Why do all the world’s religions emphasize giving thanks? What are the spiritual benefits of giving thanks? The physical benefits?

Paul Handley is the managing editor of Church Times, an Anglican newspaper based in London. He has written about the need to focus on giving thanks in November and lamented the rise of Black Friday as a shopping festival.

Laura Vance is a professor of sociology and women’s studies at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, N.C. She is the author of Women in New Religions. She is also an expert on Mormon women.

Cynthia Eller is a professor of religion at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, Calif., where she specializes in women and religion and New Religious Movements. She has written several books on women and religion in prehistory and contemporary feminism.

Leslie Ludy is a Christian author and speaker and author of Set-Apart Motherhood: Reflecting Joy and Beauty in Family Life, a book that describes motherhood as a Christian calling. She is the mother of six children, four of them adopted. Her website, Set Apart Girl, is focused on what she describes as “Christ-centered femininity.” She lives […]

Lindsey Carlson is a Christian, a pastor’s wife and a mother of four who writes frequently about Christian motherhood on several blogs, including her own, Wisdomrejoices.com. She lives in Maryland. Contact via her website.

Heather MacFadyen is a Christian podcaster and blogger who writes about motherhood at GodCenteredMom.com. Contact via her website.

Christine Johnson is a cradle Catholic who says she approaches motherhood as a “domestic vocation” and writes a blog of the same name. She lives in Virginia. Contact through her website.