LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The average individual would not believe that there is anything wrong with celebrating the yearly Thanksgiving holiday by gathering together with friends and family and having a huge meal and thanking the Creator for all of the favors they have received.

There are several issues that need to be addressed with this holiday. The term “holiday” implies that it is a “holy day.” For a day to be designated as a holy day, that would imply that the Creator is the one who established this particular day as holy. This, however, is not the case. It is actually a false man-made holiday.

Thanksgiving has been celebrated nationally on and off since 1789, with a proclamation by President George Washington after a request by Congress. President Thomas Jefferson chose not to observe the holiday, and its celebration was intermittent until President Abraham Lincoln, in 1863, proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens” to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November.

The point that I am trying to make is that the Creator did not establish this day as a holy day. This means that it is a false manmade holiday.

A true “Holy-Day” has three specific criteria for it to be considered a true Holy day. (1). The Creator has to be the One who established it. All true “Holy-Days” were established in the very first year of Creation. They must apply to every man, woman, and child in the world at the same time.

Scripture says that Noah built the ark to save the innocent animals. It also says we are not supposed to kill. It also says that we were all given every herb of the field and every fruit of the tree, and it shall be our food. All throughout Scripture there are repeated references to the planting and harvesting of the garden. We are all supposed to be vegetarians.

As such, we are not supposed to be killing and eating any of the innocent turkeys, chickens, pigs and beef when we are giving thanks to our Creator. We were created from the dust, clay of the earth and so we should be getting our nutrition from the earth as well.

You might consider how many other man-made holidays are false.

BOYD B. MCNIEL

Pea Ridge