This post was initially written in 2012, updated in 2017 to include the time period from 2012 to 2016, and updated again in 2021.
This is the time of year when those clever Christians bombard social media with one of their favorite memes: atheists have nobody to thank and nothing to be thankful for. I'm starting to think that anyone who is both a Christian and a moron is required to have a Twitter account and use it to share this ridiculous message every November. Of course, atheists have plenty to be thankful for and a great many people to thank. Just because we are not interested in thanking gods or other imaginary beings does not make our thankful sentiment any less relevant. It might even be more valuable because we are thanking beings that exist!
Although Thanksgiving is a holiday I have never particularly enjoyed and have not celebrated for many years, I have written a few posts on the subject. You can find them below.
Atheist Revolution Thanksgiving Posts
- The Christianization of Thanksgiving
- I Can Do Without Tradition
- The Other Christian Holiday Traditions
- Others Do Not Always Share Our Perspectives
- Thanksgiving: Tradition and Freethought
- Taking a Day Off From Post-Election Tribalism
- Conformity and Tradition
- Thankful I Was Exposed to Skepticism
- Worth the Risk? A Very COVID-19 Thanksgiving
- Thanksgiving is a Great Opportunity to Understand What Christian Privilege Feels Like
- Make Income Inequality Less Abstract By Highlighting Poverty and Hunger
Themes
One theme that jumps out to me as I review these posts is that this is usually a time of year when I realize how burned out I'm feeling and how much I need a break. Another theme is that it takes considerable work on the part of those who care about separation of church and state to maintain it. Church-state separation seems to be under attack from Christians constantly. Without our continued efforts, it would likely slip away. The last theme I'll mention involves my general distaste for tradition. It isn't that I do not enjoy any traditions; I suppose it is more about my not wanting to participate in those I do not enjoy simply because they are traditions. That has never struck me as an adequate reason.
Regardless of whether Thanksgiving is something you celebrate, I hope you enjoy the end of November.
