Happy October 31st

Christians in general, and Black Christians in particular are beginning to abandon the recognition of Halloween.  Many churches, like my own, offer Halloween alternatives where kids can dress up and play games without going door-to-door begging for candy.  A friend recently told me he doesn't recognize Halloween because it is a pagan celebration.  My question to that response is generally this:

Do you put up a Christmas Tree during the Christmas season? 

The Christmas Tree was derived from pagan observances and celebrations. See Wikipedia or this Origin Site.  I think it's great to give children a way to celebrate the day indoors or in one place rather than driving around searching for a sugar rush.  But we must realize that we pick and choose what we recognize and celebrate.

We need to recognize that HIV and AIDS are affecting our black youth and black women at alarming rates.  We need to recognize that black men are killing each other every day, in cities all across the country.  We need to recognize that our kids are dropping out of school at an all time rate.

We need to stop celebrating music artists who degrade our women in song and on videos, and then thank their "Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" at the awards shows.  We need to stop celebrating athletes more than scholars.  We need to stop celebrating playas and hustlers more than lawyers and doctors.  We're all guilty, and we're all responsible for getting it back right. 

Anyway, what was this post about???  Oh yeah, be safe, have fun and Happy Hallo….no, no, I mean, well….have a good day.