May 22

Why All the Space Ventures?

DID you know that one of the main reasons for man’s many space ventures is the search for life beyond the earth?

Scientists who believe in evolution contend that life must have evolved on some of the other planets throughout the boundless universe. They also hope that exploration of another planet will throw light on how life began on earth.

Also, many scientists suggest that the universe is likely now teeming with evolved intelligent beings. So the great search by evolutionists for extraterrestrial life goes on.

In fact, the search for life beyond the earth, says a report completed by the Space Science Board of the National Academy of Sciences, “is a scientific undertaking of the greatest validity and significance . . . its importance and the consequences for biology justify the highest priority among all objectives in space science​—indeed in the space program as a whole.” Do you agree?

Of course, there are other prime reasons for man’s space ventures. Various scientific purposes are cited, such as the desire to know the composition of heavenly bodies, what the conditions are on various planets, and so forth.

Curiosity and the desire to do the “impossible” are also factors in man’s space exploration.

More to It than This

Actually, there is much more to man’s space ventures than the desire for scientific enlightenment, the search for life and man’s curiosity and desire to do the “impossible.” And what is that? Nationalistic prestige.

For example, America’s space program began in earnest after Russia put its Sputnik into orbit. Thus the writers of the book Journey to Tranquility say about the American space exploits:

“The project was born of calamity. It was begun as a hasty response to an immediate crisis: the crisis thought to have been brought about by Soviet space triumphs. . . . The decisive aspect of the threat, however, was its bearing on American prestige. This was the fear which impelled President Kennedy. . . . Prestige . . . added up to a belief that America could not afford to be beaten by the Russians. Prestige, in other words, was equated with power in the world, and the moon was seen as a medium through which worldly power might be increased.”

That prestige was a key motivating factor is evident from a memorandum of President John F. Kennedy dated April 20, 1961, to the United States vice-president, who was then chairman of the Space Council. President Kennedy asked:

“Do we have a chance of beating the Soviets by putting a laboratory in space, or by a trip around the moon, or by a rocket to land on the moon, or by a rocket to go to the moon and back with a man? Is there any other space program which promises dramatic results in which we could win?”

So the space race began, and thus far there have been over a thousand space exploits by the Soviet Union and the United States combined. Nationalistic prestige, then, has had a more direct bearing on space ventures than even the evolutionists’ search for life beyond the earth.

Doubts and Questions Raised

At the success of the Apollo moon missions and the safe return of the men involved, there was much praise for the accomplishment. President Nixon even remarked: ‘Can we not see God’s hand in it?’

However, there were doubts about the matter. For example, Time magazine of January 1, 1973, commented: “The fault in such a pronouncement [by President Nixon] lies in its assumption that the conquest of space is such an unalloyed good that God would deign to grant it some special protection. If motives were taken into account​—especially the bald chauvinism that motivated so many who voted for Apollo appropriations—​divine wrath rather than benevolence might have attended the project.”

Indeed, man’s space exploits have provoked a number of doubts and questions. One of the biggest questions is whether it was worth, for example, $25 billion to finance the Apollo moon program. What could that money have accomplished in helping to make conditions on earth more desirable? “Is scaling the moon the only ‘impossibility’ we can think of?” asks Amitai Etzioni in his book The Moon-Doggle. “The earth has never been free from starvation or war. Those anxious to engage ‘impossible’ challenges are welcome to try these.”

Doubts also exist, says this writer, about the relevancy of many scientific objectives, used for promoting space ventures: “Statements that space probes will tell us ‘how the universe ticks’ and ‘how life began on earth’ are an outrageous affront to straight thinking, a gaudy packaging of an interesting but far from sensational line of exploration.”

A related question that needs to be explored is whether it is worth the expenditure of vast sums of money in searching for evolved life on other planets. How wise or unwise is such a quest?

And, for purposes of nationalistic prestige, has the effort been worth it for the nations involved? Many in the United States think it has been worth $25 billion to plant the American flag on the moon six times. But not all agree. Say the writers of Journey to Tranquility: “Developments strongly suggest that, in the short-term impact which was sought from it, Project Apollo will be counted among the more palpable miscalculations of the twentieth century. Although the immediate task was performed perfectly, its ultimate objective was in ruins. Men took their step on the moon, but there was no giant leap in the drawing-power of the American way of life.”

But though America may not have got $25 billion worth of prestige from the Apollo program, it did give man a new understanding of the moon and forced him to revise some of his theories about it.

The Moon​—What Was Discovered?

MAN‘S going to the moon and back was certain to bring forth some surprises. Scientifically, there were many. One of them concerned the moon itself, which was thought to be a relatively simple heavenly body.

But not so. Says Dr. R. J. Allenby, assistant director for lunar science of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration: “Probably the most significant thing we have learned is that the moon is a very complex body​—not just the simple ‘blob’ that many people thought it was. The Apollo missions have sent a lot of scientists back to the drawing boards. It will take many years to come up with new concepts that are generally accepted.”

A Variety of Discoveries

Since the moon is no mere simple “blob,” what about the widespread theory that the moon originally shot out from the upper surfaces of the earth? A recent scientific report says: “The idea that the moon was torn from the upper layers of the earth has virtually died as a consequence of the Apollo findings.”​—New York Times, December 4, 1972.

As for the moon’s composition, the Apollo 16 mission found that the moon material is rich in aluminum and calcium. Metallic iron was present in the moon rocks. The Apollo 11 rock samples disclosed sixty-eight of the known elements. Moon rocks are composed of essentially the same raw materials as are earth rocks. However, there is a difference​—in proportion.

For instance, in moon rocks the ratio of uranium to potassium was found to be four times as high as in typical earth rocks. Titanium was found to be more than twice as common in moon rocks as in the most titanium-rich earth rocks. Not the elements themselves but the combinations of elements found in the moon rocks were indeed “unearthly.” As one lunar scientist put it: “It’s the same alphabet but a different grammar.”

A discovery made by Apollo 12 in 1969 was that a lunar magnetic field exists. Early unmanned spacecraft had not detected any lunar magnetism.

Temperatures on the moon were found to range from 280 degrees F. below zero to 250 degrees F. above zero. A hole drilled on the moon revealed a steady increase of temperature with depth, about one degree per foot. But as to whether the moon’s core is partially molten or relatively cool there is still some doubt. Seismic observation pointed to a partially molten core. However, data obtained with magnetometers on the moon’s surface and in lunar orbit have led some scientists to believe that it has a relatively cool interior.

As to the search for evolved life beyond the earth, the moon landings have made it clear that nothing even remotely resembling life has been found. Microscopic studies were made to try to find any living, previously living, or fossil material. None were found on the moon.

Have you wondered about the moon’s age? Rocks taken from the early Apollo missions were estimated at from 3.3 to 3.7 billion years in age. However, one lemon-size rock was estimated to have an age of 4.6 billion years. The moon’s soil was estimated at being from 4.2 to 4.9 billion years in age. Thus Science World of February 16, 1970, commented: “Several researchers confirmed that the moon is about 4.6 billion years old. The Earth and meteorites are about the same age.”

So it is now generally agreed that the moon’s age is the same as that of the entire solar system, including the earth. This is a noteworthy confirmation of the Bible account at Genesis 2:4, which indicates that the earth and the heavens were formed in the same general period of time.

Not Put into Orbit by Chance

An outstanding feature about the moon that man’s space exploits have disclosed is this: The moon could not possibly have been put into its orbit by chance or accident. Commenting on this discovery, William Roy Shelton writes in the book Winning the Moon:

“It is important to remember that something had to put the moon at or near its present circular pattern around the earth. Just as an Apollo spacecraft circling the earth every ninety minutes while one hundred miles high has to have a velocity of roughly 18,000 miles per hour to stay in orbit, so something had to give the moon the precisely required velocity for its weight and altitude. For instance, it could not have been blown out from earth at some random speed or direction. We found this out when we first began to try to orbit artificial satellites. We discovered that unless the intended satellite reached a certain altitude at a certain speed on a certain course parallel to the surface of the earth, it would not have the necessary centrifugal force to maintain the delicate balance with the gravity of earth which would permit it to remain in the desired orbit.

“At Old Cape Canaveral on the night of March 5, 1958, for instance, I watched the launch of Explorer 2 which was scheduled to be the second U.S. satellite to orbit successfully. Everything worked perfectly until the fourth and final stage attempted to achieve the required precise velocity, altitude and speed. On this occasion the difficult combination was not achieved and our intended satellite very soon plunged back into earth’s atmosphere. . . .

“The speed required for orbit changes every time either the altitude or the weight of the intended satellite is altered and objects farther away from the earth require more time to circle the earth. For the moon’s distance and weight, that time, called the orbital period, is approximately 27.3 days. The point​—and it is one seldom noted in considering the origin of the moon—​is that it is extremely unlikely that any object would just stumble into the right combination of factors required to stay in orbit. ‘Something’ had to put the moon at its altitude, on its course and at its speed. The question is: what was that something?”

Identifying “That Something”

Is “that something” that put our moon into permanent orbit an unintelligent force? Well, consider not only our moon but, as we look out into space, all the heavenly bodies. We see matter in motion. How did this come to be, especially since a body of matter when left by itself is motionless, inert? And for matter to be pushed into motion, does it not have to receive a push, a shove? Furthermore, this force pushing it has to come from outside the matter, since matter is not self-winding.

As we observe these material bodies in space, we note that, interestingly, their course of movement is circular. And so marvelously regular and precise is their orbital movement that men can navigate by observing the sun, moon, planets and stars. Calculations can be made far in advance of the exact position of a heavenly body at any given time. Says the World Book Encyclopedia: “The ship navigator carries with him a book called the Nautical Almanac. This book gives the exact position of each heavenly body for exact times and dates. It tells the position of the heavenly body if it were to drop straight to earth at any instant. By observing the direction, or bearing, of a star, and by measuring its angle above the horizon, the navigator can figure out how far he is from the earthly position of the star.”

When we consider all these things​—matter in motion, precise circular movement, and so forth—​the indication is that there is an outside regulating, guiding force; that is, someone who knows the precise velocity, altitude and speed required for a heavenly body to stay in permanent orbit. There must be a Lawgiver that governs the movement of this otherwise inert matter. There must be an intelligence that causes these bodies, such as our moon, to move and to stay in their orbits.

So we see that this force behind the movement of matter could not be just an unintelligent “something.” There has to be an intelligent Designer who put all these bodies of matter into relationship to one another, and to coordinate them so that there is no collision or crash. The noted scientist Albert Einstein once said: “It is enough for me to contemplate the mystery of conscious life perpetuating itself through all eternity; to reflect upon the marvelous structure of the universe, which we can dimly perceive, and to try humbly to comprehend even an infinitesimal part of the intelligence manifest in nature.”

So all “nature,” as worldly scientists call it, betokens intelligence. And where there is intelligence, there is personality bound up in a person. And that Person, who is the great force behind the movement of matter, inert in itself, gave it its initial push and directed it in its circular course of movement. When we consider the vast bodies of matter that are in motion, this one must be a Mighty One.

That person is called in the Holy Bible “God.” The ancient psalmist acknowledged that the heavens had to have a Designer and Maker: “The heavens are declaring the glory of God.” And the Christian apostle Paul also reached the same conclusion when he stated: “Of course, every house is constructed by someone, but he that constructed all things is God.”​—Ps. 19:1; Heb. 3:4.

It is concerning this intelligent Personage, who determined the relationship that the sun and the moon would have to the earth, that the Bible says: “God proceeded to make the two great luminaries, the greater luminary for dominating the day and the lesser luminary for dominating the night, and also the stars.”​—Gen. 1:16.

Made to Be a “Lesser Luminary”

Another outstanding discovery of lunar exploration is that the moon was designed to be a “lesser luminary.” Exploration of the moon revealed what is called “the surprisingly abundant glass.”

An examination of the moon’s surface has led to the estimate that about 50 percent of its “soil” consists of tiny glass particles. The glass can be found in different shapes. Some of it is round; some is elliptical; some is teardrop-shaped, or dumbbell-shaped. The glass spheres range in size from tiny specks to very small marbles, and they are extremely lustrous when a light shines on them.

Even the moon’s rocks show that they were made to reflect light, for they are pitted with small glass-lined hollows. When space exploration researcher W. R. Shelton got his first look at moon rocks, he said that he peered down at a lemon-size rock with jeweled fragments of glass: “The base rock itself looked like gray charcoal. A man near me said that if he ran across it in a parking lot, he wouldn’t have bothered to pick it up. But I would have. I would have been instantly intrigued by the shining fragments that peered out at me, almost as if alive.”​—Winning the Moon.

Yes, some of the glassy spheroids glinted out of the gray lunar rocks like tiny diamonds! And some of the rocks are covered with spattered drops of glass and appear as if they were glazed.

That so much of the moon’s surface consists of glass is unusual in that very little glass is found naturally in the soil on earth. Why, then, so much glass on the moon? Because the Holy Bible reveals that the moon was made by God to serve as a “lesser luminary” or a ‘night-light.’ The tiny glass beads act as the glass beads in roadside reflectors that catch an auto’s headlight and shine brightly. The glazing of the rocks also contributes to the reflecting properties of the moon, as does the glassy lining in the pits of rocks.

Actually, the discoveries made regarding the moon confirm what the Bible says about it: That it was created by God, that it was to be of benefit to man and to serve as a luminary.

But man’s rockets have gone beyond the moon, even to other planets. What have these planetary probes discovered?

[Picture on page 6]

From their space exploits men learned that putting a rocket into orbit around the earth requires precision, altitude and speed. What, then, of the moon in its orbit around the earth? It, too, requires a precision that could not have come about by accident

[Picture on page 8]

A secret that men learned was that glassy spherules, such as this one magnified 3,300 times, make up about 50 percent of moon surface soil

Probes to Other Planets

BOTH the United States and the Soviet Union have sent spacecraft to the vicinity of other planets. Is there any indication of evolved life on them? What has been learned about these planets?

As to the United States space probes to Mars, a scientist in the Mariner 9 space project said: “Mars has a character all its own. It is not earth-like or moon-like, it is Mars-like.”

What, then, is Mars like? Mariner photographs through color filters show that the soil of Mars is reddish in color. This confirms observations through telescopes on earth that Mars is a “red planet.”

Four major “geological provinces” have been discovered on Mars, with the aid of thousands of pictures beamed back by spacecraft. The first of these regions is a volcanic province in the planet’s western hemisphere. This is an area of at least nine giant volcanoes. These are dominated by gigantic Nix Olympica, 310 miles across at its base; its upper rim is estimated to be more than three times as high as the over-29,000-foot-high Mt. Everest.

Another of these provinces has a very rugged terrain, which includes many canyons. The greatest of these canyons in this region is reported to be ten times the length of the Grand Canyon and about four times as deep. In other words, the gorge is estimated to be 2,500 miles long, and 75 miles wide and nearly four miles deep.

A third region is one that is heavily cratered. This pockmarked area resembles the moon.

The fourth region is a spectacular expanse of stair-step terraces and deep grooves radiating from the south polar region.

It was also found that near the south pole is a small “ice cap” about 200 miles in diameter, even in the height of summer. Some scientists believe that this “ice cap” is not all frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice) but that, in part, it may be frozen water.

What about Mars’ atmosphere? The Soviet Union’s Mars 2 and Mars 3 probes revealed that the planet’s atmosphere is found to be 2,000 times as dry as the earth’s atmosphere, making Mars “a drier planet than observers on earth had expected,” Tass, the Soviet press agency, reported. The atmosphere next to the planet’s surface was found to be mainly carbon dioxide and so thin that it is one hundredth that of the earth’s.

Is there any possibility of liquid water on Mars? Scientists think that there may have been water at one time, since water is viewed as the likely force to carve out canyons and ridges. But man’s knowledge is limited, and other forces might be capable of causing such canyons. In any event, scientists regard it as physically impossible for liquid water to exist on the surface of Mars now. Why? Because the carbon-dioxide atmosphere of Mars is so thin that there is not enough atmospheric pressure to hold water in a liquid state. Thus a drop of water would evaporate instantly.

As for the temperature on Mars, Soviet probes found the planet to have temperatures ranging from 148 degrees F. below zero to 55 degrees F. above zero. The American Mariner 9 probe indicated that temperatures reach 80 degrees F. above zero in early afternoon.

Atmospheric winds on Mars reach speeds of up to 115 miles an hour. During global dust storms, winds are thought to reach a velocity of 300 miles an hour.

As for the controversial “canals” on Mars, in 1895 one astronomer suggested that they were constructed by intelligent beings to carry water from Mars’ polar ice caps to its equatorial deserts. The canals have long remained a riddle. What, then, did Mariner 9 discover? After more than 7,000 television pictures, analyses showed no canals. The mysterious “canals” were an optical illusion. Explained The National Observer of November 25, 1972: “The fierce Martian winds blow light sand and dust over the planet, and, in so doing, uncover and re-cover patches of darker material. That’s enough for someone wanting to find canals to see them.” The canyons on Mars also appear to have contributed to the idea that there were canals on the “red planet.”

But now, what about the prospect of evolved life on Mars? Dr. Rudolph A. Hanel of the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, one of the Mariner 9 project scientists, said: “We have not seen any sign of life on Mars.”

What About Other Planets?

The Soviet Union has sent at least ten missions to that cloud-enshrouded planet called Venus. Their Venera 8 mission enabled them to land an instrumented package on the surface of the planet, which transmitted signals for fifty minutes in July 1972. What was discovered?

“The most significant of Venera’s revelations,” reported Time magazine of September 25, 1972, “is that the chemical composition of at least part of the surface is similar to the earth’s. Venera’s gamma-ray spectrometer determined that the landing area contained radioactive potassium, uranium and thorium in approximately the same ratio in which they appear in many volcanic rocks on earth. This, in turn, indicates that Venus, like the earth, Mars and the moon, is ‘differentiated’; that is, the planet was once hot enough for its material to soften and flow. During this period, the heavier elements settled toward the core while the lighter ones, taking radioactive elements with them, rose to the surface to form a crust.”

The planet’s atmosphere was found to consist largely of carbon dioxide. Its atmospheric pressure is ninety times or more that of the earth’s.

Another of the discoveries regarding Venus has to do with the cloud layers surrounding the planet, clouds so dense that astronomers have never seen its surface even with their powerful telescopes. Could some sunlight penetrate the planet’s cloud cover? This has long been debated. The Soviet Venera 8 mission carried a photometer that was sensitive to wide variations in luminosity. Said Scientific American of November 1972: “The photometer showed that sunlight is greatly attenuated by the atmosphere, . . . and that some sunlight does manage to penetrate to the surface on the daytime side.” Time magazine said: “Soviet scientists could determine that about two-thirds of the solar radiation striking Venus penetrates the thick cloud cover and reaches the surface.”

Winds on Venus were found to be 110 miles per hour at an altitude of thirty miles. This is about the same speed as earth’s jet streams. Near the surface, winds were only about four miles per hour.

Another discovery was that the planet does not cool off during its nighttime periods. The planet’s atmosphere creates what is called a “greenhouse effect” that keeps the heat from escaping at night. What is the temperature of this heat, and, in view of it, could life exist on Venus?

The signals from the Venera 8 spacecraft transmitted signals that indicated a temperature on the surface of Venus of about 880 degrees F. ​—more than 250 degrees above the melting point of lead! Little wonder that the volume Science Year for 1972 reported: “The signals confirmed previous indications that no human being could survive on Venus because of the high temperatures and crushing atmospheric pressures.”

Jupiter, the largest of the nine planets in our solar system, now has a spacecraft bound for it. This is the Pioneer 10 spacecraft, launched from Cape Kennedy March 2, 1972. Pioneer 10 is not scheduled to reach the vicinity of Jupiter until December 1973, since the journey is 620 million miles. More probes to Jupiter are planned. Says a news report: “The National Aeronautics and Space Administration plans to look for life on the planet with a space craft scheduled to fly past it in 1979.”

What has been learned about planets thus far from space ventures is, mainly, that they are not suitable for human habitation, nor has any life been found. But the evolutionists’ search for life in outer space goes on.

Is there authoritative information about life in outer space? Can we know for certain if there is life beyond the earth?

[Picture on page 10]

RIGHT: A vast chasm about 75 miles wide and 300 miles long, and branching canyons on Mars, based on photo taken by Mariner 9. ABOVE: An artist’s rendering of a narrow section of one of these canyons on Mars, two miles deep. A report said: “Mars is a far more complicated body than we had thought.”

[Picture on page 11]

Men have long wondered whether some sunlight could penetrate the dense clouds of Venus. The Soviet Venera 8 probe landed on Venus and disclosed the secret

Is There Life Beyond the Earth?

SPACE exploits thus far have failed to detect any sign of life on any of the planets of our solar system. Also, it has been found that there are no life-sustaining systems in outer space. Yet evolutionist scientists believe that there are planets, somewhere, teeming with intelligent persons. Is this view reasonable?

Among the evolutionists themselves, not all believe that human life could evolve on other planets. Admits Cornell University Astronomer Carl Sagan, a spokesman for the evolutionists who search for extraterrestrial life:

“If we started the earth all over again, even with the same physical conditions, and just let random factors operate, we would never get anything remotely resembling human beings. There are just too many accidents in our evolutionary past for things closely resembling human beings to arise anywhere else.”​—“Time,” December 13, 1971, p. 55.

If ‘it could never happen again on the earth,’ how, then, can evolutionists really expect intelligent life to evolve on other planets, which are far less hospitable?

Could it be as an editor for Science magazinea said even before the first rocket went to the vicinity of Mars: “In looking for life on Mars we could establish for ourselves the reputation of being the greatest Simple Simons of all time”?

Well, to this day, after many probes to Mars and thousands of pictures of it, there is not the slightest shred of proof that life exists on Mars or other planets in the solar system or on any other planets in the universe.

The Christian, particularly, knows that even a million landings on Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn or any of the planets and their moons will fail to reveal evolution of life. Both life and intricately designed living creatures came from the Creator, as he clearly tells us in his Word the Bible. To spend money with a stated major objective of verifying the myth of evolution is indeed folly. (Prov. 1:7; 9:10) How much better if the money were spent, not trying to verify an erroneous scientific theory about the origin of life, but on the life already here on this unique planet!

Man Made for the Earth

Of our planet alone the Holy Bible declares that God “formed it even to be inhabited.” (Isa. 45:18) And long ago God’s Word declared that the heavens belong to the Creator, “but the earth he has given to the sons of men.” (Ps. 115:15, 16) So the Bible shows that the earth is unique among planets. And what a wonderful home in space the earth is for man! Astronaut Frank Borman said:

“When you look at our earth from two hundred and forty thousand miles away, especially over a horizon that has been bombarded for eons, you see that our planet is the only thing in the universe that has any color in it. You don’t know whether the blue is water or the blue is land . . . We share such a beautiful planet. . . . the overwhelming wonderment is why in the world we can’t appreciate what we have.”

Such a beautiful home in space as man has did not get here by chance or accident. Just as the moon could not have gone into orbit around the earth by accident, the earth could not have got in its orbit around the sun by chance. Just before the launching of the Apollo 17 lunar mission, Astronaut Eugene Cernan, on his second flight to the vicinity of the moon, said:

“When you look back at the earth from the moon and you see the perfectness of it and the beauty of it and the logic of it all, you know it didn’t happen by accident. It is moving with beauty and you get a feeling that you are looking at our earth as God, whoever that God might be, envisioned it when he created it. I’m anxious to get back and get that feeling again.”​—New York “Times,” December 8, 1972.

That God who created the earth is no nameless God, but, as he says in the Holy Bible: “I am Jehovah. That is my name.” (Isa. 42:8) “O Sovereign Lord Jehovah! Here you yourself have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm. The whole matter is not too wonderful for you yourself.” (Jer. 32:17) Instead of searching for evolved life in outer space, the evolutionist scientists would do well to learn about man’s Creator and gain a knowledge of his purpose for the earth. But just as it was in the days when Jesus Christ was on the earth, so it is today. In prayer Jesus said: “Righteous Father, the world has, indeed, not come to know you.”​—John 17:25.

There Is Life in Outer Space!

However, just because space probes have not revealed any signs of intelligent life, this does not mean that there is no intelligent life in outer space. There definitely is!

Despite the fact that there are no “evolved” forms of life, splendid, intelligent persons in the region of what men call “outer space” do exist! Furthermore, contact with them has been made!

The intelligent persons that exist beyond the earth were created by Jehovah God. Their creation took place even before the planet Earth was prepared for human habitation. God’s Word speaks of that time when Jehovah founded the earth. At that time, he explains, “the morning stars joyfully cried out together, and all the sons of God began shouting in applause.” (Job 38:4-7) These “sons of God” are powerful angelic persons who are indeed far more skillful and knowledgeable than we. In the past they were often used by God to communicate with humans.

For example, when the time arrived for Jesus to be born as a human, God sent a superhuman messenger, or angel, referred to in the Bible by the name “Gabriel.” Gabriel first announced the birth of Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist, and then Jesus’ own birth. To John’s father, Zechariah, the materialized angel Gabriel said: “I am Gabriel, who stands near before God, and I was sent forth to speak with you and declare the good news of these things to you.” Then, about six months later, Gabriel appeared to the Jewish virgin Mary and proclaimed: “Look! you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you are to call his name Jesus.”​—Luke 1:19, 31.

Other Visitations from Outer Space

Not all earth visitations, however, have been by angelic persons sent by God with important communications from Him. In fact, a number of angelic sons of God rebelliously left their heavenly positions, came to earth in the form of men, and “went taking wives for themselves, namely, all whom they chose.” The Bible says that these “angels that did not keep their original position but forsook their own proper dwelling place [God] has reserved . . . for the judgment of the great day,” at which time their troubling of mankind will be put to a stop. What a relief that will be!​—Gen. 6:1, 2; Jude 6.

Hence, there is indeed substance to the legends that some scientists have interpreted as perhaps indicating visitations from outer space. There actually were earth visits by intelligent nonhuman persons of immense powers. No, these were not organisms from other planets that had evolved greater intelligence than man, as some scientists may suppose, but they were disobedient angelic creations of God.​—1 Pet. 3:19, 20.

When the great flood of Noah’s day came, these superior creatures were able to escape by again restricting themselves to spirit form. Although restrained by God since then from materializing as humans, these lawless spirit persons are now working from their base in the invisible realm in the vicinity of the earth to bring the human family to ruin.​—Rev. 12:7-10, 12; 16:13-16.

So, powerful, intelligent persons in invisible space do exist, and some of them are wicked. (Eph. 6:11, 12) During his earthly ministry, Jesus Christ frequently encountered these wicked invisible forces. On occasion they took control of the minds and bodies of unwary victims, and Jesus mercifully freed persons from their influence.​—Matt. 4:24; 15:22.

The Earth Has a Grand Future; Will You?

God himself promises that the time will soon come when this earth will be clothed in righteousness. The symbolic earth, wicked human society, will be destroyed. (2 Pet. 3:7, 12) But this planet Earth will remain forever.​—Ps. 104:5.

The future for the earth is grand. God’s own Son, Jesus Christ, foretold that the earth will be made into a global paradise. (Matt. 6:10; Luke 23:42, 43) Obedient men will be able to live on this beautiful earth forever, after Paradise has been restored by God’s kingdom.

But what about the other planets? Were they put in space and into orbit for no reason at all? No, we cannot conclude that. All that God does has meaning and purpose. Obviously the Creator Jehovah God has a purpose for these planets, including the planets in our own solar system. In time, he may well reveal that purpose to obedient mankind. We should not be so shortsighted as to think that the earth is the center of the universe.

The big question that should concern you today is not whether there is life on any planet in other solar systems, but whether you will gain everlasting life here on earth. The time left for this worldly system of things is very short. Following the end of this system, the earth will have the grandest future. But this worldly society has no future. As the Bible says: “The world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.”​—1 John 2:17.

So why go after that which is passing away? Why not endure forever with this earth by learning and doing the will of God now? To do that, study the Bible, which contains in written form communications from God himself. Study these divine messages carefully, and be obedient to them. Then when this worldly system of things passes away in destruction, you may be spared alive into God’s new order, to enjoy life everlasting on this beautiful spaceship earth, which will remain a paradise forever.

[Footnotes]

[Picture on page 13]

Looking at the earth from the moon, astronauts speak of the earth’s uniqueness, its beauty and the fact that our home in space could not have come about by accident

Eating Apples

● Two researchers at the Alexandria University in Egypt have supplied evidence that seems to support the old adage “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” They report that pectin, which makes up .8 percent of apples, has antibacterial properties. In one experiment it took only fifteen minutes for a 1-percent concentration of pectin to kill 90 percent of bacteria that can upset the human digestive system and that are associated with diarrhea. However, one variety of bacteria sometimes associated with diarrhea defied the pectin​—in fact, ate it up!

The Way of Life in Korea

By “Awake!” correspondent in Korea

KOREANS are a very hardy and extremely friendly people. They are quiet and reserved when around their elder family members, but at other times they are particularly jocular and animated in their daily conversation. This gives rise to the question asked by many visitors to Korea: “What are those two arguing about?”

The answer given by the guide is usually the same: “Nothing. This one is inviting that one to have a cup of tea.” An invitation to a cup of tea by a Korean could be viewed by an Englishman as the beginning stages of a street fight.

In general, Koreans are a proud, happy people who love to be with others, laughing and talking. If the guests are foreign, the enjoyment of the host is doubled. He may, if he has invited guests to his home, sing his favorite song to them. However, Korean custom being what it is, guests must now reciprocate and sing their favorite song for their host. This makes for lots of throat clearing and excuses, but the host will be insistent. It is Korean custom.

Many foreign visitors make the mistake of judging Koreans by modern standards. They do not take into consideration that Korea has almost 4,000 years of recorded history and an elaborate set of rules of etiquette. Almost everything that a Korean does is based in some way or another on the system of etiquette.

Visit to a Korean Home

Consider, for example, a typical visit by a foreigner to a Korean household. Houses are often completely surrounded by a high wall with a huge front gate that has a small roof over it. The gate may be a distance of twenty to thirty yards from the house.

So, when knocking on the gate, a person does not knock lightly. He pounds on the gate, even rocks it back and forth on its hinges, to get the housemaid’s attention. She comes out, notices a foreigner along with a Korean, and immediately runs back into the house to get the householder, usually the lady of the house. After greeting the householder with a bow and an honorific greeting, one’s purpose in calling is stated and the householder generally invites the visitor into the inner room of the house.

After seating her guests on the floor on small cushions, the householder makes a rather hasty exit. She goes with the housemaid to the kitchen to prepare some kind of treat. A visitor is expected to wait patiently, even if it is for ten minutes or more.

Soon, just as hurriedly as she left, the householder returns through the sliding doors and sets up a small table in between the two guests and proceeds to fill it with various cookies, sweets and peeled fruit. Then she puts coffee or tea out and sugars it herself as a gesture of kindness. Only after this is small talk engaged in, but it has nothing to do with the purpose of the visit. Several more things have to be got out of the way first. Where are you from? How old are you? Are you married? Any children? If not, why not? Personal questions that to a Westerner would be totally improper are asked without embarrassment and in good taste; Korean custom allows for it.

After the tea and fruits are finished and most questions have been answered, the householder sits back, satisfied that she has treated her guest, and finally inquires: “Now what exactly is your purpose in coming to my home?”

Korean Houses

The houses in which middle-class Koreans live are usually built with a tile roof and big rough-hewn timbers inside and out. The spaces between the timbers are filled with wet adobe and then painted over when dry. The porch is made of polished wood. One enters the house through sliding doors made of wooden frames covered with paper.

Inside, the inner room of the house is very clean, but practically bare of furniture. There may be a large cabinet of inlaid mother-of-pearl that contains the family’s clothes and bedding. Usually there is also a small dresser with a mirror and cosmetics on the shelf. The dresser has no stool in front of it, since it is made low to the floor and is used as one sits cross-legged on the floor. A television set finishes the furnishings of the room, if in a large city.

The floor is a type of cement covered with a waxy glazed paper that is easy to keep clean. Shoes are never worn in the house and there are usually no chairs, and no beds. The floor takes care of all the uses to which chairs and beds are usually put.

The floor is heated by a fire built beneath it. Ducts or pipes that run through the cement carry the heat to all parts of the floor. The same fire that warms the floor is used by the housewife to cook her meals. The kitchen is just off the side of the house and lower than the floor level of the main rooms of the house.

When it comes time to eat, small folding tables are set up and the family eats while sitting cross-legged on the floor. At bedtime, bedrolls are brought out, and the family sleeps together on the warm floor. A thick quilt is slept upon, and another one is used as a cover.

Korean Dress

Korean men usually wear American and European-type clothes. However, the women still wear the traditional apparel. Their main dress is called a chima.

This is a long flowing skirt that extends from just above the natural waistline to below the ankles. It can be any color and have any pattern, but is usually brightly colored. A bright-colored vest with sleeves is worn over this long skirt and, rather than buttoning, the two overlapping edges of material are tied together and pinned with an ornamental brooch. With their hair pulled straight back into a tight bun, and attired in bright flowing traditional dress, Korean women look very graceful and feminine.

What Koreans Eat

Koreans eat an interesting variety of foods that are very simple and natural in makeup, and very healthful. Meat and fish are popular, but are not eaten in much quantity. The diet consists mainly of vegetables and various fruits and nuts. Foods are generally hot and spicy. They are not overcooked, but just steamed and eaten with either soy sauce or red-pepper sauce. Rice is the main staple, and enormous portions are consumed. Along with rice, a typical meal may include the following:

Kimchi, which is a hot spicy dish. It is composed of pickled cabbage, or cucumber, or turnips, cured in a brine of red-pepper sauce, salt, garlic, and acorns, with pieces of fish that have been heavily spiced. There may also be: steamed spinach, bean sprouts, bean curd fried in oil, seaweed soup, raw oysters, raw squid or squid fried in sugar.

If it is a special occasion, the meal may also include “fire meat.” This is a barbecue-type dish that is cooked right in front of one on the table. As each piece gets sufficiently well done, a person may pick it up with his chopsticks and dip it in soy sauce before eating it. This is not a hot-seasoned dish and almost everyone is delighted with the unique, unforgettable taste.

Religion

Religion is a major part of a Korean’s life. Out of a population of 33 million, 19.6 million people claim to be associated with a religion. Of these, over 12 million are Buddhists or Confucianists. Ancestor worship, which is a basic part of both of these religions, is practiced by over 30 percent of the population. Superstition and divining are common. On each street corner in a town can be seen fortune-tellers who do much business.

Many are beginning to see that, just as Buddhism has not been of any real help to people for the past 2,000 years, trusting in modern science is useless too. As proof of this, recently in the local press it was reported that Seoul is the most polluted city in the world. Many Koreans are looking for something better.

As a result, Koreans are interested when Jehovah’s witnesses call to explain what the Bible says about man’s future. Yet, interestingly, the Bible’s promise of “everlasting life” is not welcomed. (John 3:16) “Oh, no,” a Korean may reply. “But we all must die. New people must be born and we older ones must die!” They say this because their religion has taught them from birth that old age and death are desirable, especially since their offspring will then be offering them worship and sacrifices.

So, in speaking to Koreans about the Bible, a minister of Jehovah’s witnesses will appeal to their concern for their immediate family, and say something like this: “Wouldn’t it be a real blessing to live a long and full life and to see our offspring grow up in peaceful surroundings, becoming fine young men and women who always show respect to their elders?” When it is shown that this is something God promises in the Bible, many honest-hearted Koreans want to learn more.

Over 20,000 Bible studies each week are held in Korean homes by Jehovah’s witnesses, and many persons are accepting the Bible truths and becoming zealous ministers. More than 16,700 of Jehovah’s witnesses are preaching in Korea today, compared to less than 8,000 only five years ago. This summer, August 1-5, there will be an international assembly of Jehovah’s witnesses here in Seoul, Korea, with programs being held each morning in English to acquaint visitors with the customs and background of the country.

Korea is one of the fastest developing nations in the world: its gross national product increasing at more than 10 percent a year. And the average Korean is very well educated. At the same time, there is a distinctive Oriental way of life here that many Westerners find fascinating.

Eruption Threatens Heimaey

BY “AWAKE” CORRESPONDENT IN ICELAND

JUST before midnight last January 22 two slight earthquakes were felt by inhabitants of Heimaey, a tiny island ten miles off the southern coast of Iceland. But no one connected the tremors with Helgafell, the island’s long-dormant volcano.

Then at 2 a.m. a woman called the fire department and reported huge flames. She thought that a house had caught fire. A closer check, however, disclosed the shocking facts.

The earth had ripped apart and was spurting out fire and steam! It “looked like the earth was exploding,” said the island’s school inspector Jonas Sigurdsson. The fissure had opened on the eastern slope of Helgafell, only a few yards from the nearest houses.

Soon the whole town was in action. People were running to and fro, some down to the harbor, others to get a closer view of the spectacle. Fountains of lava were leaping over 300 feet in the air!

Eyewitness Report

Heimaey is only three miles long, and has but one town. One of its 5,000 inhabitants reports:

“I was awakened by loud knocking at the door, and heard people running around and shouting. Here most people are fast asleep at 2 a.m. So I shouted: ‘What’s going on?’

“‘Eruption! Eruption! Eruption on the island!’ was the answer.

“I dressed in a hurry and rushed out. Toward the southeast I saw a red flare on the sky about a mile away. I went to get a closer look. It was like a wall of fire! The fissure from which the lava was spewing was over a mile long. It was a breathtaking sight!

“Some men let out two frightened horses. One ran into town. But the other horse panicked, and headed toward the fissure. It seemed to disappear right into it. However, I learned later that it was shot by a policeman before it perished in the fire.

“Cattle on a nearby farm were set free, and they were strolling about the streets. They were later taken to a freezing plant, where they were slaughtered.

“After observing the eruption for a while, I noticed that ashes were accumulating. I hurried downtown to find my sister and her family, but they had already left. People were being urged by the police to leave the island as soon as possible.

“About 5 a.m. there was an increase in the ash and solidified lava that spewed from the volcano. It was not unlike a hailstorm. There was also a foul smell, and my eyes became sore.

“I gathered together a few of my things, put them in a small bag, and hurried down to the harbor. I boarded a fishing boat, and left the island about 6 a.m.”

The Evacuation

The day before the eruption, the Icelandic Civil Defense had held a meeting to check and review evacuation plans for the island in case of disaster. Who could have imagined that within a few hours the plans would be in full use!

Many were reluctant to leave their homes, since the situation did not at first seem critical. So they had to be ordered to go. By 6 a.m. most of the 5,000 inhabitants had left the island, about 800 by air and the rest by boat.

Some officials have called the evacuation one of the fastest and most effective ever performed. Other persons have criticized it, saying that more property could have been salvaged if they had been allowed to stay longer on the island.

The Devastation

The first day there was little damage. The lava flow buried only one house, the occupants escaping in their nightclothes. But the next day the houses closest to the craters caught fire. After one week the volcano had destroyed about a hundred houses, most of them newly built. Some collapsed under the weight of the ashes on their roofs.

Over two million tons of ashes and cinders are estimated to have fallen over the island during the first few days. Some houses are under a layer over twenty feet thick! It is estimated that about 600 tons accumulated on the roof of the hospital. Some believe that the town is going to be a modern Pompeii, despite all efforts to save it.

The lava flow is mainly into the sea, enlarging the island. At first the flow did not threaten the town. But on March 23 huge earthen fortifications built to protect the town were thrust aside by a thirty-foot-high wave of lava. The lava engulfed dozens of houses, and rescue workers feared that the rest of the town would also be destroyed.

Many ask, How long is the eruption going to continue? This is impossible to predict. In 1963 an eruption raised from the ocean depths a few miles away the new island of Surtsey, with a 480-foot-high cone of solidified lava. That eruption lasted four years.

Salvage Work

The day after the eruption on Heimaey, most of the 800 automobiles on the island were transported to the mainland. Salvage crews emptied houses in danger and shoveled ashes from the roofs. They also covered windows and doors with iron sheets. On January 30, one week after the eruption began, a visitor reported:

“As we entered the harbor, the roaring volcano was bombing the vicinity with glowing stones. Furious explosions sent fire columns 1,500 feet into the sky! The fire lit up the town and surrounding mountains.

“The town looked like a violent blizzard had hit it. But instead of snow, there were ashes and cinders. It was a sad sight. Salvagers were everywhere, all wearing security helmets because of the rain of lava.”

The eruption is a real economic setback for Iceland. Heimaey’s eighty boats, four freezing plants, three fish-meal and fish-oil factories had been responsible for 12 percent of the country’s exports.

Ten days after the eruption began, one fish-meal factory started operating again, despite the danger to workers. But when the lava flow threatened to close the harbor, it was decided to move all plant equipment to the mainland. Salvage operations have cost millions of dollars.

To those who think exclusively of material riches, events of recent days mast be an unbearable disaster. But those who truly value life are grateful that no one was killed in this recent eruption on Heimaey.

Body Building Was a Prime Interest in My Life

STREET fights and household brawls were a regular part of my life, but I always came out the loser. It made me feel like an outcast. I resolved to do something about it. My decision started me on a course in life that eventually made me seek the title “Mr. Universe,” the world’s most perfectly developed man.

Strict diets and weight training became my way of life, and I loved every moment of it. Everything else was subordinated to one purpose: to transform myself to the very essence of masculinity. My body began to be molded and shaped. In time I could rip metal license plates to pieces and perform herculean feats of strength with heavy weights. All this sent my male ego into orbit.

When I entered contests and competitions, it was with only one thought: I would eventually become the most muscular man in the world. Titles and trophies began to accumulate, such as Mr. Algoma​—Most Muscular (1962), and Junior Mr. Canada (1965).

Motorcycle Mania

Parallel with body-building endeavors, I became involved in motorcycle racing. A heady mixture of fame and notoriety resulted from entering races in various parts of the continental United States and Canada.

It was only a short step into membership in motorcycle gangs. Soon my associates came to be a pack of howling, half-inebriated vagabonds. I decked myself out with a German helmet, swastikas, chains and whips. As a gang, we harassed innocent people and created havoc all the way from the Canadian border to the state of Florida. During this period of brutish licentiousness I witnessed drug parties that led the participants into the lowest depths of depravity. Running with this crowd finally gained me a jail sentence.

After my release, nearly out of money, I turned my motorcycle in the direction of home. It was a long journey and afforded me much time to think. A thought that crossed my mind many times during that trip was: If I continue this kind of association I will likely end up dead rather than being a contender for the title of Mr. Universe.

An Awakening

A deep feeling of revulsion came over me. The course in life I had been following was nothing but vanity. Where had it led me? Once again I was almost overwhelmed with that youthful feeling of being an outcast. But now something started to awaken inside me. Questions took shape in my mind. At the time, I thought it was the result of listening to a certain religious radio program. I began to ask myself: Is the Bible really the Word of God? Among all the many and varied religious sects of the world, is there one religion of which God approves?

Even though those questions were given much serious thought at the time, they gradually began to fade out unanswered. Why? Because once again I let physical training become the dominant feature of my life. The 1970 Mr. Canada show was drawing near. I was at a veritable peak of physical strength. To win this coveted award would be a major steppingstone toward attaining the very pinnacle of my life’s ambition​—to be the world’s most perfectly developed man.

Nevertheless, I was restless. There was no real inner satisfaction from my training now. Those questions, although put in the back of my mind, still bothered me. Where could true and satisfying answers be found? Because of disillusionment, I had stopped attending church. Perhaps that religious radio program had the answers. But, no​—their answers did not satisfy my spiritual hunger either.

The Light of Truth Dawns

Sometime previously I met an old acquaintance in a laundry. He spoke briefly about religion, telling me he was one of Jehovah’s witnesses. At the time, although our conversation was interesting, I did not pay much attention. Now, once again I met my Witness friend. This time questions began pouring out of my mouth. In a casual way we began talking about my church just across the street. He pointed out the origin of various symbols such as the cross on the roof and the image of Jesus on the lawn. Because of stimulated interest, it led me to ask about other things that Catholic people generally believe. He showed me that God’s Word gives no support to such teachings as hellfire torment for the wicked, or purgatorial suffering for those who die in venial sin. Other basic doctrines became just as clear.

But was this really the truth? I had to find out. Further investigation in books on different religions proved frustrating, yet accomplished one thing: It brought realization that what my Witness friend had explained from the Bible alone had the ring of truth.

Soon we began to enjoy a regular study of the Bible together. Amazingly, the restlessness and unsettled condition of mind began to give way to an inner peace never experienced before in my life. Never did my instructor force anything on me. He simply reasoned on Bible teachings in a mild-mannered and gentle way. Now I felt drawn, not to a creature, but to the wonderful God of this kindly man who was teaching me.

An Important Decision

Two courses were open before me. Which would I take? The road I was presently following might eventually lead to the summit of human strength and physique along with honor from men. But after reaching that pinnacle of success​—then what? Nothing indicated a truly happy future thereafter. On the other hand, ‘the narrow and cramped road leading off into life,’ according to the Scriptures, would lead to God’s approval and blessing. By pursuing it I could gain unending life in perfection of body and mind, even though now it would bring the disapproval of men. Prayer to Jehovah helped me to make the most important decision of my life.

Meditation on certain scriptures also helped me. One was at 1 Corinthians 1:31: “He that boasts, let him boast in Jehovah.” Would I doing that by going after the title Mr. Universe? No, it would be directly the opposite. Further, the inspired words of the apostle Paul at 1 Timothy 4:7 brought me up short: “Be training yourself with godly devotion as your aim.” Clearly, a change in training was necessary.

At once I went to my manager and trainer and explained that being Mr. Universe was no longer my goal in life and that no longer would I perform in any shows that would bring praise to myself. They exploded into a rage of obscenities, not only toward me, but even cursing the Name of Jehovah. However, I held firmly to my resolve. About that time I was much encouraged when a local newspaper published a story about a famous soccer player in England who turned down a million-dollar contract to follow in the footsteps of Christ Jesus as one of Jehovah’s witnesses.

Next I determined to serve notice of my withdrawal from the Catholic Church. The experience with my trainer and manager had only served to strengthen this decision. So, here I was, face to face with the priest, telling him why I no longer wanted to be a member of his church. His face took on a bewildered look as I explained my desire to become one of Jehovah’s witnesses. Indignantly, he blurted out that I had simply been brainwashed by Jehovah’s witnesses. I replied that what I was learning was the truth and that it was entirely supported by God’s Word, the Holy Bible. This brought forth an angry and unexpected response: “You can’t believe everything the Bible says!” That really shocked me, as I thought back on how many times he had kissed the Bible and treated it with the utmost reverence while standing before the congregation. Now, behind closed doors, he insinuated that the great God of the universe was untrustworthy​—His Word could not be believed in its entirety. This man was showing his true colors.

My mind reflected back to something he had told our family when my father died at the age of sixty-one. “Your father will have to remain in purgatory for sixty-one years for his sins.” It was to be conditional, however, because the more money we gave for High Masses on behalf of father, the less time he would have to be confined to these torments. He never told us what the Bible says​—that “as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all.” (Eccl. 9:5) This man had been a party to one of the greatest rackets ever perpetrated on humankind! What a reproach on the Name of the true God! However, he refused to take my name off the church registry or give over my Baptismal Certificate.

It was pointless to talk any further, so I left him and went to the City Hall, where I changed my religious status from Roman Catholic to being one of Jehovah’s witnesses. Quickly after this I telephoned my doctor and told him that if the need ever arose in the future for an operation on myself or one of my family he was to use no blood, because I had learned that the Scriptures say that we are to “abstain . . . from blood.” (Acts 15:20) Next I canceled my membership in the political party to which I had belonged, because I knew that Jesus had refused to get involved in politics, and I wanted to be his disciple. (Matt. 4:8-10; John 6:15; 17:16) Yet, another test was still ahead of me.

An invitation came asking me to meet and talk to another priest. They still wanted to reunite me with the Catholic Church. On this occasion Jehovah truly helped me as I relied on Him for guidance. In our discussion, the involvement of the pope and priests with Hitler came up. In reply to my question: “Are you familiar with James 4:4 in the Bible where it says, ‘Adulteresses, do you not know that the friendship with the world is enmity with God’?” he said, “It has nothing to do with our case.”

However, I reminded him of the pope’s visit to the United Nations when he told that body: “I come as your friend.” “Doesn’t that constitute spiritual adultery?” I asked him. He became visibly nervous. I then referred to the Catholic Church as being a substantial part of Babylon the Great, as shown in the book of Revelation. “At Revelation 17:1-4,” I pointed out, “it says that she sits with scarlet-colored robes as a queen, and commits religious fornication with the kings of the earth.” At that he became infuriated and stormed out of the room. His attitude served to make my faith in Jehovah’s Word and ways stronger than ever, and I thanked Him for giving me the courage to speak the truth boldly.

Since then I have recognized only the Sovereign Lord Jehovah as “my strength.” No more do I look for fame as Mr. Universe. The Bible has changed my outlook on life. The truth has set me free from bondage to vain desires I once had. I now know that, as stated at 1 Timothy 4:8, “bodily training is beneficial for a little; but godly devotion . . . holds promise of the life now and that which is to come.”

Now joy and happiness are my daily lot in life. It is my earnest desire to use my bodily strength and abilities to make glad the heart of the All-Powerful One of the universe, Jehovah.​—Contributed.

Role of the Orthodox Church in Russia

IN 1847, Russian literary critic Vissarion Belinski wrote to an author who had eulogized the Russian Orthodoxy: “Why do you drag in Christ? What have you found in common between Him and any church, especially the Orthodox Church? He was the first to enunciate to mankind the doctrine of liberty, equality, fraternity, and with His martyrdom He has set the seal on the verity of His teaching.” Was there really such a vast difference between real Christianity and Russian Orthodox religion?

The book House Without a Roof (1961), by Maurice Hindus, observes: “In Czarist days the peasantry made up over 80 per cent of the population, but the Church never strove to shake the muzhik [Russian peasant] out of superstitions that had come down from pagan times. The clergy was apathetic to the witches, sorcerers, magicians, incantation charmers, that infested the village and preyed on the muzhik’s gullibility and ignorance. The village batushka [priest] was often himself an ignorant man, addicted to vodka and not averse to seducing an attractive woman parishioner. . . . The muzhik, chief pillar of the Church if only because of his overwhelming numbers, remained in comparative ignorance of the faith into which he was born. Rarely was he a Bible reader. Overwhelmingly he was illiterate. He learned more about good and evil from the tales and ballads of wandering beggars and pilgrims than from the parish priest.”

Why was this? Why did not the Orthodox Church more effectively emphasize the religion and high moral standards of God’s Word? Author Hindus continues: “The fatal liability of the Russian Church was its complete subordination and subservience to the Czarist state, which in the words of Milyukov ‘paralyzed all living buds of religion.’”

‘But surely things have changed; it is not that way now,’ some may think. On the basis of many years of close, firsthand observation, Hindus points out about the Orthodox Church in Russia today:

“The Constitution bars the Church from politics, limits its function solely to religious observances. But when called upon by the Kremlin, it readily responds with its blessings on Soviet foreign policies, whatever they may be. Though the Kremlin no longer speaks of Russia as holy, to the highly nationalistic Church, Holy Russia is always right and its enemies, real or imaginary, as determined by the Kremlin, are always wrong.”

Maguey​—a Plant with Many Uses

By “Awake!” correspondent in Mexico

TRAVELING through central Mexico, one will see fields sown in long straight rows with rather large, but relatively low-growing plants. These are generally known in other places as agave plants, but in Mexico they are called maguey.

Some partially informed travelers may think of the maguey only as the source of popular beverages. They may know that pulque, a local Mexican drink, and the internationally known tequila are made from the juices of the maguey. But maguey has many other uses. In fact, thousands of people in Mexico are employed in making products from these remarkable plants.

Appearance and Growth

The maguey has a short, bulky stem, making it appear as though the leaves sprout right from the root. The green-gray leaves are thick and fleshy, and cluster about the base of the plant. However, they may reach nine feet in length and a foot in width! The leaves are tipped with a sharp black thorn, and have thorny edges.

The maguey grows very slowly. Each year more leaves form, and more and more food is stored in them. After about twenty or thirty years, a central stalk sprouts upward, reaching twenty feet or more in the air in just a few days! This stalk blossoms with clusters of yellowish flowers. And then, after flowering only once in its lifetime, the plant dies.

Cultivation of the maguey is not of recent origin. The Aztec Indians of Mexico hundreds of years ago grew the plant for the drink they made from its juices, as well as for its fiber, which they used in weaving. The maguey grows well in a climate of about 64° to 73° F. and at an altitude of about 3,500 to 6,500 feet. Thus it prospers in central Mexico, not far from Mexico City.

Pulque, Popular Drink of Mexico

Pulque is made from varieties of the maguey plant. This whitish milky beverage is produced and consumed principally in the central part of Mexico, so that few people outside the country even know about it. Because its popularity is limited to Mexico, there is the saying, “More Mexican than pulque,” referring to something just of the country.

There has been little change in the making of pulque from the way that the Aztecs did it centuries ago. When the maguey plant begins to send up its tremendous flower stalk, there is a rush of sugary sap to the stalk. By cutting away the bud before it emerges and cutting out a cavity in the center of the plant, this light sap, called agua miel, can be collected. It is said that one plant yielded 265 gallons of sap!

In the making of pulque, the sugary sap is allowed to undergo fermentation. When this liquid becomes thick, milky and more or less ropy, as the sugars change into alcohol, the product is sold as pulque. In 1521 the Spaniards, hearing the Indian name for this fermented drink, “Poliuhqui” (decomposed), pronounced it “pulque,” and the name has stuck. Some persons consider the odor and consistency of pulque objectionable, but the drink, nevertheless, has maintained its popularity.

The Indians used pulque as an ingredient of different medicines. Even today the beverage is known to have many healthful qualities, especially if it is used in moderation. It contains a good portion of proteins, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C and mineral salts. Basically the same nourishing elements are found in pulque as exist in milk and meat.

In the Mexican states of Mexico and Hidalgo the use of pulque is very common; children even drink it from infancy. However, if it is not used moderately, the results can be harmful. Excessive use may even produce mental dullness and swelling of the face and extremities. Indicative of the ill effects that it can have is the saying some Mexicans have for pulque, namely: “The white nectar of black dreams.”

Tequila and Mescal

An even more commonly used drink made from maguey is tequila. The production of tequila is a big industry in Mexico. Over eight million gallons are produced annually, about 10 percent of which is exported. Tequila is made from the blue maguey.

In order to obtain tequila, the blue maguey must reach maturity, which takes from six to thirteen years. The leaves are then cut away until the central stem is hollowed out like a pineapple-shaped bowl in which the sap collects. This sap is taken to the factory, where it is allowed to ferment, and then, by a distillation process, a liquor of a light transparent color is obtained. This is very strong, and, if it is not used in moderation, it can produce harmful effects.

Mescal is another beverage produced by distillation of the juices of the maguey plant. It is of a yellowish color and is also a powerful alcoholic drink that is used wisely only in moderation. Interestingly, some kinds of mescal are sold with a worm inside the bottle. These worms, which live in maguey plants, are also used as a food by some Mexicans.

Other Products of the Maguey

Other products made from the maguey plant include various kinds of syrups. One of them is amber in color, light and transparent, and of exquisite flavor. It is considered of therapeutic value because of its high content of vitamins and protein.

An industrial alcohol and an excellent-quality vinegar is also obtained from maguey. So, too, is a gum, which is similar to gum arabic, and a synthetic wood. Strong fibers, called “istle,” obtained from the leaves of the maguey, are used in making ropes of excellent quality. And maguey is also used as forage for cattle.

Maguey is cultivated by the humble people of Mexico, who benefit from it in many ways. They burn it for fuel, and the green or dried leaves are used to wrap tasty native dishes. Also, the dried leaves serve to roof adobe houses. The Mexican government, early in the 1960’s, formed the Maguey Patronage, the purpose of which is to study and plan for greater utilization of the plant and its products, with the aim of improving the living standards of maguey workers.

So, as is true of many other things that the earth produces, the maguey is a plant that can be used in a variety of ways for man’s benefit.

What Is the Bible’s View?

Everyone Is Serving a God

WHETHER men want to recognize it or not, they are serving either the Creator of the universe, Jehovah God, or one who stands in opposition to him, Satan the Devil. How can this be?

A principle found in the Bible makes this clear. We read: “Do you not know that if you keep presenting yourselves to anyone as slaves to obey him, you are slaves of him because you obey him, either of sin with death in view or of obedience with righteousness in view?” (Rom. 6:16; Matt. 6:24) Thus, when a person goes contrary to God’s will, he pleases God’s adversary. Whether the person believes in Satan or not, by conforming to the world and its unrighteous ways, he serves the interests of Satan.

To serve the true God, you must know the divine will as set forth in the Bible. Nothing is gained by insisting, as some do, that they know what is right and that the Scriptures are unnecessary. If a person feels that he is doing what is right, why should he be afraid to make an examination of the Bible? Would his refusing to do so not suggest that at heart he knows that he should be changing his ways?

It is also unwise to accept the word of someone else without making a personal investigation. Though being zealous and believing that he is doing what is right, a person may unknowingly be serving Satan as god. Zeal and sincerity are not enough. This is illustrated in the case of many Jews back in the first century C.E. Respecting them, the apostle Paul wrote: “They have a zeal for God; but not according to accurate knowledge; for, because of not knowing the righteousness of God but seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.” (Rom. 10:2, 3) Because of this misdirected zeal, they violently persecuted the true followers of Jesus Christ. As the apostle Paul told Christians at Thessalonica: “They are not pleasing God, but are against the interests of all men, as they try to hinder us from speaking to people of the nations that these might be saved, with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins.”​—1 Thess. 2:15, 16.

This points up the danger of having incomplete knowledge of God’s will. The Jews in the first century C.E. were acquainted with the Hebrew Scriptures, as these were read every sabbath in the synagogues. (Luke 4:17-21; Acts 15:21) But they failed to act in harmony with those Scriptures and rejected the evidence in them that pointed to Jesus as the promised Messiah. They refused to accept the truth as revealed through Jesus. By choice, their knowledge of God’s will remained incomplete.

As a consequence, many Jews made the Devil their god. How did they do this? Not by their saying that they served the Devil, but by reflecting a murderous disposition toward Jesus. That is why Jesus plainly told them: “If God were your Father, you would love me, for from God I came forth and am here. Neither have I come of my own initiative at all, but that One sent me forth. Why is it you do not know what I am speaking? Because you cannot listen to my word. You are from your father the Devil, and you wish to do the desires of your father. That one was a manslayer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth, because truth is not in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks according to his own disposition, because he is a liar and the father of the lie.”​—John 8:42-44.

Accordingly, the only ones whom God recognizes as his servants are those who accept all his revealed truth and conform their lives to it. Jehovah God exacts exclusive devotion. (Deut. 5:9) What does this mean for you? It means that, to please God, you must accept all of God’s Word and conscientiously apply it to every aspect of your life.

Is a person doing that if he indulges in superstitions or pagan religious rites while claiming to be a Christian? In various parts of the earth people who claim to be Christians also consult astrologers or fortune-tellers, even though the Bible condemns this. (Deut. 18:10-12) They may also employ the services of a “medicine man” in an attempt to be cured of bodily ills. They see nothing wrong in the fact that various gods are invoked in the ritual. Are such persons serving the true God? How could they be when his Word says: “What fellowship do righteousness and lawlessness have?”​—2 Cor. 6:14.

This was the very thing of which unfaithful Israelites became guilty. They claimed to serve Jehovah and at the same time sacrificed to other gods. They saw nothing wrong in mixing idolatrous practices with their worship of Jehovah. (Jer. 44:16-19) But did Jehovah approve of their worship? No. The prophet Jeremiah told them: “As for the sacrificial smoke that you made in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your forefathers, your kings and your princes and the people of the land, was it not this that Jehovah remembered and that proceeded to come up into his heart? Finally Jehovah was no longer able to put up with it because of the badness of your dealings, because of the detestable things that you had done, and so your land came to be a devastated place and an object of astonishment and a malediction, without an inhabitant, as at this day. Because of the fact that you made sacrificial smoke and that you sinned against Jehovah and did not obey the voice of Jehovah and in his law and in his statutes and in his reminders you did not walk, that is why there has befallen you this calamity.”​—Jer. 44:21-23.

Jehovah God does not change. (Mal. 3:6) All those who are not exclusively devoted to true worship face calamity. Why? Since they are not on Jehovah’s side, they are servants of Satan the Devil and his wicked demons. The apostle Paul wrote to Christians at Corinth: “The things which the nations sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, and not to God.”​—1 Cor. 10:20.

Similarly, even though a person claims to worship the true God, if he treats created things as objects of reverence, this is a serious matter. This was recognized by faithful Job when he observed: “If I used to see the light when it would flash forth, or the precious moon walking along, and my heart began to be enticed in secrecy and my hand proceeded to kiss my mouth, that too would be an error for attention by the justices, for I should have denied the true God above.” (Job 31:26-28) So, if a person used images as an aid in worship or began idolizing a person or thing, would he be serving the true God? The Bible answers: “I am Jehovah. That is my name; and to no one else shall I give my own glory, neither my praise to graven images.” (Isa. 42:8) So, then, if by his thoughts or actions a worshiper “denied the true God,” to whom would his worship go? Who would be his god? Obviously, “the god of this system of things,” the Devil.

Surely, that is not what you want. Make Jehovah your God. Love him uniquely. Express that love by obeying his commands.2

Watching the World

Sentenced in Lithuania

◆ Nine witnesses of Jehovah were arrested in Soviet Lithuania, behind the Iron Curtain. Four of them were sentenced to five years in labor camps. The others received lesser sentences. The accused were charged with building an underground organization in order to print and distribute Bible study literature. Sovietskaya Litva, the Lithuanian Communist newspaper, reported that Jehovah’s witnesses throughout the Soviet Union are ‘highly efficient in arranging secret meetings for Bible readings, smuggling literature into the country, reproducing and distributing it.’

Employee Thievery

◆ The head of the investigative division of Guardsmark Incorporated, in Memphis, Tennessee, Mark Lipman, has spent nearly forty years studying employee thievery. He estimates that today at least half the people working in factories and offices steal. Such thefts are rising 15 to 20 percent every year. The problem is worsened when employers refuse to face the fact that employee dishonesty is so widespread. This prevents any significant curbing of losses. “We have many examples of employers,” he noted, “who refuse to believe our proof that their employees are stealing, because they are so highly trusted.” And the criminals are not the typical “bad guy” that employers visualize, but “Mr. Average Citizen​—married, two or three kids, lives in a decent community, plays bridge with the neighbors, goes to church, and his boss likes him. He works hard, too.”

Homosexual Churches Expand

◆ Four and a half years ago a homosexual church denomination was founded in Los Angeles, California. Since then the denomination, now known as the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, has increased to a membership of 15,000, with 43 congregations in 19 states and one in England. Further, the homosexual denomination has ordained 68 clergymen and 125 deacons and is training 40 students. Among its clergy are two Roman Catholic priests, a Greek Orthodox clergyman and a lesbian pastor. The homosexual denomination plans to apply for membership in the National Council of Churches.

Catholicism Still Declining

◆ The number of priests in Newfoundland’s St. John’s archdiocese has fallen “critically low,” according to the archdiocese’s paper, The Monitor. The 90,000 Catholics in 38 parishes are being served at present by only 55 diocesan clergymen. Also, there are only nine seminary students, a sharp drop from previous years. The largest Roman Catholic country, Brazil, is also having clergy problems. A recent survey shows that its ratio of priests to laymen is one of the lowest in the world, one to every 6,000. Since 1968 the number of priests in this land has steadily declined. Parish priests, monks, friars, Catholic school professors and administrators now total a little over 15,000 in a land whose population is about 100,000,000. Many seminaries and parochial schools are closing. Brazil’s Catholic primate bemoaned, “There is a crisis.”

Clergy Alcoholism

◆ Recently, the National Clergy Council on Alcoholism pointed out that about 12 percent of the United States’ 58,000 priests are “problem drinkers.” The conference coordinator said that alcoholism “is as widespread among priests as it is among lay people. That is unfortunate but that is the situation.” As for convents, “alcoholism is more prevalent than people know,” said a nun who admitted to being a longtime member of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Sports Hero Worship

◆ Dr. Thomas Tutko, psychology professor at California State University in San Jose, conducted a study involving 40,000 athletes. He concludes that today’s sports heroes are poor examples for youngsters to emulate. “We have,” he said, “wife-swapping, greed and fights more immature than the kids themselves would start.” He further pointed out that today’s sports idols “project a win-or-else attitude that kids copy. I have no doubt that their language reflects their attitude: ‘Kill ’em! Zap ’em!’ The coach who loses the Super Bowl says, ‘Losing is like dying.’” This example, says Dr. Tutko, is “destructive to children and other young athletes.” Professional sports, he believes, have made each of their stars a “God, but he is not God, he is selfish, greedy and interested only in himself.”

World Crop Shortage

◆ An editorial in the Star and Herald, a Panamanian newspaper, reveals the seriousness of the current food shortage. After pointing out that shortages in harvests have been disastrous in some lands, it observes: “Even the ‘green revolution’ of new seed strains and farming techniques has been stopped by shortages. Severe shortages have forced such major consumers as Russia, China and India into world markets to buy up any quantity of grains they can find. This has pushed up prices and placed a burden on underdeveloped countries which rely upon producers elsewhere for basic food necessities. It is too early to predict what harvests will be like in many countries this year, but the damage already caused by the world food chain may take as long as a decade of favorable crops to repair. Another disastrous year following the last two would put a severe pinch [on] resources of food-poor countries. India, one of those supposed to have benefited most from advanced farming technology, in January had to purchase $200 million worth of grain. In that one exchange, India spent nearly one-fifth of its foreign exchange reserves. And so far there is no proof that 1973 will be a good world crop year.”

Paid Not to Raise Crops

◆ Last year 12,309 “farms” in the United States were paid the total of $411.8 million for not raising crops. In Hawaii, eleven companies were subsidized to the extent of 10 million dollars for not growing sugar. In Texas alone 5,191 farmers received $172 million for not producing wheat, grains, cotton and feed. The list of farmers being paid to keep their soil idle includes prison farms, universities, coal companies, an insurance company and an aluminum corporation.

Marijuana and Breast Deformity

◆ Doctors at the Cambridge Hospital in Boston say that smoking marijuana contributes to development of female breasts in men. Tests were made on two men who regularly smoked marijuana several hours each day for several years. It seems that the chemical composition of marijuana’s active ingredient, 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is very much like that of the female hormone estradiol. Other cases have since supported these findings.

VD Spiraling Upward

◆ The American Social Health Association reports that during 1972 gonorrhea reached a record high. And syphilis cases were more numerous than in any year since 1950. William L. Fleming, chairman of the committee that prepared the Association’s report, claimed that last year there were at least 2,500,000 gonorrhea cases and 85,000 of infectious syphilis. Fleming declared: “Overall, gonorrhea continues to be uncontrolled in most areas.”

Smoking and Male Infertility

◆ According to Australian biochemist Dr. Michael Briggs, cigarette smoking might be a factor causing a man to become infertile. Writing about the findings of his study in the Medical Journal of Australia, Briggs said that heavy cigarette smoking decreases the male sex hormone, plasma testosterone, due to the carbon monoxide produced and absorbed into the bloodstream. One group of men studied smoked at least 30 cigarettes a day. After they stopped for seven days their testosterone concentration rose.

Burying Nuclear Wastes

◆ Near the Chalk River in Canada, three twelve-acre cemeteries are being used to bury lethal nuclear wastes. Trucks from different places in Canada bring dust, cobalt chips and radioactive-contaminated paper in one-gallon cans surrounded by four-ton lead containers. These are buried in huge underground vaults. But some scientists say that before certain nuclear wastes could decay to a safe level of radioactivity, the cement coffins might disintegrate and the leaking radioactivity would pollute underground water supplies. One scientist called the burial “criminally insane.”

Plastic Pollution

◆ The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that fur seals and other marine mammals are being harmed or drowned by thousands of plastic pieces washed up on the shores of Alaskan islands. Observers report that along the 60 miles of Amichitka Island beaches 24,000 plastic items have been washed up.

Space Objects in Orbit

◆ The Aerospace Defense Command in the United States reports that presently there are 2,897 man-made objects orbiting the earth. Of these, 1,978 were launched by the United States and 834 are of Russian origin.

Tax Evasion Increasing

◆ An increasing number of people in the United States are failing to file income-tax returns. J. M. Walters, outgoing Internal Revenue Service commissioner, says that “the trend is frightening.” Complex tax laws that people feel are unfair are said to account for the rise in number of tax dodgers. If not checked, Walters pointed out, the current $2.5 to $3 billion lost in unpaid taxes will shoot up to $6 billion in 1976.

Youthful Suicides

◆ In the past twenty-five years, suicide has climbed to second place as a cause of death among young people in the U.S. During the next year it is estimated that 70,000 to 80,000 youths will attempt to do away with themselves. Between 3,500 and 4,000 may succeed. Dr. Michael L. Peck, director at the Suicide Prevention Center and Institute for Studies of Self-Destructive Behavior in Los Angeles, gave two possible reasons why young suicides are increasing. “Stresses today have increased dramatically. A second, . . . is the fact that people learn to enjoy life at a young age from their parents and they learn to distrust from the same people. Maybe the postwar generation had more general depression to communicate.” Dr. Peck pointed out that college suicides are now rarely caused by pressures of college alone. “They bring with them their home pressures,” he said.

Avoiding Heart Attacks

◆ A study of 16,882 British sedentary workers indicates that men who exercise vigorously, if only on weekends, are less open to heart attacks. “Vigorous exercise promotes cardiovascular health,” said the doctors conducting the study. “Lighter exercise . . . showed no such advantage.” Hard work such as that involved in walking briskly up hills, bicycling, digging a garden, shoveling snow, swimming, heavy calisthenics over a period of time can be good for one’s heart. But the doctors warned against starting any vigorous exercise program without consulting a physician first.

Contaminated-Blood Threat

◆ Medical experts claim that tens of thousands of Americans receiving blood transfusions risk painful disease and even death. Reports show that blood transfusions kill more than 3,000 Americans every year and debilitate another 30,000 with disease. California representative Victor V. Veysey says: “Tragically, at least 90 percent of all serum hepatitis cases are inexcusable.” Serum hepatitis develops after blood transfusion or by contact with contaminated blood or medical equipment such as needles. The disease is common among drug addicts.

Read With Greater Understanding

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