January 8

Page Two

The nuclear freeze movement has involved a greater number of people from a wider variety of backgrounds in more countries than has any other issue of this century. Why has it grasped the attention of so many? What does it hope to accomplish? The following series of articles will provide important information on these questions

The Nuclear Freeze​—Can It Bring Peace and Security? 3

​—Who Support It? 5

Global Fear​—An Evidence of What? 8

True Peace and Security​—By Nuclear Freeze or by God’s Kingdom? 11

Disarmament or Delusion? 13

The Nuclear Freeze​—Can It Bring Peace and Security?

Like an ocean wave swelling and gaining momentum, the nuclear weapons freeze movement has grown in size and intensity, attracting millions. Sweeping Europe, Japan and the United States, its efforts have already swayed politics and have even altered national postures toward war. This movement is unusual in several ways.

Serious Bible students may wonder if it will have any part in fulfilling the prophetic Biblical words of “Peace and security!” Or, will it ebb away like a passing fad?​—1 Thessalonians 5:3.

What Is It?

The nuclear freeze movement wants to put a halt, or freeze, on the production, testing and deployment of all nuclear weapons. It is calling for all nuclear weapons arsenals to be frozen at their present levels. It is not just a protest movement. One prominent spokesman for the movement said that their first objective “is to freeze the weapons so they won’t burn the people.”

The ripples from the nuclear freeze movement were first noticed in Western Europe in 1979. A few concerned citizens in Holland put pressure on the Dutch government to prohibit nuclear missiles on their land. Then support came from Norway and Denmark not even to entertain the idea of having nuclear missiles in their countries. In the spring of 1980 wavelets appeared as Britain was reawakened to the nuclear missile issue, and by autumn 80,000 demonstrators were drawn to Trafalgar Square.

The movement became known as END (European Nuclear Disarmament) and has grown into a wave with strong END committees in France, West Germany, Greece, Finland and Portugal, along with active supporting movements in most other European countries. END calls for a nuclear free zone, free of all nuclear weapons from Poland to Portugal. This wave reached into Eastern Europe with clandestine group discussions. By the end of 1981 the swell of support at nuclear freeze demonstrations in Western Europe totaled up like this:

● West Germany​—100,000 at Hamburg, June 1981.

● Sicily​—30,000 at Comiso, October 1981.

● France​—40,000 at Paris, October 1981.

● England​—175,000 at London, October 1981.

● Italy​—200,000 at Rome, October 1981.

● West Germany​—300,000 at Bonn, October 1981.

● Netherlands​—400,000 at Amsterdam, November 1981.

● Spain​—400,000 at Madrid, November 1981.

In the United States the seeds of the nuclear freeze proposal were planted in 1979 and emerged with citizen groups sensitizing Americans to the danger and horror of nuclear war by 1980. The support grew and radiated to other countries along with its demonstrations, such as:

● U.S.A.​—100,000 at 150 university campuses, November 1981.

● East Germany​—6,000 at Dresden, February 1982.

● Japan​—200,000 at three Tokyo rallies, May 1982.

● U.S.A.​—700,000 at New York City, June 1982.

On June 12, while the United Nations Second Special Session on Disarmament was in progress in New York, 700,000 nuclear freeze proponents paraded before UN headquarters, culminating a week of demonstrations. During that same week in Europe almost one million people demonstrated in Amsterdam, Antwerp, Berlin, Bonn, Copenhagen, Dublin, London, Madrid and Paris.

Who Backs It?

The nuclear freeze movement’s rapid growth and mobilization of supporters across a wide section of the globe mark the movement as unusual. But who are its supporters?

A broad range of citizens, not just the youth, has billowed up as the force behind the nuclear freeze movement. Supporters come from all walks of life: housewives, factory workers, lawyers, educators, business people, entertainers, medical professionals, clergymen, scientists and even military men of all rank.

The main backing for this diverse wave of humanity comes from three segments of society​—normally considered conservative, stable—​the scientific, the medical and especially the religious communities. U.S. News & World Report says: “The key force behind the American antiwar crusade consists of leaders of most of the nation’s churches.” The same is said about Europe.

The Eastern bloc of nations actively support the nuclear freeze movement not only in their own country but also in others. Such open participation is uncommon. Some of the European demonstrations were sponsored by communist groups, and one sponsor of the June 12, 1982, New York City rally was the Communist Party, U.S.A.

The nuclear freeze movement’s involvement of such a wide variety of people from numerous divergent backgrounds, occupations and political views is another thing that stamps this campaign as unusual. Why have millions joined so quickly?

Why So Popular?

People are scared, actually terrified. They have “nuclearphobia”​—fear of nuclear war. Suddenly, the reality and the possible totality of nuclear destruction has hit them like a two-fisted punch.

Recent events have heightened their fears. The international ground rules that have kept things stable among nuclear powers for the last 25 years are now being challenged. Previously a “balance of terror” has kept the threat of nuclear war in check. Each nation knew that an attack on one would result in a retaliatory strike at the other, resulting in the complete destruction of both nations​—if not all nations.

This viewpoint has changed. Here is what alarms people:

● Starting in the summer of 1980, the approval by world leaders of long-range plans to fight a limited nuclear war began surfacing. Open talk about fighting, surviving and even winning a limited or protracted nuclear war is heard from the mouths of superpower representatives.

● Advancements in technology enable nuclear missiles to become almost pinpointed in their accuracy. This accuracy gives missiles the capability of destroying almost all enemy land-based missiles before they can be fired in retaliation, and it therefore adds credibility to the talk of fighting and winning a limited nuclear war.

● Ratification of 1979 SALT II (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty) limiting nuclear weapons failed.

● Military budgets are showing marked increases, while many countries suffer from deep economic recession.

● Scientists, physicians and clerics are zealously increasing public awareness of the devastation a nuclear attack would bring to humans, the environment and future generations.

Once the nuclear freeze movement raises the consciousness of people to the deadly effects of nuclear war, then what is its goal?

What Does It Hope to Do?

The nuclear freeze movement hopes not only to sway the majority of people in their favor but also actually to change current political policies toward nuclear arms. The New York Times offers this comment about the movement’s goal: “They believe that the key question is whether they can convert the rapidly growing public concern about the nuclear arms race into votes in Congress.”

Have they succeeded? Political pressure from nuclear freeze supporters influenced European governments to rethink their nuclear weapons policy. The then Chancellor Helmut Schmidt of West Germany warned against ignoring the movement by saying its supporters “are sending clear signals to political leaders.”

In the United States elected representatives feel the pressure. For example, last August a resolution calling for an immediate freeze in the American and Soviet nuclear arsenals, presented to the House of Representatives, lost in a close vote of 204 to 202. Nonetheless, it painted a vivid picture of the strength this issue has gained in a short period of time.

Russia, too, realizes the power behind this movement. For the first time in memory, Russia allowed outsiders to march for peace. A group of 300 demonstrators from Scandinavia led a half-mile-long antinuclear march, called Peace March ’82, through the heart of Moscow last July under the banner of “No to nuclear weapons in the whole world.”

Will this movement force governmental leaders to take action toward securing some kind of world peace? Or will the cry be heard only from the mouth of the masses? Will government exert its power to stifle that cry by silencing one of the main instigators of the nuclear freeze​—the clergy? Last August U.S. President Ronald Reagan addressed an international group of high-ranking members of the Catholic hierarchy at the centennial convention of the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus and touched on this very matter. He appealed to Roman Catholics to reject the nuclear freeze.

In connection with such efforts to establish world peace, the apostle Paul wrote at 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 3: “Whenever it is that they are saying: ‘Peace and security!’ then sudden destruction is to be instantly upon them.” When Jehovah God himself executes judgment on corrupt governments, his action will be swift and decisive. But will the nuclear freeze movement be a stepping-stone toward the nations’ crying “Peace and security!”? We shall see.

However, this fact is self-evident: Fear is the dominant emotion in the nuclear freeze movement. Why is there such global fear today?

[Box on page 5]

The Nuclear Freeze​—Who Support It?

Scientific Community

● Pugwash Council, August 1981, in Canada, attended by scientists from 40 countries, concluded:

“An immediate freeze of the current nuclear arsenals of the United States and the Soviet Union is recommended.”​—The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Medical Community

● During May 1982 International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, with members in 19 countries, met for its second annual convention in England. Its representative stated:

“No matter what our country or our politics, we were in total agreement that a nuclear war will be the final epidemic . . . Doctors have wanted to do something about the insanity of building up huge nuclear armaments, but there has been no effective force comparable to the scope of the problem. Now such a force is emerging. If it gains the active participation of most doctors of the world, it could become unstoppable.”​—Medical World News.

Religious Community

● Roman Catholic Involvement:

Papal message on nuclear disarmament, United Nations, June 1982, states: “The teaching of the Catholic Church is clear and consistent in this area. It has deplored the arms race; it has called for the mutual, progressive and verifiable reduction of armaments.”​—United Nations General Assembly Verbatim Record.

At the “Interfaith Witness to Stop the Nuclear Arms Race” held in the city of Philadelphia, U.S.A., June 1982, Cardinal Krol “called on world governments ‘to dismantle existing nuclear weapons.’”​—The New York Times.

● Protestant Involvement:

The West German Protestant church group Arbeitsgemeinschaft Dienst für Frieden, AGDF (Action Group in the Service for Peace), was instrumental in organizing the 1981 Bonn, Germany, rally against nuclear weapons.​—The Christian Century.

The British Council of Churches has given unanimous approval to a motion supporting the World Disarmament Campaign since 1980.​—World Disarmament Campaign letter.

The national Council of Churches, American Baptist Churches, United Church of Christ and Reformed Church in America were supporters of the June 1982 nuclear freeze rally held in New York City.​—June 12 Rally Committee brochure.

● Orthodox Church Involvement:

The Romanian Orthodox Church hosted religious representatives of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths from 16 countries: “Appeal for Disarmament and Peace” convention in Bucharest during 1981. Its purpose: “We will urge them [church members] to participate more actively in the service of peace and in the hope of a peaceful future for mankind. . . . with the purpose of preventing and eliminating once and for ever the danger of a nuclear war.”​—Romanian Orthodox Church News, Quarterly Bulletin.

During May 1982 the Russian Orthodox Church sponsored the “World Conference of Religious Workers for Saving the Sacred Gift of Life From Nuclear Catastrophe” and invited 600 distinguished clergymen from around the world.​—Time magazine.

● Buddhist Involvement:

In Japan “both Buddhists and Christians are organizing many other sorts of movements [against nuclear weapons].”​—Asahi Evening News.

[Box/​Graph on page 6]

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20 10 0 6 12

kilometers miles

1 2 3 4

What would happen if a one-megaton nuclear bomb exploded at 6,000 feet? Zone 1​—Total destruction; no survivors. Zone 2​—All structures flattened; 50% of population killed. Zone 3​—Fire storm; 25% of population killed. Zone 4​—Buildings damaged; 10% of population killed

[Box/​Picture on page 6]

The world spends a million U.S. dollars a minute on the arms race. If this money were spent on housing, more than 18,230 new houses a day could be built. (Based on U.S. average of $79,000 apiece)

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Will the nuclear freeze sway politicians?

Global Fear​—An Evidence of What?

FEAR is included as part of “the sign” of what the Bible calls the “time of the end,” the “conclusion of the system of things” or the “last days.” (Daniel 12:4; Matthew 24:3; 2 Timothy 3:1) Jesus said that men would “become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth.” Giving us reason for hope, however, he said that this global fear would be an evidence that “deliverance” was “getting near.”​—Luke 21:7, 25-28.

Is the fear that would signify imminent deliverance really in evidence today? Many people think so. Do you?

Consider the Facts

“As never before, the world is full of fear,” says the German newspaper Die Welt. It calls our century “the century of fear.” In view of this century’s outstanding advances in science, technology, medicine and psychotherapy, however, this increase is paradoxical. It should have been possible to curtail fear; instead the opposite has happened.

Fear has been likened to “a ghost on the roam,” to a disease “spreading like an epidemic.” Thus the German magazine Hörzu states: “Never before has mankind been as fearful as at present.” Pointing to some of the causes, it adds: “Brutality and terror, egotism and indifference, social injustice, war, foreign influences, drug abuse, envy, atomic energy, juvenile delinquency, professional failures​—today’s fear has a thousand names.”

More and more people are agreeing that this is no exaggeration. What about you? Are these some of the things of which you, too, are fearful?

International in Scope

Fear is not limited to the inhabitants of any one country. Notice how Time magazine describes the situation in the United States:

“The air is full of a fear too large to grasp.” Why? It is due to the fear of atomic war.

Youth are not exempt from this fear of a thermonuclear disaster either. According to a recent study by the American Psychiatric Association, nuclear war is having a psychological impact on children. And The New York Times quotes Dr. R. J. Lifton, professor of psychiatry at Yale University Medical School, as making this observation about children growing up under the threat of nuclear war:

“They have another mind-set that includes the possibility of everything, themselves and their parents and everyone they have known or touched, being suddenly annihilated.”

Or, as one 12-year-old girl said: “I got very frightened that the world could blow up.”

Fear of nuclear war has even reached into countries that are not prime targets for nuclear missiles. Why? Because of worldwide fallout. Deadly radioactive particles entering the stratosphere after a nuclear war could fall anywhere on earth, contaminating everything they touch.

Other fears have compounded the problem. Fear of terrorist attack. Fear of environmental calamity. Fear of crime.

Wherever you live, we ask: Have you read similar statements in the newspapers and magazines of your country? Do you notice words like “fear,” “anxiety,” “dread” or “uncertainty” cropping up with alarming regularity in conversations and discussions, both private and public? If so, have you ever wondered what this means?

Is Fear Something New?

Quite correctly many persons point out that fear is as old as man himself. An editorial in the Süddeutsche Zeitung admits this, saying: “Fear of death, of pain and sickness, of material and immaterial losses have always been part of man’s makeup.” Showing, however, that fear has taken on a new dimension in our generation, it adds: “New, on the other hand, is the kind of potential danger man has now created, as well as its scope; also new, without doubt, would be the seriousness of the consequences should conceivable catastrophes actually occur.”

To serve as part of a credible sign marking the “conclusion of the system of things,” as prophesied by Jesus, there would have to be (1) a noticeable increase in the number of things causing fear and (2) an increase in the intensity of fear due to possible consequences. (Matthew 24:3; Luke 21:10, 11, 26) This is exactly the point being made by the quotations already referred to. In addition, nuclear fear is unique. Never before has man been capable of releasing the powerful forces within the atom​—not until this 20th century. For the first time, people fear the complete extinction of the human race, in fact, the eradication of all life on earth.

But remember, when you see today’s evidences of increased fear you are really seeing much more. You are seeing that “deliverance is getting near,” in accordance with the promise Jesus made.​—Luke 21:28.

Will any such “deliverance” come by means of the nuclear freeze movement? Many people think so. But what is a nuclear freeze rally like? And does it offer hope for “deliverance”?

A Freeze Rally​—What It’s Like

One, Two, Three, Four

We don’t want a nuclear war

Five, Six, Seven, Eight

We don’t want to radiate

Sounds of chanting, rock music, slogan shouting and hymn singing compete for your ears’ attention against a background din of thousands of voices. Your eyes meet a kaleidoscope of images: banners with brightly colored slogans​—many clichés, a few original in their humor or horror; demonstrators in bizarre garb with frightening masks; papier-mâché effigies; men dressed in business suits; ministers with clerical collars, Christendom’s monks robed in brown, Buddhist monks saffron-robed, the youth, the elderly, mothers cradling infants, and a dog with a one-word sign hanging from its neck​—Peace.

Seven hundred thousand on the streets of New York City, all with one purpose​—to prevent a nuclear war from ever happening.

That was the largest disarmament rally the United States has ever seen. The rally’s organizers picked June 12 to coincide with the United Nations Second Special Session on Disarmament, thereby providing a dramatic opportunity to force the nuclear freeze issue on the UN.

A carnival-like atmosphere dominated the day. Yet the pall of nuclear devastation kept reappearing in the sights and sounds of the crowd. It was a peaceful demonstration. And although the vast majority were Americans, a number of other countries were represented. One sight that added an international flavor to the rally was a Japanese delegation of young and old putting multicolored paper peace-dove leis around the necks of all they met, while handing out colored cards with personal messages of peace written in Japanese characters.

“Why are you ladies here?” One woman in her 60’s replies: “We want to make the world safe for our grandchildren.” Another answers: “We want to leave a world for our grandchildren.”

A nuclear scientist from the Argonne National Laboratory operated for the U.S. Department of Energy near Chicago tells why he came to the rally. “For the same reason as everybody else, because of the arms race. I feel that there is a very real threat of an accidental nuclear war and I would be killed. I don’t like to see human beings being killed whether they are Russians or Americans.”

Here is the head of nuclear medicine for a major New York City hospital. Why is he demonstrating? He answers in one word: “Scared!” He wants nuclear energy to be used peacefully in medicine, not war.

The pastor for a Kentucky college is marching because he thinks nuclear freeze demonstrations “will force the government leaders to bring about peace.”

The common citizen is​—surprisingly—​marching alongside organized groups of professional people and trade union members. Conspicuous everywhere are the clergy. Religious groups pepper the long throng of demonstrators. At first glance, a united body. But a closer inspection reveals fragmented support underneath. Comparing banner slogans and listening to their ideologies, one notes a difference of opinion as to what final shape the nuclear freeze should take. Also, a sizable number of demonstrators promote their personal peeves or pet political causes via the nuclear freeze issue.

Huge and white, the motorized cleaning machines wait for the demonstrators to end their march. As the ralliers leave, close on their heels come batteries of these mechanical mammoths devouring the littering literature and sweeping the streets clean. Whether the nuclear freeze movement will fizzle out and be swept away from politicians’ minds and whether such demonstrations will have any effect, such as increasing pressure on governments to make proclamations of peace, remains to be seen.

However, if we cannot look with confidence to human movements like the nuclear freeze, where can we turn for hope of lasting peace and security?

[Blurb on page 9]

“The air is full of a fear too large to grasp”

[Picture on page 8]

Fear covers the world

True Peace and Security​—By Nuclear Freeze or by God’s Kingdom?

FREEZING nuclear arsenals at their present levels is like halting the temperature of a feverish patient at 104 degrees (40 degrees Celsius). It is not enough! Weapons and fevers are only symptomatic of a deeper ailment. Eliminating the source of the problem results in the cure. For example, today the world’s nuclear stockpile contains the explosive power equal to more than three tons of TNT for each man, woman and child on earth​—13,000,000,000 tons! Do you feel secure living with this threat?

Since a freeze of nuclear arms is not sufficient, what about removal of all nuclear weapons? Global disarmament is not a new idea. The famous physicist Albert Einstein advocated this. And since 1945 the sound of a host of other dignitaries pleading for global nuclear disarmament has been heard. Yet in the last 10 years the combined nuclear warheads of the U.S. and the Soviet Union have more than doubled in number. Do you really believe we are any closer to nuclear disarmament now than we were 37 years ago?

Ridding the earth of nuclear arms will not stop wars. Since the last use of the atomic bomb three decades ago, over 130 wars have been fought. So, would you experience genuine peace and security if all war weapons vanished?

Eliminating all war instruments is a giant step toward peace and security but does not go far enough. People’s hearts must be reached, educated and changed. No human movement can do this. But God can. The Almighty God Jehovah can read and heal hearts. (Jeremiah 17:10; Psalm 51:10) But he will do more than that. God’s Kingdom, the long-prayed-for heavenly government, will bring about peace and security on the earth. (Matthew 6:10) Do you feel that this solution is realistic?

The antinuclear-war book The Fate of the Earth sees a worldwide government as the only sure means of preventing a nuclear holocaust, and further proposes: “In sum, the task is nothing less than to reinvent politics: to reinvent the world.” And that is just what Jehovah purposes to do. Do you honestly believe nations will voluntarily give up their sovereignty?

For those against righteous rule, God will use his Kingdom power in a controlled manner, destroying all nations opposed to his peace movement. (Daniel 2:44) In addition, the educational system of God’s Kingdom will instruct every sincere peace lover in true ways of disarmament so that ‘swords become plowshares.’​—Isaiah 2:4; Psalm 46:8, 9.

Therefore, do not be fooled into thinking that human movements can bring salvation, for the Bible warns: “Whenever it is that they are saying: ‘Peace and security!’ then sudden destruction is to be instantly upon them just as the pang of distress upon a pregnant woman; and they will by no means escape.” (1 Thessalonians 5:3) But for those of honest heart there is a sure hope. They are confident​—and you too can be confident—​that soon God will usher in true peace and security, which will be everlasting.​—Psalm 72:7, 8; Isaiah 9:6, 7.

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World arsenals of nuclear warheads predicted to increase during this decade

75,000 WARHEADS IN 1990

50,000 WARHEADS IN 1972

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WE SHALL BEAT OUR SWORDS [MISSILES] INTO PLOWSHARES

Disarmament or Delusion?

“Removing the threat of a world war​—a nuclear war—​is the most acute and urgent task of the present day. Mankind is confronted with a choice: we must halt the arms race and proceed to disarmament or face annihilation.”​—Final Document of the United Nations First Special Session on Disarmament, 1978.

Has progress been made in ‘removing the threat of a nuclear war’? To answer that question and to take a step toward global disarmament The Second Special Session on Disarmament met June 7 to July 9, 1982. Note the remarks made by heads of state and world leaders at that Special Second Session:

● Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Zenko Suzuki: “During these four years the arms race has exacerbated the threat to peace, heightening the anxieties of peoples and imposing heavier burdens on each nation at the expense of its economic and social development.”

● Papal message delivered by Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, Secretary of State of the Holy See: “There seems to be very little improvement. Some in fact think that there has been a deterioration, at least in the sense that hopes born of that period could now be described as mere illusions.”

● Prime Minister of the Republic of Finland, Mr. Kalevi Sorsa: “Statesmen of dedication and sincerity, many of them in this hall, have done their utmost to arrest this development. Yet the arms race goes on. It is as if the arms race had escaped rational human control.”

● Prime Minister of the Republic of Uganda, Mr. M. Otema Allimadi: “The picture is indeed grim. . . . Over the last four years, the hopes that were once raised . . . have been eroded almost to the point of despair.”

● President of the United States, Mr. Ronald Reagan: “The United Nations is dedicated to world peace and its Charter clearly prohibits the international use of force. Yet the tide of belligerence continues to rise. The Charter’s influence has weakened even in the four years since the first special session on disarmament.”

● Prime Minister of Canada, Mr. Pierre Elliot Trudeau: “I believe that we must accept the fact that total security has become for all countries an unattainable objective in today’s world.”

● Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Mrs. Margaret Thatcher: “We must look for a better system of preventing war than nuclear deterrence. But to suggest that between East and West there is such a system within reach at the present time would be a perilous pretence.”

Was the Second Special Session any more successful than the First? Mr. Kittani, President of the UN General Assembly, answers: “Despite all our preparations and efforts, this session has not been a success. Our hopes and aspirations, together with those of countless millions, remain far from fulfillment.”

Are Our Lives Predestined?

THE scene is a thatched hut in the peaceful mountains of Lesotho, southern Africa. As the sun sets, something happens to disturb the evening calm. The householder and his wife have consumed too much beer. An argument develops, leading to a fight. He strikes her on the head with a heavy instrument. She falls unconscious and is taken for dead. Later that evening relatives arrive to commence the customary wake for the dead. At about 4:00 a.m. they are surprised to see the woman gain consciousness.

“I traveled through beautiful green pastures to the land of our ancestors,” she tells them. “There I met an old man who told me that my time had not yet come. He said that I must return home and wait until they fetch me.”

What this woman related was just a dream. It illustrates a common belief about death​—“everyone has a fixed time.” In addition, many believe that each one’s final destiny is fixed, whether that be heaven or damnation.

Where did this belief originate? Does it have a good effect on people? Should you believe it too?

The Origin and Development of Predestination

In ancient times people believed that their lives could be guided by the stars. This practice, according to the Encyclopædia Britannica, was “first categorized and cataloged in ancient Mesopotamia.” In time “Babylonian diviners began​—for the purpose of predicting the course of an individual’s life—​to utilize some planetary omens.” (Italics ours) Thus the basis for a later belief was laid.

From Babylon such thinking spread and developed in other parts of the earth. It had penetrated Jewish religious thought before the advent of Christianity. The first-century historian Josephus tells us that the Pharisees and Sadducees differed over it. “The Pharisees,” he wrote, “ . . . ascribe everything to Fate or to God.” According to the Muslim Koran: “No soul can ever die except by Allah’s leave and at a term appointed.”​—Surah 3:145, Mohammed Pickthall’s translation.

The doctrine of predestination (or, foreordination) was introduced to Christendom by the Roman Catholic “saint” Augustine in the fifth century. It is sometimes called the doctrine of Augustine. The Catholic Church still holds to it, yet not to the extent that Augustine taught. The New Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 11, page 713, states: “All things are foreknown and foreordained by God.”​—See also page 714 under the heading “Predestination in Catholic Theology.”

The 16th-century Protestant reformer John Calvin was more explicit, like Augustine. “Predestination,” Calvin defined as “the eternal decree of God, by which he has determined in himself what he would have to become of every individual of mankind. For they are not all created with a similar destiny; but eternal life is foreordained for some, and eternal damnation for others.” According to him, God fixed every individual’s destiny, including yours, “before the first man was created.”

Its Widespread Effect on People

Calvin’s influence became very widespread. Explaining this, the book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism says: “Calvinism was the faith over which the great political and cultural struggles of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were fought in the most highly developed countries, the Netherlands, England, and France. . . . the doctrine of predestination was considered its most characteristic dogma. . . . It served as a rallying-point to countless heroes of the Church militant, and in both the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries it . . . formed the battlecry of great new awakenings.”​—Italics ours.

This doctrine, “most characteristic” of Calvinism, affected people in different ways. Commenting on this, the Encyclopædia Britannica says: “It minimized man’s freedom, and so produced either an over-confidence in those who believed themselves elect, or despair in those who could not reach the assurance.” Sometimes such “over-confidence” spread through whole communities, who imagined themselves to be a “chosen race.” It was used to justify the suppression of other races considered primitive.

Predestination promotes a fatalistic view toward life, something very common among South Africans, both black and white. This is understandable in view of the strong Calvinistic influence there, especially from the Dutch Reformed and Presbyterian Churches. In the event of death, Xhosas in that country sometimes say: “A man is entitled to slaughter what belongs to him.” This implies that God causes deaths, just as a man has the right to slaughter his own sheep.

Belief in predestination can cause a person to lose faith in God. When disaster or serious illness strikes, such a one may blame God, turning against him. This belief can also lead to foolhardiness. Some believe that no matter what risks they take, their life will only end at ‘God’s fixed time.’ For example, this has led to reckless driving, with resultant loss of life, in some north African countries.

What Does the Bible Teach?

It teaches that God created man in his ‘image and likeness.’ (Genesis 1:26) Such “likeness” refers to qualities, not physical appearance. For instance, just as the Creator is free to do as he chooses, he has created man with a free will. Out of regard for this, the Creator does not fix or foreordain the path each individual will take. Does this conflict with God’s ability to see into the future? No! To illustrate: A radio enables one to hear world news in the home, but it must first be switched on and the right station selected at the correct time. Likewise with the Creator’s power of foreknowledge; he makes discretionary and selective use of it, showing regard for the free will he gave to man.

The Bible teaches that coincidences and disasters are often a matter of “time and unforeseen occurrence.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11, 12) For example, consider a busy traffic intersection. An “unforeseen occurrence,” such as failing brakes, at the wrong “time” could cause a fatal accident. The Bible does not teach that God is responsible for or foreordains such things. Realizing their personal responsibility, Christians will endeavor to drive with “soundness of mind,” seeing to it that their vehicles are kept in a roadworthy condition.​—2 Timothy 1:7.

As to mankind’s final destiny, the Bible teaches that there are three possibilities. First, from among those who have accepted God’s provision for salvation, he has “called” a certain class. These ones have been destined to life in heaven and the number is fixed​—144,000. Under God’s appointed King, Jesus Christ, they will form a heavenly government for the blessing of mankind. (Romans 8:29, 30; Revelation 14:1-3; 20:1-4) Although this class and its number have been “foreordained,” this is not so respecting the individuals making it up. It is possible that an individual might fail in living up to the heavenly calling, requiring a replacement. Hence the warning: “Keep on holding fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”​—Revelation 3:11; see also Matthew 24:13; Philippians 3:12, 13; 2 Peter 1:10; Jude 3-5.

The other two possibilities are for people to live forever on this earth or finally to lose life altogether. In both cases neither the number nor the individuals have been fixed. The choice depends on man. As the Creator says: “Here I am putting before you people the way of life and the way of death.” If a person is on the “way of death,” it is not too late to change. God’s own invitation is: “Turn back, turn back from your bad ways, for why is it that you should die?” Also, if a person has chosen “the way of life,” he must be careful to stay on it. Jehovah’s Witnesses take to heart God’s warning: “When I say to the righteous one: ‘You will positively keep living,’ and he himself actually trusts in his own righteousness and does injustice, all his own righteous acts will not be remembered, but for his injustice that he has done​—for this he will die.”​—Jeremiah 21:8; Ezekiel 33:11, 13.

A wonderful future awaits those who choose and stay on “the way of life.” Either by a resurrection from the dead or by surviving into God’s New Order, they have the prospect of eternal life. (Psalm 37:10, 11, 29; John 11:25) “The gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:23) What is involved in accepting that priceless “gift”? The distributors of this magazine would be happy to discuss these matters with you in your home, without cost or obligation on your part.

[Picture on page 15]

The Creator has given man a free will and so does not fix or foreordain the path each individual will take

THE WAY OF DEATH

THE WAY OF LIFE

Football Fervor​—Is It Worth It?

By “Awake!” correspondent in Spain

IT WAS just a few minutes before eight o’clock on Sunday evening, June 13, 1982. It is estimated that 1,500 million people had centered their attention on King Juan Carlos who was giving a brief discourse. What was he talking about that would capture the attention of so many people? Would it be imminent world disarmament? Or the solution to the world’s economic crisis? No, it was something much more ephemeral​—a third of the world’s population was watching the opening ceremony of the 1982 World Soccer Cup.

Although the final result is known to millions, a few questions about the 1982 World Cup competition are apropos. For example, How does the World Cup competition function? Does it serve as a model for football to become better and more attractive in the future? For children and youth, does it inculcate the principles of good sportsmanship? Or is that asking too much?

In actual fact the current competition started two years earlier when 107 different national teams were grouped geographically for their play-offs to decide the final 24 qualifying nations. The question then was, which of the 107 would compete in Spain?

By the spring of 1982 this big question was answered. The victors were: Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Czechoslovakia, El Salvador, England, France, Germany, Honduras, Hungary, Northern Ireland, Italy, Kuwait, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Russia, Scotland, Yugoslavia. Argentina and Spain had automatically qualified​—Argentina for being the previous cup winner and Spain for being the host nation.

Giant-Killers?

Under new rules the qualifying nations rose from 16 to 24. This meant that some nations were represented with relatively little experience in championships of this kind​—especially Kuwait, Cameroon, Honduras, Algeria and New Zealand. The experts immediately wrote these off as of little consequence against the Goliaths of the established soccer-playing nations. Were they right in their forecast?

The first round of games soon brought upsets. The opening match between the reigning champions, Argentina, and the challengers from Belgium produced a surprise result​—Belgium won. That seemed to set the tone for the whole championship​—a string of surprises. Outstanding teams, such as those of West Germany, Spain, Czechoslovakia and Peru, were unable to beat the underdogs. Before the match against Algeria the German manager was heard to say: “If we don’t beat Algeria I’ll take the next train home.” His comment proved to be imprudent. West Germany lost by two goals to one! However, like Argentina, West Germany passed to the second round on a points-accrued basis. Needless to say, the German manager delayed his journey back to West Germany.

However, by the second round 12 teams had qualified​—10 from Europe and 2 from South America. Which would be the finalists? Many hoped for and expected a final between the giants of South America, Brazil and Argentina. Did it turn out that way?

More surprises! Both Brazil and Argentina were eliminated. The semifinals became an all-European affair with France and West Germany joined in combat and Italy facing up to Poland. West Germany, after being 3-1 down in extra time, forced a draw and then won on penalty kicks. Italy beat Poland 2-0. That meant the final for the World Cup would be Italy versus West Germany. Although this resulted in an all-European final, even many Europeans were sorry to see the Brazilians eliminated with their attractive style of football. The joie de vivre seemed to have evaporated from the competition.

Nevertheless the football fervor increased. Over 90,000 packed out Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium for the final. Did West Germany win the Cup as many had expected? Yet another surprise​—“Italy shattered the great German machine” was the headline in the Madrid daily ABC. “Italy win brawling finale” was The Guardian’s comment. Italy became world soccer champions for the third time in their history. For them the 1982 World Cup had been a winner. But perhaps for soccer in general the World Cup competition presented a more than slightly tarnished image. Why do we say that?

Brawling and Shamming​—Necessary?

David Lacey, The Guardian sports correspondent, wrote that in spite of Italy’s 3-1 victory over West Germany “it was clear that the good name of football had become an irrelevance compared to the all-important matter of winning.” He then raised the question: “Was it really necessary to subject everybody to a month of what was often mediocre football in order to produce a brawling finale which did little to alleviate the gloomy prospects for the future of the game as a spectator sport?” He continued: “One lost count of the number of times those who had been tackled lay on the ground apparently at death’s door and in the next instant were seen chasing for the ball.” This shamming is laid on to deceive the referee and obtain a more severe penalty against the opposing side. As such, it is playacting and hypocrisy. It may be “professional” but it is neither ethical nor noble.

Why is there this tendency toward violence and shamming, even at the highest levels of this professional sport? Precisely because it is a highly paid professional sport, and winning means so much. The dangers of this trend go far beyond the field of action. Children and youngsters tend to imitate the professionals, and thus violence and hypocrisy creep into school sports. This fact was acknowledged by a well-known Australian cricket player, Dennis Lillee, who was temporarily suspended from international matches for kicking the Pakistan captain. He later apologized, saying that the incident “set a bad example for children and for this in particular I am truly sorry.” Would that more sportsmen were conscious of the effect of their example on children!

Without a doubt professional sportsmen and sportswomen strive very hard to reach the pinnacle of their sporting achievement. But the bottom line is that sports should be just a recreation, a pastime. It is not the most important factor in life nor is it mankind’s most vital occupation or need. Thus the Bible’s expression is very appropriate: “I myself have seen all the hard work and all the proficiency in work [which also applies to sports converted into work], that it means the rivalry of one toward another; this also is vanity and a striving after the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 4:4) The modern-day violence, shamming and also spectator hooliganism are the fruits of the “rivalry” and competitive spirit.

Therefore it is appropriate to ask, Is professional football an uplifting influence today? Does it draw people together, or does it tend to heighten old rivalries? Does it make for more genuine peace between the nations?

A Force for Peace and Unity?

One touching moment at the inaugural ceremony held on Barcelona’s Nou Camp football field was when a young boy, dressed in soccer gear, advanced across the field to place the ball on the center spot. Everyone’s gaze was upon him as he deposited the ball on the turf. To everyone’s surprise the ball opened and out flew a dove, the symbol of peace!

Such idealism was soon shattered on the field of play. As the Madrid Gaceta Ilustrada commented on one match: “The most agitated game: Italy-Argentina. At the thirty-eighth minute of the first half thirty-eight fouls had been committed. One a minute.” If you participate in sports, do you want to imitate that kind of example? As a spectator, do you enjoy watching that kind of negative play?

The next World Cup competition is scheduled for 1986. Its month of football fervor is expected to bring tremendous free publicity to the host nation, as well as economic benefits to some. But what about football itself? What direction is it taking? Will there be a return to clean, open football, attractive to the public? Or will the ever larger stadiums become even emptier? Will football fervor diminish or flourish? Time will tell.

[Picture on page 19]

The dove was inside the ball. Did it bring peace?

Crossword Puzzle

Clues Across

1. Azariah’s Babylonian name (Daniel 1:6, 7)

6. What Jehovah caused to happen to the Ashdodites when the Ark was in their land (1 Samuel 5:6, 7)

9. A string of this color was to be put above the fringed edges of every Israelite’s garment (Numbers 15:38-40)

10. Titus departed for this area (2 Timothy 4:10)

11. He forsook Paul in Rome (2 Timothy 4:10)

12. Jehovah is the source of this (Psalm 36:9)

13. A letter (Acts 15:30, Authorized Version)

15. “No man may ‐‐‐ me and yet live” (Exodus 33:20)

16. The reaction of the man whom Jesus told to sell his possessions (Mark 10:17-22)

18. He drove with madness (2 Kings 9:20)

19. Joshua was one, as was Caleb (Numbers 14:6, 7)

21. Jesus desired a congregation without one (Ephesians 5:25-27)

23. This type of answer turns away rage (Proverbs 15:1)

25. The lamp of the body (Matthew 6:22, 23)

27. Name given to Esau when he sold his birthright (Genesis 25:29-34)

28. Fourteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet (Psalm 119:105, superscription)

29. Jesus compared himself to this bird (Luke 13:34)

30. Whoever does this to Jesus before men, will likewise be rejected before God (Matthew 10:33)

32. Idols have them but cannot hear (Psalm 115:4-8)

34. King Elah of Israel was killed in this man’s house (1 Kings 16:8-10)

35. Marriage bond (Deuteronomy 7:3, 4)

36. The first man of faith (Hebrews 11:4)

37. One of seven princes of Persia under King Ahasuerus (Esther 1:12-15)

38. Persian governor who questioned the validity of the temple rebuilding (Ezra 5:2-6)

Clues Down

2. This can be an unforgivable sin (Matthew 12:31)

3. Syrian city where Paul (Saul) was baptized (Acts 9:3-19)

4. To praise highly (Psalm 107:32)

5. A son of Joktan, founder of one of the 70 post-Flood families (Genesis 10:21-32)

6. One hundred of these formed the foundation of the tabernacle (Exodus 38:21, 27)

7. Fourth book of the Pentateuch

8. The detention of a person (Acts 4:3)

14. Son of Mehir of the tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 4:1, 11)

17. Insistent call (Luke 23:23, 24)

20. Land of eastern shore of Mediterranean (Acts 21:2)

22. A good-for-nothing son of priest Eli (1 Samuel 1:3; 2:12)

24. Deserted (Jeremiah 32:43)

25. Second son of Joseph (Genesis 41:50-52)

26. Fortified city of the tribe of Naphtali (Joshua 19:32, 35-37)

31. Little island

33. “You are the ‐‐‐ of the earth” (Matthew 5:13)

CROSSWORD SOLUTIONS PAGE 26

Answers Across

1. ABEDNEGO

6. PANIC

9. BLUE

10. DALMATIA

11. DEMAS

12. LIFE

13. EPISTLE

15. SEE

16. SAD

18. JEHU

19. SPY

21. SPOT

23. MILD

25. EYE

27. EDOM

28. NUN

29. HEN

30. DISOWNS

32. EARS

34. ARZAH

35. ALLIANCE

36. ABEL

37. MERES

38. TATTENAI

Answers Down

2. BLASPHEMY

3. DAMASCUS

4. EXTOL

5. OBAL

6. PEDESTAL

7. NUMBERS

8. CUSTODY

14. ESHTON

17. DEMAND

20. PHOENICIA

22. PHINEHAS

24. DESOLATE

25. EPHRAIM

26. ENHAZOR

31. ISLET

33. SALT

“Young People Ask”​—A Series With Bible Answers

THE researchers took 18 years to prove it. Namely: Today’s young people have much more anxiety and unresolved fears than did their counterparts 20 years ago.

Between 1962 and 1980, questionnaires sent to thousands of teenagers in four countries were returned and analyzed. The results? Nearly 30 percent of today’s youth admitted that they had many fears that they could not understand. (Only 20 percent of those polled during the 1960’s felt that way.) In their book The Adolescent​—A Psychological Self-Portrait (1981) these researchers, Offer, Ostrov and Howard, concluded: “Teenagers in the 1960s had less fear of being overwhelmed. . . . [They] reported higher self-confidence than those of the 1970s.”

But no wonder young people today have apprehensions and serious questions! They are barraged with conflicting messages from their peers, parents, teachers and society in general about such concerns as life goals, sex, friendship, values, religion and the like. Many feel as did 13-year-old Judy who admitted: “I can feel it inside me, just disagreeing a lot. I state my opinions and somebody will come up with theirs and change mine completely. I wish I could keep hold of mine for a little bit longer. I’m not very sure of myself.”

Helpful Feature in Awake!

The publishers of Awake! realized the need to provide specific material that would deal in depth with the special problems of today’s youth. Starting in January 1982 every issue except one dealing with youth has had the feature Young People Ask. . . . It has been designed to provide truthful, practical answers.

“The series is evidence of your continued interest in the plight of young people today,” wrote one appreciative reader. This concern reflects the regard true Christianity has for young people. Jesus, despite negative comments from others, appreciated the religious efforts of youths and made time to encourage them. (Matthew 19:13-15; 21:15, 16) The Bible has much specific advice for young people. (See Proverbs chapters 1-7; Ephesians 6:1-3.) Certainly these Bible writers were not trying to take over the responsibilities of the parents, but they saw the need to help children to cope with “the desires incidental to youth.”​—2 Timothy 2:20-22.

“A Depth of Understanding”

“I hope and pray that these articles never end,” wrote a young woman, Daphne. “They show a depth of understanding we need in dealing with our sometimes confusing and disturbing emotions.” Another letter from a young reader agreed: “I share many of the feelings in those articles.”

To achieve this understanding the following Bible caution was heeded: “To answer a question before you have heard it out is both stupid and insulting.” (Proverbs 18:13, The New English Bible) Consequently, numerous interviews have been conducted with young people in various countries to “hear out” their feelings. Also, research studies involving thousands of young people have been considered. Real effort has been made to understand the problems, apprehensions and thinking of today’s youth.

This feature tries to imitate Jehovah God who stated: “I will give [you] advice with my eye upon you.” (Psalm 32:8) By careful observation God offers wise guidance suited to the person’s individual case. He understands the causes. Likewise, upon hearing the report from the house of Chloe, the apostle Paul was able to give specific counsel that addressed the problems peculiar to that first-century Corinthian congregation. (1 Corinthians 1:11) So, too, concerning this new series, a youth in Mexico wrote: “The articles deal with reality. They give not only the cause but also the remedy.” But what remedy is stressed?

Bible Answers

“How will a young man [or woman] cleanse his [or her] path?” asked the psalmist. (Ps 119:9) “By keeping on guard according to your [God’s] word.” So the answers given are not a collection of human ideas or experiences. The feature stresses the eternal truths in the Bible.

Scriptures are marshaled that come to grips with the problems. Object lessons from the Bible are tied in with the perplexities of modern youth. Experiences and comments from young people are used to illustrate the value of such lofty principles and show how some are applying them. “This sound advice is practical and in harmony with the Bible,” wrote one young reader.

Does It Help?

A number of letters and reports highlight the value of the series. An 18-year-old, Cristina, writes: “Though this feature is new, already it has helped me extremely in making personal decisions.”

“The articles on making friends helped me the most,” stated Georgia. “I learned not to be so sensitive and to overlook the little irritating things others might do.” Adding to this a young man wrote: “Sometimes I’m afraid to show my true feelings, but I liked how you pointed to Jesus as a model to follow. The article showed that he even cried in front of others.”

“I used to date regularly just because I thought it was the thing to do,” wrote a young man, Paul. “I thought nothing of marriage. Then I read your Awake! magazine. It changed my values for the better. I have stopped dating until I am ready to marry.” Josephine, a youth in New Jersey, adds: “I could see the logical and clear truth in the article on dating. I am able to understand some of my own feelings more clearly.”

A Valuable Tool for All

It is hoped that parents especially will use this series to increase the dialogue with their teenage children. These articles bring up some delicate subjects that parents may not know just how to discuss with their children. A practical format is provided for a balanced conversation. Many parents already are using each issue as a part of a weekly family Bible discussion. A mother in the U.S. wrote: “As a parent of three teenagers you can well imagine how grateful I am for the articles. I wish I had the words to tell you how much I value the article ‘Love or Infatuation.’ It helped our 18-year-old to make the wise decision to marry ‘only in the Lord.’” However, much effort by parents is still needed. Sixteen-year-old Roxana said of the article “Getting Ahead​—Is That All There Is to Life?”: “The information, along with many talks with my parents, helped me make a wise decision as to my choice of a job.”

The feature’s value is not limited to teenagers or those in their twenties. “The recent article on ‘Love and Infatuation’ opened my eyes although I am 61 years old,” wrote one woman in Australia. Since the articles probe below the surface of a subject, they provide specific insight that can be very helpful. They are intended to help you to understand yourself and others better, as well as to see the wisdom of Bible counsel.

BE SURE TO READ THEM! They will help you to deal with your unique pressures. They have a solid Scriptural basis. So if you are a young person make the effort to read each one. Because of their Bible basis, see for yourself that they will help give “to a young man [or woman] knowledge and thinking ability.”​—Proverbs 1:4.

[Box on page 23]

Some Future Topics

● How Can I Get a Job?

● Do My Clothes Reveal the Real Me?

● How Can I Build My Self-Respect?

● Why Don’t My Parents Understand Me?

● How Do I Cope With Disappointment?

● What Is a Balanced View of Sports?

● How Wise Are Teenage Marriages?

● Can Sexual Morality Be Practiced?

● Is Prayer That Important?

● How Can I Get Along With Others?

● Physical Appearance​—How Important?

● Singleness​—A Curse or a Blessing?

The Beauty of Bovine Design

“DAD, today our schoolteacher said that a cow has four stomachs, which it has developed by a process of evolution. Is this true?” asked Jenny, a pretty teenager. “And if it is, why do we humans have only a simple stomach when we are supposed to be much higher than the cow on the evolution scale?”

“Well, first of all it must be said that, strictly speaking, the cow has only one stomach, but it is divided into four compartments. Those animals that eat mostly grass and hay and chew the cud are called ruminants. Let me draw you a picture on this old envelope . . . The first compartment is the rumen, which has an average capacity of some 50 gallons, and it occupies about 80 percent of the stomach space in the cow. The abomasum, actually the fourth compartment, is the true digestive stomach, similar to our human stomach with its gastric juices, including hydrochloric acid. The grass, mixed well with saliva, goes into the rumen and reticulum where it soaks in water and is subjected to bacterial action. Later on it is regurgitated, or brought back into the mouth, to be chewed more thoroughly.”

“Ah, yes, I’ve often seen cows chewing the cud.”

“Yes, sheep do the same. This well-chewed food is then processed again, and then goes through the other two compartments to take out some water and to be subjected to the action of the gastric juices. Grass and hay are largely made up of cellulose, as is our daily paper. In fact, cows have been fed on shredded newspapers mixed with molasses. Did you know that an average cow produces about 37 times the amount of saliva as we humans do? Three quarters of the whole abdomen is taken up by these four compartments. But what is the result? All this grass and hay keeps the animal alive and helps it to produce, in the lactation period, beautiful, rich milk​—a wonderful food.”

“Well, it doesn’t seem to me that the cow develops this rather complicated digestive system by a process of evolution.”

“No, it is not reasonable. The Creator designed the cow to consume the grass, which is so abundant on our earth, and to turn it into milk, which we make into cheese, ice cream, and so forth.”

“Like a factory.”

“Well, factories are usually smelly, noisy, ugly places and are plagued by strikes. But the cow, product of a Master Designer, is quiet, gentle and remarkably efficient. No labor problems either, since the cow spends its daylight hours and some of the night eating and chewing the cud. All credit to Jehovah for such a wonderful production.”

“I can understand now that a cow is well designed for its purpose and services to us humans, but what about the horse? It also eats grass and hay. Does it too have four stomachs like a cow?”

“No, it doesn’t. We agree that the Creator designed the digestive system of the cow for a particular purpose. But it is hardly a streamlined animal. Can you imagine a jockey riding a cow in serious competition with others? Hardly.

“In contrast, the horse is designed for speed and strength. Breeding has developed some beautiful horses suitable for horse racing. In olden times the shire horses were bred for carrying soldiers protected with heavy armor​—no light burden, indeed! In these days the shires are used for pulling heavy weights. At Psalm 147:10 the Bible speaks of the ‘mightiness of the horse.’ It was used extensively for war purposes by the Egyptians of ancient times. Right up to World War I it was used in battle. Remember ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’? So the Master Designer did not give the horse the huge stomach he gave the cow. It does not chew the cud. But it does have an unusually large cecum, or blind pouch, lying between the small intestine and the colon, and this serves the purpose of a delaying container to allow the cellulose from the grass to soak and undergo bacterial fermentation. In due time this mass passes into the colon for the absorption of useful nutrients. The unwanted residue then arrives at the end of the alimentary canal. Thus the horse, like the cow, can readily eat and live on grass and hay, but the Creator gave it a digestive system suitable for its distinctive characteristics.

“Let me illustrate this point to drive it home. Suppose a lover of classical music went to an architect and asked him to design a house. He would want a very large lounge so that he could play his recorded music over his powerful hi-fi. The architect would carefully design the house to meet this need. The next client might be a novelist. He wants a special study room, not too big, and a lot of library space for his extensive collection of books. The architect would design a house suitable for that need.”

“Yes, that sounds reasonable, but getting back to our cow . . . It puzzles me that we humans at the peak of evolutionary development, as they say, have only a simple stomach whereas the rather unintelligent cow has a complicated one with four compartments. How come?”

“My dear, our human stomach is only part of our process of digestion. In fact, we could live without a stomach​—some people do. Our small intestine is far more important to us. It can handle a vast variety of foods. Think of the huge range of foods we can eat to give us pleasure. This is evidence of the Creator’s love for mankind and he has given us a suitable process of digestion. I do not know what a cow is thinking of when she flops down to chew the cud, but I do know that your mother gives us some delightful meals, which we anticipate and eat with much pleasure. Another point: Would you like to have the shape of a cow? Silly question, isn’t it? No, you are a beautiful young girl with a lovely shape and a capacity for the enjoyment of many tasty foods. God made us that way. But the cow is designed to produce delicious milk from ordinary grass and hay. Our Creator is indeed a Master Designer. . . . Why are you smiling?”

“I am thinking of mad King Nebuchadnezzar eating grass for seven years!” Do you think he also chewed the cud?​—Daniel 4:23-33.

[Diagram on page 25]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

Stages of digestion in the four-part stomach of a representative ruminant

1 food movement into rumen and reticulum

duodenum

rumen

esophageal groove

esophagus

reticulum

omasum

abomasum

2 following fermentation, food regurgitated and chewed

3 food reswallowed, and digested completely in omasum and abomasum

When the Rain Would Not Stop Falling

By “Awake!” correspondent in Madagascar

IN TROPICAL Madagascar there are only two seasons: wet and dry. Since the wet season runs from November through March, nobody was surprised in December 1981 when it started to rain. The farmers were relieved. They needed the rain for their rice fields.

However, the farmers’ smiles turned to worried frowns as the rains kept falling. In Antananarivo, the capital, it rained day and night for three weeks. And it was not normal rain. On one afternoon, after just 10 minutes of exceptionally heavy downpour, several areas of the city were cut off from one another by floods. As the rains kept coming, the rivers began to rise. This rainy season was becoming ominous and threatening. What was happening?

Madagascar was being affected by cyclones, violent windstorms not uncommon in the Indian Ocean where Madagascar is situated. Cyclones bring much of the rain that the rice farmers fervently hope for each year. But that year three powerful cyclones swept past, one after the other, dumping incredible amounts of water on the island. The situation was made worse by the breakdown of the ancient dike system, designed to hold the rivers within bounds during high water. The soil of the dikes was swept away, and water rushed out of the river into the city and onto the farmlands.

As the days went by, the rains kept coming. By the beginning of February, flood-related damage was very serious. Many crops were lost. Fields, plantations, houses and roads disappeared under the spreading floodwaters. In the capital the clay walls of many houses, in constant contact with water, softened and collapsed, ultimately leaving 71,000 in Antananarivo without homes. They were accommodated in schools, social centers, hospitals and churches, until they could go back to their houses​—or build new ones.

The higher part of the city, built on hills, was not flooded. But still there was danger. The rain eroded the soil and washed away retaining walls, resulting in landslides. Also, the roads throughout the island suffered. It was hard to imagine that they had once been paved. And since the rain was not expected to stop before the end of March, the authorities did not bother to repair them. So automobile drivers had to be skillful at avoiding huge potholes, and pedestrians had to be alert to avoid being soaked in muddy water splashed up by passing vehicles.

Finally, toward the end of March, the rain eased off. Soon, sunny, tropical weather returned, and it was difficult to imagine that it had been raining​—until stock was taken of the damage. Ninety-three persons had died in the floods. Nine hundred buildings had been destroyed in Antananarivo alone, and more than a thousand in the east coast city of Toamasina. The total homeless in the whole country was 117,000, out of a population of only 9,000,000. And the farmers lost their harvest.

It will take time for the inhabitants of Madagascar to forget the experience. Some families still grieve for their dead. Many others did not have a roof over their heads for months. Farmers had to wait another year for a harvest​—hoping that the rains would be more manageable in the future.

It would make life happier for most of us if we could be sure that disasters such as the one that hit Madagascar would never happen again. As it happens, the Bible tells us that soon the time is coming when we will have that confidence. (Isaiah 11:9; 65:21, 22; Micah 4:4) Sincere Christians in Madagascar are busy sharing this good news with the inhabitants of that island as they struggle to recover from the time when the rain would not stop falling.

From Our Readers

Design in Nature

Your articles on design (October 8, 1982) are absolute rubbish. If nature was designed by a designer, who designed the designer? If God was self-created, what prevents nature from being self-created? If God is eternal, why can’t nature be equally eternal?

N. B., Scotland

There is overwhelming evidence of design in nature. In human experience design does not exist without purposeful intelligence. The designing Creator of all things has existed throughout all eternity, and creation demonstrates his qualities. (Psalm 90:2; Romans 1:20) The fact of radioactive decay proves that existing matter had a beginning.​—ED.

I am profoundly disturbed by your article “The Design in Nature.” Surely, when Almighty God announced that ‘to every wild beast of the earth I have given all green vegetation for food’ he meant that he had provided green vegetation as the basis of the food chain.

R. B., England

I found your article convincing as concerns the principle that design requires a designer. But on page 11 you make the statement that features of animals that are used for maiming and killing have evolved by adaptation to the new situation in Eden. Can this be said of the poison that some snakes and spiders use to kill their prey? What of other ingenious instruments of various kinds of predators. How can they exist if not by creation?

D. K., Germany

We did not claim that certain features evolved by adaptation, but that existing features were put to a different use from what was originally purposed. We do not believe it is possible to establish for a certainty how things were in the distant past by observing the present. Conditions have changed. But we do have a clear statement from the past, namely Genesis 1:29, 30: “And God went on to say: ‘Here I have given to you all vegetation bearing seed which is on the surface of the whole earth and every tree on which there is the fruit of a tree bearing seed. To you let it serve as food. And to every wild beast of the earth and to every flying creature of the heavens and to everything moving upon the earth and in which there is life as a soul I have given all green vegetation for food.’” This does not mean that vegetation was merely the ultimate basis for food supply through a chain of animal life. Obviously it was not the case with humans because later when they were to begin to get some nourishment from animal flesh they had to be given a special concession. (Genesis 9:3) Further, during the Flood of Noah’s day, eight humans and ‘flying creatures and all moving animals of the ground’ were obliged to live on vegetable matter exclusively for more than a year. (Genesis 6:17-21) And the fact that Isaiah 11:6-9 and Isa 65:25 specifically state that former predators will be at peace with other animals, and the lion will eat straw like the bull, would seem to confirm that animals and humans were meant to be vegetation eaters.

As for the many predators being suited for the chase and the kill, what about humans? They have shown an extremely efficient talent for attacking and killing their fellowman. Does that argue for humans’ being designed that way from the beginning? Admittedly, we cannot answer all questions that arise in this matter from what we can observe today, and the account in the Bible is quite brief. Yet, we believe that humankind and animal kind were originally designed to live at peace with one another and to get their nourishment from vegetation. That original purpose will be restored during the Messianic Kingdom. We will have to wait and see how those prophecies are fulfilled.​—ED.

Watching the World

Clergy Garb “Unchristian”

● A clergyman in Britain has called the distinctive dress of the clergy “basically unchristian.” Writing in the journal Theology, Lincolnshire vicar Martin Down explains: “Clerical dress can be a real barrier to communication between clergy and laity.” As to the so-called dog-collar, cleric Down writes: “Because he wears a peculiar collar what the clergyman has to say is taken out of the realm of ordinary realistic conversation and becomes, like him, a part of some other unreal world which the clergyman alone inhabits.”

High Cost of Gambling

● In spite of Spain’s high unemployment rate and the general economic crisis that plagues many nations, Spaniards gambled away an estimated 10 percent of their average salaries during 1981. A total of 266,000,000,000 pesetas ($2,330,000,000, U.S.) was spent just on State-authorized bingo, and an additional 288,000,000,000 pesetas ($2,530,000,000) on the State lottery, football pool and in casinos. The total of 554,000,000,000 pesetas ($4,860,000,000) makes one think of the many who have been deprived of basic necessities due to this vice. And even in regard to the few who win, Proverbs 13:11 observes: “Wealth from gambling quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows.”​—The Living Bible.

Hazards of Bloodstains

● Handling bloodstained exhibits can be dangerous to your health​—so warned a judge in Britain. In a court case at Chester Crown Court, beer glasses smeared with coagulated blood were about to be handed to the jury, but Judge Robin David stopped the procedure. According to the Liverpool Daily Post, he told the jury: “Forensic scientists now say there is a considerable risk of infection from dried blood. It can give rise to very severe infection.” The court staff were given surgeon’s gloves to handle the bloodstained exhibits.

Avoiding Need for Money Bags

● Though Turkey had a 133-percent inflation rate in 1980, it has now brought the rate down to 30 percent. To help cope with handling large quantities of currency ravaged by inflation, the country recently put into circulation Turkish 10,000-lira bills, worth about $60 (U.S.). The new bills, said the central bank governor, were needed because of “developments concerning the value of money” and to prevent Turks from carrying money around “in bags.”

Grooming Codes in Vogue

● The Administrative Management Society surveyed 366 U.S. companies to see whether they had grooming codes for their employees, specifying hair length, and so forth. The study revealed that 60 percent of the firms had formal or informal grooming codes. What happened to employees who repeatedly violated the codes? The survey showed that 20 percent of the companies suspended offenders without pay and 35 percent discharged them.

War-confused Whales

● More casualties have been attributed to the Falkland Islands war. Professor Daniel Torres, an expert on marine mammals, with the Antarctic Institute of Chile, commented on the death of 57 stranded whales near Punta Arenas, at the extreme south of Chile. “The recent war in the Falklands, with its many underwater explosions,” explained the professor, “caused the Cetaceans to lose their bearings.”

Africa Fights Illiteracy

● Delegates to the Fifth African Conference of Ministers of Education and Economic Planning, sponsored by UNESCO in Zimbabwe, urged African governments to strive to eradicate illiteracy by the year 2000. It is estimated that in 1980 Africa had 156 million adult illiterates out of a population of 470 million. According to a report in the New Nigerian newspaper, Tanzania is the most literate African nation with a literacy rate of 79 percent. The literacy rate is 45 percent in Kenya, 20 percent in the Ivory Coast and 10 percent in Senegal. Nigeria, with a rural literacy rate of 24 percent, has announced a 10-year program to wipe out illiteracy.

Ice With “Mystique”

● Yokohama bar patrons have avidly been using 2,000-year-old Greenland glacial ice to cool their drinks. The Japanese importer has predicted that sales of the frozen fad item will reach 20 to 30 tons this year, at about $7.50 (U.S.) per kilogram (2.2 lb). “According to the importers,” reports the Asahi Evening News, “a mystique has begun to develop around their product, with customers maintaining Greenland ice makes drinks taste better.” And some even claim that it “prevents hangovers.”

Egypt’s War on Rats

● The Egyptian authorities have decided to wage war against the hordes of rats that threaten the harvest and that also attack man and beast. Some 50,000 specialists were mobilized to work and supervise the campaign. The rat invasion started some time after the Israel-Egypt war of 1967 in the Suez canal zone, resulting in hordes of rats taking up residence in the devastated towns.

Female Priesthood in Sweden

● The Swedish State Church Council has decided that the clerical oath can hereafter be given only by a person who fully accepts female priests. The majority of the Council agreed with the idea of letting men and women serve as priests with complete equality. Bertil Gärtner, the bishop of Göteborg, stated that giving in to the view of the majority was the only way to avoid a distracting problem in the Church of Sweden.

When Is a Gift “Free”?

● “Third World countries suffering from shortages of water traditionally have been inundated with free gifts of a wide variety of water pumps from Western nations,” observes the Ceylon Daily News of Colombo. But “after nearly two or three years more than 50 percent of the pumps invariably break down.” By then the equipment is considered a necessity, and “to keep these pumps functioning, they are at the mercy of manufacturers​—and have to expend scarce foreign exchange for spares and technical services,” complains the article. “The gift obviously is tied to the purchase of spares.”

Opposed to Marriage

● The number of illegitimate children born in the 10 European countries of the Common Market has increased by about 70 percent since 1960. Twenty years ago only one out of every 22 children was born out of wedlock; today it is one out of every 13. Heading the list is Denmark, where one of every three children is born of unwedded parents. Great Britain, France and the Federal Republic of Germany follow. The smallest number of illegitimate births is reported from Belgium and Greece. The German newspaper Bremer Nachrichten quotes population expert Professor H. Jürgens as saying that the growing number of children born out of wedlock underscores the trend toward “emancipation from marriage.” The damage to numberless children caused by this rejection of God-given marriage goes unmentioned.

Prodding Parking Offenders

● In many countries, motorists ignore the notice or ticket that shows that they have committed a parking violation, and they do not pay the fine. In Japan the police in six large cities have put into effect a system that has people coming to the police stations to pay their fines. A hardened steel loop is locked onto the door or side mirror. When the offender pays his fine, the loop is unlocked and removed. Motorists are inclined to pay their fine to remove the telltale sign that they are parking offenders. A better option is to obey parking regulations and avoid fines.

22,000 Lawmen Break Law

● Almost 22,000 police constables in Bombay, India, recently rioted over unheeded pay and benefit demands. At least four people died and many were injured in the violent day-long rampage. The disgruntled lawmen led rioting in which hundreds of vehicles were burned, windows smashed and stores looted. Commuter trains were stoned, forcing suspension of rail service. Some 1,000 government troops, together with 8,000 nonstriking police commanding officers, were required to restore order.

Desert Encroachment

● Thousands of people from northeastern Nigeria have migrated to neighboring areas because their land has been lost to the Sahara Desert. The droughts of the 1970’s and the cutting down of trees for firewood have contributed to the situation. Already 12 percent of Nigeria’s landmass (1,250,000 hectares [3,100,000 acres]) has been lost, and tree planting and irrigation projects have not checked the desert’s encroachment. A similar situation exists along the Sahara’s northern area where Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco together lose 100,000 hectares (250,000 acres) of productive land annually. Since 600,000,000 people live “under the shadow of advancing deserts” throughout the world, various other projects are being tried, including the large-scale planting of the jojoba bush from Mexico’s Sonoran Desert.

Acid Fog

● Los Angeles, California, has long been known for its heavy pollution called “smog,” and acid rain is common too. Now environmental engineers at the California Institute of Technology say that the Los Angeles fog they tested for a six-month period was more dangerous than either smog or acid rain. The fog reportedly was more acidic than the rain, sometimes as bitter as lemon juice, and “it lingers near the ground where it can harm people, plants, cars, and buildings,” reports Science 82 magazine. Acid rainwater mainly harms life in the lakes that receive the water. One of the researchers said that the 12,000 who died during London’s infamous five-day “killer fog” of 1952 were probably victims of acid fog. Fortunately, the sun usually burns off Los Angeles fogs in a few hours.

Metrics by the Inch

● Seven years ago the Metric Conversion Act was passed by the U.S. Congress. While it did not compel citizens to adopt the metric system of weights and measures used by most of the rest of the world, the Act was intended to be “firmly persuasive.” What has been the result? “Attempts by both government agencies and private industries to convert to the metric system have met with spotty success,” says David T. Goldman, associate director for planning at the National Bureau of Standards. Why the tardiness? Public support is lacking. No clear-cut government directives have been issued. Also, an economic recession in the United States has discouraged industry from using their funds for costly conversion procedures. Many believe that without firm government action metrification will never become a reality.

Is There Life After Death?

At death do people only seem to die? Is there something about humans that survives death? Can those who have died ever live as humans again?

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Gestapo Tactics and Bans Fail

The Portuguese secret police (P.I.D.E.) under the Salazar regime were patterned after the Nazi Gestapo and trained by them. The police agents constantly hounded Jehovah’s Witnesses, to stop their preaching of God’s Kingdom and their meeting together for Bible study. Like the persecuted early Christians, the Witnesses had to assemble in secret places, such as out in the woods. Read the thrilling story of how Gestapo tactics failed against these modern Christians in Portugal.

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