I would like to pause in my other blogging pursuits to reflect a bit on the holiday that is now upon us. Like, I suppose, a lot of people, there are a number of holidays that I one time enjoyed very much but am now almost completely indifferent to. For me those would include Halloween (it’s just not that much fun for me without having kids or any real connection with kids), Fourth of July (I’m always in England on the occasion, and giving the nature of the holiday and what it remembers, well, that kind of puts a damper on it) (I don’t want this to be misconstrued: I love being an American – with all the enormous problems experienced by and caused by Americans – but the business with firecrackers and fireworks and so on just has nothing much for me these days), and Easter (which I do not observe, as an agnostic; although it can be a time of reflection for me on the awesome claims of the Christian message).
There are other holidays that have been and continue to be big for me. Even though I am no longer a Christian, Christmas is a big deal. I especially appreciate the family orientation of it, the chance to get together with loved ones and give gifts to show how much I appreciate and think about them, good food and drink together, and a chance to reflect on the very nature of giving, since even for those who are avidly Christian Christmas is about the great gift God gave to humankind. For me it’s a time to think about my Christian roots and my connection (tenuous as it is most of the time) to my Christian heritage.
But if I had to pick one holiday of the year that I really enjoy and have a genuine passion for, it would be Thanksgiving. For me it’s the perfect holiday. It is not religiously oriented. It is a secular holiday for all people. And it focuses (at least for me) on family, and good food, and good drink (and, yes, on football). These are all things I am deeply passionate about (even football, though it’s obviously a superficial passion in relation to the other things) (and increasingly superficial with all the head injury issues that are coming to the fore) (but still….)
Family and Food. These are things I live for. And Thanksgiving celebrates them and allows us to celebrate them. For me these represent two things that make life worth living, they symbolize our social lives and our physical lives. And I suppose we don’t have too many lives apart from what we live socially and physically.
I am so deeply thankful for my family and for the fact of my physical existence, and I believe heartily in deepening my ties to my family and the relationships I have with others who are in it, and in celebrating the good things in life as symbolized in food.
Family. I suppose when I was a Christian I rooted my sense of belonging in the world in my faith in God and in a sense that I needed to do his will and in the hope that I would live forever in the presence of the saints. I no longer feel that way in the least, since as an atheist I do not believe in God or an afterlife. So where do I find my meaning and purpose in life? In lots of places, really, including my work and vocation (anyone on the blog may have noticed that I’m passionate about knowledge and learning and research and teaching and writing and all the other things that involve my intellectual endeavors and my opportunities of sharing them with others), my friends (I have much closer and more intimate ties with people now that I’m an agnostic / atheist than I ever did as a Christian), my all around enjoyment of life (especially things like pleasure reading, and working out, and travelling). And in family. Especially and above all in my relationship with Sarah, a genuinely amazing person; and my kids, who have both turned into loving, caring, productive, giving, and interesting human beings; my grandkids, the best the world has ever seen; and my dear 88-year old mother (with whom I am spending Thanksgiving).
Food. I love Thanksgiving because it centers around food, and I’m an avowed foodie. I love good food (and wine). I love to cook. I love to make special meals and eat them. What then could be better than Thanksgiving? Food for me is not simply something to consume when I’m hungry. It is symbolic of all the good things that both sustain life and make it enjoyable
The social and physical good things that I have in life – expressed in family and food – and that I celebrate every Thanksgiving, with millions of other people, have a flip-side too, of course. There are so many other people in our world who do not have these good things. That makes Thanksgiving, for me, not only a time for feeling grateful for everything but also for reflecting on the plight that so many in our world find themselves in: refugees from war; victims of terror; those suffering in the midst of famine, drought, and epidemic; millions in our own unbelievably wealthy country who are homeless and hungry; those who have been abandoned by their loved ones, or who no longer have any loved ones, who are lonely and depressed with no hope for a future.
Our hearts go out to everyone who does not have the many good things that we enjoy and even, much of our lives, take for granted. In this season I am a firm believer in giving thanks – if not to a big ole man in the sky, then to the universe at large, or to whomever/whatever we want to give thanks to for all the amazing things we have and can experience. I am also a firm believer in acknowledging those in need, and in committing ourselves to help their plight so that they too can be placed in a situation where they as well can give thanks.
Have a happy Thanksgiving! Cook special foods! Eat and drink to your hearts content! Remember the needy! And feel Thankful!
Appreciate the transparency here, Boss. Super honest and real. Thank you. –Geoff in Nashville
Well said Dr. Ehrman. Happy Thanksgiving.
And I am thankful for you and your insightful sharing of your knowledge, research and your ability to clearly discuss the complex issues in your area of expertise.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
🙂
As always, your best blogs are your more personal ones. Your passion for scholarship and teaching is always quite evident and is appreciated by those of us who benefit from your clear and concise analysis of critical questions. The only place with which I differ with the above blog is that in my experience my own friendships have markedly decreased in number as I have explored religious questions with vigor and, as a result, have been shunned as the Amish would do if I were among the Amish. On the other hand, maybe some of those past friendships were a little superficial or “too sweet” in the first place.
Among the things I am thankful for is that I get to read your blog. Thank you for providing that. I keep learning from what you have to say.
What he said!
Happy Thanksgiving to all–I wouldn’t say Thanksgiving isn’t religious–whom are we giving thanks to? Not any particular version of God, to be sure. I mean, the original American version was celebrated by an obscure sect of Calvinists (possibly my least favorite version of Christianity, and I doubt Jesus would have much cared for it either) and perhaps some native pagans just strolling in to see what was cooking. It’s a harvest festival, and has much older roots than that.
The natives had their own harvest traditions. And their own vision of the divine, closer to nature. The holiday we celebrate now is not linked to any one religion, and can easily be celebrated by people of no religion at all. It’s something that grew more from what we aspire to be than what we really were. It became so big here because we needed something that spoke to how people of entirely different backgrounds and beliefs could still break bread together and give thanks. Even if that’s not what really happened, it’s what we want to believe in.
We can question our ancestors’ beliefs and still find great meaning and comfort in them. Tradition is only a prison if we make it one.
Bart,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on Thanksgiving so clearly. It is my favorite time of the year too for family as my life view has become more like yours….not by your influence but from my own searching within the silence of my own mind. You were kind enough to encourage me after my son died 5 years ago with a personal email and I have moved through that sad time as well as the sadness of losing my wife of 49 years last year. I am at peace with family and friends and continue to be a seeker for understanding our existence through science and my own humanism. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Sion
I”m so sorry to hear about your son, from many years ago, and your wife just last week. Please accept my sincere condolences.
We don’t have thanksgiving in Australia. When i was young it seemed like almost every show on tv was American, and every year around Christmas time they would all be about thanksgiving. They never explained what it was, just assumed everyone knew. I think i thought it was some sort of ritual that Americans did as part of Christmas.
“… Remember the needy! …”
One of the very nicest things about your website! Happy Thanksgiving!
“… I have much closer and more intimate ties with people now that I’m an agnostic / atheist than I ever did as a Christian. …”
Such an interesting comment! Reminds me of another you made once about now being much more interested in helping the poor and needy than you ever were as a fundamentalist Christian. This is such a terrible indictment of what often passes as Christianity these days. If Jesus still has a sense of humor or irony, he must smile at comments like this. Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying.
A wonderful post – thank you for sharing your thoughts with us!
I also love Thanksgiving – though I’ve celebrated it alone, by choice, since *my* beloved mother died (thankfully, at an advanced age). I always have a turkey breast, stuffing…and, yes, wine! And it’s had me thinking, in the days leading up to it, of how *very* fortunate I am, how minor my problems are, in the larger scheme of things.
This does seem to be a religious holiday for some people – their “thanks” going to God. But it can, as you say, have just as much meaning for us non-believers.
I’m not contributing anything to “aid the needy” directly…because I find myself donating, again and again, to a wonderful Presidential candidate who I think is a truly good man, our best hope for leading all of us forward to a better future. I won’t name him – this isn’t the place for electioneering! I’m just saying this crucial upcoming election should be on all our (Americans’) minds.
Thanks for that reminder. I’m still a Christian although I no longer believe in an afterlife. I am thankful, like you, for family and loved ones. Thanks for reminding me!
Very well written essay. It expresses my feelings. I might add to the list good craft brewed IPA beer. Also, in keeping with the blog, I would recommend “Sweet Baby Jesus” by DeClaw brewery
I’ve cut way down on my beer consumption, but when I do partake, it has to be a *very* good one…. (I’m into red wine almost exclusively these days)
On more than one occasion I’ve been caught reading one of your books with an open (and sometimes empty) growler of craft brew. I am thankful indeed.
It’s best to read my books over a serious drink…..
I fail to see, dearest Dr. Bart Ehrman, where it is that you are not, part of the very best there is, of God’s own heart.
You’re sweet!
After reading this, I’m thinking you are ready for Pierre (War and Peace)!
Ha! I haven’t read War and Peace since I was in graduate school! (Though I did re-read Anna Karenina this past summer) I need to get to it again….
Well, I am deeply grateful for this blog, as it is a tremendous resource for those of us who otherwise would not get information like this, or get to interact with a top scholar in this important field!
Well said, as always. Just want to say that one thing I’m thankful for is this blog. Nourishment for the mind and lots to think about …. thank you!
My hero Robert Green Ingersoll loved those exact same things; Christmas, Family … and FOOD!