This question cropped up on Quora today and I thought it would be appropriate to post it and my answer here. It is also an opportunity to say Happy Thanksgiving to all my agnostic and atheist friends.

Who are we giving thanks to on Thanksgiving Day, if it isn't the Christian god?

Clever phrasing to create a leading question. It is based in the presupposition that the christian god is the right god — indeed the only god. Could this mean that everyone who does not believe in this particular Big Guy in the Sky is restricted from showing gratitude? Is it to be understood that because something started out a certain way that it cannot and will not be changed over time? The attitude emanating from this question is one of the reasons why many have become atheists and why the church is losing members at an increasing rate.

I have been a happy atheist/evidentialist/rationalist for over 60 years and I have watched with interest as things have changed. Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving have undergone a slow metamorphosis and are no longer what they were when they started. I know this disturbs the more fundamentalist folks, but it is the way it is. If one goes back and learns how all these holidays came into being, one realizes that they were designed for specific reasons around pagan festivals — and those reasons were largely political.

So, what I am showing my gratitude for today is none of your business, but I can guarantee you that your imaginary buddy is not included.