American Independence Day

[drekfletch]

Do any Americans here celebrate Independence Day religiously?  Or with a religious component?  I'm thinking I'd like to start.

[Darkhawk]

Do any Americans here celebrate Independence Day religiously?  Or with a religious component?  I'm thinking I'd like to start.

 
HA.  I spent this morning writing a blog post about this.

https://peacefulawakenings.wordpress.com/2012/07/04/holidays-of-the-state/

[mlr52]

Do any Americans here celebrate Independence Day religiously?  Or with a religious component?  I'm thinking I'd like to start.

 
IMO not a good idea.  The US is based on the separation of church and state, making Independence Day a religious celebration would start us down a very slippy slope.  

In addition the war of revolution was secular, not religious.

[drekfletch]

IMO not a good idea.  The US is based on the separation of church and state, making Independence Day a religious celebration would start us down a very slippy slope.  

In addition the war of revolution was secular, not religious.

 
Many religions are community centered.  Events that are important to all the community stretch to include everyone in the community.  For many of us, the gods are part of the community.

[drekfletch]

https://peacefulawakenings.wordpress.com/2012/07/04/holidays-of-the-state/

 
Heh.  I had about 10 minutes to post between the Parade and Work, and wanted to get it in before I forgot (like I did for NewYears).  So if any other readers would like an expansion of my question, go read her blog.  It includes the reasoning under the question.

[mlr52]

Many religions are community centered.  Events that are important to all the community stretch to include everyone in the community.  For many of us, the gods are part of the community.

 
IMO the choice to include one's God(s), or deity(ies) in the celebrations, if freely done is OK.  To require a religious commitment for the day is not.

[Melamphoros]

In addition the war of revolution was secular, not religious.

 
Mostly.   One of the "Intolerable Acts" was the Quebec Act which granted freedom of religion to the French-Canadian Catholics (among other things).  Naturally, there were a bunch of people in the New England Colonies that were upset by it.

[RandallS]

Do any Americans here celebrate Independence Day religiously?  Or with a religious component?  I'm thinking I'd like to start.

Some certainly do -- for some fundamentalist Protestants churches, it's almost the holy day.

[Annie Roonie]

Do any Americans here celebrate Independence Day religiously?  Or with a religious component?  I'm thinking I'd like to start.

 

If you do start and if you invite people, it would be considerate and wise to tell them it will involve a religious component.

I know of times when if blindsided by a religious component at a celebration, some guests of lesser maturity would take revenge on the home of the host for exposing his or her intimates. Not so much costly repairs but smelly cleanups would be necessary.

[cigfran]

... making Independence Day a religious celebration would start us down a very slippy slope.  

More like a swan dive right off the cliff.

[drekfletch]

 
I got an awesome and interesting, if ultimately unhelpful, omen that evening.

During the fireworks display there was a thunderstorm on the near horizon providing it's own light display.  So on the one hand, Zeus, God of Sovereignty, was giving a display to echo a display that celebrates Sovereignty of this country.  On the other hand, I couldn't decide which to watch, resulting in partial attention to both.

[mlr52]

I got an awesome and interesting, if ultimately unhelpful, omen that evening.

During the fireworks display there was a thunderstorm on the near horizon providing it's own light display.  So on the one hand, Zeus, God of Sovereignty, was giving a display to echo a display that celebrates Sovereignty of this country.  On the other hand, I couldn't decide which to watch, resulting in partial attention to both.

 
Could it have been Thor, or one of the other thunder Gods?

[Darkhawk]

Could it have been Thor, or one of the other thunder Gods?

 
I can't be too surprised that a Hellenic pagan spots theophanies of Hellenic gods.