Celebrating the core values of Christianity!

Despite an increasing number of people losing interest, the celebration of Easter continues to be one of the most popular Christian holidays observing the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion at Calvary as described in the New Testament. 

Easter is the culmination of the Passion of Christ, preceded by Lent, a forty-day period of fasting, prayer and penance. This is the period of commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus- our Lord and Saver.

Never-the-less, the celebration of Easter vary across the Christian world, but attending sunrise services, the symbol of an empty tomb, exclaiming the Paschal greeting, clipping the church, decorating Easter eggs and egg hunting, the Easter Bunny and parades are all common motifs observed for the holiday.

But, Easter also provides several billions in commercial revenue in most Christian societies, to the extent that people are turned off as the holiday becomes too “commercialized and has lost its true meaning.”
The people may be right, but the same can be said for just about anything, as entrepreneurs are always busy seeking marketing opportunities for their goods and services.

We are in an era of advance technology and information that provide a myriad of opportunities for product development and marketing.

As of the early 21st century Christianity has around 2.58 billion followers, out of about 7 billion people. The faith represents one-third of the world's population and is the largest religion in the world. These people must have their secular and religious needs satisfied.

The so-called “commercialization” of Easter, Christmas or any other Christian holiday should not be confused with the core values of Christianity.

While, the marketers are aggressively promoting or selling goods and services, as Christians we should be focusing on the significance of Easter.

We should focus on courage, commitment and the sacrificed of Jesus Christ who died for our sins.

Happy Easter to all our readers and friends.

Our Children Need a ‘family’

As we continue to celebrate February as Black History Month it is always important for us to focus on members of our family especially the children.
    Recent data supplied by the Children’s Defense Fund revealed that a significant number of our kids are being raised out side of the nuclear family that includes a husband, his wife, and children.
    The reliable consanguineal or extended family that includes parents and children co-reside with other members of one parent's family is also fading away among the Africans American and Black communities. About five percent of our Black children live with grandparents and just over two percent live with other relatives.
    Several studies cited the absence of family structure for the social and economic challenges affecting our children.         As many of our children are left without family support systems, they are often face with daunting challenges.
    For example, fewer than 40 percent of all Black children live with two parents, compared to about 75 percent of White children. Over 70 percent of Black babies are born to unmarried mothers, more than twice the rate for White babies and higher  than any other racial or ethnic group.
    Black children are more than twice as likely as other children to live with neither parent, while fifty percent of Black children live with only their mother who in most cases cannot afford to maintain the children.
    According to the Children’s Defense Fund the median income for a Black female-headed household with one or more children and without a husband present was $22,158, barely above the poverty level for a family of three. Almost half of Black female-headed households with children were poor.
    Low income, unemployment, lack of prenatal care, poor health and being uninsured, put young children at high risk of entering the ‘cradle to prison pipeline.’ Black youth also have the highest unemployment rate and nearly one in three Black high school graduates age 16 to 24 are unemployed. 
    While there are several other issues contributing negatively to the social and economic well-being of African Americans, the absence of the family structure has compounded the problems.
    As we celebrate February as Black History Month, let us give our children a “family.”