Atheists Have a Message That Offers a Different Take on Thanksgiving

Atheists looking to deliver Thanksgiving grace devoid of any mention of the Almighty are in luck this holiday season, as the American Humanist Association, a nontheistic nonprofit, has released a series of secular invocations for nonbelievers.

While many faithful view Thanksgiving as a holiday on which they pause to thank God for life's blessings, others see it as a more secular day during which they can reflect on and appreciate their lives.

"Thanksgiving is a uniquely secular holiday, as gratitude is a universal human emotion," American Humanist Association executive director Roy Speckhardt said in a statement. "This special day of the year is a chance for humanists and other nontheists to express gratitude to their friends and loved ones."

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Publishing a series of prayers in the online magazine TheHumanist.com, atheists are hoping to inspire their fellow nonbelievers to give thanks in their own unique ways this holiday season.

One of the "non-prayers" that was submitted by Van Curren, leader of Humanists of Idaho, reads:

Corn and grain, meat and milk

Upon our table width and length

With loving thought and careful craft

Through so many hands have passed

Essence of life, fruits of our labors

Bringing sustenance and strength

To ours and all our neighbors

May we all be grateful for all we have

And compassion for those without.

Another secular invocation composed by Red Bank Humanists reads as follows:

As we come together at this special time, let us pause a moment to appreciate the opportunity for good company and to thank all those past and present whose efforts have made this event possible. We reap the fruits of our society, our Country, and our civilization, and take joy in the bounties of Nature on this happy occasion. Let us also wish that, some day, all people on Earth may enjoy the same good fortune that we share.

As TheBlaze previously reported, the American Humanist Association is no stranger to jumping into the prayer debate, launching a website in May that offered atheists information on how to provide secular invocations at public meetings; we have covered examples of these "non-prayers" in the past.

Read more about secular Thanksgiving invocations here.

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