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This week on Faith On Trial: A look at what's ahead

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This week on Faith On Trial: Girls Banned from wearing 'Save Girl's Sports' t-shirts; School denies request for Bible club

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Keisha Toni Russell's book information: keishatonirussell.com/uncommon-courage/

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

 

Thanksgiving 2024

 By Deacon Mike Manno

          Thanksgiving is that one, unique American holiday that serves as an introduction to the Christmas season. It is both cultural and religious, depending on your particular point of view, which can embrace either one or both at the same time.

          Hopefully, most will see the holiday as a time for family, fellowship, and gratitude for those things for which this life has provided us. For many it will be a day of loneliness and regret. Others will take the day as a simple day away from our normal routine and cares.

          But there are a few things, that in this time of deep political and secular divisions, will unify most Americans: food, football, and parades. Let’s quickly look at all three.

          Food: While turkey seems to be the popular main dish for the day, its historical links to the holiday are rather murky. It is generally thought that the Pilgrims feasted on turkey at the first Thanksgiving celebration with the Indians. However, there is no indication turkey was on the menu that day. But, for religious people of that day, a celebration of thanks would normally have occurred after a successful harvest, which, for an agrarian people, would suggest the possibility of game birds, but nothing more special than that.

          There were similar thanksgivings celebrated by Spanish settlers in Florida which pre-date the Pilgrims, yet their diet would more likely have been fish, lobster, clams, and oysters, not turkey.

          So why is turkey the staple of Thanksgiving dinners? Most likely the idea was popularized by Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, published in 1843. It also should be remembered that as Thanksgiving became more popular in America, wild turkeys had become plentiful and cheap to acquire. Thus, turkeys are more an accident of history than a specific diet for a special day.

          Parades: The largest and best known of the Thanksgiving parades is the Macy’s parade in New York. It is televised throughout the United States, as well as elsewhere, by two national networks: the official broadcast by NBC and an unofficial one by CBS. On NBC you will hear references to Macy, on CBS you won’t.  

          The Macy’s parade was televised in 1939, and NBC has been the official broadcast since 1953. The “unauthorized” coverage by CBS began when the parade went by its New York studios. The outdoor public events could be broadcast by anyone, but since NBC had the rights to broadcast the parade, certain logos and performers could not be shown by CBS, which calls the parade simply, The Thanksgiving Day Parade, rather than the official title, The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  

          The Macy’s parade began in 1924, which makes it the second oldest – Philadelphia was first in 1920 with Gimbel’s parade, started by Ellis Gimbel to popularize his department store. The Macy’s parade started with store employees marching to the store in festive costumes. Both parades end with the appearance of Santa Clause, but in Philly in 1920 Santa not only appeared, but he also climbed a fire department ladder to Gimbel’s eighth floor, where the toy department was located, and climbed through the window.

          The same year Macy’s started, Detroit began its American Thanksgiving Parade, tying it for second oldest. It was started by the J. L. Hudson department store, and while the other parades are famous for balloon figures, Detroit is famous for the use of the Big Head Corps, a collection of papier-mâché heads, and the Distinguished Clown Corps of civic and business leaders dressed as clowns.

          All three of the parades have appeared each Thanksgiving, save for the war years in the early 40s in which Macy’s and Detroit cancelled. During the Covid year 2020 the parades were produced but closed to the public who could only see it on television or via computer.

          One of the most iconic uses of the Macy’s parade was in the 1947 film Miracle on 34^th Street, which follows the hiring of an old man, who calls himself Kris Kringle, as the parade and store Santa Clause and his relationship to a young girl, Susan Walker, played by a young Natalie Wood. The movie used actual footage of the 1946 parade.

          Of course, there are other places where Thanksgiving parades are held, but these three seem to be the oldest and best known.

          Football: It is now a tradition that three NFL games are broadcast on Thanksgiving Day. The tradition started in 1920 in a similar fashion to the collegiate practice of Thanksgiving play.

          The history of the Thanksgiving game dates back to 1876 before the NFL was formed. The University of Michigan hosted 19 Thanksgiving Day games starting in 1885. Michigan’s game against the Chicago Maroons in 1890 has been cited as the beginning of the tradition of Thanksgiving Day football.

          Founded in Canton, Ohio in 1920, the National Foodball League and several teams did play on Thanksgiving. In Detroit the Lions started the tradition of hosting a Thanksgiving game in 1934 to get people to go to the Lions’ games. The Lions lost that first game to the Chicago Bears (16-13) before a sold-out crowd. The Lions have played in 83 such games over the years with a 37-44-2 record.

          In 1966 a second Thanksgiving game was added by the Dallas Cowboys, and a third game was added in 2006 to satisfy the AFC who was restricted to only play as a visiting team since both Thanksgiving home teams, Detroit and Dallas, were NFC clubs.

          During the 1939 and 1940 seasons, only the Pittsburg Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles played on Thanksgiving Day due to President Franklin Roosevelt who moved the normal day for Thanksgiving from the last Thursday of November to the second to last Thursday. He did so because he thought that it would spur another week of Christmas shopping during the Great Depression. The president’s date conflicted with that of some states and was referred to as Franksgiving.

          I guess the point here is that no matter how you spend the day, try to remember what it is first and foremost: family, friends, and faith. After that, enjoy the turkey, watch the parade, and relax to a lot of football, if that is your taste. Can life get any better?

The Rich Heritage of Giving Thanks for American Liberty

ORLANDO, FL – Thanksgiving is one of the most cherished holidays in America, as it is firmly rooted in family, community, and above all, gratitude for God’s grace and provision. From the Pilgrims to the Founders, to the Civil War through today, Thanksgiving remains steeped in the biblical principles of humble prayer and gratitude that honor God for the inspiration of American liberty and all that it took to achieve it. 

While Thanksgiving certainly echoes the early biblical harvest festivals, such as the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), a time when the Israelites gave thanks for God’s provision during the harvest season (Leviticus 23:33–43), the first Thanksgiving is traditionally traced back to 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Pilgrims, seeking religious liberty and escape from persecution, saw the New World in America as an opportunity to practice their religion freely and to create a society based on their faith and values. The Pilgrims spent 66 days at sea aboard the Mayflower to reach America, including sailing through treacherous storms. Prior to going ashore in Plymouth, they voted to establish a new form of government in the New World and signed America’s first governing document, the Mayflower Compact. 

In the Mayflower Compact, the Pilgrims clearly stated both their voyage and new government was for “the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.” This agreement also established the idea of “just and equal laws” for self-government made by and for the people, a forebear of American democracy. The Pilgrims would then develop relations with the native Wampanoag people who taught them their farming and survival skills. Those who survived the subsequent harsh winter, which took many lives, decided to celebrate their first successful harvest. As Christians, the Pilgrims celebrated their survival, community, and harvest with expressions of gratitude and prayers of thanksgiving emphasizing their reliance on divine grace and providence for their newfound liberty.

Though not uniform, Thanksgiving-like celebrations would become common in the colonies during the 17th and 18th centuries and were often marked by community feasts and religious observances. It wasn’t until 1789 that President George Washington would further inspire the Thanksgiving holiday by issuing the first official Thanksgiving proclamation under America’s new Constitution. Leading up to the Constitution, Washington led the Continental Army, as its general, through many battles and hardships, including harsh winters, food shortages, inadequate clothing and supplies, and intense psychological strain from family separations, suffering of comrades, and the fear of death. It is estimated about 25,000 American soldiers died in the Revolutionary War for the cause of liberty from combat, disease, and British captivity. Despite these overwhelming challenges, Washington understood that his army’s resilience, sacrifices, and ultimate victory were not powered by men alone but also by divine providence. As President, Washington expressed liberty is a natural, God-given right, and he connected hard-won American liberty to a people who honored God and the Christian Faith.   

In the nation’s first inaugural address in 1789, President Washington said, “…the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained; and since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered, perhaps, as deeply, as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”

Later that year, President Washington proclaimed November 26 as a day of national thanksgiving and prayer. He called on Americans to “acknowledge the providence of Almighty God” for the nation's liberty, independence, and blessings. He proclaimed that Americans should offer “sincere and humble thanks” for God’s “manifold mercies” for victory in the war, in establishing the Constitution, and for the “religious liberty” conferred on the nation by God. 

“…we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks…for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed, for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness…,” proclaimed Washington.

By 1815, the various state governments had issued at least 1,400 official prayer proclamations, almost half for times of thanksgiving and prayer and the other half for times of fasting and prayer. However, much of the credit for America’s national Thanksgiving holiday belongs to Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale, often called the “Mother of Thanksgiving.”

Leading up to the American Civil War, Hale saw a Thanksgiving holiday as a way to potentially heal and unify the nation through honoring its roots. As a writer and editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, Hale campaigned for decades to make Thanksgiving a national holiday by writing letters to presidents and publishing articles commending the virtues of gratitude and prayer. As so, she wrote to President Abraham Lincoln advocating for a national Thanksgiving holiday.

During the darkest days of the Civil War, Lincoln was visiting the battlegrounds at Gettysburg. This bloodiest battle in American history claimed approximately 60,000 lives. As Lincoln walked among the thousands of graves at Gettysburg, he committed his life to Jesus Christ. Lincoln conveyed to a clergyman, “When I left Springfield [to assume the presidency], I asked the people to pray for me. I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life, I was not a Christian. But when I went to Gettysburg and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ.” 

After Gettysburg, Lincoln was deeply influenced by Hale’s advocacy for a national Thanksgiving holiday. On October 3, 1863, Lincoln issued a formal proclamation that set aside the last Thursday of that November as the first annual National Day of Thanksgiving and Praise. 

President Lincoln proclaimed, “In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and provoke their aggressions, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict…No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.” 

Thanksgiving is a cornerstone of American heritage. America’s fabric is woven with gratitude because the gift of American liberty – achieved through the faith, struggle, and immense sacrifice – requires it.  From the story of the first Thanksgiving to the proclamations of yesteryear and of today, the expressions of prayerful gratitude by the people of the Mayflower, the Colonies, the American Revolution, and the American Republic are deeply inspired by God’s providential hand on the nation, as well as the belief that the survival of the nation depends on the biblical values and the gratefulness of its citizenry. As historically celebrated, Thanksgiving is a humble, yet powerful way to express timeless thankfulness for the biblical notion that “Where there the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1)

Trump FDA appointee is pro-life

Trump has appointed pro-life physician Dr. Marty Makary as head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), opening the possibility of reversing the agency’s illegal approval of the abortion pill. Abortion pills, controversially fast-tracked for FDA approval over 20 years ago, now account for well over half of abortions in the United States.  READ

Homan visits border, vows to end humanitarian crisis

Tom Homan met with Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday at the state’s border with Mexico, where the soon-to-be border czar reiterated President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to “finish the job” of ending the humanitarian border crisis. In his remarks, Homan – a Catholic – emphasized a need to address violations of human dignity such as sex trafficking and people smuggling. READ

Judge refuses to hear witnesses’ arguments in emergency hearing over Mountain West Conference’s covert adoption of ‘transgender player policy’

CV NEWS FEED // Judge S. Katon Crews on November 21 prevented witnesses from testifying and only heard lawyers’ arguments in a lawsuit against a collegiate athletic conference’s covert adoption of a “transgender player policy” that allowed male player Blaire (Brayden) Fleming to compete on San Jose University’s volleyball team.

Outkick reports that four of the plaintiffs, including San Jose University volleyball team co-captain Brooke Slusser and assistant head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose, were set to testify at the hearing against Mountain West Conference, the regional athletic conference comprising eight Western states. However, Crews, a Biden appointee, decided on November 20 that the hearing would not include witness testimony.

The plaintiffs’ lawyers argued that the Mountain West Conference’s adoption of the “Transgender Player Policy” violates Title IX and the players’ First Amendment Rights. Most importantly, they pointed to the fact that the Conference quietly added the policy to the handbook in September.

Journalist Dan Zaksheske, who covered the event for Outkick, posted to his X account that lawyers stated, “Our clients should not be bound by a rule that was hidden from them.” 

Outkick states that Mountain West’s lawyers admitted that adding the policy to the handbook was not chosen by vote, and it was a choice made by conference staff. The policy was voted on and ratified in 2022, but it was only added to the handbook in September 2024, without notice, after the controversy around the San Jose transgender player started.

Zaksheske posted to his X account that the plaintiffs’ lawyers responded to this admission.

“In rebuttal, plaintiffs lawyer argues that the defense just admitted to a violation of Mountain West bylaws to add ‘Transgender Participation Policy’ to its handbook on the same day Boise State forfeited against SJSU,” the post said.

Boise State was the first team to forfeit against San Jose.

Outkick observes, “That raises the question of why the Mountain West had an official policy that wasn’t included in its handbook and if they have other ‘secret’ policies that are not publicly known.”

The plaintiffs’ lawyers requested injunctive relief before the Mountain West Conference tournament on November 27 for three things: to disqualify San Jose State’s male player Blaire (born Brayden) Fleming from playing, to overturn losses of teams who forfeited against San Jose, and to overturn the corresponding wins of San Jose.

Samantha Kelley, the founder of and president of FIERCE Athlete and a former varsity soccer player, offered a comment to CatholicVote on the adoption of the policy. She stated that she and her organization “stand for the integrity of women’s sports and also the anthropological difference between men and women.”

UNITED AIRLINES FIRES CATHOLIC EMPLOYEE WHO CRITICIZED ‘PRIDE’

United Airlines fired Catholic flight attendant Ruben Sanchez after he criticized the LGBTQ movement during a flight. CatholicVote Vice President Joshua Mercer stated: “It appears that a Catholic flight attendant was fired for simply sharing his Catholic faith. …We need answers. Catholics deserve to know if United respects their faith.”  READ

Targeted for Speaking Truth: Brave Female Student Athletes Challenge Woke Policies Threatening Girls' Sports and Free Speech

Murrieta, CA— Today, two high school female athletes and their families filed a federal lawsuit against the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) and school officials at Martin Luther King High School, alleging violations of their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights as well as Title IX protections. The plaintiffs, K.S., a ninth-grade cross-country athlete, and T.S., an eleventh-grade cross-country athlete and team captain, contend that RUSD’s policies unfairly restrict their freedom of expression and deny them fair and equal access to athletic opportunities.

The lawsuit stems from incidents where both athletes wore shirts bearing the messages “Save Girls’ Sports” and “It’s Common Sense. XX ≠ XY” in support of biological standards for female sports. School officials ordered the students to remove or conceal the shirts, claiming they created a “hostile” environment, comparing wearing these shirts to wearing a swastika in front of Jewish students..

In addition to free speech concerns, the complaint highlights RUSD’s failure to comply with Title IX, which guarantees equal athletic opportunities based on biological sex. T.S. was ousted from her position on the varsity cross-country team to make room for a biological male transgender athlete who did not consistently attend practices and failed to meet the varsity team’s strict qualifying requirements. As a result, T.S. missed opportunities to compete at a high-profile meet, losing valuable chances for college recruitment and recognition.

The plaintiffs argue that the school’s selective enforcement of dress codes and failure to uphold Title IX policies violate their constitutional rights and place female athletes at an unfair disadvantage. The lawsuit seeks to affirm the students’ right to express their views, ensure fair athletic opportunities for female students, and hold RUSD accountable for policies that the plaintiffs allege are discriminatory.

The plaintiffs are seeking declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent further suppression of their free speech rights, a judgment affirming Title IX protections for female athletes, and compensation for damages incurred.

Father loses fight to stop his ex-wife castrating their 12-year-old son

 'I lost all parental rights to my sons. Goodbye, boys,' Jeff Younger wrote on X (formerly Twitter). 'California Judge Juhas gave my ex-wife authority to castrate my son, James.'

                                                              + + +          

LifeSiteNews) — A California judge has permanently stripped parental rights from Texas father Jeffrey Younger over his refusal to allow his 12-year-old son to be chemically and surgically castrated at the wish of the boy’s mom.

“I lost all parental rights to my sons. Goodbye, boys,” Younger wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

“Perhaps, we will meet when you are adults. California Judge [Mark] Juhas gave my ex-wife authority to castrate my son, James,” Younger wrote.

The ruling may be the end of a battle spanning back to at least 2018. Despite Younger and his twin sons living in Texas, the state supreme court allowed his wife to take the kids to California.

Younger and Anne Georgulas have been locked in a legal battle over the mother’s attempts to raise their boy James as a “girl” named “Luna,” including surgically and chemically transforming his body to more closely resemble this imposed “gender identity.”

As LifeSiteNews has reported, Younger has consistently stressed that his son’s gender confusion has been inflicted on him by Georgulas despite the boy’s own inclinations. Younger, who has incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees in his effort to protect his son, is raising money for legal, expert witness, and other expenses.

As LifeSiteNews previously reported, Younger’s ex-wife Anne Georgulas moved herself and James to radically pro-transgender California and, in January 2023, the Texas Supreme Court voted 8-1 to allow them to remain there despite Jeffrey’s objections, claiming not to see any reason the previous court order preventing her from unilaterally “transitioning” their son would not be followed – despite California having by that point enacted a law to make the denial of cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers, and “transition” surgeries a form of “child abuse and abandonment.”

“All contact with my boys must be supervised. I won’t do that. I send letters and gifts to my sons,” Younger wrote on X yesterday. “My ex is not required to give them to the boys. I cannot post pictures of my sons. Let my story be a cautionary one for young men.”

“Fathers have no rights to their children. Do not enter the family law system,” he wrote.

This week on Faith On Trial

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Biden-Harris’ Latest Attack On Religious Liberty

By Bill Donohue, Catholic League president 

As we have previously pointed out, the Biden-Harris administration is the most anti-Catholic in American history. Although their days are numbered, they are still trying to stick it to Catholics. 

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a proposed regulation last month that, if it is approved, would discriminate against Catholic entities across the nation. In order to receive a HHS contract, every entity would have to agree not to discriminate on the basis of gender identity, among other demographic categories. There are no religious exemptions afforded. 

The Catholic Church stands firm on this issue: gender ideology, the idea that sex is not rooted in nature and is fluid, is anti-science, as well as against Church teachings on sexuality. Therefore, it is unconscionable to force Catholic agencies to violate their tenets as a condition of receiving a HHS contract. This would mean, among other things, that Catholic hospitals would be forced to perform sex-reassignment surgery. 

The public has until December 2 to weigh in on this issue. The bishops already have. We need to do so now. 

We realize that leaving a comment is cumbersome—we can do nothing about it—but we have done our best to make it as easy as possible. Please take the time to sound off. Thanks. 

To Leave a Comment on the HHS Rule Change: 

1. To leave a public comment go to: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/10/03/2024-17095/hhs-acquisition-regulation-regulatory-review 

2. This will take you to the page for the proposed rule "HHS Acquisition Regulation: Regulatory Review." 

3. On the top right, just under the rule name, click the green box with "SUBMIT A PUBLIC COMMENT" written in white. 

4. This will open a small panel where you can type your comment. 

5. In the large white box next to "Comment" with the gold asterisk, you may type your comment. 

___a. Click inside the white box and begin typing 

___b. This section is mandatory 

6. Optionally, if you would prefer to upload a file, click the small green box with "+Add a file" written in white just below the large white box. 

7. You may leave the email blank. 

8. Next, you will have to complete the "Tell us about yourself! I am..." section. 

___a. You will have an option of selecting "An Individual," "An

____Organization," or "Anonymous" 

________I. To select your category, just click the circle below your choice 

___b. If you chose to submit as "An Individual," you will have to leave

___your first name and last name (the other fields are optional) 

___c. If you choose to submit as "Anonymous," you can jump to the end 

9. Finally, click the box next to "I read and understand the statement above," and click submit comment.

Thousands of babies saved through abortion pill reversal

The Abortion Pill Rescue Network has saved 6,000 babies since its founding in 2008. The network has a 24/7 hotline that connects women in 93 countries with providers who can help reverse their chemical abortions. READ