"We live in anxious times. Another Genocide is taking place on Darfur.
Iraq is descending into total chaos. Few, if any Political Leaders are
Trusted. Fundamentalist Fanatics are giving ALL Religions a bad name.
The gap between rich and poor is widening, both at Home and Globally.
Violence is increasingly embraced as a response to Hopelessness and
Despair. The Casualties of War, both Military and Civilian, are
mounting. Even the Rules of War are being Broken to Justify Torture and
Imprisonment without Charge.
Yet in the midst of all this we pause to Give Thanks for God's
Providence in Creation, knowing that we in this Country, and in the
so-called "Developed World" generally, are among the most Blessed in
all the World.
The Message of Thanksgiving is (if we may borrow from Al Gore's
powerful film on the environment) "An Inconvenient Truth". If on the
one hand, we are encouraged to Give Thanks to God for the Bounty we
easily enjoy and often take for granted, we are also confronted with
harsh realities of a World where Twenty Percent of the Population
Consumes Eighty Percent of it's Goods.
Where Millions are Homeless and Dying of Starvation and Thirst. What is
all the more remarkable is that it is often the Most Impoverished
People of this World who are likely to give Thanks for what they have,
and Share it with Others.
The rest of us in a Consumer-Oriented Culture are Bombarded with
Messages that tell us we never have enough ! Yet the more we have, the
more we're inclined to believe we've earned it for our own consumption
and use alone---and the more we feel the need for Security from those
who we perceive would take it away from us.
Our Affluence makes us less Neighborly, less Aware of our
Interdependence and our Need to be more Compassionate and Generous
toward One Another. It makes us Forgetful of the Fact that God's
Providence is Mediated through Human practice of Justice, Forgiveness
and Mercy.
It is one of the Ironies of our time that those who call themselves
"Conservatives" are often not Conservative at all. What we call
"Neo-Conservatives" or alternately "Neo-Liberals", Preach and Practice
a Doctrine of Selfishness, offering Tax Cuts for the Rich and Slashed
Benefits for the Poorest and Most Vulnerable Members of our Society.
And they do this in the Name of Christianity and "Traditional Values" !
Yet even a cursory look at Tradition reminds us that it is built upon
Social Justice and Care for One Another.
As we Celebrate the Abundance of Thanksgiving, we might do well to
remember our Jewish Brothers and Sisters have been observing
Rosh-Hashanah--a Ten Day period of Repentance and Fasting which marks
the Jewish New Year, and which culminates in Yom Kippur, or Day of
Atonement, which is a solemn (but not joyless) fast looking forward to
the year ahead.
At the same time, our Muslim Brothers and Sisters have been observing
the month of Ramadan. During this time, unless excused by illness, they
Fast from Dawn to Sunset. In addition to fostering Piety, Ramadan also
calls Muslims to practice Charity and Generosity.
Today, as we Celebrate the tradition of Thanksgiving for the Harvest,
we are reminded that this is not a justification of Excessive
Consumption !
As we give Thanks to God's Bounty in Creation, we Resolve to Share it
with One Another, to practice Justice and Compassion, and work for that
Peace which is the Sign of God's Love for ALL of Humankind and ALL of
Creation."

r u dyslexic?
this is a dog forum, not god.

what if every "religious" leader who was talking to god, was too, and
was really just talking with the dog?


Anami wrote:
"We live in anxious times.

wrote:
r u dyslexic?
this is a dog forum, not god.

"As we give Thanks to God's Bounty in Creation, we Resolve to Share it
with One Another, to practice Justice and Compassion, and work for that

Peace which is the Sign of God's Love for ALL of Humankind and ALL of
Creation."

What part of ALL of creation do you not understand?
It includes dogs.
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving.
Share some turkey with your furry friends for those who eat meat !
:-)

what if every "religious" leader who was talking to god, was too, and
was really just talking with the dog?


Anami wrote:
"We live in anxious times.