Dead Pilgrims Society

Admin Fri 26 Nov 2010, 11:27 am

Dead Pilgrims Society
Putting the Thanks Back in Thanksgiving
November 25, 2010 Chuck Colson

One of the most popular movies of 1989 was Dead Poets Society, about a
group of classmates in a boys' school who formed a secret society to
celebrate American poets.

Well, Christians might do well to adapt their example and form a Dead
Pilgrims Society. Why? Because today's kids are being fed a half-baked
version of Thanksgiving lore, complete with glazed facts, mashed
multiculturalism, and a generous helping of censorship.
Several children's books about the Pilgrims are on bookstore shelves.
But in a cold November blast of secularism, much of the spiritual
component has been blown away.
As a result, our children are consuming a dumbed-down version of
Christian history. They're taught that the Pilgrims risked their lives
traversing the ocean for economic gain, not religious freedom. And that
first Thanksgiving feast? It's described as nothing more than a
three-day binge with the Indians.
Take, for example, a book called The First Thanksgiving by Jean
Craighead George. As this book tells it, the Pilgrims left Europe "to
seek their fortune in the New World." That would have come as news to
the Pilgrims themselves. Pilgrim leader William Bradford wrote in his
diary that the voyage was motivated by "a great hope . . . for advancing
the kingdom of Christ."
And when it comes to Thanksgiving itself, in this book the religious
dimension finds no place at the table. The author states flat-out, "This
was not a day of Pilgrim thanksgiving" -- thanksgiving to God, that is.
Instead, she writes, "This was pure celebration. "
Odd. That's not the way the Pilgrims themselves remembered it. Listen
again to the account by William Bradford, who was actually there: "The
Lord sent them such seasonable showers," Bradford writes, that "through
His blessing [there was] a fruitful and liberal harvest. . . . For which
mercy . . . they set apart a day of thanksgiving. "
Why aren't we hearing this side of the Thanksgiving story?
Some historians seem to view America's Christian heritage with about as
much enthusiasm as they would a plateful of Hamburger Helper on the
Thanksgiving table. And I can think of at least one reason: It has
become a fun game for secularists to deride Christians as poor,
ignorant, and easily led.
But far from being easily led, the Pilgrims themselves led the way to
settle the New World.
These people sailed across dangerous oceans without the benefit of a
government grant. They built their own housing in freezing weather
without the assistance of a public works program. And when they fell
sick, they didn't look to a government health program to take care of
them. Even in the face of death, they nurtured a thankful spirit to God.
It's difficult to poke fun at hardy souls like these, men and women of
strong character and stronger faith -- which may explain why secular
historians prefer to pretend they never existed.
Christians need to read the books our own children are getting and look
for accurate versions of the Pilgrim story. And if we can't find them,
we may have to start writing our own books.
If it takes a Dead Pilgrims Society to preserve our Christian past, show
me where to sign up.
This commentary was originally aired on November 27, 1997.
http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/15879
http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-search/entry/13/10052

http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-search/entry/13/11930

http://www.colsoncenterstore.org/product.asp?sku=0849958644&affiliate=8774780100B