December 22

The Happiness That Comes from Giving

“THERE was a time I didn’t care about anybody but myself and my family,” said a woman in her late fifties. “I thought that was the way to be.”

Sitting at a table in her New York City apartment, the listener found this hard to believe. He had come to know this woman as a generous person who really cared about other people. As he looked at her beaming face and broad smile, he could not imagine that she had ever been a selfish person. Knowing about her present happiness, he remarked: “You probably weren’t happy in the past.” “I was miserable,” she quickly replied. “I didn’t know any better.” What made her change?

This woman, like many other people, was aided to change her viewpoint through a study of the Bible. She learned that the key to happiness is unselfish giving. Today, she is convinced about the truthfulness of Jesus’ words: “There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.”​—Acts 20:35.

This is a tested precept. Jesus Christ himself lived by it and, therefore, could state it without any reservations. As the foremost of God’s spirit sons in the heavens, he had riches far greater than any other creature has ever been able to enjoy. He had everything. On earth, however, he lived as a poor man. Yet it was in this capacity that he opened up to mankind great spiritual riches and the opportunity of gaining everlasting life. “Though he was rich,” wrote the apostle Paul to the Corinthians, “he became poor for your sakes, that you might become rich through his poverty.”​—2 Cor. 8:9.

The Son of God found real pleasure in what he did. Regarding his attitude, the following was foretold: “To do your will, O my God, I have delighted, and your law is within my inward parts.”​—Ps. 40:8; Heb. 10:7-9.

Persons who come to know Jesus Christ, imitating his example, experience the same delight or happiness in giving of themselves to further the interests of their fellowmen. Why is this the case?

For one thing, using one’s abilities, assets and time to help others has a good effect upon the individual’s own outlook. He is so busy doing things for people that he does not brood about others’ inconsiderate acts. As he sees individuals made happy by his unselfish giving, his own happiness increases. Instead of prompting complaints, any unkindness and selfishness shown by others actually makes him feel sorry for them. He knows that they are missing out on the deep joy that comes from making others happy.

Often, a person’s expressions of generosity also have a wholesome effect on the attitude of the recipients, making them aware of the happiness that comes from giving. Their hearts, too, may be stirred to be generous. The words of Jesus Christ highlight this fact: “Practice giving, and people will give to you. They will pour into your laps a fine measure, pressed down, shaken together and overflowing. For with the measure that you are measuring out, they will measure out to you in return.”​—Luke 6:38.

The generous person thus himself becomes the object of others’ generosity. His record of generosity will put him in good stead in his time of need. And people will be more inclined to give him a full measure. The contents being ‘pressed down and shaken,’ his container, as it were, will be filled with good things to overflowing.

Yes, the unselfish person wins for himself a place in the affection of appreciative fellowmen. This is because he does not limit himself to doing what justice requires. He wants to help others, unselfishly laboring in their behalf. For such a good man, says the apostle Paul, “someone even dares to die.”​—Rom. 5:7.

Most importantly, the person who practices giving rejoices in knowing that Jehovah God is pleased with his course. Even if people do not always appreciate what he does, the Most High does not overlook the matter. “God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor. 9:7) He will not leave the individual unrewarded. Jesus Christ said: “When making gifts of mercy, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, that your gifts of mercy may be in secret; then your Father who is looking on in secret will repay you.”​—Matt. 6:3, 4.

When right motivation is lacking, however, giving in itself does not bring happiness. That is why the giving at Christmas time so often fails to promote joy. While there are exceptions, many people merely exchange gifts out of a sense of duty, feeling pressured to do so. They may have no heartfelt desire to give with the view of making someone else happy.

Does it not seem strange that a holiday, thought to be in honor of Jesus, so frequently falls short of the spirit of Christian giving? But should this really come as a surprise? Actually, the customs centering around the celebration of Christmas stem from sources that have no relationship to the Son of God. Reports the Press Register of Mobile, Alabama:

“The festivities accompanying Christmas probably originated with the Roman festival of Saturnalia, December 17 to 19, honoring Saturn, god of the seed-corn. It was the occasion for merriment, feasting and the exchange of presents. Temples were decked with greenery and flowers. No public business could be transacted, the law courts were closed, schools had a holiday, no criminal could be punished and no war declared.”

It is not the kind of giving that was associated with the pagan Saturnalia, but unselfish giving, that brings a rich reward. This is one reason that has prompted many honest-hearted persons to stop exchanging gifts after the pattern of the ancient Romans. They are finding great joy in spontaneous expressions of generosity at times other than the Christmas season. Are you experiencing the happiness that comes from such giving?

If not, test out the truthfulness of Jesus’ words about this. Strive to cultivate an unselfish, continuing interest in the welfare of others and see for yourself that the result can indeed be a richer and happier life even now.

Mental Depression Afflicts Millions​—Why?

THE symptoms may not seem overly serious at first. Perhaps a person suffers from fatigue, stomach cramps or chest pains. He may find himself waking up at wee hours of the morning for no apparent reason; or the trouble may be difficulty in getting to sleep. Possibly a change in appetite has led to weight loss; or maybe the problem is overweight due to a sudden splurge of eating.

Who of us has not experienced some of these symptoms? They may indicate a number of simple physical ailments. But what if they persist and an examination by a physician reveals that there is nothing wrong physically? In such a case is the ailment merely imaginary? Not necessarily.

Fatigue, physical pains and change in eating or sleeping habits can constitute what doctors call “the somatic mask of depression.” What is depression? Why does it afflict people?

The Earmarks of Depression

Everyone feels ‘down in the dumps’ on occasion. This should not cause alarm, for off days of this type are not what doctors mean when they speak of depression. During an interview recorded in U.S. News & World Report, a leading psychiatrist, Dr. Bertram S. Brown, explained the significance of the term: “Clinically, we mean something more serious when we speak of depression. In the intermediate stage, victims feel a lack of energy and interest in life that hangs on for a few days or a few weeks and affects their life functions.”

A depressed person finds it difficult to perform even the most routine tasks, such as getting dressed, brushing teeth, preparing breakfast and making routine decisions. “The third level, where no one can doubt that you’re dealing with depression,” continues Dr. Brown, “is when somebody literally sits in a corner​—almost paralyzed—​looking into space.”

And usually depression has another characteristic symptom. Commenting on findings by Dr. Aaron Beck, an article in the New York Times Magazine stated:

“Beck did find, as he reports in his book: ‘Depression: Causes and Treatment,’ that the dreams [of depressed persons] repeated, night after night, constant themes of inferiority, of unattractiveness, deprivation, incompetence. . . . Beck noticed these gloomy sleeping fantasies were matched by an equally negative way of thinking during the day. For example, a depressed woman whose friend was late for an appointment became convinced that the friend no longer cared for her, that no one liked her, and that in fact she was unlikable.

“Beck postulated that almost all the thoughts of depressed patients are ruled by what he calls ‘the cognitive triad of depression’​—negative views of the world, themselves and the future. He found that depression-prone people exaggerated minor obstacles into impossible barriers, considered themselves stupid or hopelessly incompetent and saw the future as only full of more painful failures.”

Doctors often speak of depression as either “acute” or “chronic.” Acute depression sets in from some external cause, such as the death of a loved one, divorce or some other severe loss. Depending on the seriousness of the cause, acute depression may last weeks or even months; but then it disappears. On the other hand, in chronic cases the crippling effects of depression persist month after month.

Another type of sufferer is the “manic-depressive.” This person seesaws between a “manic” (from manikos, Greek for “mad”) state and one of depression. During a manic state, the individual becomes overactive, impulsive, often disorderly in speech and thinking. Then follows a “normal” period, after which he plunges into depression. Some remain in the manic state most of the time, with only brief low periods. Others are just the opposite, remaining depressed most of the time. And there are those who, for the most part, remain on an even keel except for brief ups and downs.

“Common Cold of Mental Disturbances”

How widespread is serious depression? According to Dr. Nathan S. Kline of the New York State Department of Mental Hygiene, “it has been estimated that 15 per cent of the adult population of the United States has some degree of depression which is serious enough to be in need of treatment. This amounts to about 20 million people, which makes it not only the most frequent psychological disorder but also one of the most common of all serious medical conditions.” Depression is so widespread that it has been called “the common cold of mental disturbances.”

Studies report that women outstrip men in suffering from depression by a ratio of about 2 to 1, though some claim that this is because women are more willing to admit that they are depressed. Depression afflicts all races and every social and economic level. While the malady is most common between the ages of sixty and seventy, it strikes all age groups and has been rising among persons in their twenties.

Why do so many millions of persons suffer from depression?

Human Society a Factor

Much study has gone into uncovering the root causes of mental depression. Flaws in human society constitute one main source of the problem.

Illustrating an aspect of this are comments by Dr. John Schwab, of the University of Florida College of Medicine: “We’re in an era of change right now. Old values such as the old work ethic are being rejected and people are caught in an ideological vacuum. Kids see that the fruits of four hundred years of scientific progress may be more bitter than sweet​—but they don’t know what to put in its place, and consequently there is a sense of futility.” Because of this, many disillusioned youngsters seek “escape” through drugs and other means. “The search for highs among the young,” observes Dr. Schwab, “is often only a flight from the lows.”

Also contributing to the rise in depression is “supermobility.” Families that keep changing their places of residence, hopping about from house to house and city to city, do not stay in one place long enough to build solid relationships with other people. A psychiatrist at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center wrote: “Psychiatrists around Boston have been aware for some time of what is called ‘the Route 128 syndrome’ or in Florida ‘the Cape Kennedy syndrome.’ It is found in young families who have moved too much, and its components are a husband too centered in his career, a depressed wife and troubled children.”

Sometimes depression results when a person reaches a “plateau” in his life after many years of painstaking labor. A hard-driving business executive may finally achieve the top position in his company, only to realize that he no longer has a goal in life. Housewives in their forties and fifties often suffer from what psychiatrists call “empty nest syndrome.” By this time their children usually have grown up, their husbands are at work for most of each day and they must face lonely hours in houses devoid of people.

What about the feelings of inferiority that often accompany depression? Here too the responsibility may rest with human society. How so? Because it is often at a tender age that children are made to feel unattractive. Their peers may ridicule them if they are unable to do what the majority consider the “in” thing. If a youngster tends to be clumsy and uncoordinated, schoolmates and playmates can influence the child to believe that he “can’t do anything right.” Children of this type often combine the generalization: “I am weak,” with the value judgment: “It’s disgusting to be weak.” Such youths are likely candidates for depression.

Biological Factors

During recent years considerable research has gone on to show that in many cases depression may be due to faulty chemical activity in the brain. Throughout the brain are scattered “biogenic amines.” These chemical compounds are especially concentrated in the “limbic system,” a part of the cerebrum that has much to do with emotions. Scientists have connected three of these amines​—dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin—​with the transmission of impulses from one brain cell to another.

Interestingly, experiments with both animals and humans have shown that depression results from taking drugs that reduce the level of amines. On the other hand, experimental animals showed notable liveliness when their amine level was increased. Notes the New York Times Magazine:

“An international research team of British and American scientists in 1968 added new circumstantial evidence to support the amine theory when they found that the brains of patients who had committed suicide seemed to show some evidence of reduced amine levels. And a recent study of manic-depressives added further support: The urine of manic-depressive patients during their manic period showed increased excretion of norepinephrine, and the exact opposite after they had shifted to the normal phase or the depressed phase.”

Do you have symptoms of depression? What can you do to cope with melancholy feelings? These questions are discussed in the following article.

[Blurb on page 6]

Mental depression is “one of the most common of all serious medical conditions.” It afflicts all races and every social and economic level.

[Blurb on page 7]

“Depression may be due to faulty chemical activity in the brain.”

What Can You Do About Being Depressed?

DEPRESSION presents serious problems for millions of persons today. Does it affect you or persons you love? What can you do, either for yourself or for others, to ease the crushing burden of depression?

Likely you will find it helpful to discuss your distressing circumstances with someone close to you. Seeing a difficult experience through the eyes of another can aid you to develop a more realistic outlook. Often this alone will bring a measure of relief from depression.

At times the reason why individuals become depressed is frustration at daily tasks that are repetitious and boring. Does that describe your situation? If so, some simple changes in the order of your regular routine may help. For instance, tackling the more unpleasant tasks earlier each day will leave later hours for activities that afford greater enjoyment. Another thing you can do from time to time is to seek out a change of pace. Something as simple as taking a walk, a brief period of exercise, or getting away to an area of different surroundings for a weekend or vacation can do much to chase away the “blues.”

One thing that depressed persons must strive to overcome is the temptation to withdraw from other people and “vegetate” in a pool of despair. Keeping busy at some helpful service, a hobby, or other type of activity will help grief-stricken persons to keep their mind off unpleasant circumstances.

When Feeling Worthless and Guilty

What about the feelings of incompetence, worthlessness and guilt that frequently accompany depression? Could it be that worldly standards of “success” have led you to believe that somehow you do not measure up to others? It will be worth while to consider the Scriptural view of this matter. The Bible assures that what the world considers popular, flashy and appealing “does not originate with the Father [God], but originates with the world.” (1 John 2:15, 16) The Scriptures also make it plain that everyone has positive qualities that can serve for the benefit of others. Concerning the correct attitude for Christians, the apostle Paul writes:

“For the body, indeed, is not one member, but many. If the foot should say: ‘Because I am not a hand, I am no part of the body,’ it is not for this reason no part of the body. And if the ear should say: ‘Because I am not an eye, I am no part of the body,’ it is not for this reason no part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If it were all hearing, where would the smelling be? But now God has set the members in the body, each one of them, just as he pleased. The eye cannot say to the hand: ‘I have no need of you’; or, again, the head cannot say to the feet: ‘I have no need of you.’ But much rather is it the case that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.”​—1 Cor. 12:14-18, 21, 22.

Regarding a tendency to do things wrong, the Scriptures place all humans on the same level. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23) The Scriptural term “sin” means “to miss the mark” in the sense of failing to reflect perfectly the qualities of God’s personality. This tendency spread to all mankind from the first human pair, Adam and Eve. (Rom. 5:12) If one misses when shooting at a target, it matters little whether the error is due to shooting above, below or on either side of it. It is reckoned that one simply missed the mark. So likewise your own inherited weaknesses do not in God’s eyes put you on a lower level than fellow humans.

As to the comfort gained from talking to a trusted friend, King David, who underwent numerous hardships, said concerning the Creator: “Jehovah is near to those that are broken at heart; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.” (Ps. 34: 18) Approaching God in prayer during times of distress is especially helpful. Do you do that regularly?​—1 Thess. 5:17.

What can relatives and friends do to assist depressed individuals? Persons who wish to help should avoid blurting out things such as: “Oh, why don’t you snap out of it!” Much more helpful is heeding the Scriptural advice: “Speak consolingly to the depressed souls.” (1 Thess. 5:14) A way to do that is to notice things that they do well and give commendation. When persons have totally lost confidence in themselves, some have helped by giving them simple tasks that they obviously can perform. Then they provide more difficult things to do, gradually rebuilding the depressed person’s self-confidence. Might you be able to help someone in this way?

But what if suggestions such as these do not bring much improvement? What other types of treatment are there?

Treatments Some Have Tried

Treating the mentally depressed has run the gamut from kindness to horrors. Today when doctors fail to aid a person to a better frame of mind through psychotherapy, they may resort to “shock therapies.” This procedure dates back to the early 1930’s. Manfred Sakel pioneered insulin-induced shock in psychotherapy back in 1933. Two years later a Budapest psychiatrist, Van Meduna, used Metrazol to produce epileptic-like convulsions. In many cases these shock treatments relieved symptoms of severe depression for a period of time. However, to be most effective insulin shock had to last 30 to 50 hours and the patient required costly attention. Metrazol shock resulted in a high incidence of fatalities and fractures.

These treatments have been largely replaced by “electroshock therapy” (EST), also called “electroconvulsive therapy” (ECT). This procedure, which is still popular, involves applying electric currents to the brain, which causes the body to convulse. Usually a drug is given in advance so that the patient does not feel anything. However, a confused state of mind follows electroshock therapy; and, on occasion, it has brought about amnesia that lasted for weeks, as well as permanent brain damage. Moreover, as noted in the book The History of Psychiatry: “Shock treatments effect only a relief of symptoms. They do not reach the basic psychological disturbance underlying the illness.”

Another way of treating depression is psychosurgery. This involves cutting certain nerve fibers that connect the frontal lobes of the brain with the thalamus. If successful, this operation may bring about relaxing of tension and anxiety. However, it has caused some patients to lose contact with their past and to become passive and lead an almost vegetative existence. And once performed, psychosurgery cannot be reversed.

Because of the frequent failure of earlier methods of treatment, some doctors have begun viewing depression from an entirely different direction. What does this involve?

Coping with Defective Body Chemistry

In an effort to treat depression from the standpoint of body chemistry, scientists have developed certain “antidepressant drugs.” These are not sedatives that induce dependence. With very rare exceptions persons can discontinue or restart antidepressant medications without adverse effects.

How do these special drugs fight depression? Scientists have noted that chemical substances called “biogenic amines” are highly concentrated in the part of the brain that controls moods. “In depressed individuals,” explains Dr. Nathan Kline, “there is fairly good evidence that certain ‘biogenic amines’ are either not produced in sufficient quantity or are destroyed much too rapidly.” A group of drugs called “monamine oxidase inhibitors” (MAOI’s, for short) has been developed to retard the breakdown of amines that appear to be needed to maintain a pleasant mood. One medication, lithium carbonate, has been quite effective in leveling off the alternate highs and lows of manic depressives.

Concerning the merits of antidepressant drugs, Dr. Kline writes: “Certainly, when extensive psychotherapy has proved to be ineffective in relieving symptoms, there are strong reasons for trying antidepressant medication. One school of thought, increasing all the time, is that medication ought to be tried first. In many cases this proves to be all that is needed. Medication not infrequently is helpful in combination with psychotherapy. After all, a depressed person is not the world’s best subject for intensive psychotherapy.”

However, there are many people, perhaps 40 percent of depressives, that do not respond to these drugs. Too, the medications have unpleasant side effects and can be dangerous if not used under the careful oversight of a doctor.

With regard to proper functioning of the brain, a reasonable safety measure would be to make sure that your body receives proper nutrition. After citing evidence that mental depression results when there are deficiencies in vitamins and other nutritional elements, biochemist Roger J. Williams observed in his book Nutrition Against Disease: “The safest assumption we can make is that every essential nutrient is needed by brain cells and that the inadequate supply of any one will cause trouble.” Of course, this is not to suggest that a person simply stuff himself with a random assortment of vitamin capsules. Requirements for optimum nutrition often vary from person to person. It would be wise to seek out expert advice as to any deficiencies of this type that you should correct. However, this is an approach to depression that is often overlooked but sometimes successful.

The Permanent Cure for Depression

If you suffer from depression, perhaps one of the suggestions mentioned above, or a combination of several of them, will afford a measure of relief. However, a permanent cure for all depressive illnesses is now at hand. What is this?

As noted earlier, the basic reason why the human body is defective and subject to various diseases, including depression, is that all humans inherit sin. According to the Scriptures, the removal of inherited sin through the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ will eventually lead to disappearance of all diseases that afflict mankind.​—Isa. 33:24; Col. 1:14; Rev. 21: 1-5.

The Scriptures assure, too, that all unpleasant aspects of human society will disappear when God’s heavenly Kingdom government replaces human political governments with divine rule of the earth. (Dan. 2:34, 44) Bible prophecy schedules this cleansing of the earth for the present generation.​—Matt. 24:3-8, 14, 32-34.

Even now, before complete fulfillment of these sure promises, the Bible can help to uproot deep-seated depression. How so? Because persons who live according to Bible principles can offer one of the most important elements in treating any mental disturbance.

According to the Scriptures, persons practicing true Christianity heed the advice: “Clothe yourselves with the tender affections of compassion, kindness, lowliness of mind, mildness, and long-suffering. . . . But, besides all these things, clothe yourselves with love, for it is a perfect bond of union.” (Col. 3:12-14) Depressives will surely profit from association with persons who live according to such principles. A chairman of the Mental Health Research Fund in London said: “By far the most significant discovery of mental science is the power of love to protect and restore the mind.”

Time and again Jehovah’s Witnesses have noted the effectiveness of Bible knowledge and application of its principles in lifting people out of depression. For example, a woman from the western United States writes: “I was in a very low mental state, depressed, and had entertained thoughts of suicide. I turned to Jehovah’s Witnesses and began studying the Bible seriously. It was like God answering my prayer. My depressions and loneliness disappeared and a new hope grew in me, namely, to serve Jehovah. Today I am happy as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, knowing that there is a real reason to live and that my children can have a hope for a better life. I thank Jehovah for his loving-kindness.”

Would you like to know more about how God will soon replace this depressing system of things with a new one of peace and happiness? This information, along with sound principles for happy everyday living, is found in the Bible. Would you enjoy getting better acquainted with the Word of God? Jehovah’s Witnesses will be glad to help you to do so.

[Picture on page 9]

Might talking to a trusted friend help you to cope with depression?

Are They Idolatrous Decorations?

IN May 1976 a New York newspaper advertised as a gift for ‘the woman in your life’ a necklace that should show her “that she’s as dear to your heart as you are to hers.” On a silver chain hung the pendant, a “porcelain heart embedded in silver.”

Many who saw that advertisement had no objection to the pendant’s shape. But some persons might feel strongly that a Christian woman should not wear a heart-shaped decoration. Why not?

Well, objectors might consider the heart to be an idolatrous decoration, having learned that it formerly was used in non-Christian worship. They may sincerely want to apply this Bible advice: “What agreement does God’s temple have with idols? . . . ‘Therefore get out from among them, and separate yourselves,’ says Jehovah, ‘and quit touching the unclean thing’; ‘and I will take you in.’”​—2 Cor. 6:15-17.

Frankly, this touches on a broader and more basic question that can arise with many designs and decorations. It is: What should be a Christian’s attitude toward shapes and designs that have at some time or place been connected with false religion?

This question may be involved when you choose wallpaper for your home, the print on a necktie or dress, or jewelry such as cuff links, a bracelet or a necklace to purchase. It may even be of concern regarding the design of lamps or dishes. You might wonder, ‘Is this design somehow connected with idolatrous worship?’ Or some acquaintance may start you thinking by asking that question. You want to do what is right, but just what is the right thing?

Let’s consider a few examples of such decorations. Alexander Hislop’s book The Two Babylons points out:

“The ‘Heart’ was one of the sacred symbols of [the Egyptian god] Osiris when he was born again, and appeared as Harpocrates, or the infant divinity . . . The veneration of the ‘sacred heart’ seems also to have extended to India, for there Vishnu . . . is represented as wearing a heart suspended on his breast . . . Now, the worship of the ‘Sacred Heart’ was just, under a symbol, the worship of the ‘Sacred Bel,’ that mighty one of Babylon.”

Similarly, the first printing of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures presented this captioned drawing:

The ancients used many other religious symbols. For instance, the Winged Globe or Winged Disk was used in various forms in Phoenicia, Assyria and other nations. However, The Migration of Symbols by G. d’Alviella says: “It has been said, with good reason, that the Winged Globe is the Egyptian symbol par excellence.” Likely you have seen it in Egyptian art or designs.

The Egyptians also employed as religious symbols things in nature around them. Regarding the scarab or dung beetle, The World Book Encyclopedia reports: “For the Egyptians, the scarab also symbolized the resurrection and immortality. They carved figures of the insects out of stone or metal, and used them as charms.”

Certain plants, too, have been taken as religious symbols. In their religion or mythology many nations had a Sacred Tree, such as “the palm, the pomegranate, the cypress, the vine, etc.” The fleur-de-lis (French, “flower of the lily”) brings this up to more recent times. This design, used in ancient India and Egypt, became part of the heraldic design on the shield of the royal house of France. “Charles V of France in 1376 limited the number of fleurs-de-lis to three, in honour of the Holy Trinity.”​—Encyclopædia Britannica, 1976 edition, Volume IV, page 182.

A similar religious connection may arise with the shamrock or three-leaf clover. Regarding this plant or design, one encyclopedia reports:

“Shamrock (Ir. seamròg, ‘little clover’), any of several [three-leaf] clovers . . . , all of which are native to Ireland. The shamrock was originally chosen as the national emblem of Ireland because of the legend that Saint Patrick used the plant to illustrate the doctrine of the Trinity. Most shamrocks . . . have been considered by the Irish as good-luck symbols since earliest times, and this superstition has persisted in modern times among people of many nationalities.”

Need to Determine

Snakes, crosses, stars, birds, flowers . . . yes, there is an almost endless number of designs and symbols that have at some time or other been linked with idolatrous worship. So how can the sincere Christian know what to avoid or what to overlook as unimportant?

It certainly is not as if it makes no difference as to what decoration a Christian uses in his home or on his person. Illustrating this is the law Jehovah God gave to the Israelites about not cutting the side locks and extremities of their beards. (Lev. 19:27) Evidently some of the pagan nations around them at the time practiced cutting their beards in a certain fashion, doing so in connection with the worship of their gods. (Jer. 9:26; 25:23) If an Israelite adopted the same style, observers might well take it to be a symbol of his religious beliefs, signifying that he upheld pagan worship. Obediently, God’s people avoided this style of grooming or personal decoration. So it is appropriate to avoid decorations that would link a person with idolatrous worship.

On the other hand, just because idol worshipers at some time or place might use a certain design, that does not automatically mean that true worshipers must always shun it. For instance, figures of palm trees, pomegranates and bulls were incorporated in the design of Jehovah’s temple in Jerusalem. (1 Ki. 6:29-35; 7:15-18, 23-25) The fact that other religions might take these natural things that God created and use them as symbols in idol worship did not make it wrong for true worshipers to use them decoratively. Anyone visiting the temple could tell that God’s people were not worshiping these decorations or venerating them as sacred symbols.

Another factor to consider is a design’s meaning where you are.

Things Change

Many times a design will change in significance according to location and time. A certain shape may have a particular meaning to an observer at one time and place, but a different meaning to an observer elsewhere or in another age. Note this example:

What does this design bring to your mind? Actually, the gammadion, or swastika, is an old religious symbol used in nations around the globe. The World Book Encyclopedia says of it:

“An ancient symbol often used as an ornament or a religious sign. . . . The swastika has been found on Byzantine buildings, Buddhist inscriptions, Celtic monuments, and Greek coins. Swastikas were widely used symbols among the Indians of North America and South America.”

However, because of its more recent use as a symbol in Nazi Germany, those past religious meanings do not readily come to the mind of most observers today. As this encyclopedia explains, now the swastika has come “to stand for all the evil associated with the Nazis as they gained control of Europe.”

This matter of a symbol’s taking on different significance can work in another way. A pagan religious symbol might lose its religious connotation. As the book The Migration of Symbols explains:

“It frequently happens that a symbol changes its meaning in passing from one country to another. In this manner a symbol can very well become a mere ornament when, on account of its æsthetic value, or simply by reason of its originality, it is reproduced by artists who are unacquainted with its primitive acceptation.”

Also, the significance of a particular design may vary from place to place. The shamrock or three-leaf clover exemplifies this point. In some localities it might still be commonly looked on as a symbol of the unscriptural Trinity doctrine. In other areas that connection might be relatively unknown, but people may often view a shamrock displayed on a bracelet or a tie as being a “good luck” symbol. (Compare Isaiah 65:11, 12.) In yet other places neither of these significances may generally come to mind; if a three-leaf clover were part of the design of some wallpaper or piece of clothing, most persons might consider it just a pleasant natural decoration, even as flowers, colored tree leaves and other attractive vegetation are used decoratively.

So the Christian needs to be primarily concerned about what? Not what a certain symbol or design possibly meant thousands of years ago or how it might be thought of on the other side of the world, but what it means now to most people where he lives.

In Practice

What does all of this mean in practice? Obviously, some ancient religious symbols are still venerated or held to have a religious significance, in the same religion or a different one. Take the cross for example.

The Encyclopædia Britannica (1976) mentions: “Cross forms were used as symbols, religious or otherwise, long before the Christian era in almost every part of the world.” And d’Alviella reports: “When the Spaniards took possession of Central America, they found in the native temples real Crosses, which were regarded as the symbol . . . of a divinity at once terrible and beneficent.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses have often pointed to Biblical evidence that establishes that Jesus actually was not put to death on a stake with a crossbeam. (Acts 5:30) Accordingly, they do not link the cross with the death of Jesus. Nonetheless, the cross still has a religious significance in most parts of the earth. So, were a Witness to wear a cross with the view that it was a mere decoration, observers would understandably view it differently. They would most probably conclude that the Christian was wearing it because of its current religious significance. Thus, the Witnesses avoid displaying this religious symbol.

But, as another example, let us return to the heart-shape. Though this was a religious symbol in ancient Babylon, does it now have such a meaning where you live? Most likely not. It may be nothing more than a decoration that calls to mind the human heart or, at most, suggests “love.” In that case, some Christians might feel free to use the heart-shape simply as a decorative design.

However, take into consideration another aspect: Even though the heart is not a religious symbol in many parts of the earth today, it might be where you live. Or perhaps around the celebration of a certain holiday, such as Valentine’s Day, cards or jewelry with that design on them would suggest to others that you are sharing in that religious celebration. So you might conclude that even if Christians elsewhere or at other times could freely use this decoration, your situation recommends that you avoid it, or at least avoid it at that time of year.

Concentrate on What?

With so many different designs having been used in false worship, if a person went to the trouble and took the time he might find an undesirable connection with almost every design he sees around him. But why do that? Would it not be needlessly upsetting? And is that the best use of one’s time and attention?

If a particular design or shape is commonly understood where you live to be a religious symbol, there is good reason to avoid it. Or if many people locally have become especially sensitive about some shape or decoration, the mature Christian might choose to shun it so as to avoid needless disturbance or stumbling. The apostle Paul wisely wrote: “Let us pursue the things making for peace and the things that are upbuilding to one another. It is well not to eat flesh or to drink wine or do anything over which your brother stumbles.”​—Rom. 14:19, 21.

Paul, however, also showed the value of concentrating on the things that are of real importance instead of getting involved in controversy over petty meanings and possible connections that are not of obvious significance. (1 Cor. 10:25, 26; 2 Tim. 2:14, 23) In that way the Christian can concentrate on “righteousness and peace and joy with holy spirit,” which help a person to get to the core of what the kingdom of God means.​—Rom. 14:17.

[Picture on page 12]

Heart of the Babylonian God Bel

Have You Seen God’s Wonders in the Deep?

MAN can accomplish marvelous things by the use of his brain. But he usually either copies from natural things or finds that his inventions and devices have already been in use for centuries in the plant or animal world. And there are many natural phenomena that man cannot imitate. In the vast ocean depths we find such marvels in endless array.

Consider as just one example of these marvels the phenomenon of cold luminosity. Luminous fishes of different kinds accomplish an almost perfect, 100-percent conversion of energy into light​—hence, no heat. Some insects on land also have this ability, but in the ocean we find it most diversified in form and in use​—for protection, for food catching and for mating.

Builders Extraordinary

Man is a great builder. By means of computers and with the help of detailed blueprints, explosives, gigantic earth-moving machines, towering cranes and with craftsmen of all kinds, he erects structures of great size and beauty. Yet there are builders in the ocean whose efforts in some ways far surpass man’s. It is as though the Creator wanted to impress upon man the fact that creative ability is from God, and that what abilities man has he has received from God. Man cannot properly boast of his own wisdom.​—Jer. 9:23, 24; 1 Cor. 4:7.

Most striking among the ocean structures are the beautiful coral formations. Hundreds of coral islands and atolls (islands that form a ring around a lagoon) exist, particularly in the Pacific Ocean, and only in relatively recent years has man been able to understand, to a degree, just how the building was done.

Corals are small animals called polyps, most of them only a fraction of an inch in size, though some are as much as a foot (.3 meter) in diameter. Polyps have cylinder-shaped bodies with a mouth at one end. The other end attaches to the sea bottom. Because they take calcium from the seawater they form limestone skeletons. When they die their skeletons are built upon by others. Countless billions of polyps have contributed their skeletons to form islands and underwater reefs. The Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast of Australia is the largest coral formation in the world​—1,250 miles (about 2,000 kilometers) long. Such reefs can be a danger to ships. But they can also be a protection in that they provide quiet waters between the reef and the mainland.

An underwater “coral garden” is one of the ocean’s most beautiful sights. In brilliant shades of red, orange, tan, yellow, purple and green, corals are found in a multitude of patterns. Some look like branched trees with stars at their tips; some look like leaves, ferns or fans; others look like mushrooms, domes or tiny pipe organs. A coral garden is a home for many other animals​—sea anemones, jellyfish and all kinds of brightly colored fish living in and among their beautiful coral castles.

The underwater coral reefs have been called “perhaps the most complex community in all of nature.” Said Professor John D. Isaacs, director of marine life research at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography: “From their slowly sinking foundations of ancient volcanic mountains, the creatures of the coral shoals have erected the greatest organic structures that exist. Even the smallest atoll far surpasses any of man’s greatest building feats, and a large atoll structure in actual mass approaches the total of all man’s building that now exists.” Stop and think for a moment just what that means.

Strange but Successful Partnerships

Interdependency is the keynote of ocean life. Sometimes we find this principle operating in the most unexpected ways. There are hundreds of instances of a sort of “partnership” or cooperative arrangement between different creatures. For instance, there are sea animals that carry out the services of “doctor” or at least “cleaner” toward others.

Among these are brightly colored cleaning shrimp and juvenile angelfish that remove parasites from other fish. These “doctor” fish wait in their “offices” in the reef​—usually a niche in the coral—​for their “clients,” who come to take their turn.

The yellow goatfish, for example, move as a school to the station of the “doctor,” a juvenile French angelfish. They rest patiently on the sand awaiting their turn. As his turn comes, each goatfish turns red. After receiving treatment, he turns back to his normal white and yellow color and the next “patient” turns red.

Some fish request service by standing on their head or tail. Certain cleaners attend to quite a variety of other creatures, in fact, some shrimp will even perform a cleaning job on a human’s hand and fingernails. Other cleaners are selective, specializing only on certain “customers” or kinds of fish.

In this cooperative activity, which is called symbiosis, both parties receive benefits. The one treated is cleaned of parasites, diseased flesh and bacteria, and any wounds he may have can begin to heal. The cleaner, in turn, receives food.

In most cases the cleaning fish are unharmed by the fish they serve. Generally the one treated respects the services he gets. For example, the moray eel and some other fish allow the cleaner to enter their mouth and clean their teeth. The sea anemone lets a cleaning shrimp crawl safely over its poisonous tentacles, performing his services for the anemone’s benefit and receiving protection as well as some of the food that comes the anemone’s way. The small clown fish and the damselfish are other dwellers with the anemone. The arrowfish lives among the sharp spines of the sea urchin. The deadly Portuguese man-of-war allows the Nomeus, a small fish, to make his home within the protection of his dangerous tentacles, which normally paralyze other fish and carry them into the man-of-war’s mouth.

A ludicrous but mutually beneficial partnership is achieved by the hermit crab and the anemone. Occasionally the hermit crab lets an anemone fasten itself to his back or to his shell. In this way the anemone gets piggyback transportation to where food is available, while the crab is protected from his enemies by the poisonous appendages of the anemone.

Even the voracious shark has a partner, the remora. The top of the remora’s head is a large suction cup. As his “fee” for cleaning the shark, he fastens himself to the shark’s underside and thus can be on hand to get his share of the scraps when the shark finds a meal.

Energy Savers of the Sea

While many of the ocean’s smaller creatures get their food without a great amount of movement, and some, like the cleaning fish, have their food brought to them, it is different among the large fish in the open sea. There, whether a fish gets enough food or not depends to a great extent on speed. So, as expected, many fish are very fast swimmers. It has been extremely difficult to check accurately the top speed of the fast swimmers. This is because such speed is often not sustained. Usually it is only a quick, lightninglike dart or sudden spurt that is required to capture an alert prey. But fish-speeds over distances have been measured, though absolute accuracy is hard to achieve. The active tuna, the only fish whose body temperature is higher than sea temperature, swims constantly, because its body is heavier than seawater. Tuna seem to be able to swim indefinitely at nine miles (about 14 kilometers) per hour. One report says that the sailfish can reach fifty miles (about 80 kilometers) an hour. Barracuda are also very fast. Flying fish are said to work up to a speed of thirty-five miles (56 kilometers) an hour before vaulting out of the water to glide for a distance through the air. The tuna, the dolphin and the blue marlin are believed to be even faster. Even the giant manta ray, which swims by flapping its “wings,” can achieve enough speed to jump a good distance out of the water.

Truly such fish are “bundles” of energy and muscle. But this is not enough to explain their speed. The problem is that water is about 800 times as dense as air. It is also about fifty times as viscous, causing far more resistance. On ships the drag caused by water resistance and turbulence is a major factor, requiring a great expenditure of energy to “plow” through the water. Ship designers have tried to devise means of overcoming the problem. They have researched such questions as: How is it that fast fish like the tuna actually achieve greater speed than mathematicians say they should be able to? How do the tuna and the shark slip through the water so smoothly and without turbulence?

Some answers are known. First of all, such fish are highly streamlined. This, submarine designers have copied. Fast-swimming fish also can fold their fins against their bodies. Scales evidently adapt to water pressure to eliminate turbulence. But the primary secret of their speed, for a long time a mystery, lies in the construction of their skin, which is elastic and flexible. The dolphin’s tough, leathery skin appears to lie on a cushion of oil, making it yield to turbulent currents, thereby offsetting them. Additionally, the skin of many fast marine swimmers is porous and coated with mucus, which forms filaments that let the fish glide through the water, leaving it smooth and almost still. Experimenters trying to apply these principles to shipbuilding have used filament-forming substances and found that they were able to cut water resistance by as much as 70 percent! The cost of this method, however, is prohibitive.

Exploring the Sea Is Never a Dull Occupation

The Creator has put an endless variety of things on earth’s land surfaces that can keep the minds of men active to time indefinite as they delve into these wonders. No less are there wonders in the ocean. The strangest of creatures are found, and they all play their essential part in the pattern of interdependency, though in some cases exactly how they do so remains a mystery.

For instance, there is the hagfish, an eel-shaped creature with three hearts, one of which is nerveless. Its mouth is simply a round hole. It has teeth on its tongue and a single nostril. The hagfish dwells on the ocean bottom, usually half buried in the mud. This fish secretes so much slime that if a ten-to-fifteen-inch (25-to-38-centimeter) hagfish is placed in a small bucket of water and then agitated, within a few seconds it is possible to lift out the entire contents of the bucket as one great blob of slime. The flexible hagfish can also tie itself into a knot. For what purpose? So that it can apply greater leverage to a dying fish in order to penetrate it with its rasplike tongue. The slime also makes the hagfish a slippery, elusive creature to handle. But by pulling itself through the knot it can wipe off its own slimy coat. This clears excess slime away so that it does not block vital gill openings.

A well-known but nonetheless unusual creature is the barnacle. The species called the acorn barnacle is highly disliked by sailors for its habit of cementing itself almost irremovably to the hulls of ships, slowing down the ships and causing fuel-consuming drag. This little creature manufactures a glue so strong that a film only 3/10,000 of an inch (.0762 millimeter) thick has a “shear strength” of 7,000 pounds per square inch (493 kilograms per square centimeter)! This glue is actually a cement that resists heat and cold, strong acids and alkalies, organic solvents or water. It will permanently bond practically any combination of substances. Since it hardens and cures in salt water, it could be valuable for medical use. Dentists would find it the ideal cement for holding fillings in teeth. It would likely be useful in plastic surgery and for mending broken bones. Such a powerful, durable cement would have a host of industrial uses. Scientists are vigorously trying to analyze and synthesize this fine adhesive substance, but without success so far.

The barnacle, after hatching and developing through the larval stage, settles itself in (actually “on”) a likely “home” by means of its permanent cement. Its volcano-shaped shell has four sliding plates that open up at the “crater” to let its plumelike feet extend out to sweep plankton into its mouth. Barnacles fasten themselves on rocks, seashells, whales, ships, even on hardened lumps of oil. There are actually barnacles that fasten onto other barnacles.

Many barnacles possess both male and female organs, but most of the more common species do not impregnate themselves. Since they are permanently anchored, how can they find a mate? For barnacles this presents no real problem. Since they live in a very congested community, all that they have to do is select a suitable neighbor for a mating. Then they bridge the distance by means of a long retractable tube.

There is one species of barnacle that does not fasten itself to ships, but selects submerged rocks. This barnacle is liked much better by many, not only because it leaves ships alone, but also because it grows to a weight of about three pounds (1.4 kilograms) and is an edible delicacy, tasting much like both lobster and crab.

From all of this we must agree that the psalmist spoke truly when he sang:

“Those going down to the sea in the ships,

Doing business on vast waters,

They are the ones that have seen the works of Jehovah

And his wonderful works in the depths.”​—Ps. 107:23, 24.

Those searching under the ocean’s surface, in the very depths themselves, see even more astounding wonders. They have discovered many things that have proved beneficial to man living on the dry land, and yet they themselves admit that they have not ‘scratched the surface.’ There is much more to be found out about the wonders of the deep, an inexhaustible storehouse of information, food, riches and unending delight to those who have the pleasure of “going down to the sea” to search out its marvels.

[Picture on page 17]

Fish that find their home among the death-dealing tentacles of the Portuguese man-of-war

[Picture on page 19]

The fish that can tie itself into a knot

Useful from Top to Bottom

● Called “the tree of life” by the natives of northeast Brazil, the carnauba palm is put to an amazing number of uses. On “palm plantations” the leaves are harvested and from them carnauba wax is extracted. This wax is used in the finest of floor waxes, leather preservatives, carbon paper, phonograph records, movie film and in many rubber goods and insulating materials.

However, while the world uses the wax, the natives make full use of the rest of the plant. Besides the obvious uses of the leaves for woven mats and thatched huts, the trunks serve in all types of construction, especially the durable jangadas, or sailing rafts. Hollowed out trunks are even used to conduct water.

Then there are the edible portions. The shoots are eaten as palm cabbage, while starch is wrested from the young stalks. The small round fruit serves to fatten pigs and there ‘is even a fermented beverage made from the sap! Truly the carnauba palm is an economical “factory” with products from top to bottom!

Sri Lanka​—Through the Eyes of a Tourist

By “Awake!” correspondent in West Germany

EARLY visitors gave melodious names to the tropical island that you are about to visit. The Persians called it the “Land of the Hyacinths.” To the Chinese, it was “Jewel Island,” and the Indians termed it “Pond of the Red Lotus Flower.” In 1972, however, the Sinhalese officially named their island Sri Lanka, and it has been called “the Resplendent Island.” But this isle has long been well known as Ceylon.

At first, all I knew about Ceylon, or Sri Lanka, was that world-famous tea came from there. But an invitation to visit “The Resplendent Island” caused me to contact the Ceylon Tourist Board in Colombo, the capital. Promptly, I received pamphlets telling of 2,000-year-old city ruins, artificial lakes in the jungle and pleasantly cool mountains. The biggest attraction? Why, the national and animal parks, playgrounds for elephants, leopards, sambar deer and exotic birds! A large number of reptiles, 109 different mammals and nearly 400 kinds of birds can be seen on this lush, green island. This includes migratory birds that come here from October to March and April.

Sri Lanka is 274 miles long and 142 miles wide (441 by 229 kilometers). Although it is at India’s southern tip only a few hundred kilometers north of the Equator, the average temperature on the coast varies between 78 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit (about 26 and 30 degrees Celsius).

Sri Lanka has three climate zones. The northeastern part of this island is dry and hot. In the southwest, however, it is damp and hot, though a fresh sea breeze moderates the heat. The central highlands offer what might be called a “European” climate. Each of these three climatic zones has its own characteristic plant and animal life.

Like an Emerald

Now, suppose we view this verdant island through the eyes of a tourist. Upon approaching Sri Lanka by plane, the island emerges from the blue waters of the Indian Ocean like an emerald. Our host gives us a hearty welcome, and at once we feel at home. By car we are taken past a thatch-roofed fishing village. What a pleasure to pass shade palms and move along avenues lined with flowering trees! When we left Frankfurt, snow covered the roofs. Here beautiful orchids are blooming. True, there is “winter” here also, but the temperature even then is like that on a nice summer day in Germany.

As we travel to Wattala, a suburb of Colombo, we pass red double-decker buses. We gaze at huge working elephants and skinny humped cattle pulling oxcarts. Traffic still keeps to the left, a custom remaining from English colonial times.

Appreciation for God’s Kingdom

Our host has invited us to join him at a Bible study in the local Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses. At this house of worship we meet many friendly people. The women are dressed in long colorful saris and are as graceful as princesses. Despite the heat, the men wear a white shirt, tie and trousers.

After the meeting some of our spiritual brothers welcome us with a friendly Ayubowan, a Sinhalese greeting that means “I wish you long life.” I asked one father if I might take a picture of his family in front of the stage, which was beautifully decorated with orchids. With a friendly smile, he moved his head slightly from right to left, and I surmised that he did not wish to be photographed. However, Ranjit, the son of our host, explained: “When a Sinhalese moves his head that way, he means ‘Yes.’”

The sincere friendliness shown by these people helps us quickly to forget that we come from a country several thousand miles away. There is peace and harmony between the Sinhalese and Tamils at the meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Their efforts to imitate Jehovah God’s splendid qualities, such as love, have had good effects in their daily life.​—1 John 4:7, 8.

Interesting experiences are enjoyed by us while visiting people from door to door or hut to hut in our Bible preaching activity. For instance, a friendly Muslim tells me about Adam’s Peak. To many persons, it is the most sacred mountain on earth. Adherents of three different religions make pilgrimages to the peak of this 7,353-foot-high (2,241-meter-high) mountain. Why? Because of an indentation there. It is approximately 59 inches long and 36 inches wide (1.5 by 0.9 meters) and resembles a footprint. The Buddhists believe that this is a footprint of Buddha. According to the Hindus, it was made by Shiva, whereas the Muslims are of the opinion that it is Adam’s footprint, made after he was expelled from the paradise of Eden.

Incidentally, the pleasant Muslim we just met has manifested appreciation for the fact that Jehovah God has purposed to restore that lost paradise. There sickness, hunger and even death will be no more. This truly is good news, for although Sri Lanka’s landscape is paradisaic, some of its inhabitants are sick or sorrowful.

More and more thinking persons are showing true appreciation for the Creator’s promise. They are sharing with others the fine things that they have learned about his wonderful purpose. One young woman, chosen to represent Sri Lanka as champion swimmer of her class, gave up sports. Why? To spend much of her time aiding others to become better acquainted with the Bible.

A Trip to the Mountains

Now for a journey to the high country. We drive past yellow-green rice fields, the “weeping forests” and rubber plantations. Through fern-covered canyons, we go upward to the highlands. Terraces of small rice fields gently descend the slopes. The green hills and lively, crystal-clear waterfalls are a welcome sight.

Heights thickly planted with tea bushes seem to be covered with green velvet. Yearly, over 550 million pounds (250 million kilograms) of tea are harvested here.

Kandy​—Charming City in the Mountains. In the highlands of the central province, 1,750 feet (533 meters) above sea level, lies Kandy. Surrounded by tropical forests and next to an artificial lake, this is indeed a charming city. Its landmark is the Dalada Maligawa, or Temple of the Tooth. Under a special vault in an inner chamber of this temple rests what many hold to be a tooth of Buddha. The smell of incense and jasmine, offered to this relic, fills the room.

This temple also is the starting place for a spectacular procession called Perahera. During ten nights in July and August, temple dancers, elephants, trumpeters and torchbearers form a huge procession. At times more than eighty elephants participate. They are elaborately decorated with colorful blankets of silk and satin, silver bells and bright tassels.

Botanical Garden in Peradeniya. Approximately three miles (4.8 kilometers) outside Kandy is a botanical garden. Here we find a very impressive collection of tropical trees, splendid palm-lined avenues and exotic shrubs. Nearly all tropical plants can be found. here. Worth seeing, indeed, are the orchid house and the spice collection, where one finds such plants as nutmeg, clove, cinnamon and vanilla.

Ratnapura​—City of Gems. The name “Resplendent Island” truly is appropriate for Sri Lanka in more than one way. Did you know that Ratnapura long has been the center of an industry in digging for gems?

The gems found in this vicinity include sapphires, rubies, tourmalines, amethysts, cat’s-eyes and the rare alexandrite. If you are not a gem specialist, however, be careful about a supposed bargain. More than one such souvenir has proved to be anything but what a person thought he had purchased. But the Tourist Board can provide a list of approved jewelers, from whom a person can buy a beautiful keepsake that is guaranteed to be a real gem.

Nuwara Eliya​—Cool Resort in the Mountains. Our travels also take us to Nuwara Eliya. That Sinhalese name means “City of Light.” This resort lies nearly 6,250 feet (1,905 meters) above sea level and the mean temperature seldom rises above 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius). The English governor had his residence built here. Sir Samuel Baker, the famous explorer of the Nile, had architects and workmen come to this highland and build a village in typical English style. The houses and white garden fences are certain to remind one of the pretty towns in England’s lake district. Easily accessible from Nuwara Eliya is Mount Pidurutalagala, 8,291 feet (2,527 meters) above sea level. It is the island’s highest mountain.

Garden in the Highlands. Not far from Nuwara Eliya is Hakgala. The botanical garden here is one of the few places in the tropics where flowers imported from Europe can be grown. The fruitful soil, abundant rainfall and warm sun are just right for such flowers as narcissus, gladiolus, carnations, chrysanthemums and violets.

Incidentally, in the mountainous region are found such animals as the Ceylon leopard, porcupine, deer and the giant squirrel. Birds most likely to be seen in the highlands include the Ceylonese magpie, white-eye, gray-headed flycatcher and European robin.

Jungle City of Ruins. Even as the pyramids were important to the ancient Egyptians, so the city of Anuradhapura is significant to the Sinhalese. Moreover, it has long been a religious center for the Buddhists, just as Benares has been for the Hindus.

In the heart of the old city of Anuradhapura, which has many ancient ruins, stands the Sri Maha Bodhi tree. It is held to be a branch of the tree in India beneath which Buddha is said to have gained enlightenment. According to tradition this young tree was brought to Ceylon in the third century before the Common Era by the Indian Princess Sanghamitta. Today it is one of the most sacred places of Buddhism. Since 1966 the tree has been enclosed within a golden railing.

Irrigation Systems

Whereas about 200 inches (500 cm.) of rain falls annually in the mountains, only during three months of the year are there rains in the lowlands. The monsoon rains descend upon the land like a flood. Then for many months the dry season dominates.

For this reason, over two thousand years ago the Sinhalese tried to store the precious rainwater. The entire country is interwoven by a network of dams and canals. By means of an ingenious system, the wewas, or reservoirs, are connected with one another. Some of these dams are very high and a few miles long. As King Parakramabahu of Polonnaruwa urged: ‘Not even a little water coming from the rain must flow into the ocean without being made useful to man.’

The Ruhunu National Park

Some 175 miles (282 kilometers) from Colombo, in the southeastern part of the island, lies one of Sri Lanka’s most beautiful wildlife parks. The Ruhunu National Park is the home of elephants, wild buffaloes and peacocks. Yearly, thousands of visitors enjoy seeing the peaceful herds of red deer, spotted deer, elk and sambar deer. Flocks of heron, storks, flamingos and pelicans offer many interesting subjects for your camera.

We would like to get out of the car and stroke the animals. Those that have been in this enclosure for years seem tame. Without any trouble, we can approach to within 65 feet (20 meters) of an elephant herd. But getting out of the automobile would be dangerous. The animals are easily startled and then their actions are unpredictable. So, we wisely stay in the car.

The Vital Coconut Palm

Life on this tropical island can hardly be imagined without the versatile coconut palm, seen so often during our trip. From the trunk of this tree comes timber to build the village huts. The roofs are covered with palm leaves. But what of the coconut itself? The water of the immature coconut is a clean, refreshing drink, rich in mineral content. Furthermore, the ‘container’ does not pollute the surroundings when thrown away. The oil from the white meat is good for cooking and baking. Many use it for hair oil, which makes those black locks glisten.

Jaggery is a delectable fudge made from the sweet sap of the kitul, coconut and palmyra palm trees. The juice of the blossom stock of these trees is also the basic ingredient of the palm honey that tastes so delicious when mixed with sour buffalo-milk curd. Toddy, as this sap is called, quickly ferments and then is similar to a good beer. More often, though, it is distilled to make arrack, a beverage that is as strong as vodka and frequently is called ‘the poor man’s whiskey.’

Not only do the industrious inhabitants of this resplendent isle make sugar out of the palm; they also produce salt by ancient methods. Along the coast, we notice that ocean water is allowed to flow into shallow ponds. Then these are closed off by small dams. By means of solar heat and the wind, the water evaporates and salt crystals remain. This procedure is repeated until the layer of salt is thick enough to harvest.

For the visitor to Sri Lanka, paradise seems closer than ever before. This truly is an emerald island. Its sunny beaches, meadows, gray-green jungles, glittering artificial lakes, yellow-green rice fields, olive-green tea plantations and abundant wildlife all combine to make Sri Lanka a resplendent island.

The Camel​—Humped Marvel of the Desert

FOR millions of people living in the arid regions of Asia and Africa, the camel is the most important animal. It provides food, clothing and shelter, and serves as the chief mode of transportation as well as a draft animal for agricultural work.

Camels may be seen pulling plows, turning waterwheels for irrigation purposes or plodding through the desert carrying heavy loads. They are a source of milk and cheese, and fat from their humps is used for butter. Young camels may be slaughtered to provide meat that tastes something like veal. Camel’s hair is woven into cloth and employed for clothing, blankets and tents. The hide is used to make a variety of leather goods, including footwear and saddles. Even bones are not overlooked. When dry, they may be fashioned into a work of art. The animal’s dung may serve as fuel.

Of the two basic varieties of camels, the two-humped Bactrian camel is the stronger. Having longer and shaggier hair than the one-humped Arabian camel, the Bactrian can endure the cold better. Carrying a load of some four hundred pounds (181 kilograms), this animal may cover a distance of thirty miles (48 kilometers) a day at a speed of two or three miles (3 or 5 kilometers) per hour.

The dromedary, a one-humped Arabian camel bred for riding and racing, can run through the desert at a speed of up to ten miles (16 kilometers) per hour and may cover as much as a hundred miles (160 kilometers) in a day. Since the camel moves its two right legs forward at the same time and then the two left legs, the ride is quite uncomfortable at a fast pace. The swaying motion may cause a rider to become “seasick.” Not without good reason, then, camels have been referred to as “ships of the desert.”

These creatures do not have exactly pleasant dispositions. Woe to the man who mistreats this animal! Though many days may pass, he should not be surprised to have the mistreated camel spit into his face. When loaded, it may whine and then grunt and groan loudly upon getting up.

Well-suited for Desert Areas

These animals are ideally suited for life in desert areas. Thick hair provides fine insulation from the hot sun during the day and from the cold at night. Bare patches on the camel’s chest and knees are present from birth and develop into tough, thick leathery pads in a few months. As the animal rests on these pads, they protect the knees and chest from injury. The camel’s feet consist of broad pads, from each of which two toes extend. When the animal walks, these pads spread and this prevents the feet from sinking deeply into soft, yielding desert sands.

Camels are not troubled by blowing dust and sand. Why is this? Well, the animal can close its long slitlike nostrils at will. Long eyelashes and heavy eyelids shield the eyes. What about the ears? Can they easily become filled with sand? No. The ears are small, far back on the head and covered both outside and inside with hair.

Food poses no problem either for the camel. The lining of its mouth is so tough that the animal can eat the thorniest of plants without being injured. Then, too, its strong teeth enable it to eat almost anything.

The camel’s hump, weighing some eighty pounds (36 kilograms) or more, is mainly fat. It serves as a kind of portable pantry. When the animal has to draw heavily on this stored-up food supply, the hump becomes smaller. It may finally fall over and hang like an empty bag on the animal’s side. Once the camel again gets nourishment and rest, the hump fills out.

When water is available, a camel may drink from five to seven gallons (19 to 26 liters) a day. But the remarkable feature is its ability to get along for extended periods without doing so. Loaded, these animals have been known to travel eight days without drinking water. Thirty-four days is a record.

How does a camel survive without drinking water? It does not store water in its hump, nor in its stomach. Of course, some water is taken into its system from the vegetation on which it feeds. The explanation for its endurance, however, seems to lie in its ability to retain water in its system and to undergo considerable loss of moisture without experiencing ill effects. A camel’s temperature may rise 11 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius) and yet there are no noticeable problems. A man is in serious trouble when he loses water amounting to one tenth of his body weight, but a camel can tolerate a loss of water equaling one fourth of its body weight. This is because the animal loses water mainly from the tissues. Any loss of water from the blood is negligible. In man, however, moisture is lost from both the tissues and the blood. The notable difference between the blood of man and that of the camel is the shape of the red blood cells. Man’s red blood cells are disk-shaped, whereas those of the camel are oval.

After having gone without water for a prolonged period, a camel may drink twenty-seven gallons (102 liters) of water within some ten minutes. When that happens the animal is transformed from an emaciated creature to a normal state in short order. This is because the water passes into the tissues.

Truly the camel is a remarkable animal, ideally suited for life in desert areas. It has served man well for many centuries and will doubtless continue to do so in the drier regions of the earth.

What Is the Bible’s View?

Which Ones Should You Make?

MANY people are greatly disturbed about injustice, fraud and oppression. They want a change and believe that it is right to bring this about even by force if necessary. At the same time they may feel that they themselves should be accepted by others just as they are, with no interference with their rights. Is their thinking in harmony with the Bible?

A devoted servant of God does not condone wrongs. His heart goes out to people who are treated unfairly. In this respect he imitates Jesus Christ. The Bible says of Jesus: “On seeing the crowds he felt pity for them, because they were skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matt. 9:36) He also demonstrated his compassion by doing what he could to help such persons spiritually.

Of course, the Christian keenly desires a change in the present system, to see an end to human suffering. It is distressing to have to witness heartless crime, war and acts of fraud and oppression. Regarding the man Lot, we read: “That righteous man by what he saw and heard while dwelling among [the people of Sodom] was tormenting his righteous soul by reason of their lawless deeds.”​—2 Pet. 2:8.

Lot, however, did not allow their wickedness to cause him to retaliate in kind. He did not seek to effect a change among the people of Sodom and Gomorrah by violent means. Even when males of Sodom were seeking to rape Lot’s angelic visitors, that righteous man pleaded with them: “Please, my brothers, do not act badly.” (Gen. 19:7) Lot patiently waited upon Jehovah God to express judgment against them.

Similarly, God’s servants today realize that they have not been authorized to use violence to bring about social changes in the world. “Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but yield place to the wrath; for it is written: ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says Jehovah.’” (Rom. 12:19) They take seriously the Bible’s advice to avoid involvement with those who insist on forcing a change. A Bible proverb admonishes: “With those who are for a change [“those who rebel,” New American Bible], do not intermeddle. For their disaster will arise so suddenly, that who is aware of the extinction of those who are for a change?” (Prov. 24:21, 22) Surely, life already has enough problems without a person’s adding to them by trying to alter things prematurely.

Even if violent means should succeed in bringing about a change, what guarantee is there that it will really be for the better? The Bible is very realistic in providing the following comment on human rulership: “Man has dominated man to his injury.” (Eccl. 8:9) Human rulership simply cannot satisfy in all respects. Besides, men die and are replaced by others in official positions, persons who may carry on even greater corruption and oppression.

Many things, however, can be changed for the better without resorting to violence. For example, in the first century C.E., some Christian slaves were extended an opportunity to be free. While they never would have revolted against their masters, they could rightly accept an offer to be emancipated. The apostle Paul wrote: “Were you called when a slave? Do not let it worry you; but if you can also become free, rather seize the opportunity.” (1 Cor. 7:21) So it may be a matter of patiently waiting. Then, when the opportune time comes to make a change, a person can seize it without becoming guilty of rash action. There certainly is no objection to anyone’s making a good change within the framework established by the law.

When it comes to seeking change, however, it is good to keep in mind that, because of a limited life-span, humans are unable to correct a host of defective things. Also, an imperfect worldly system is against it. King Solomon noted: “That which is made crooked cannot be made straight, and that which is wanting cannot possibly be counted.”​—Eccl. 1:15.

Really, the only one who can rectify all things is the Creator, Jehovah God. He is not limited by a time factor, as are short-lived humans. Hence, he can act at a time when the greatest good can be accomplished. Not even the dead lose out, for it is his purpose to resurrect them.​—Acts 24:15.

The change that God has purposed to bring about is far grander than what any man could effect. Note what the Bible says: “He [God] will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.”​—Rev. 21:4.

Does this mean that persons should just passively wait until God changes things? No, this is a time for people to make changes in their own life. God “is telling mankind that they should all everywhere repent.” (Acts 17:30) This means regretting one’s former course of life and changing it to conform to God’s requirements.

Genuine changes of a personal nature can even have a wholesome influence on others. For example, when a harsh person is treated kindly, he may become ashamed of his actions. His heart may move him to respond with kindness. In the Bible we read: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing this you will heap fiery coals upon his head.”​—Rom. 12:20.

All who profess to serve God should, therefore, make it their determination to lead exemplary lives. Then, when they try to help others to live in harmony with the Scriptures, their words will carry weight.

Considering that the human life-span is short, we can see the importance of making good personal changes and avoiding involvement in efforts that can lead to frustration, disappointment and perhaps even a premature death, as in a violent revolution. Yes, we do well to take in Bible knowledge, apply it and actively aid others to make changes in their life. This is the only course that produces lasting benefits. On the other hand, changes when brought about by violence so often result in injury. Also, they are only temporary. First John 2:17 says: “The world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.”

The Bible thus makes it clear that all the changes that God requires of humans should definitely be made. Any efforts to change this imperfect world, however, are bound to fail. This is because God has purposed for it to be replaced by a righteous new order. So it is Scripturally wrong to become involved in efforts, violent or otherwise, to change the worldly arrangement of things. We should, therefore, patiently wait for the Creator to make the needed changes at a time that will accomplish the greatest good for all concerned.

Watching the World

High-cost Cities

◆Business International, a U.S. company with its base in Switzerland, reports that the world’s most costly city is Tokyo, Japan. In second place is the Japanese city of Osaka. Following these, in the order indicated, are: (3) Stockholm; (4) Zurich; (5) Geneva; (6) Oslo; (7) Copenhagen; (8) Lagos; (9) Paris; (10) Vienna; (11) Toronto; (12) Jakarta; (13) New York.

Potent Pituitary Pain-Killer

◆ A very potent natural opiate produced by the pituitary gland has been discovered by researchers at the University of California in San Francisco. Called beta-endorphin, it “is at least 20 to 40 times more effective than morphine in the relief of pain when injected directly into the brains of rats and mice, and three to four times more effective when injected intravenously,” according to an announcement regarding tests on living animals.

Elaborate Barrier

◆ Reportedly, about two thirds of a new frontier barrier has been finished by East Germany. It is the fourth to be built along the border since Germany’s division after World War II. When completed, it will run some 900 miles (1,448 kilometers) from the Baltic Sea to Czechoslovakia. Some 10 yards (9 meters) from the border is a wire-mesh fence about 9 feet (2.7 meters) high. It extends 3 feet (1 meter) below the surface and its concrete posts are mined. A ditch some 15 feet (4.5 meters) wide beyond the fence is intended to prevent persons from driving trucks or other vehicles through the barrier. Next comes a strip of soft plowed ground, in which footprints or tire tracks could be seen by East Germany’s border guards. Finally, paralleling the fence are two concrete strips over which men can march and motorized patrols can pass. Concrete watchtowers having observation platforms with machine-gun ports are another feature of this barrier. The cost of this system is estimated at $415,000 a kilometer (.6 mile). “Like its predecessors,” says the New York Times, “it is designed to keep the East Germans in rather than the Americans and West Germans out.”

Time-Change Reactions

◆ Psychologists in Britain have found that daylight-saving time-changes can affect human behavior. In testing 65 persons for reactions to the autumn time shift, researchers at the University of Sussex noted that the subjects awoke earlier, there were fluctuations in their oral temperatures and for a few days these individuals felt more alert. Such time-shift adjustment required a longer period than the average spans needed to adjust when travelers cross time zones by air.

Farm Real-Estate Values

◆ Farm Journal of September 1976 revealed that according to the United States Department of Agriculture, in 48 of the nation’s 50 states, farmlands had risen in value by an average of 14 percent from March 1975 to February 1976. And economists expected the upward trend to continue during the year. On a national average, farmlands have doubled in value in five years. The country’s farm real estate currently is valued at $421 billion, whereas assets of the 500 biggest industrial corporations of the nation, as listed by Fortune, increased 6 percent last year, rising to $668 billion.

Volcanoes Aplenty

◆ The Soviet press agency Tass reported on October 11 that eight new volcanoes had made an appearance in the Kamchatka Peninsula. One of these was belching out more than 700 cubic feet (20 cubic meters) of lava a second. Tass stated that this peninsula northeast of Japan has 160 volcanoes, of which 28 are active.

“So Little for So Much”

◆ The United Nations has 10,000 international employees in Geneva, Switzerland. Citing a “still-secret report,” Parade magazine recently gave some examples of their wages. Sample salaries given ranged from $350 weekly for a copy typist to a top executive’s wage of $1,000 per week. A U.N. ambassador was quoted as remarking: “Never have so many done so little for so much.”

High-priced Sculpture

◆ The Detroit Institute of Arts recently paid a museum in East Germany the highest sum ever spent by an American purchaser for African sculpture. For $275,000 the Institute bought a nineteenth-century Nkonde, a fetish 46 inches (117 centimeters) high.

Ravaging Rabbits

◆ Two decades ago, Britain’s rabbit population was almost eliminated by myxomatosis. But the animals survived that plague, and the Ministry of Agriculture says that they now number 60 million, making them more numerous than the human populace. How much agricultural produce do the rabbits consume? One part in 25, estimate the farmers.

For Pedestrians Only

◆ Some South American cities are setting aside certain streets for pedestrians. For instance, Lima does not allow automobiles on the Jirón de la Unión. In addition to its 12-block Calle Florida for pedestrians, Buenos Aires recently has restricted vehicular use of a dozen other downtown streets. Also, Rio de Janeiro has some 18 streets for strolling, some paved with mosaic patterns and furnished with benches, while others are open only to emergency vehicles. “City officials ban cars to save fuel, cleanse the air, cut traffic jams,” says U.S. News & World Report.

Plutonium Pacemakers

◆ Some cardiac patients have pacemakers surgically implanted to give the heart’s muscles electrical impulses that control its rhythm. When the mercury batteries that power the conventional types run down, surgical replacement is necessary. However, plutonium pacemakers are so long-lasting that replacement is not needed. According to Mechanix Illustrated, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission holds that “benefits to patients from plutonium pacemakers outweigh the small risk of radiation exposure they get from the devices.”

Mystery Mummy Identified

◆ The mummy of Queen Tiy, grandmother of Egyptian King Tutankhamen, recently was identified. This was the first identification of a royal mummy since the discovery of that of King Tut in 1922. Queen Tiy is said to have lived during the fourteenth century B.C.E. Her mummy was one of three found in 1898 C.E., but it was not considered important. These mummies were again sealed in the tomb about 1900. A clue leading to the recent identification was an old photograph showing that the left arm of this particular mummy lay across her chest in a way usually reserved for high-ranking individuals. So, the mummies were located once again. X rays of skulls of royal mummies indicated that inherited skull-shape features placed her between Thuyu (who was known to be Queen Tiy’s mother) and King Tutankhamen. But hair analysis also helped. A locket found in King Tut’s tomb contained some hair, and an accompanying inscription said that the hair was that of Queen Tiy. Some of it and hair clipped from the mummy’s head were analyzed with an electron probe. The analysis showed the hair samples to be identical, and Dr. James E. Harris of the University of Michigan views the identification of the mystery mummy with Queen Tiy as “certain.”

Shortage of Water

◆ Seventy-five percent of earth’s rural residents and 20 percent of its city dwellers live with the problem of inadequate water supply. This was revealed in a recent United Nations report for the International Water Conference at Mar del Plata, Argentina. In developing lands, use of water amounts to only about a gallon (3.8 liters) a day per person, compared with daily per capita use of 237 gallons (897 liters) in industrial countries.

Sharks and Their Prey

◆ In an Associated Press dispatch from Woods Hole, Massachusetts, it is said that oceanographic research indicates that sharks are attracted by the electrical magnetism of the human body. According to Dr. Adrianis Kalmijn, the signals can be detected by sharks only at close range. However, their acute hearing, sight and smell can aid them to locate prey.

Cause of Mystery Fever

◆ The World Health Organization has identified the cause of a mysterious fever responsible for recent deaths in central Africa. It is said to be an offshoot of the Marburg virus, so named for a town in West Germany. In 1967, 30 laboratory workers there who had handled the organs of certain dead African monkeys were stricken with that virus. Seven of those persons died. Electron microscope study of recent specimens from the Sudan and Zaire indicates that the present virus has a form similar to the Marburg virus. The newly identified disease has no known cure.

Hazardous Luggage

◆ Unwittingly, some air travelers violate rules of the Federal Aviation Administration and could be fined as much as $10,000. Solid or liquid flammables are not allowed to be carried in a passenger’s luggage. Prohibited items include such things as butane lighter fuel, firecrackers, guns, gun powder, auto signal flares, Mace, and glue used for model airplanes. Book matches are not permitted unless they are securely packed and put in a closed container.

Index to Volume 57 of Awake!

ANIMAL AND PLANT LIFE

Acacia, 9/22

Balanced View of Animal Life, 3/22

Bat, Only Flying Mammal, 4/22

Beetle Sanitation Squad, 7/8

Camel​—Humped Marvel, 12/22

Creation’s Pincushion, 2/22

Cunning Hunter of Forest, 10/8

Do Animals Have Wisdom? 5/22

Earthworm​—Beneficial Servant, 11/8

Enjoy Animals​—in Their Place! 1/22

Fish That Can Live out of Water, 11/22

Giant Canada Goose, 10/22

God’s Wonders in the Deep, 12/22

“Go to the Ant,” 5/8

Hungry Locust, 10/22

Let’s Make a Forest! 3/22

‘Lord Mayor’s Turtle,’ 7/22

Meet Mighty Behemoth, 1/8

Meet Mighty Leviathan, 6/8

Men Learn from Creation, 6/22

Mosquito​—Insect Menace, 6/22

Night Aboard the “Ark,” 7/8

Poison Oak and Ivy, 6/22

Should Those Who Worship God Be Vegetarians? 6/8

Squirrel’s Life Is a Busy One, 12/8

Tuna Tales, Fish-Food Facts, 8/8

Upside-Down World of Sloth, 2/8

What Behind Autumn Colors? 11/8

Where Coconut Predominates, 3/8

Why Fear the Wolf? 9/22

ECONOMICS AND EMPLOYMENT

Social Security, 2/8

“Tazara”​—Boon to Economy, 10/8

Their Home Their Workshop, 4/22

Why and How Be Thrifty? 3/8

HEALTH AND MEDICINE

Antibiotics, 2/22

Bitter Pill to Swallow, 11/8

German Medical Alert on Blood, 3/22

I Had Open-Heart Surgery, 11/8

Increased Hope for Handicapped Youngsters, 5/22

Is It Safe to Take Medicine? 2/8

Is Your Problem a Detached Retina? 12/8

Mental Depression​—Why? 12/22

Millions Inoculated Against Swine Flu​—Why? 11/22

My Brain Tumor, 3/8

That Amazing Fluid Within You! 3/22

Think About Your Bones, 1/22

Water You Drink, 1/8

What Can You Do About Being Depressed? 12/22

HUMAN RELATIONS

Beware of Becoming a Dropout! 8/22

Child Abuse, 7/22

Facing Life Alone, 3/8

Have You Ever Said, “Just Who Do You Think You Are?” 11/8

How React to Uncertainties? 9/22

Improving Marriage, 1/22

Is “Equality” True Solution? 3/22

Many Choose Divorce​—Why? 1/22

Plant What You Hope to Reap! 4/8

They Batter Children​—Why? 7/22

Treating Others as Yourself, 5/22

What Would You Have Done? 6/8

Who Is Head of Your House? 2/8

Wholesome Family Life, 2/22

JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES

Benin, 9/8

​—Suppresses Freedom of Worship

​—Attack Against Witnesses

​—What Can Be Done?

Canadian Courts Block Discrimination, 5/8

Civil War in Lebanon, 6/8

Conspiracy Thwarted in “Land Down Under,” 3/8

Diminutive Man Who Became Full-grown, 12/8

Faith in God, A Way of Life, 12/8

Filled with Anxiety, but Blessed, 7/8

Greece Safeguards the Right of Assembling, 11/22

Happiness Featured at Gilead Graduation, 11/8

How Do You Answer When Your Beliefs Are Challenged? 2/22

I Was a Faith Healer, 4/8

I Was a Fortune-Teller, 9/22

I Was a Pentecostal Pastor, 7/22

I Was a Practicer of Voodoo, 9/8

Malawi, 3/22

​—Cruelties Go Unchecked

​—Reign of Terror

​—When Will Cruelties Stop?

Malawi 8/8

​—What’s Happening There Now?

​—Protest Against Atrocities

Message with Real Appeal, 11/8

Mozambique, 1/8

​—Suppression of Freedom

​—Old Pattern of Intolerance

Reason for “Camping Out,” 8/22

“Sacred Service” Assemblies, 10/22

“Sent Forth”​—Why? 5/8

Singing, Way of Life, 5/8

LANDS AND PEOPLES

Africa’s Hidden Switzerland! 2/22

Bicentennial [U.S.A.], 7/8

Philippines in a Nutshell, 8/8

Seychelles​—Lost Paradise? 12/8

Sri Lanka​—Through the Eyes of a Tourist, 12/22

Visit with the Igorots, 1/22

Writing Without Spelling, 7/8

MISCELLANEOUS

Azulejos​—A ‘Tiletale,’ 5/8

Best Training​—Judo? Karate? 11/22

Best Use of Your Time, 8/22

Bread We Eat, 2/8

Calculator in Your Pocket? 9/8

Carpets Made for a Day, 4/8

Cities, 1/8

​—What Is Happening to Cities?

​—Why Big Cities Breaking Down

​—Only Remedy for City Troubles

Dressing in a Modest Way, 8/8

Earthquake Devastates Guatemala, 5/8

Earthquake Strikes the Friuli, 8/22

“Ham” Radio, 4/22

How Dangerous Is Marijuana? 3/8

I Gave Birth at Home, 8/22

Journey to Ancient Corinth, 7/22

Learning a New Language, 9/22

Making Color Work for You, 10/8

Metric​—The Better Way, 11/22

National “Day of Thanks,” 11/22

Oil​—in Ancient Times and in Your Diet, 9/22

Planning for Your Funeral, 7/8

‘Revolutionary Stadium,’ 5/8

“Seven Wonders” of World, 5/22

Survival in the Country, 10/22

‘Too Expensive to Die’ in Japan, 8/8

Typhoon Pamela Wrecks Guam, 9/8

What Happened to the Rhine? 11/22

When the Teton Dam Burst, 11/8

Why Not Breast-feed Baby? 4/8

Yellow in an Egg, 7/22

Your Servant​—The Pencil, 3/22

Your Time​—Be Happy in the Way You Use It, 12/8

RELIGION

Are They Idolatrous Decorations? 12/22

Christendom Borrows from Plato, 8/22

East Berlin and the Ancient Near East, 2/8

Fear Has Its Place, 7/22

Happiness from Giving, 12/22

“Holy Year,” 2/22

Homosexuals, 6/8

​—World of the Homosexual

​—Is the “Gay Life” Really Gay?

Jesus Christ, 4/8

​—Should the Name Jesus Provoke “Bitter Memories”?

​—Why Did They Listen to Jesus?

​—Messiah—​What Accomplish? When?

​—“Time Is Already Past”

Mixed-up World, 6/22

​—Can You Change It?

​—Can the World Be Changed?

​—Better World Is at Hand

United Nations, 10/22

​—Is the U.N. Maneuvering to Curb Religion?

​—How Two U.N. Resolutions Got a Surprising Twist

​—Religion’s Future Under U.N. Attack

What About Mankind’s Future? 5/22

Why Are We Here? 4/22

​—On Planet Earth?

​—There Must Be a Purpose

​—What Man’s Maker Has in Mind

​—Seize the Opportunity Now!

Will Serving God Solve Your Problems? 10/8

World Council of Churches, 6/22

Youth Wants to Know, 9/22

Zionism​—Fulfill Prophecy? 5/22

SCIENCE

Art of Spark Testing Steels, 5/22

Art of Weather Forecasting, 2/22

Earth​—Designed for Life, 9/22

Energy from the Sun, 1/22

How Much Confidence in Science? 12/8

Ocean, Untamed Giant, 4/8

Our Atmospheric “Ocean,” 7/22

Spotting the Furious Typhoon, 6/22

WATCHING THE WORLD

(This section appears in each issue)

WHAT IS THE BIBLE’S VIEW?

‘Abstain from Blood,’ 3/8

“Born Again,” 6/22

Celebrating Birthdays, 7/8

Changes​—Which Make? 12/22

Christian Giving​—How? 12/8

Christian Mourning, 3/22

Clergy-Laity Distinctions, 9/8

Did Elijah Go to Heaven? 5/8

Did Jesus Have Brothers? 4/22

Does Christianity Have a Visible Symbol? 11/22

Evolution and Christianity, 1/8

How Many Saviors? 10/22

Is Cremation Proper? 8/8

Perfect Law Have Fault? 6/8

“Spirits in Prison,” 5/22

Transcendental Meditation, 11/8

What to Do with Idols? 8/22

What Worship Does God Approve? 7/22

Which ‘Ten Commandments’? 2/22

Why ‘Test Whether in Faith,’ 10/8

Why Was Polygamy Allowed? 1/22

Will Everlasting Life Be Boring? 2/8

Will God Raise What Undertakers Bury? 9/22

WORLD AFFAIRS AND CONDITIONS

Habitat Conference​—A Hope? 11/22

Lesson About Human Rulership, 9/22

Why They Resort to Terror, 1/22

Read the Bible With Greater Understanding

Here is a part of a page from The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures. Get a better understanding of Bible verses by reading the word-for-word translation of the Greek text. Hard bound, 1,184 pages, footnotes.

Also receive the new 192-page book Holy Spirit​—The Force Behind the Coming New Order! It examines the force responsible for this tremendous universe, and identifies its source. Only $2.25 (U.S.) for both.

Please send postpaid, The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures and the 192-page hardbound book Holy Spirit​—The Force Behind the Coming New Order!, as well as the free booklet Is There a God Who Cares? I enclose $2.25 (U.S.).

[Picture on page 32]

The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures