MARINA DEL REY, CA--Thanksgiving has traditionally been a time to thank God for good fortune. This tradition needs to be changed because human beings, not God, are responsible for the bounty we celebrate on Thanksgiving, said a senior writer for the Ayn Rand Institute.
     "Thanksgiving should be divested of any religious overtones," said Andrew Bernstein. "Instead, we should turn Thanksgiving into a wholly secular celebration of production and individual ability."
     Bernstein noted that, from medieval Europe to modern Iran, religion, even when it promotes "hard work," has always been the enemy of economic production and human achievement.
     "It is America's adherence to reason, not religious dogma, that has caused it to become the world's model of wealth creation," said Bernstein. "Contrary to the claims of the world's clerics, man is responsible for creating wealth and bounty--not God, nature or luck."
     Bernstein said that instead of Americans bowing their heads in humility at Thanksgiving dinner, they should raise their heads and glasses to toast themselves, their friends and their family in celebration of a bountiful and productive year.

     Ayn Rand Institute senior writer Andrew Bernstein is available for interviews.