“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” — Psalm 100:4
Throughout God’s Word, we read about the importance of offering our heartfelt thanks to Him through prayer and worship, as well as the transformative power of our praise. However, the Bible also reveals that thanksgiving is more than just words. In Hebrew, the word for “thanksgiving,” todah, comes from the ancient yadah, meaning “to give thanks.” Yadah is another form of yud, originally written to look like a hand and arm.
Yud means giving thanks through work or actions. Gratitude isn’t just spoken—it’s demonstrated through what we do. St. Thomas Aquinas put it this way: “Therefore gratitude always inclines, as far as possible, to pay back something more.” Jesus taught that loving God and loving our neighbor are inseparable. Our gratitude calls us to love God with all our hearts and to love the rest of His Creation as ourselves.
None of us would choose to endure the horrors of factory farming or a terrifying, painful death in a slaughterhouse. We shouldn’t choose that fate for someone else. At Thanksgiving and every day, we can show the same selfless love to the world that both God and His Son modeled by living compassionately.
Turkeys are highly intelligent, sensitive, and affectionate. Those who enjoy happy lives at sanctuaries often follow humans around seeking treats and attention, much like dogs do. They’ve even been known to fall asleep in people’s laps while being petted. They blush and will sometimes make purring sounds like cats. Turkeys love music and can sing along, and they enjoy playing with a round piece of fruit like a ball. And these birds are deeply devoted friends and family members. Wild flocks sleep in trees and do a roll call in the morning to make sure everyone is OK.
Most turkeys killed for this Thanksgiving will never experience the joys of life. Instead, they endure unimaginable suffering on farms—even those labeled “humane.” A PETA investigation into Plainville Farms, a Whole Foods supplier that claims to produce “humane” turkey in a “stress-free environment,” revealed workers kicking, throwing, choking, and stomping on birds, tying their snoods together and laughing, hitting them with an iron bar, and standing on their heads. Authorities filed 141 cruelty charges—the most in any case involving factory-farmed animals in U.S. history. But the cruelty PETA documented is similar to what investigators have found at every farm and slaughterhouse they’ve visited.
It is easier than ever to show gratitude to God by extending Christlike mercy and compassion to His creation. Savory vegan roasts from Gardein, Tofurky, Field Roast, and more are widely available, simple to prepare, and make a festive holiday centerpiece. Classic sides like green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and glazed carrots, and almost any family-favorite pie or cake can easily be made vegan with plant butters, milks, cheeses, and eggs.
Download PETA’s ultimate ThanksVegan guide for delicious recipes, easy-to-follow videos, and shopping lists for a feast that’s truly full of thanksgiving.
