Clearly, this wasn't the Pilgrim fathers' understanding. They had come to Massachusetts, not to escape God, rather to find Him in His fullness. They bowed the knee in voluntary recognition of His power and might. He was more than "a" truth. He was Truth itself. "Praise God from whom all blessings flow," is one of the better-known deductions from this same acknowledgment.

God's allegedly special connection to the United States of America is grossly overstated, not least by over-repetition of John Winthrop's image of the "Citty upon a Hill." Still, in religious terms -- the terms in which most American continue to think -- no God, no blessings; no blessings, no thanksgiving; no thanksgivings -- daily or annual, formal or informal -- no conquest of pride, lust, anger and malice. In the end: no God, no human freedom.

America's long love affair with the Lord may unsettle particular Americans. These, on Thanksgiving, are free if they like to glom an extra drumstick, watch football 'til the world looks level, and render praises to instinct, evolution or whatever comes to mind. They will miss the point. But to miss even the point of all points -- isn't that just one more God-given right on a virtually endless roster?