orthodox as the congressmen of this day?
