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From: bitmap@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Thanksgiving & religion
Message-ID: <421@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA>
Date: Sun, 1-Apr-84 00:22:34 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbtopaz.421
Posted: Sun Apr  1 00:22:34 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 27-Mar-84 01:00:02 EST
Organization: Univ. of Calif., Berkeley CA USA
Lines: 26

Several letters were received dealing with holidays & religion.
One interesting one mentioned some differences between Canadian &
U.S.A. holidays.  Apparently, there is a "Thanksgiving" in Canada,
but it is held on a different day.  Presumably, the tradition is
different, too, but I don't know what it is.  Another I thought ought to 
be put in the net, as it makes a good point (below).  At least one 
reply that I tried to make died between here and !ccieng2--using the 
"reply" option didn't give a viable address.


& The way I view Thanksgiving is that a persecuted religious group gave
& thanks for getting safely away from religious persecution.  What is
& unique is that so many different religious groups fled here, that they
& turned the Pilgrim celebration into a general, giving of thanks for
& being able to successfully flee persecution.  Those parts of the
& celebration that were American have survived, the other parts of the
& original celebration vary by religion. 

& From the view point that Thanksgiving is celebrating the right to
& celebrate one's religion without persecution from a secular body, which
& is what the Pilgrims were doing, Thanksgiving may be viewed as a
& celebration of one of the first steps of separation of church and state.

Sam Hall, UCB
ucbvax!bitamp@ucbtopaz