Len Hanley: Society must reclaim Thanksgiving for its original purpose

To The Daily Sun,

Since Thanksgiving was first commercialized using turkeys in merchandise and advertising exclusively in the 1920s, at least 99% of the holiday has embraced an exclusive turkey theme, leaving the primary purpose of Thanksgiving, thanking God, to a mere 1%, if that.

For years we have been drawn away from embracing the national and historical Thanksgiving holiday's purpose, which is being grateful to God for what we are not entitled to. This gets skipped over and minimized in favor of highlighting spending on Black Friday the day after allegedly showing gratitude for what we have, and shifting the focus to secular Christmas junk.

I have a theory that this is all a concerted effort by atheists who undoubtedly own businesses that sell Thanksgiving holiday merchandise, manufacture them, the advertising companies who advertise for Thanksgiving, and those who sponsor the Macy's "Thanksgiving" Parade, with no thanking God floats.

Because they know and are annoyed by Thanksgiving's original purpose they want people to be like desperate animals over less quality items for a few dollars off, which makes them hypocritical after giving thanks to God and also minimize Thanksgiving being about thanking God and controlling much of what is sold and advertised for the holiday. That way they don't have to be offended by all that gratitude to God stuff.

The counter to this is simple: we must reclaim Thanksgiving for its original purpose even if that means not buying their turkey-themed junk, engaging in Black Friday, and attending or watching the parade. Don't be swooned by their attempts to dissuade readers from celebrating Thanksgiving for thanking God or being able to point and call readers hypocrites for going to Black Friday after, and not making the holiday exclusively about thanking God because they are worried about offending atheists with the truth.

Len Hanley

Barnstead