Happy Christmas!
Thanksgiving and Puritan Reflections: I hate Thanksgiving and the hate the sins and heresies of the Puritans. I have told many of my family members and friends, that I hate Thanksgiving, because I do not like the Pilgrims. Needless-to-say they think, I am crazy. However, I do not care, if they think, I am crazy. It has been said, that an artist cannot create artwork without being a little crazy. Granted there is mental illness craziness and there is creativity, which most "normal" people deem to be craziness. My dislike of Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims are not mainstream views, but neither is my view, that sex belongs 100% inside of a marriage between one man and one woman, but my view on sex is 100% right due to the teachings of Holy Scripture and this is my blog post and the Deep State has not thrown us in Nazi style concentration camps called FEMA detention centers yet, so I will say, what I feel led by the Holy Spirit to believe, confess, say, and write. I may stand alone, but being right on controversial issues is worth the loneliness. This blog post, even though it is a little lengthy, is a survey of the History of the Puritans and Thanksgiving.
Who are the Puritans? The Puritans were a radical Calvinist sect within the Church of England during the 1600's and the Pilgrims were Puritans. King Henry VIII founded the Church of England, when he divorced his first wife, Queen Catherine of Aragon, and he broke away from the Roman Catholic Church. The Church of England aka Anglicanism aka The Anglican Church is a hybrid Christian tradition. Anglicanism is a combination of Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Calvinism. Anglicans can believe a variety of different doctrines taught by Catholic, Lutheran, and Calvinist congregations and church bodies. Some Anglicans tend to be more Roman Catholic like King Henry VIII, but some Anglicans tend to be more Lutheran like the former members of The Church of the Holy Nativity (Anglican) in Lima, Ohio (they became Missouri Synod Lutherans and joined Immanuel Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Lima, Ohio, after their church closed) and some Anglicans tend to be more Calvinist like his Grace Archbishop James Ussher Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, who will be one of the main figures discussed in my upcoming history book called Martin Luther, William Tyndale, James Ussher, and their Work in Classics: With Other Christian Essays. However, the Puritans were radical Calvinists and they made his Grace Archbishop Ussher look either Lutheran or Catholic. John Calvin probably would have considered Archbishop Ussher and the other Calvinist Anglicans his brothers and sisters in Christ, but he would have probably channeled Jesus by telling the Puritans, if he would have ever met them, "Depart from me, you workers of evil. I never knew you."
The Puritans were evil rebels, who overthrew the English King, Charles I, and they set out to destroy Christmas in England and to violate the civil liberties of the English people. Oliver Cromwell was the leader of the Puritans and he became a military dictator in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Puritans beheaded King Charles I. They outlawed Christmas. They outlawed the theater. They outlawed drinking alcohol. They hated the Irish, who were predominately Roman Catholic.
Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans hated Christmas, because it was "too Catholic." Puritans hated Catholics, liturgical Anglicans, Lutherans, and pretty much anyone, who was not on board with their radical Calvinism. Puritans were against anything, that had the appearance of Catholicism. Let us look at the word "Christmas." Christmas is two words put together; Christ and Mass. Christ is the Greek word for Messiah. Jesus is the Messiah for both Jews and non-Jews. Mass is a word, which merely means a Christian worship service with ancient Christian liturgy. A Mass usually has Holy Communion, but it does not have to. Therefore Christmas is a worship service celebrating Jesus as the Messiah of all people. Christmas is also a festival, holiday, and season.
Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans outlawed going to church on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in England, because that was "too Catholic." The English Government under the control of the Puritans made it illegal for stores to close on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The Puritans used armed men to force English shopkeepers to open their stores and to keep churches empty on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Angry English peasants went to the stores with gun, pitchforks, shovels, and anything else, they could use, and they forced the English shopkeepers to close their stores back down in honor of Jesus and His Virgin Birth. There were probably mixed reactions from the shopkeepers. Some of the shopkeepers probably agreed with the English peasants and some of them probably agreed with the Puritans. Either way I stand with the English peasants; all stores should be closed on Christmas Day and they should close by 4 PM or 5 PM on Christmas Eve.
Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans outlawed the theater. Puritans believed, that basically anything fun was automatically sinful. English theaters were neither totally pure or free from sin. However, having theaters and plays is not sinful in and of itself. English theaters were problematic, because women were not allowed to participate in plays as actresses. Young boys played female roles, which led to pedophilia and other sexual sins backstage. Plus it was discriminatory to forbid women from being actresses. So why not outlaw theaters? The problem was not having English theaters, rather the problem was not allowing women to play female roles. The laws should have been changed sooner, so women could have played female roles in plays. So instead of fixing the real problem with English theaters, the Puritans just outlawed them. This caused many people lose their vocations and paychecks. There were no unemployment checks coming for the unemployed actors and other theater workers.
Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans outlawed drinking alcohol in England, because they believed, that The Holy Bible condemns drinking as a sin. However, drinking alcohol is not condemned as sinful in The Holy Bible. The Holy Bible condemns alcoholism and worshiping alcohol. Jesus turned water in wine. No, it was not grape juice. Yes, Jesus allowed the people at the Wedding Feast at Cana to get drunk. This was one of many signs, which proved, that Jesus is truly the Messiah, Savior of the world, Son of God, and equally God with the Father Yahweh and the Holy Spirit. Granted we can live without entertainment and drinking alcohol, but we cannot live without celebrating the Virgin Birth of Jesus and the Mass of our Messiah.
Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans were evil racists and murderers. Cromwell invaded Ireland with a radical and barbaric host of Puritan fanatics, who viewed the Irish as sub-human animals. The Irish and the English had a very long, bloody, and hate-filled history anyway, but the Puritans only made things worse. Most Irish believe, that Oliver Cromwell is burning in Hell for his genocide against the Irish. If it would be possible for me to interview Oliver Cromwell for a history book, then I would have to go to Hell to hear his side of the story. I really do not care for excessive heat, worms, Satan, or Satan's demons, so an interview is out of the question, even if it was possible. Plus a baptized and believing Christian cannot go to Hell without losing his or her Salvation. Oliver Cromwell was an English Hitler.
After a while the majority of English people grew tired of the Puritans destroying Christmas and violating the civil liberties of the English people, so the English people overthrew the Puritan government, restored the monarchy, reestablished the Church of England, reopened the theaters, starting drinking alcohol again (at least legally), and most importantly resurrected Christmas from the dead. As Jesus resurrected from the dead so many years ago in Roman occupied Israel, Christmas resurrected from the dead in Post-Puritan England. The English people let the Puritans know, that their tyrannical government was no longer welcome in England, because they oppressive and they hated Christmas.
So what about Thanksgiving? Earlier on in English History, before Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans rose to power in England, the Pilgrims aka the Separatists, who were the even more radical Puritans, felt the need to leave England for Holland, but, then the Dutch got tired of dealing with them, so they were forced to set sail for North America. These Puritans were called Pilgrims and they set-up "New England" on the eastern coast of North America.
The First Thanksgiving was a celebration between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans aka American Indians. The Pilgrims struggled during their first winter in New England and many of them died. Then the spring came and the Native Americans aka American Indians helped them plant corn and other vegetables. After their struggles were over, the Pilgrims ate the First Thanksgiving Feast with the Native Americans aka American Indians. Later generations of Puritans living in New England treated the Native Americans aka American Indians like wild animals and they killed many of them.
The Puritans were a very judgmental people. They were radical Calvinists. John Calvin believed, taught, and confessed, that Yahweh chose only certain people for Heaven, who were called "the Elect," and everyone else He chose to burn in Hell. Calvin also believed, taught, and confessed, that Jesus only died for the Elect. The big problem with the Puritans was, that they decided to chose the Elect for Yahweh, even though they failed to realize, that they were trying to take Yahweh's Job of being God the Father away from Him. Yeah, Satan tried to do that too and it did not work out very well. However, Yahweh, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit desire to give Salvation to every single person for and the Elect is all of the baptized and believing Christians. The Elect is a group of people, who is constant growing in numbers and shrinking in numbers, because many of them die and go Heaven and many of them lose their Salvation sadly. The Puritans' lack of understanding, that Jesus' Atonement on the Cross at Calvary is universal, led them to pick and chose, who was elect and who was not elect. This picking and choosing of the Elect by the Puritans was one of many factors, which brought on the Salem Witch Trials. Plus the young Puritan girls accusing everyone of being witches in Salem, Massachusetts was a violation of the Eighth Commandment. Yahweh said, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." Granted the Puritans were not teaching their children Luther's Small Catechism. Martin Luther quoted Yahweh's Divine Mandate to not slander against our neighbor and Luther challenges everyone to love our neighbors, not to slander their reputation, and to put the best construction on their words and actions. Granted that can be really hard to do, even with the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of baptized and believing Christians, but Jesus kept God's Law perfectly and He continues to keep God's Law perfectly, because He is perfect.
So what shall we do with Thanksgiving then? Celebrating holidays and holy days is optional. I personally do not like Thanksgiving, because of the Pilgrims, but I love Christmas. Celebrating either holiday, Thanksgiving or Christmas, will not send anyone to either Heaven or Hell. Neither holiday is mentioned anywhere in the Holy Scriptures, but the Holy Scriptures do teach us to be thankful for all the blessings, which Yahweh, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit give us each and everyday, and the Virgin Birth is a major Doctrine in Holy Scripture. Please see the Introduction in my latest Christian romance novel The Rising of The Moon Book 2: Faith, Hope, and Love for an in-dept look at the Virgin Birth of Jesus and the Virgin Mary.
I merely observe Thanksgiving; I do NOT celebrate it, because I do not like the Pilgrims. I think, everyone should get Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and Easter Sunday totally off from work and school, unless they work at a gas station, in a nursing home, hospital, or similar institution. Companies, which make their workers work on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and/or Easter Sunday, are selfish and greedy. I do not even like Thanksgiving and even I still think, everyone should get the day off minus the exceptions. With that being said, I hope, you have Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and Easter Sunday off and you can spend the day doing, what you think is good. Hopefully you will find yourself in church on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Easter Sunday, and everyday, that the church doors are open.
How will I be spending Thanksgiving? I will be spending the day with my family by having two traditional Thanksgiving meals, going on a walk with my cousin Jordan, complaining about how terrible, the Pilgrims were, getting my family members to sign-up to bring food to our family Christmas party, which my grandma, Rozella, and I will be hosting, and listening to Christmas Carols. Hopefully I will be putting up some more Christmas decorations as well on Thanksgiving. How will you spend yours?
November 2019 Book Signings: My 2019 Christmas Book Signings will take place in November 2019, but I haven't decided yet, if I'm having any Christmas Book Signings in December 2019.
1. I’ll be having a book signing at Jen’s Furniture and Collectibles (JFC) on High Street in between Circle K Gas Station and Zion Lutheran Church (NALC) on Black Friday 2019 (November 29, 2019) from noon to 6 PM.
2. I'll be having a book signing at the 2019 Holiday Showcase Craft and Vendor Show at The Centre at 601 N. Main Street in Bluffton, Ohio on Small Business Saturday 2019 (November 30, 2019) from 11 AM to 3 PM.
Christmas Tree Festival 2019: I will again have my slim Christmas Tree set up at the 2019 Allen County Christmas Tree Festival at the Allen County Museum at 620 W. Market Street in Lima, Ohio. My slim Christmas Tree will again have all green lights on it and it shall also have Irish decorations on it. I plan on standing next to my Christmas Tree singing Christmas Carols in English, German, and Latin at random times during the festival, but I will try to be there once a day. The Christmas Tree Festival is a totally FREE event, but donations to the museum are greatly appreciated. The 2019 Christmas Tree Festival will be celebrated at the Allen County Museum from Wednesday December 4, 2019 to Sunday December 8, 2019. The festival hours will be Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday 10 AM to 5 PM, Friday 10 AM to 8 PM, and Sunday noon to 5 PM.
General Rule About Book Signings: I’ll be signing copies of my Christian romance novels The Rising of The Moon Book 1: Changing Tides Part 1 and The Rising of The Moon Book 1: Changing Tides Part 2 and my latest book The Rising of The Moon Book 2: Faith, Hope, and Love and my Greek and Roman Mythology book A Survey of Classical Mythology at all of my book signings. More books are coming soon! :)
Stores Carrying My Books: My new books, which I’ve written and published, are also available at the following stores: Brunner News Agency on Flanders Avenue in Lima, Ohio, Jen’s Furniture and Collectibles (JFC) on High Street in St. Marys, Ohio, The Menagerie at 1178 Indiana Avenue in the St. Marys Business Complex in St. Marys, Ohio, Readmore Hallmark Stores out at Eastgate Plaza and on Elm Street in Lima, Ohio, Wagner’s IGA Grocery Store in Minster, Ohio, in the Book Mart section of ohiobookmart.com, and in the Shop section of my website ohioirishlutheranpress.com .
Thank you and Happy Christmas!
James W. O’Flannery, President and Founder of Ohio Irish Lutheran Press (OIL Press)