President Joe Biden failed to recognize God in his Thanksgiving message, something former presidents warned against. Instead, Biden only thanked the American people and omitted reference to God as the source of blessings for which Americans celebrate gratitude on the holiday of Thanksgiving.
According to Breitbart:
“In his memorable 1863 presidential proclamation instituting Thanksgiving as a national holiday, Abraham Lincoln urged his fellow Americans to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November ‘as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.’ […] And in case anyone forgets to thank Almighty God for these gifts, Lincoln also issued a warning, noting that these bounties ‘are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come.’”
President Rutherford B. Hayes also shared a similar proclamation, stating that “withdrawing themselves from secular cares and labors, the people of the United States do meet together on that day in their respective places of worship, there to give thanks and praise to Almighty God for His mercies and to devoutly beseech their continuance.”
Although Biden did express his gratitude for “service members and veterans, first responders, firefighters, police officers, workers and union leaders, public servants and teachers, doctors and scientists,” according to Breitbart, he somehow left God out.
Biden was not the first to omit God from his Thanksgiving address as former President Barack Obama did the same in 2016.
Concerns over secularizing the holidays, or holy days, are growing across America. Removing references to Jesus during Christmas has long been an issue. Taking God out of Thanksgiving is but the latest trend to raise eyebrows. The degradation of the family unit has added to the secularization of the holiday as the word family also seems to be used sparingly during this time.