September 8

Page Two

3 WHAT ARE “HUMAN RIGHTS”?

5 MAN’S STRUGGLE FOR HIS RIGHTS

8 WHAT ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS TODAY?

12 HUMAN RIGHTS: WILL THEY EVER BE GUARANTEED?

Human rights have become a burning issue throughout the world. This series of articles, prepared in the Philippine Islands, shows what kinds of human rights are being asked for today, and what the prospects are for obtaining them. Too, they tell of the time coming soon when all legitimate rights will really be guaranteed.

16 STOP THE INQUISITION IN ARGENTINA!

Places of worship have been closed by government decree. Bibles have been destroyed. Children are being deprived of education. Who are the victims? What can you do about it?

What Are “Human Rights”?

“THROUGHOUT the world today, in free nations and in totalitarian countries as well, there is a preoccupation with the subject of human freedom, human rights.” So claimed Patricia Dering, an official in the Bureau of Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs in the United States government.

Certainly, human rights receive a lot of publicity today. A recent conference of lawyers from 140 nations proclaimed: “Respect for human rights is a vital security, and central to the realization of man’s ultimate mission: the creation of a world of peace with justice and equality for all.” Hence, these lawyers appealed to world leaders to “respect the dignity of man . . . putting an end to any deprivations and violations of the fundamental human rights of the nation that has been entrusted to their care.”

While the theme of human rights is being discussed on such a high international level, individuals and groups within nations are also campaigning for what they feel are their human rights. So we read of old people claiming the “right to work,” others fighting for “equal rights for women,” anti-abortionists campaigning for the “right to life” of unborn fetuses. We even hear of terminally sick persons claiming the “human right to die,” and homosexuals demanding “gay rights.”

Perhaps in the flood of publicity about so-called rights, you have found yourself wondering: “Just what are these ‘human rights’? Why are they called ‘human’ rights? Who decides what is a ‘human right’ and what is not? Will human rights ever really be guaranteed?”

What Are Human Rights?

Human rights are defined in the Encyclopædia Britannica as “rights thought to belong to the individual under natural law as a consequence of his being human.” In other words, every one of us has a right to expect certain standards and freedoms for no other reason than that we were born human.

Why people should possess these rights has often been argued. Some feel it is just because of tradition. Others maintain it is a part of “nature,” part of the “humanness” of man. At least one philosopher held that human, or natural, rights are a consequence of God’s commands. For example, God commands man not to murder his neighbor. Hence, all men have a human right to expect not to be murdered.

One of the most comprehensive descriptions of what are viewed as human rights is found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948. After mentioning that all men have the right to life, liberty and security of person, it goes on to specify such things as freedom from slavery, torture and degrading punishment; equality before the law; protection from interference with a person’s privacy; freedom of thought, conscience and religion; and the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of a man and his family. These are only some of the rights proclaimed in that document.

Human Rights and Government

As we read through the list, certain problems come to mind that show that human rights are not a simple subject. For example, most people would be unable to enjoy these rights unless they were guaranteed by a higher authority, such as a central government with adequate power.

In history, whenever there has been no strong, benevolent central government, the weak have usually been oppressed by the strong, and the situation has been as the Dutch philosopher Spinoza once said: “Everyone has as much right as he has might.” A strong, benevolent government can produce the peaceful, law-abiding environment where all can have a reasonable opportunity to enjoy some of the rights described in the Universal Declaration.

Reportedly, more than 70 countries today have documents outlining the human rights of their citizens. But does this mean that in most places today that kind of government exists? One government official remarked recently: “Bills of rights, declarations of human rights, constitutions and statutes are more often than not aspirational statements rather than descriptions of observable reality.” In other words, very often these documents merely state the hoped-for ideal of politicians, while what actually happens in their country is quite different.

Human Rights and the Community

Another point to remember is that a person cannot be so interested in his own rights that he overlooks the rights of others. For example, the Universal Declaration proclaims freedom of opinion and expression. But what happens when a man uses this right to slander another man? He then is encroaching on the rights of his neighbor.

Again, there used to be a religious practice in India known as suttee. In this, a widow would be burned alive on the funeral pyre of her dead husband. Due to existing marriage customs, sometimes the widow might have been a 10-year-old girl! Now, banning this practice was an interference with religious freedom; but potential widows were doubtless very happy when it was no longer allowed. This demonstrates the balance that has to be maintained in observing the rights of different groups. Here again, an authority, or government, is needed to decide what that balance should be.

Finally, human rights can be affected by social conditions. Jose Leviste, a Filipino politician, made this comment: “The Universal Declaration accords about as much emphasis [to the right to have adequate food as it does to] the right that nobody shall tamper with your mail. The fact is that most of the people who have problems over mail do not have problems over food, while the millions . . . who go to bed hungry every night probably have nobody tampering with their mail if they get any. This merely emphasizes that not all human rights are immediately relevant to all people all the time.”

Hence, the question of human rights is complicated. Yet people do feel that they have certain rights, and, as standards of living increase, they are demanding more and more rights. Many feel as does Dr. Keith D. Suter, chairman of a United Nations Human Rights Committee in Australia, who said: “The need to protect human rights is an idea whose time has come. It will not go away.”

Is this the case? Will human rights ever really be guaranteed under this system of things? It would be instructive to look back briefly in history and examine the human-rights record of mankind over the centuries.

Man’s Struggle for His Rights

IN THE year 73 B.C.E., a Thracian slave named Spartacus escaped from the school where he was being trained as a gladiator. He hid on Mount Vesuvius and was joined by other escaped slaves until he had an army. Defeating two Roman forces in succession, he overran most of southern Italy and fought his way right up to the Alps. By then his army numbered about 90,000. When the other slaves refused to leave Italy, he had to return south, intending to cross back into Sicily. Finally, he was killed in battle by a new Roman commander, M. Licinius Crassus.

This, in short, is the history of one man’s struggle for what today would be called a human right, the right to liberty or freedom from slavery. Similar scenes have been witnessed many times during the history of mankind.

Failures to Guarantee Human Rights

The term “human rights” is seemingly quite modern. They used to be called “natural rights.” But, whatever the name, it seems that man has always felt the need to protect certain of his rights and freedoms. Hammurabi’s law code, Solon’s legal reforms in Greece and the “unchangeable laws” of the Medes and the Persians were all designed to protect rights and give a measure of security to members of different nations.

Nevertheless, the laws did not always accomplish their purpose. Sometimes there would arise a tyrant like Nero who would disregard the laws. In the days of Mordecai, the wicked man Haman used the very laws themselves to try to cause the destruction of the Jewish minority in the Persian Empire. Some very rich and powerful people were above the control of the laws.

Besides that, history is full of examples of groups that were not really protected by the laws. Spartacus’ revolt highlighted the plight of slaves in the Roman Empire, many of whom were forced to fight to the death in the arenas, or were literally worked to death in the mines and the galleys. In ancient Athens, the position of women was unenviable. Viewed generally as little more than child-bearing slaves, they are described as “secluded in their homes, had no education and few rights, and were considered by their husbands no better than chattel.”

The cruelty of the Assyrians and the mass deportations by the Babylonians remind us of another class whose rights never received much attention: those on the losing side of history’s numerous wars. The poor, too, have always suffered, and in more modern times, cultural, linguistic and, particularly, racial and religious minorities have seen severe deprivation of their rights.

Selfishness and Human Rights

Hence, throughout history, human law systems have failed to guarantee equal human rights for all. This has led to struggles, revolutions and uprisings as people have fought for greater freedom.

Through all these struggles, one human trait has stood out: selfishness, or self-centeredness. This has worked strongly against all mankind’s enjoying human rights, and demonstrates what the German philosopher Hegel once maintained: that freedom is possible only in a community where people have certain moral standards.

An example of what happens when self-centeredness prevails was seen during the so-called “Peasants’ Revolt” in England. In 1381, a large crowd of peasants under the leadership of Wat Tyler marched on London and demanded to see the king. They had been through the trauma of the Black Death, and now were objecting to the heavy taxation and forced labor to which the barons—the landowners of those days—were subjecting them. They numbered perhaps 100,000. The king was willing to meet them and accede to their demands, but the barons were unwilling to give up some of their rights. Wat Tyler was killed, and not one of the peasants’ demands was met.

This self-centeredness was seen in another way. It often happened that whenever a certain group fought for and finally obtained certain rights, they afterward had little regard for the rights of others.

In 1789, for example, the citizens of France violently threw off the rule of an oppressive aristocracy, and produced the famous Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. In this they listed the rights that should be enjoyed by Frenchmen, highlighting “liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression.” Yet, not many years later, the French nation under Napoleon was engaged in wars of conquest, adversely affecting the ‘liberty, property and security’ of most of the nations of Europe.

Reportedly, the first major formulation of rights in a political document was the English Bill of Rights, in 1689. Yet later, when the British Empire was being built in different parts of the world, little regard was paid to the rights of many of the conquered peoples, such as the aboriginal inhabitants of Australia and Tasmania.

Similarly, the Declaration of Independence in the United States highlighted the rights of Americans to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Yet how much thought was given to the “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” of the millions of Negroes who were uprooted from their homes in Africa and sold as slaves on the American plantations? And when the expansion of the American nation collided with the rights of the various Indian tribes encountered, whose rights were often disregarded?

Christendom and Human Rights

Finally, the historical record of Christendom’s churches in the field of human rights has not been a good one. Christendom’s attitude toward the spread of human rights is shown in two interesting historical occurrences.

In 1215, the restive English barons forced the bankrupt King John to sign the Magna Carta. This has been called a predecessor of modern human rights documents. While the freedoms it granted were quite limited, it is viewed as a landmark in that it brought the king under the rule of law.

The reaction of Pope Innocent III to this document is on record. He said: “We utterly reject and condemn this settlement, and under threat of excommunication order that the king not dare to observe it nor the barons require it to be observed. The charter, we hereby declare to be a nullity, void of all validity forever.”

Of course, the Magna Carta did not just fade away. It was reissued several times, was even used by the Catholic Church when its rights were threatened, and became a force in the political growth of England and America.

In 1524, in Germany, there occurred what is called the “Peasants’ War.” Similar to the Peasants’ Revolt in England, the lowly peasants were protesting against the ever-increasing taxes and services demanded by the princes of Germany. Martin Luther advised the peasants to lay down their arms. When they refused, he is reported as counseling the princes to strike them down and stab them “like mad dogs.” The princes followed his counsel.

Many, many times the stand of Christendom against what are today called “human rights” became violent. Protestant Cromwell’s massacre of the Irish Catholics, and the slaughter of the French Protestant Huguenots by the Catholics of that nation are just two examples of the vicious intolerance manifested within the nations of Christendom toward the rights of others. Further examples are her bloodthirsty crusades and inquisitions; the careers of the Spanish conquistadores who, with the blessing of their spiritual leaders, engaged in acts of murder and pillage in many parts of the world; and not to be forgotten are the women, estimated to have numbered 100,000, who were burned at the stake during the Middle Ages on the charge of witchcraft.

Yes, throughout history, the human rights record of mankind has been poor. The forces that should have worked toward man’s betterment, like the laws of the land or even the laws of Christendom, have been either inadequate or positively harmful to mankind. There have been many classes that were deprived of their rights, and the selfish tendencies of men have hindered these classes from finding relief from oppression. Too often it has happened as the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible stated long ago: “Man has dominated man to his injury.”—Eccl. 8:9.

What does this mean for us today? Have things changed? Is there more hope now than in the past that human rights will be guaranteed? What do the facts show?

[Blurb on page 7]

It often happened that whenever a certain group obtained certain rights, they afterward had little regard for the rights of others.

What About Human Rights Today?

“There is a worldwide growing abuse of human rights, with violations of international standards so widespread that we are facing a human rights crisis.”

So said Donald M. Frazer, a member of the United States House of Representatives.

Some, on reading those words, may be surprised. They may feel that much progress has been made in publicizing and observing human rights in the modern world. Which view is correct?

Progress in Modern Times

This generation has witnessed a lot of international activity on behalf of the rights of different groups—certainly more so than previous generations. The United Nations has tried to establish an international standard by producing, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This was followed by two covenants: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The Universal Declaration was merely a statement of goals, and, hence, was signed by most of the then members of the United Nations. The two covenants, however, were designed to make these goals into international law, binding on the signers. The nations were much more hesitant about signing these.

Besides this, the United Nations has discussed such questions as genocide, refugees, political rights of women, the rights of children and world health.

In addition to the United Nations, other international organizations—such as Amnesty International—work to encourage the observance of human rights around the world. The European Commission on Human Rights has been established to handle allegations of violations. The International Labor Organization has worked to abolish such things as forced labor and to prevent unemployment.

Many national governments have passed laws protecting the rights and living standards of working people. Even the leaders of Christendom are speaking out in favor of human rights. And, most recently, the United States has made human rights a major part of her foreign policy, hoping to use her economic and political strength to encourage other lands to preserve the rights of their citizens.

Problems Still Remaining

Does all this activity mean that human rights will be guaranteed in our time, or in this existing world system of things? Unfortunately, we still hear of violations in many lands, even as Representative Frazer indicated. In 1976, the then United States Secretary of State was quoted as saying: “No country, no people, for that matter no political system, can claim a perfect record in the field of human rights.”

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Pope John Paul II was quoted as saying: “The world in which we live today offers too many examples of injustice and oppression.” A comment from Amnesty International was quoted in the Canberra Times: “Human Rights are violated in most countries under all kinds of political regimes and ideologies.” Why should this be?

One problem is that some violations are out of the control of the national governments. No government wants to see its citizens’ rights violated by criminals, yet, in most lands today, the “security of person” of many has been violated due to the rising tide of crime.

Another problem very difficult to solve is world hunger. Millions of people live at a starvation level, and, hence, enjoy very few rights. As one person expressed it: “How could the people enjoy their right to live fully and well if there is poverty and hunger?”

Prominent in the news in recent months have been the so-called “boat people” or refugees from Vietnam. Most will agree that, according to Article 14 of the Universal Declaration, these have a right to “seek and enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.” However, their appearance at the shores of some lands has caused much consternation. Seemingly they threaten the economy of these countries, and there are reports of their being driven off, sometimes with tragic results.

Conflicts of interests, or rights, are another problem. Here is how Philippine educator Ruben Santos Cuyugen explained it: “Protecting the cultural rights of a minority may run counter to the development needs of the larger community or of the region. Similarly, protecting the property rights of the advantaged group could be suppressive of the rights of the disadvantaged or deprived groups.”

What does he mean? Well, imagine a country where most of the wealth is in the hands of the privileged few, while the large majority exist in poverty. To try to raise the living standards of the majority, and, hence, protect their rights, the government may try to redistribute the country’s wealth. Yet in doing this they may find themselves violating the equally valid rights of the wealthy minority.

Finally, there is the question of interpretation. Certain Western countries often point to the rights that are enjoyed by their citizens, yet they have been accused of human-rights violations by some Eastern nations. As Fidel Castro maintained recently, according to the New York Times, the so-called freedom of the West was no more than the bourgeois right to exploit man and to preserve the class system.

On the other hand, some noncommunist countries draw attention to many alleged rights violations in Communist lands, such as the reports of slave-labor camps, and the widely publicized plight of dissidents. Yet, according to the French newspaper La Croix, “the Soviet Union . . . has chosen to make a big celebration of this anniversary (of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) by extolling . . . the exceptional rights enjoyed by its citizens.”

It may seem as if they are talking about different things, and perhaps they are. As Dr. Edward Norman, dean of Peterhouse in England’s Cambridge University, said recently: “Western democracies urge these sorts of moral objections (about human rights) in their critiques of authoritarian regimes . . . Socialist states respond with exactly the same rhetoric of human rights in their rejection of Western liberalism. There is a shared vocabulary of human rights, but the content varies according to ideology or class.”

Torture and Genocide

Perhaps worse than the above social problems and ideological differences are the many cases where the governments have a policy of oppressing their own peoples. Two years ago, Amnesty International was quoted in Time magazine as saying that in the previous decade, torture had been officially practiced in 60 lands. In 1975 alone, there were 40 countries accused of torturing their own citizens. In addition, several countries are accused of holding political prisoners.

After the last world war, the world was horrified to hear of the slaughter of six million Jews, as well as millions of others, in Europe. Many said, “It must never happen again!” Yet even now, we read reports of large-scale massacres in different parts of the world. The government of one small African country is accused of causing the deaths of one sixth of its population. In one tropical island, it is claimed that 100,000 died in a recent invasion. In an Asian country, some reports tell of more than a million being murdered for political reasons.

Perhaps, when you read these reports, you have asked: ‘Why doesn’t somebody do something? Why can’t someone go in, check whether these things are true, and stop them?’ The answer lies in what British jurist Lord Wilberforce called the “insoluble dilemma in matters of human rights—one principle being that human rights since the Universal Declaration are of international concern—the other being that how a State treats its own subjects is a matter of exclusively domestic concern.”

Professor W. J. Stankiewics, of the University of British Columbia, explained it at greater length: “Apparently, even if a country feels that human rights are being violated in another state, international law does not allow it to proceed against the violator either alone or jointly with other states. Indeed, an act designed to stop a violation of human rights would be an act of aggression according to international law. Human rights exist and are recognized, but their defense is hardly possible.”

What Is Needed to Guarantee Human Rights?

In view of this, it is hard to see how, under the present system of things, human rights could ever be fully guaranteed. Is there any way, then, that these rights can be assured? In examining the past and present history of man’s struggle for his rights, it seems that at least two things are needed.

First, there needs to be a truly moral community, one where each will not only enjoy his own rights, but unselfishly respect the rights of his neighbors. Second, there has to be an authority with sufficient wisdom to be able to decide justly how to balance the rights of different groups, and to solve the conflicting ideologies of human rights. This authority needs also to have sufficient power to solve social problems like crime and poverty, which lead to people’s being deprived of their rights. It would also need to be supranational, that is, have authority over nations, so that no earthly power would be able to massacre, torture, imprison unjustly or otherwise oppress its citizens.

Needless to say, no such community and no such authority exists under the world’s present system of things. Does this mean, then, that hoping for human rights to be guaranteed is just impractical idealism? No. There is a sure hope that human rights will be realized world wide—and that in the near future. Consider the facts presented in the next article.

[Blurb on page 9]

“No country, no people, for that matter no political system, can claim a perfect record in the field of human rights.”

[Blurb on page 10]

“How could the people enjoy their right to live fully and well if there is poverty and hunger?”

[Blurb on page 11]

First, there needs to be a truly moral community . . .

[Blurb on page 11]

Second, there has to be an authority with sufficient wisdom to be able to decide justly how to balance the rights of different groups.

Human Rights: Will They Ever Be Guaranteed?

CONSIDER for a moment the following commands:

“You must not murder.”

“You must not steal.”

“You must not testify falsely as a witness against your fellowman.”

“One judicial decision should hold good for you. The alien resident should prove to be the same as the native.”

This was part of a law code written nearly 3,500 years ago and that governed the life of a nation for over 1,500 years. The author of that code certainly understood about human rights. These commands remind us of some of the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, such as Article 3, which states that everyone has a right to “life, liberty and security of person,” or Article 7, which states that all are “equal before the law.” When that ancient law code was observed, it went a long way toward guaranteeing the “life, liberty and security” of the people who lived in those days.—Ex. 20:13, 15, 16; Lev. 24:22.

The above quotations were taken from the law given to the nation of Israel in the time of Moses. Of course, there were other nations then that had law codes too. But one thing made this code very different from any other then existing. Apart from its superior moral tone and provisions, this law did not come from a human source. Moses showed that it had a superhuman source when he said to the Israelites: “You will listen to the voice of Jehovah your God so as to keep his commandments and his statutes written in this book of the law.”—Deut. 30:10.

This shows us that there is a power higher than man who is interested in what today are called “human rights.” That power is none other than man’s Creator, Jehovah God. He has promised that soon all of man’s rights will be observed, to the best interests of everybody.

The Creator’s Record in Human Rights

The record of God’s dealings with mankind is contained in the Bible. There, the modern term “human rights” does not actually appear. Nevertheless, what are thought of today as “human rights” are quite often mentioned in the Scriptures.

At the very start of the human race, Jehovah God blessed man with an abundance of “life, liberty and security.” He created the first pair, Adam and Eve, perfect. This meant that they did not need to die at all—surely a measure of life that no modern government can give.

They had liberty in the sense that they had free will, and also, the whole earth was their domain. One of the privileges God offered them was to “be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it.”

They had security also, including economic security. There was no threat at all to their welfare. Even the animals were at peace with them, since the human pair were given dominion over “the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving upon the earth.”—Gen. 1:28.

God himself was the authority who would guarantee these blessings. But Adam and Eve had to accept that authority. If they went to some other authority, then these blessings would no longer be guaranteed. Jehovah mentioned just one limitation to the first pair’s freedom. He said: “From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction. But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die.”—Gen. 2:16, 17.

Some may object that God was here limiting Adam’s liberty. But human rights, or freedom, can never be absolute. Just as Adam’s continued life depended on his eating, drinking and sleeping, so it also depended on his obedience to the only authority who could guarantee his happiness.

Mankind Deprived of God’s Blessing

Adam and Eve did not remain in this blessed situation. An unseen spirit creature, who came to be known as Satan, placed a temptation before Eve. It was then that selfish thinking, which has been such a prominent feature of human history, was first seen.

Eve, in response to false reasoning by Satan, “saw that the tree [of knowledge of good and bad] was good for food and that it was something to be longed for to the eyes, yes, the tree was desirable to look upon. So she began taking of its fruit and eating it.” (Gen. 3:6) Hence, Eve, and later Adam, rejected the only authority who was able to guarantee their happiness. They followed the alluring suggestions of one who did not have their best interests at heart.

The result, as Jesus Christ later showed, was catastrophic. Talking about Satan, he said: “That one was a manslayer when he began.” (John 8:44) Yes, Adam and Eve died because of their sin. But Satan had caused their death just as surely as if he had murdered them. He caused them to lose the life with which they had been blessed. Jesus also said: “Every doer of sin is a slave of sin.” (John 8:34) Hence, they lost their liberty too. They were now slaves to sin, and under an authority, Satan, who would oppress them. Finally, their security was also lost. Their eldest son, Cain, killed his brother, Abel, and the future history of their children was one of increasing insecurity.

Really, what we see happening today is merely the long-term result of what Adam and Eve did. Man still has not returned to the rulership of the only One who can guarantee his happiness and bless him with what are known as “human rights.” Until he does, he will never enjoy those rights.

Human Rights Will Be Guaranteed

Is there any prospect of better things in the near future? Yes, there is, because the Creator has a deep and continuing interest in the human race. Jehovah God has put a limit on the length of time that men will be allowed to rule the earth. He has appointed a king who will rule mankind. That king will restore all the rights, or blessings, that man once had.

This change in rulership was referred to in the Bible at Isaiah 32:1: “Look! A king will reign for righteousness itself; and as respects princes, they will rule as princes for justice itself.” The king is Jesus Christ, and the princes whom he appoints will, in God’s appointed time, ensure that justice and righteousness will exist in all the earth.

This authority, according to the Bible, will very shortly replace the multitudinous forms of government that exist today, and bring in a new era in which things will be done in God’s way. Christians have prayed for this for centuries when they said: “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place.” When that prayer is answered, human rights will be observed on this earth as never before.—Matt. 6:9, 10.

The “right to life” will be enjoyed in a way hardly imaginable now. Jesus said: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Even the most ardent human-rights activist could not guarantee everlasting life. But God will, and the quality of this life is further shown at Revelation 21:4: “He will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”

No more will nations be allowed to torture, massacre or oppress their subjects. This divine authority will be powerful enough to prevent all abuses, and bring tranquillity to mankind. “He will certainly render judgment among many peoples, and set matters straight respecting mighty nations far away. And they will have to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears. They will not lift up sword, nation against nation, neither will they learn war anymore. And they will actually sit, each one under his vine and under his fig tree, and there will be no one making them tremble; for the very mouth of Jehovah of armies has spoken it.”—Mic. 4:3, 4.

What About Religion?

You may ask: ‘But what about freedom of religion? And how will there be a moral community where each will respect his neighbor’s rights?’ Actually, these two points are related.

There will be freedom of religion, in the sense that all will have the freedom to worship the one true God without interference. But Christ Jesus will not permit all forms of religion. Consider this for a moment: At one time in India, certain devotees of the goddess Kali, called thugs, used to strangle people as a sacrifice to their mistress. They sincerely believed this was what she demanded. Was it wrong to interfere with their freedom of worship and ban that practice? Of course not.

But that was not the only objectionable religious practice in history! Should religionists be allowed to infringe on the rights of others by torturing them in inquisitions, or killing them in wars or crusades? Or even by teaching them lies? No. The fact is, true religion is as necessary as eating and breathing; but false religion is as harmful to man as eating poison and breathing lethal gases. Hence, man must have both the knowledge of what God himself shows to be true religion and the freedom to practice it.

This is exactly what will happen. God’s Son, Jesus Christ, will ensure that all will be aided to learn and to practice true worship. This will have the effect of producing a truly moral community where human rights can really exist. As the Bible promises: “They will not do any harm or cause any ruin in all my holy mountain; because the earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters are covering the very sea.”—Isa. 11:9.

Does this prospect seem realistic to you? Or do you feel it is more realistic to rely on the rulers of this system of things to guarantee your “human rights”? Why not contact the publishers of this magazine and find out more about the way Christ Jesus will finally guarantee our “human rights” and how you can show, even now, that you desire to be part of the community that will enjoy those blessings?

[Blurb on page 14]

Jehovah God has put a limit on the length of time that men will be allowed to rule the earth.

[Picture on page 13]

At the start of the human race, mankind had total security. Even the animals were at peace with them.

Achieving Good Government the Right Way

“OUR weapons were rubber cudgels, lead-lined clubs to destroy cars, chains and also guns,” relates a former political party worker in Italy. This young man worked for his political ideals in the late 1960’s by violence and “city warfare.” He says that “one of the main objectives of city warfare was to work mischief and then make the blame fall on the opposing political faction.”

But something happened to change this man’s thinking on politics. A young man visited his home and began a study of the Bible with him, which he says “taught me above all, that God ‘has made out of one man every nation of men.’” (Acts 17:26) This formerly violent political agent says that such Bible principles “freed me of the hate I had within me for other men, just because they had a political idea different from mine.” He continues:

“On this point I keep asking myself: How can man ever resolve his problems with politics, when politics itself has created the first problem—the division of humankind? For mankind to get together, the reasons for division must first disappear. With Jehovah’s Witnesses I have understood that this is possible. I have seen blacks and whites getting baptized in the same water; former Protestants and former Catholics, in Ireland, stop hating each other; Arabs and Jews unite together in the same meeting, during the Six Days’ War. And I myself have learned to love those that I had been taught to hate. Nobody can say that the kingdom that Jehovah’s Witnesses long for—God’s kingdom—is utopian, since there already exists an international community united under this kingdom.”

Stop the Inquisition in Argentina!

WHAT does the term “Inquisition” call to your mind? For many people, it reminds them of a time centuries ago when people were unjustly denied their right to practice freedom of worship. It also calls to mind the persecution, even torture and murder that went with the Inquisition.

Today, in the eighth decade of this “enlightened” 20th century, we would view such inquisitions as belonging to a “dark ages” mentality. We would like to believe that mankind has advanced well beyond these practices.

But that is not the case. Right now, in the country of Argentina, a type of Inquisition is being carried on. It is directed against a people whose peaceful, law-abiding and God-fearing way of life is well known throughout the world.

This modern Inquisition began with the issuing of Presidential Decree Number 1867, on August 31, 1976. The decree banned all the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses throughout the country. And despite all the appeals, all the court cases, and even a favorable Argentine Supreme Court decision, the Inquisition continues.

One Result of the Ban

One direct result of this ban was the expelling of children from school. As the Buenos Aires Herald reported recently: “Approximately 1,000 children of parents who are Jehovah’s Witnesses have been expelled from school throughout the country for refusing to show reverence to the national symbols.”

A typical example of this took place on December 15, 1978. At school number 35 in Bahía Blanca, a province of Buenos Aires, school inspector Mrs. Teresa E. Inchauste de Stechi decreed that Susana and Gladys Simón were to be expelled from all schools, public and private. She stated: “They are subject to the sanction of expulsion from the establishment, and as pupils of any other educational service, as well as being banned from being given exams as independent students.”

Why? As this school official said, because of “the attitude of the children who refuse to revere the patriotic symbols, the national heroes and to commemorate corresponding dates, to sing the national anthem and patriotic marches.”

Of course, those familiar with Jehovah’s Witnesses know that the highest courts in democratic lands have firmly established the right of schoolchildren not to engage in activities that violate their Bible-based conscience. Thus, in these lands they are not required to offer gestures to symbols when they view those gestures as part of a religious ceremony contrary to their beliefs.

Ignoring the Court

Ironically, the expulsion of schoolchildren for their religious beliefs is also contrary to the constitution of Argentina. So when, in violation of the law of the land, children were expelled, Jehovah’s Witnesses took the matter to the Supreme Court of Argentina.

The high court heard the case and ruled against the expulsion of schoolchildren because of religious beliefs. The Court agreed that this was unconstitutional.

The Supreme Court’s decision should have solved the problem immediately. Further expulsions should have been avoided. Students expelled in the past should have been reinstated. Even the public press felt that this would be the case. For instance, a front-page headline in the Buenos Aires Herald of March 9, 1979, declared: “SCHOOLS ORDERED TO TAKE BACK WITNESSES’ CHILDREN.” Another publication, Somos, carried this title to an article on the matter: “THE RIGHT TO LEARN.”

But did the Supreme Court’s decision have the desired effect? No, it did not. Incredibly, in May 1979, less than two months after the Supreme Court’s ruling, two Witness girls were expelled from the Cura Brochero School in Barrio Residencial América, Córdoba. These two, Alejandra D. Brentan and Veronica L. Barrionuevo, were thrown out of school for not “revering” the national symbols.

Yet those same symbols were called “images” in the Supreme Court’s ruling. And since Jehovah’s Witnesses also regard these emblems as images, they do not want to perform what they regard as an act of reverence, or worship, toward them. They believe what the Bible says, for example, at Exodus 20:4, 5: “You must not make for yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or that is on the earth underneath or that is in the waters under the earth. You must not bow down to them nor be induced to serve them, because I Jehovah your God am a God exacting exclusive devotion.” Jesus himself refused to participate in doing “an act of worship” that was against his religious convictions.—Matt. 4:8-10; see also Daniel chapter 3.

It is hypocritical for school officials, whose duty should be to instill respect for the law and for the government, themselves deliberately to disregard the high court’s decision! Indeed, their actions in expelling the children were contemptuous of the Supreme Court.

Too, regarding the insistence by some school officials that children should “revere” such things as national heroes and other symbols, the comments of Dr. German J. Bidart Campos, a prominent jurist, are of interest. These comments were carried in the magazine El Derecho, published by the Argentine Catholic University. The jurist declared: “‘Obligatory reverence’ to the ‘heroes.’ Is there an official list of who these are? It is not the State’s concern to manufacture lay saints. What does obligatory reverence mean? Does it mean that they cannot be argued with or criticized, or that one cannot disagree with what they thought or did? Is it that they were infallible? Where did this quasi-religious dogmatism come from? Because for me Rosas was a tyrant, and for others he was a hero.”

Continued Persecution

The persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses goes far beyond expelling schoolchildren. All the Bible literature of Jehovah’s Witnesses has also been banned. In addition, all their meeting places have been closed down, as was their branch headquarters.

This Inquisition-type treatment was reported in Awake! of September 22, 1978. Millions of copies of that issue were distributed to the public throughout the world. As a result, many indignant voices were raised in well-justified concern over the outcome of such flagrant denial of elementary human rights.

Letters from all parts of the world have poured into government officials’ offices. Many favorable newspaper and magazine articles have been written. But so far, all of this has been to no avail! The Argentine government has not changed its attitude. It continues to deny freedom of worship to Jehovah’s Witnesses.

For example, when their religious activity was banned and the more than 600 Kingdom Halls were closed down, seals were placed on the doors so that they could not be opened. The same thing was done to the branch headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses. This happened on September 7, 1976. Those seals are still there. They were put there for the purpose of preventing the use of these halls as houses of worship, and for preventing Bibles and Bible literature from being distributed.

Confiscation of Bibles and Bible Literature

Another example of the inquisitorial mentality displayed by the government took place on September 21, 1978. On that date, four plainclothesmen of the Customs Police searched the former offices of the Watch Tower Society’s branch. They left a summons for the person in charge to be present the next day.

Sure enough, the following day, they returned and searched one of the buildings. It became apparent what they were looking for: personal copies of all Bibles and Bible literature that were imported.

They took this literature from individuals’ bedrooms and put it all in a vacant room. Then they sealed the room. The literature even included personal copies of Catholic Bibles.

More was to come. On November 13, 1978, Federal police again appeared at the branch headquarters. This time they had orders to confiscate all Bible literature on the premises. During the next three days Federal police trucks hauled away 3,000 cartons of Bible literature! This included 225,000 Bibles, and books explaining the Bible, such as Is the Bible Really the Word of God?, Good News—to Make You Happy, and Is This Life All There Is? All of these, in addition to other Bible literature such as booklets and magazines—all the property of Jehovah’s Witnesses—were to be destroyed, reduced to pulp!

Yet the Argentine constitution, in its Article 17, states that “confiscation of property is forever erased from the Penal Code of Argentina”! Since the action was a violation of this law, a petition was presented the next day to the Ministry of the Interior for the return of the literature. But no action was taken to correct this inquisitorial procedure that violated Argentina’s constitution.

What Has Been Done

In deep concern for the spiritual welfare of the more than 30,000 Witnesses in Argentina, and the many thousands who have been studying the Bible with them, appeals have been made through the court system. The constitutionality of the presidential decree closing down the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses was challenged in court.

The Federal Court, and next the Court of Appeals, ruled in favor of Jehovah’s Witnesses. But the government appealed that decision to the Supreme Court. On September 13, 1978, the Supreme Court rejected the case. It stated that ‘not all administrative means had been exhausted,’ and so claimed that it was not proper for them to consider the case legally.

This meant that Jehovah’s Witnesses had to make a new petition for inclusion in the Registry of Cults. This was attempted, but the Witnesses were denied the status of a non-Catholic religion. This denial was appealed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cults. Action is still pending.

If the Minister of Foreign Affairs denies the appeal of Jehovah’s Witnesses to be considered a valid religion, then legal steps have to be started all over again, from the beginning. That procedure can take years. In the meantime Jehovah’s Witnesses would be deprived of the basic human right to worship Almighty God freely, of assembling to study God’s Word, or even of talking about the Bible with others.

What is moving the Argentine government to exert such pressure against God-fearing Christians? Does it believe that modern-day Christians differ from those of the first century who withstood the pressures of the Roman Empire? Does it expect that Jehovah’s Witnesses will recant, deny their religion, when those early Christians did not? Or does the government approve of the Inquisition, where many suffered injury and death for the “crime” of owning a Bible?

There Is More You Can Do

Expressions of indignation by concerned people around the world have had their effect on some of the authorities. Jehovah’s Witnesses greatly appreciate this support. And they also appreciate the favorable decisions in the courts and by individual government officials.

However, there is more that you can do to express yourself at this continued denial of elementary human rights. You can write and express your point of view regarding this modern-day Inquisition. Let officials know how you view the practice of mass destruction of Bibles and Bible literature as practiced in Argentina today. Let them know how you feel about the actions of fanatical school officials who ignore the ruling of the Supreme Court of Argentina, as well as the constitution of the land, and still expel children from school.

You may write to the Argentina embassy in your country, and to the members of the Argentina government whose names and addresses are listed below.

President of Argentina

Jorge Rafael Videla

Balcarce 50

1064 Capital Federal

Argentina

Commander and Chief of the Army

Teniente General Roberto Eduardo Viola

Balcarce 50

1064 Capital Federal

Argentina

Commander and Chief of the Navy

Almirante Armando Lambruschini

Balcarce 50

1064 Capital Federal

Argentina

Commander and Chief of the Air Force

Brigadier General Omar Domingo Graffigna

Balcarce 50

1064 Capital Federal

Argentina

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cults

Carlos Washington Pastor

Arenales 761

1061 Capital Federal

Argentina

Those Made-in-Germany “Bugs”

As a rule, bugs are quite unloved. People tend to avoid them. However, let me tell you about myself, for I, too, am a “bug,” but I think quite an exception.

Although German by birth, I have become an international figure, equally at home in all parts of the world. I have been the butt of friendly jokes in any number of languages and the subject about which even movies have been made.

But now I’m getting up in years and things are beginning to change. I’m afraid they will never really be quite the same again. May I tell you my story?

My Birth

Actually, I’m not a bug at all, but as you can see from my picture, a car. But my nicknames, “beetle” or “bug,” as is so often the case, are used almost as much as my real name. I was originally christened “der Kraft durch Freude Wagen” (the strength through joy car). This was derived from a popular slogan (“strength through joy”) of the government that was ruling in Germany at the time of my conception. Quite a mouthful for the name of a car! Later, I became better known as the Volkswagen, a registered name, meaning “people’s car.”

Although the idea of building such a car had originated much earlier, it was not until 1934 that the German government ordered Ferdinand Porsche, auto designer and inventor, to produce one. To bring it within the reach of every pocketbook, the government decreed that it was to cost no more than 990 reichsmark, the equivalent of $396 U.S. at that time. It was to be for the people, a “people’s car.” You might say it was a Teutonic version of the American “chicken in every pot” dream of the 1930’s.

Preparations for my birth were both extensive and elaborate. Not only was a new factory to be built, but plans were even drawn up to construct an entirely new city with a population of 90,000 persons! The city’s cornerstone was laid on July 1, 1938, about five weeks after work had begun on the factory buildings where I was to be born. This new city, located strategically in the approximate center of the German Reich, had the rather unimaginative and awkward name “City of the Strength Through Joy Car.” Today named Wolfsburg, it is a modern city of 130,000 persons that you would scarcely suspect is only slightly over 40 years old.

So you see, although I may be nothing more than a “bug,” I dare say few human babies ever had such extensive plans and preparations made for their birth! My future prospects were promising indeed.

Disaster Strikes

Then World War II erupted, bringing an untimely end to many a bright future, including, at least for the time being, mine. Scarcely born, I was abandoned in lieu of more urgent matters. The entire production apparatus prepared for me was now geared to military purposes.

In fact, this turn of events even called into question the legitimacy of my existence. A shadow fell across my path, for I was accused of being part of a giant swindle. William L. Shirer, author of the book The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, explains:

“Since private industry could not turn out an automobile for $396 [990 reichsmark], Hitler ordered the State to build it and placed the Labor Front in charge of the project. . . . The Labor Front advanced fifty million marks in capital. But that was not the main financing. Dr. Ley’s ingenious plan was that the workers themselves should furnish the capital by means of what became known as a ‘pay-before-you-get-it’ installment plan—five marks a week, or, if a worker thought he could afford it, ten or fifteen marks a week. When 750 marks had been paid in, the buyer received an order number entitling him to a car as soon as it could be turned out. Alas for the worker, not a single car was ever turned out for any customer during the Third Reich! Tens of millions of marks were paid in by the German wage earners, not a pfennig of which was ever to be refunded.”

Whether, as some persons claim, the government knowingly did this to raise money for the war effort or not, yet the sad fact of the matter is that an estimated 170,000 persons did lose their money. Although not my fault, this is a chapter in my history of which I am not proud. I was determined to live down my shame, and—permit me to brag just a bit—I think I have succeeded quite nicely in doing so.

A Rebirth

At the end of the war, the Wolfsburg facilities were in shambles, over 50 percent destroyed. None of the occupying powers wanted them as reparation payments. As I later learned, all the Allied Powers auto makers thought me too simple and—I dislike the word—too ugly to be taken seriously.

Nevertheless, the British occupying troops ordered the plant reopened under German management, and production of the long-delayed “people’s car” began. It was at this time that the Americans and the British dubbed me “beetle” or “bug,” a nickname that was destined to stick. And, in all honesty, I must admit that there is a resemblance. But beetles are not really all that ugly, do you think?

My early years were difficult, but they were marked by steady progress. From less than 2,000 cars in 1945, production figures rose by the early 1970’s to well over 2,000,000 cars annually. By 1974 almost 18 million look-alike “bugs” had been produced, all of them sporting the emblem of a wolf and a castle on their steering wheel. Did you ever wonder why? Simply because Wolfsburg, my birth place, means, in German, “wolf’s castle.”

Yes, we “bugs” do look alike. The original concept and my general appearance have not changed over the years, but this has not ruled out technical improvements. In fact, every one of the more than 5,000 individual parts that go into each auto has in one way or another undergone improvements or changes over the intervening years.

It did not take long for me to become a familiar sight throughout Germany. But many foreigners also began taking a liking to me, and by 1947 you could even find me in our neighboring land of Holland. In 1949 I crossed the Atlantic to the United States for the first time. Many an American military man took a “bug” home with him when his tour of duty in Germany was over.

As the trend toward smaller, more compact and more economical cars gathered momentum in such places as the United States, my popularity grew. More and more “beetles” were exported; in fact, at times during the 1960’s and 1970’s as much as two thirds of the entire production was reserved for export. Factories were built in foreign countries to facilitate the work done in Wolfsburg and in the five additional plants that meanwhile had been built in Germany.

Oh, what treasured memories! Like in 1955 when the one millionth “bug” was driven from the production line, or when the 15 millionth was whisked off to a place of honor in the Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution. But the climax came on February 17, 1972. I had broken the all-time production record of slightly over 15 million cars set by the famous Ford “Tin Lizzy” back in 1927. I was now the new champ, the most successful car of all time! For a “bug” I had come a long way!

The End of an Era

While in many countries the trend toward smaller cars continued, here in my homeland the trend began to move in the opposite direction. As Germans became more affluent—ironically, I myself had done much to bring this about—they wanted bigger, more powerful and more comfortable cars. I must admit that I am not the most comfortable car in the world, and my small size and light weight can put me at a disadvantage in an accident or when I am being driven under hazardous conditions. But, then, who is perfect?

January 19, 1978: the saddest day of my life, the day that “bug” production in Germany ceased. From now on only more sophisticated models would be turned out in Volkswagen’s six domestic plants. The last “made-in-Germany bug” would never thrill to the excitement of the open road, but was destined to spend the rest of its life tucked away in the safety of a museum. Still, I take pride in the fact that the original “beetle” is still being manufactured in Volkswagen plants in Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria and South Africa.

This turn of events puts the German who is a “beetle” lover in a paradoxical situation: should he want a new “bug”—now almost as much a symbol of Germany as are leather shorts, beer mugs and cuckoo clocks—he will have to import it. Imagine! Why, that’s almost like telling Americans that from now on they will have to obtain their hamburgers, hot dogs and ice cream from abroad!

Excuse me for crying on your shoulder. I guess prominent persons always tend to live in the glories of their past. Maybe I’m just getting old and sentimental. Who wants to be cast off and forgotten? Of course, there are still millions of my kind roaring around the German autobahns and roads and byways of over 140 countries throughout the world. So even though my heyday may have passed, I am still around, alive and kicking, maybe just not as strongly as before. But at least you can be sure of one thing: It’s going to be a long time before anyone forgets us made-in-Germany “bugs”!

[Picture on page 21]

Few human babies ever had such extensive plans and preparations made for their birth!

A Sincere Apology Accepted

The following letter was received at the headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses from a doctor of philosophy and counselor in psychology:

Dear Jehovah’s Witnesses: I am writing to apologize to Jehovah’s Witnesses for something I took part in in the spring of 1942 in Brookhaven, Mississippi. I was 16 and too young to enter the military, but filled with a fervor about the war. On the strength of a rumor that a group of Jehovah’s Witnesses were encamped in trailers outside of town and that they were encouraging people not to participate in the draft, about ten of my fellow high school students and I strapped on pistols and went to the encampment. We made what we thought to be patriotic speeches to them and told them they had better be out of town by the next night. They were. I don’t recall any discussion with my friends about what we would have done if they hadn’t been.

The temper of the times was reflected in the fact that the Jackson “Daily News” carried an editorial praising our ignoble act.

The atrocity of U.S. aggression in Indochina precipitated my complete conversion to pacifism in the ’60’s, and it is ironic that the only two boys in my son’s high school who refused to participate in R.O.T.C. [Reserve Officers’ Training Corps] for moral reasons were my son . . . and a Jehovah’s Witness.

I have learned a lot about freedom and democracy, as well as the pacifism of the Christians who lived during and within the first 400 years of the life of Christ, since my 1942 “patriotic” speech and I want to extend an apology to all Jehovah’s Witnesses even if it is 37 years overdue. Sincerely, [signed] F.H.W.

We are sure those of Jehovah’s Witnesses who were affected directly by this incident will accept this sincere apology, in imitation of their Master, Christ Jesus.—Luke 23:34.

Monarchs of the Deep

by “Awake!” correspondent in Australia

THE ocean surface is smooth and tranquil. Suddenly, there is an explosion of water and spray! A 40-ton black beast makes what appears to be an abortive launch into flight. The creature falters for a moment at the peak of its upward thrust. Then, with a resounding crash, it disappears below the surface of the water.

For us, the impression will be lasting. We have been privileged to witness one of the largest of earth’s creatures, the whale, rear itself above the water to catch a breath of air.

For many hundreds of years man has marveled at the whale, believing at one time that its appearances near coasts or on shores were portents heralding great events. While to a great extent superstitions concerning the whale have disappeared, awe and amazement have not. A closer look at this giant’s form and habits will show why.

What Is a Whale?

A whale is not a fish, but a mammal that is warm-blooded. It breathes air, suckles its young and even has some of the external hairs so characteristic of mammals. However, the only time a whale breaks the water’s surface is to exhale a blast of steamy breath, known as the blow, and to inhale more life-sustaining air.

Unlike other marine mammals, whales cannot lounge around shorelines. For some of the ‘great whales’ to be beached even temporarily means certain death. Without water to support such a huge bulk, their ribs collapse and death occurs by suffocation.

Whales are divided into two basic groups, the baleen whales (with whalebones, rather than teeth) and the toothed whales. Perhaps the best known of the baleen group is the giant blue whale, spanning a length of some 100 feet (30 m) and weighing up to 134 tons. Says the book Whales, by E. J. Slijper, that weight is equivalent to four brontosaurs or 30 elephants, or 200 cows, or 1,600 men! Certainly this monarch of the deep is the largest creature, living or dead, ever known to move upon planet Earth.

The baleen or whalebone itself is a horny growth, edged with frayed bristles that hang from the whale’s upper jaw. It is made of a substance similar to our own hair and nails and is constantly growing and being worn away. A row of these long tapered baleen plates on each side of the mouth creates a large sieve that separates plankton, a major part of the diet for this type of whale, from tremendous quantities of water.

On the other hand, toothed whales are not equipped to catch the tiny plankton. Instead, they prey primarily on fish, squid and other seagoing mammals. Toothed whales range in size from the four-foot (1.2-m) long porpoise through the well-known dolphins and killer whales right up to the 60-foot (18-m) long sperm whale.

Amazing Abilities

At first it appeared that the whale’s ability as a swimmer ran counter to physical law. How can such a huge creature plow through the ocean at speeds rivaling a nuclear-powered submarine? Investigations have shown that, unlike the rigid submarine, a whale’s body is flexible. A layer of blubber thwarts friction and reduces turbulence to a minimum.

Another endowment of the whale is its ability to produce an array of noises ranging from creaks and squeaks to chirps and shrill whistles. Use of these sounds appear to be twofold: they help to keep the family groups, known as pods, together, and also are a form of sonar, enabling the whale to locate food and “see” in the dark.

Continually Hunted

The gigantic bodies of whales have long been viewed as enormous bags of “goodies.” Originally people sought the flesh as food and the blubber for oil. Nowadays people produce from whale carcasses such things as automatic transmission fluid, candles, fertilizer and, yes, even lipstick.

It is not positively known who began the procedure of hunting whales. The first to make a serious business of it apparently were the Basques of coastal Spain. Later, England and Holland became the major whaling countries. Then America entered the race, with Nantucket Island off the coast of Rhode Island becoming the base for one of the world’s largest whaling fleets.

While “big league” whaling employs harpoons with exploding heads, as well as other terribly efficient methods of catching and dispatching the huge mammals, there have always been more primitive ways. For example, the Aleutian islanders attacked whales from one-man kayaks, using spears with poison tips. When the South American Indians came alongside a whale, they would have one man clamber upon its back and plunge a sharpened stake into the blow hole.

Possible the most unusual method of hunting whales was employed as late as 1929 at a land station in Eden, a quiet coastal town of southern New South Wales, Australia. Strange as it may seem, the whalers there actually had a school of about 100 trained killer whales. Humpback whales, returning from their summer feeding in the Antarctic, would be herded into a bay by a pack of these trained killers. The killers would block the bay’s entrance, preventing escape. Another team of killers would then excitedly splash near the land station in the event the whaling crew failed to notice the proceedings.

Will the Whale Survive?

What will be the whale’s future? Will it become extinct?

Some efforts have been made to ensure the survival of whales. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is a voluntary body made up of representatives of 17 whaling nations. Since 1946 the Commission has placed bans and quotas on catching various species. But its effectiveness and true loyalties have come under fire from conservation groups. The IWC did not take up the call of the United Nations, the United States and conservationists for a 10-year complete moratorium on whaling. Hence, critics claim that the Commission’s allegiance is to the whaling industry, rather than to the survival of whales.

Whether efforts to preserve the whale population will succeed remains to be seen. But, while humans have been given the divine right to hunt animals for food, including the whale, man must also remember that this is no license for the slaughter of living creatures to the point of extinction.—Gen. 9:1-3.

Ancient Energy Crisis Solved

RESEARCHERS have learned that about 2,500 years ago the ancient Greeks and Romans experienced an energy crisis of their own. Their most valuable fuel—wood—became extremely scarce because of its use in housing and shipbuilding, as well as in cooking and heating. But the ancients solved their energy problems with an up-to-date method—solar heating. A team of two solar-energy experts and a University of California classics professor have found that architecture designed to obtain the most heat from the sun was widely used for both individual homes and cities. For example, Pliny the Younger proudly explained how in the winter his villa north of Rome ‘collected and increased the heat of the sun’ by means of strategically located windows. According to the report in the New York Times, the researchers found that “the ancient town of Olynthus, in northern Greece, was comprised entirely of houses built on the same principles used today in ‘passive’ solar homes—those lacking solar collectors but designed, insulated and sited to gather as much heat as possible from the sun in winter and as little as possible in the summer.” Said one investigator: “Olynthus is proof that planning for the use of solar heat was possible on a large urban scale in antiquity, and it suggests that solar design can be just as successfully applied to modern urban settings.”

The Bible’s View

What Will a Christian Do When Deprived of His Rights?

MANY today are clamoring for their rights. But, sadly, a large proportion of mankind do not enjoy many rights at all. Others are deprived in one way or another of what they consider their rights. As Christianity spreads, many of these persons come to be numbered among the true worshipers of Jehovah God. So how should a Christian react when deprived of his rights?

When Abused by a Criminal

A Christian may be deprived of his rights by a criminal. He may be robbed, beaten or cheated. What should he do? Of course, in most lands the first thing would be to inform the police. But suppose the crime situation is beyond the control of the police. Or perhaps they will not act without a bribe.

Take, for example, the situation of one Christian woman. Her husband was killed by a group of men for no known reason. She felt that she knew who had done it, but appeals to the highest authorities brought no results. How should a Christian act in such circumstances?

The apostle Paul gave fine counsel for this situation: “Return evil for evil to no one. . . . Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but yield place to the wrath; for it is written: ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says Jehovah.’” (Rom. 12:17-19) While we would hope that the police would handle such a matter, we know that in this life we will never receive complete justice. Hence, as Paul said, a Christian will not vengefully take the matter into his own hands, but will leave it with Jehovah, trusting in him for a just outcome.

Social Problems

Again, perhaps we are living in one of those countries where there is a large gap between the rich and the poor. We see that our friends—or even we ourselves—are downtrodden and taken advantage of. We feel indignant. What should we do?

The Christian apostle Paul had this experience. Often he encountered a certain institution that badly needed reforming: slavery. Many slaves became Christians, and undoubtedly longed for freedom. Did Paul counsel violent revolt, or escape? No, he said: “You slaves, be obedient in everything to those who are your masters in a fleshly sense, not with acts of eyeservice, as men pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, with fear of Jehovah. Whatever you are doing, work at it whole-souled as to Jehovah, and not to men, for you know that it is from Jehovah you will receive the due reward.”—Col. 3:22-24; see also 1 Peter 2:18-20.

Naturally, if a Christian had the opportunity to get free from slavery, he would take it. But this was not to become such an obsession that it overshadowed his main purpose in life: serving Jehovah. As Paul said: “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. 7:21-24.

While few today are actually slaves, some may feel that they are little better than that because of their economic situation. If there is some way to improve their situation, of course, that would be a fine thing to do. But this should not become an all-consuming passion. Remember Paul’s words: “Those who are determined to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many senseless and hurtful desires.”—1 Tim. 6:9.

Jesus Christ also came in contact with the problems caused by poverty. He said: “Never be anxious and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or, ‘What are we to drink?’ or, ‘What are we to put on?’ For all these are the things the nations are eagerly pursuing. For your heavenly Father knows you need all these things. Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you.”—Matt. 6:31-33.

Should Jesus and Paul have become involved in social issues and reforms, as some say? Well, some reformers did arise during the long history of the Roman Empire. Perhaps they accomplished some good. But usually their work was changed after they died, or it was swept away, at the latest, at the fall of the empire itself. Similarly, Jesus and Paul might have accomplished much in the way of reform. But it would undoubtedly have been destroyed, at the latest, when the Roman Empire finally collapsed. That is what happens when effort is put into reforming a system that is destined to pass away.

Instead of devoting himself to social reform, Jesus ‘bore witness to the truth.’ (John 18:37) As a result, many, both of that day and this, believed in him. Thus they gained the opportunity for everlasting life in a system where all their “rights” will be guaranteed. (John 3:16) How many social reformers will see such a lasting result from their hard work?

What About Persecution?

In many parts of the world, Christians are experiencing persecution and a denial of their right to worship and freely express themselves about religion. Some are tortured and even killed. How should they react to such abuses?

Once again, they follow Jesus’ example. Remember how he was subjected to illegal arrest and seizure in the Garden of Gethsemane, an irregular trial and sentencing, and deprival of due process in front of Pilate. Why did Jesus not call on his large following among the Jews to help him to escape this injustice? He himself explained: “My kingdom is no part of this world. If my kingdom were part of this world, my attendants would have fought that I should not be delivered up to the Jews. But, as it is, my kingdom is not from this source.”—John 18:36.

So Jesus did not ask his followers to engage in armed revolt to protect his human rights. Christians today follow his example. Of course, if there is a legal way for them to protect their freedom of worship, they will take it. The apostle Paul appealed right up to Caesar himself, in an effort to ‘defend and legally establish the good news.’ (Acts 25:11; Phil. 1:7) But if there are no legal steps that can be taken, a Christian will remain faithful to his beliefs, trusting in Jehovah for an eventual good outcome. This was what Jesus did, and although this course led to death, consider the wonderful outcome, both for himself and for humankind.—Heb. 2:9, 14, 15.

Hence, a Christian who is deprived of his rights for any reason will understand that today, nobody fully enjoys what are called “human rights.” Really, everyone is in great need of the new order that God has promised, where righteousness will prevail and the “rights” of all will be observed. (2 Pet. 3:13) If we have to suffer some violation of our rights, we can find comfort in imitating this inspired viewpoint: “But as for me, it is for Jehovah that I shall keep on the lookout. I will show a waiting attitude for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.”—Mic. 7:7.

Watching the World

‘Greatest Quake in History’

◆ Officials of the People’s Republic of China recently revealed more details of the nation’s disastrous 1976 Tangshan earthquake. Visiting American experts learned that over three fourths of the city’s 916 multistory buildings were shaken to the ground or badly damaged. The quake of 7.8 magnitude on the Richter scale also ruined or damaged 300 miles (480 km) of railroad tracks, 231 highway bridges and 40 earth dams. Estimates of the death toll run as high as 750,000. The leader of the American group called Tangshan’s temblor “the greatest earthquake disaster in the history of mankind.”

Solar System’s Hottest Spot?

◆ What may be the hottest spot in our solar system was measured when the Voyager I spacecraft passed a point in space about 3 million miles (4.8 million km) from the planet Jupiter. An area of charged particles (plasma), with temperatures of 300 to 400 million degrees C (540 to 720 million degrees F), is apparently held in place by Jupiter’s magnetic field. The center of the sun, by comparison, is only about 20 million degrees C (36 million degrees F), and man-made temperatures have reached 70 million degrees C (126 million degrees F). “The spacecraft was not vaporized by the extreme heat,” says the scientist in charge, “because the density of the plasma is extremely low—a greater vacuum than any that exists on Earth—so that there is a very low transfer of heat between the plasma and the spacecraft.”

Safest Transportation

◆ After the DC-10 crash in Chicago, Illinois, that killed over 270 persons, many are fearful about the safety of air travel. However, the American National Safety Council still says that commercial airlines are one of the safest ways to travel. Only .04 deaths per 100 million passenger miles occurred on the airlines during a recent year, whereas railroads had .05 deaths; buses, .13 deaths; and automobiles, 1.33 deaths for the same number of passenger miles. Hence, commercial air travel is 33 times less deadly than travel in the average family auto.

Antacid to Stop Smoking?

◆ Taking small amounts of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) may help smokers to “kick the habit,” according to University of Nebraska researchers. They based their research on an earlier finding that smokers with acidic urine tend to eliminate more unmetabolized nicotine. Craving for the lost nicotine usually sends the addicts back to the cigarette pack more often than those with less acid in their urine. Working with a group of volunteers, part of whom received four grams a day of bicarbonate, it was found that by the fifth week, their average daily smokes dropped to only .14. Those not getting the antacid couldn’t get below 7.8 cigarettes a day. The researchers emphasize that these results are only preliminary, and that one needs to exercise caution in taking any form of medication.

Unwanted Millions

◆ It is estimated that almost 11 million refugees world wide now have no country, and the number is rapidly growing. “Gunfire and revolution, shifting ideologies and changing maps, nationalism and racism” have all contributed to the uprooting of these people from their homelands, according to an Associated Press study. The reporter writes that “everywhere we went we found numbing hopelessness.” The people often are kept in mass accommodations, which change their way of life drastically. “Cooped up like that, their basic nature is changing,” said a Filipino doctor working with refugees in an Asiatic camp. “They used to be carefree and giving. Now they are selfish. They feel the change in themselves, and they don’t like it.”

Confidence in Clergy Drops

◆ “The leaders of organized religion now generate no more than a 20 percent vote of high confidence from Americans,” reports Louis Harris on the results of a recent national ABC News-Harris Survey. He says that confidence in the clergy dropped 14 percentage points in the past year alone and is the lowest since the rating system began in 1966.

Hot-Tub Hazard

◆ So far, over 300,000 Americans have installed “hot tubs” in their homes or gardens to soothe and relax. However, there can be peril in improper use of the tubs, as the recent deaths of a California couple illustrate. “Typical of some hot-tub owners, the LaRozas had heated the water to about 114° F (46° C),” notes the report in Time magazine. “Doctors and tub manufacturers recommend only 102° to 104° F (39° to 40° C), and even these temperatures should not be endured more than 20 minutes at a time.” The body tries to compensate for heat buildup above normal body temperature by expanding the tiny blood vessels in the skin, causing sweat. But since sweat cannot evaporate and cool a body immersed in hot water, more blood is pumped to the skin in an attempt to get rid of the heat. This can put an extra load on the heart, and even damage the brain, liver and kidneys. The use of alcoholic beverages aggravates the problem.

Working on Their “Holiday”

◆ In 1977, the Federal Republic of Germany passed a “prison holiday law” that allows convicts three weeks off a year from their prison bonds. Hamburg police recently checked on the results of this “resocialization” program. They found that one out of four robberies in the city were being committed by the “vacationing” convicts, using the opportunity to work at their old professions. Even so, “the justice ministry is convinced the holiday system will pay off in greater numbers of reformed men in the future,” says To The Point magazine.

Watching Earth’s Weight

◆ Our planet may now be the envy of the world’s weight watchers. According to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of Pasadena, California, it has ‘shed’ 41.34 quadrillion short tons (37.5 quadrillion metric tons) on the measurement books. More accurate methods of measurement using spacecraft and laser beams produced the new value, which now stands at 6,586 sextillion short tons (5.975 sextillion metric tons). A sextillion is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

“Official” Robber

◆ A telephone call to Japan’s Matsuyama City Agricultural Cooperative advised that police were going to hold one of their customary crime vigilance drills. The caller requested employees to get two million yen ($9,300, U.S.) ready and later called to detail the make-believe robber’s appearance, including his weapon—a carving knife. According to the report from Tokyo, he also told the branch manager to “please ensure that each staff member knows his role.” Following their tradition of obedience to orders from authority, the employees were ready with the money when the armed man arrived. The “robber” calmed fearful customers, assuring them it was only a drill. Later, when the manager called police to inquire about how the “drill” went, the response was: “Drill?” None had been conducted that day. However, the 23-year-old robber was later picked up by police, based on an auto plate number that two employees, conscientiously following proper procedure, had noted.

Golfers’ Cycles?

◆ Golf magazine reports that a student doing a masters’ thesis on biorhythms used the golf scores of randomly selected professionals for comparison. “He was not at all prepared for the results,” says Golf, and “concluded that there is absolutely no relationship between biorhythm and success or failure.” The thesis stated: “Excellent, average and poor performances can all occur during any biorhythm combination. Therefore, a ‘triple high’ (physical, emotional and intellectual) does not correlate necessarily with excellence.”

Paying for Puff

◆ When purchasing a beverage, such as beer, packaged in six throwaway bottles, how much goes for the liquid and how much to other costs? Stuart Diamond of Newsday writes that the actual cost of the beverage in a pack costing $2.00 (U.S.) is nine cents! “The rest—$1.91—goes for the throwaway bottles, for advertising, taxes, distribution, labor, overhead and company profit,” says Diamond. He points out that just the cost of the throwaway bottles alone in this case is about five times the cost of the beer.

“Light” Cable

◆ The Bell System has patented an undersea glass-fiber cable that will transmit voice, data or picture information by light rather than electricity. The cable is said to be only half the diameter of existing undersea wire cables, yet can potentially carry more than twice as many circuits. To lay the cable across the ocean, only one reloading of the installation ship would be required, whereas previous cable carriers had to be reloaded five times.

Tax on Gasoline

◆ The tax on gasoline varies considerably from country to country. According to the publication Tax Notes, the tax on a gallon (3.79 L) of gasoline in Italy is $1.54; Belgium, $1.18; Federal Republic of Germany, $1.02; England, 69 cents; Spain, 55 cents, and the United States, an average of 12 cents.

Memory Feat

◆ A Japanese electronics company worker, Hideaki Tomoyori, has claimed a world record in memory feats—memorizing 15,151 decimal places of pi, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Three newsmen heard him recite correctly the number of digits after the decimal point.

Dead Sea’s Water Layers Mix

◆ The Dead Sea is about nine times as salty as the ocean, but its bottom layer of water has long been even more salty than its top layer. The result is that the two layers have stayed apart like oil and water. But now a report from Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science states that the bottom and top layers of the Dead Sea have finally mixed. What caused this “turning over” of the layers? The report said that, relatively very little freshwater now enters the Dead Sea, and this quickly evaporates. Gradually the upper layer reached the same degree of salt concentration as the bottom layer. When this happened last February, said the report, the two layers finally mixed. One result is that the rotten-egg odor of hydrogen sulfide has disappeared. There is the possibility, however, that the Dead Sea will once again become stratified. This is because of Israel’s plans to build a canal to connect the Mediterranean Sea with the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth. The descending waters would create a vast hydroelectric power source. If the project is completed, it will mean that the Dead Sea will once again have a less salty layer on top.

Mushrooming Mushrooms

◆ According to London’s Sunday Express, gargantuan mushrooms sprang up on various lawns in the Soviet town of Osh, some of them weighing as much as 4 1/4 pounds (1.9 kg) each. Their prodigious growth began after some days of scorching sun, alternated with warm rain.

Response to Speed Limits

◆ An international survey was recently made in six countries with regard to the habits of car drivers. The percentage of those who responded that they always obeyed the speed-limit regulations was as follows: Spain, 48.5; France, 39; South Africa, 38.8; Federal Republic of Germany, 28.6; England, 18.4, and Japan, 11.1

‘Hearing Aids’ for Parents

Listening to the Great Teacher is a unique book for parents and children. The stories are designed in a way that encourages you to ask your child questions. This, in turn, encourages your child to become more involved and to learn to think. Equally important, it helps you to hear how your child really feels about things.

Please send me, postpaid, a copy of the 192-page, hard-cover book Listening to the Great Teacher.

I enclose 50 cents (U.S.).

[Picture on page 31]

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Jesus, the Great Teacher

DO YOU like to hear stories?—Well, then, I’m going to tell you one about a man who told better stories than anyone else who has ever lived on earth. His name is Jesus Christ.

He lived on this earth almost two thousand years ago. That is a long time ago. It is long before your grandmother or grandfather were born. And it is long before men had cars or trains or radios or other things of today.

When Jesus told a story it made a person think. If a person thought about it long enough, what Jesus said could even change the way the person felt about things. It could change the person’s whole view of life. And everything that Jesus said was true.

Jesus knew more than any other man. He was the best teacher who ever lived. We learn many things from other persons. But we can learn the most important things from Jesus.

One reason that Jesus was such a great teacher is because he listened. He knew how important it is to listen. But to whom did Jesus listen? Who taught him?—Jesus’ Father did. And Jesus’ Father is God.

Before coming to earth as a man, Jesus had lived in heaven with God. So Jesus was different

God Does Not Torment Souls

Religions have long taught that the souls of the wicked are tormented in a fiery hell. But the Bible does not teach that.

Learn what hell is and what the Bible says about the condition of the dead. Read the chapters “What Happens to Us When We Die” and “God Does Not Torment Souls” in the book Good News—to Make You Happy. Hard bound, 192 pages, only 50 cents (U.S.).

Please send, postpaid, the book Good News—to Make You Happy; I enclose 50c (U.S.)