Roger Meyer

We have all seen or read tragic news stories about a child being killed by this or that means, or dying of a dreaded disease like cancer or leukemia. Somehow death seems worse when it is a child or young person who had all their hopes and dreams ahead of them. But the death of any loved one, no matter whether young or old, is emotionally painful.

There is a comedian by the name of Jeff Foxworthy who originated the line, "If you (do this or that) … you might be a Redneck!"  On this Thanksgiving Day holiday that started with Pilgrims – just for fun – let's adopt this gimmick to see if "…you might be a Pilgrim!"

Most people have heard the famous quote from President Abraham Lincoln: "You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." There is truth in that statement. But it is also a scary thought that you or I can be fooled at least some of the time. I don't want to be fooled. Do you?

In the coming weeks, tens of millions of children the world over will be getting ready to dress up in strange costumes and scary-faced masks to go door to door and beg for candy treats by saying, "Trick or treat!" At the same time, teens and adults are also getting ready to attend parties and gatherings to celebrate this strange holiday by donning costumes that are ghoulish, bizarre, or risqué.

Most people don't realize it, but their religion is a blend of paganism and Christianity. Is that a good thing? Does it make any difference to God that at least part of one's beliefs and practices came from a pagan religion?