September 8

Page Two

During the last quarter of a century there has been a great push for liberation, not from oppression, but from moral restraint. For many, the development of the birth-control pill, liberalized abortion laws and the existence of cure-all wonder drugs meant sexual freedom without fear of the consequences. But has this resulted in genuine freedom? The feature articles in this issue consider just one aspect of the sexual revolution that will be of interest to our readers

The Persistent Plague​—The Sexual Revolution’s Dark Side 3

Herpes and AIDS in the Spotlight 7

The “New Morality”​—Reaping What It Has Sown? 11

The Persistent Plague​—The Sexual Revolution’s Dark Side

SOME say that Christopher Columbus is to blame. If so, his sailors may have brought back more from the New World than gold trinkets and tall tales. Lurking in their bodies may have been the seeds of a plague.

Not all researchers, however, espouse this theory. Some even claim that the plague is almost “as old as man himself.” Traces of it, they say, are found in Egyptian mummies. Ancient writings seem to describe its symptoms graphically. Besides, they ask, how could so few sailors have infected so many others?

The plague’s origin is thus the stuff of scholarly debate and may always be a mystery. One thing is clear, however: Toward the end of the 15th century (shortly after Columbus’ return), a plague appeared suddenly in Europe and spread like a prairie fire. Thousands​—perhaps millions—​died. And in the ensuing panic, victims of the plague were banished, quarantined, hanged and even drowned.

Not surprisingly, the anguished nations took turns pinning the blame on one another. Says writer Louis Lasagna: “The English and the Turks called it the French disease, the Persians blamed it on the Turks, the Flemish and Dutch referred to it as the Spanish pox, the French called it the Italian or Neapolitan disease, the Italians blamed it either on the Spanish or the French, the Portuguese termed it the Castilian disease . . . the Russians thought of it as a Polish ailment, and the Poles gave credit to the Germans.” Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, however, contrived a loftier theory. In his edict of 1495, he proclaimed it a punishment for blasphemy.

Barely 35 years later physician-poet Fracastoro wove a tale about a shepherd afflicted with this disease. The poem itself is perhaps long forgotten, but not the chilling name given his shepherd from which the disease itself is named​—Syphilus.

Refusing to Go Away

One might think that plagues that ravage, kill and maim would be as extinct as dinosaurs in our age of CAT scans and laser surgery. Yet syphilis, along with an array of other devastating illnesses, has become as entrenched in 20th-century life as air pollution. Doctors used to call this modern-day plague venereal disease, after Venus, the ancient Roman goddess of love. But a new term that focuses on transmission of disease, rather than on acquisition, has come into vogue: STD, or “sexually transmitted disease.”a “STD” is thus a catchall for a rogues’ gallery of about 20 sinister-sounding afflictions​—from headline-grabbing herpes to obscure shigellosis. (See box.) The World Health Organization says that STD’s are a “worldwide epidemic.”

People are therefore taking a second look at the much vaunted “sexual revolution.” Blinded at first by its glitter and glamour, many are for the first time glimpsing its dark side: alienation, pain and human misery.

“A Time of ‘Sexual Anarchy’”

“An era of vast change in sexual morality now is developing in America. Fear is being expressed that the nation may be heading into a time of ‘sexual anarchy.’” So cried U.S.News & World Report back in 1966. But what shocked readers then, now elicits little more than a yawn.

Why this change? A number of factors that came together during the 1960’s. The availability of the birth-control pill, for one thing, made it seem simple to have sex without consequences. So did the liberalized abortion laws that some countries instituted. Years of economic, social and even political strife led people to question long-held values. And at the forefront were the apostles of the “new morality”​—doctors, politicians, philosophers, writers and even clergymen, who proclaimed that the “old” sexual restraints were oppressive and harmful.

The results? What has been called a “dramatic shift toward permissiveness.” People set out to experience sexual freedom firsthand. “I looked forward to a new age of sexual freedom,” recalls writer Celia Haddon. “I was convinced that soon the sexual relationships of men and women would be more honest, more fulfilling and more pleasurable.”

Many, however, find little fulfillment in casual sex. Unrealistically high expectations merely produce new anxieties and frustrations. Now come highly publicized reports that venereal diseases are spreading worldwide at epidemic rates. For the ‘sexually active’ the chance of becoming infected suddenly seems no longer remote but terrifyingly possible. No wonder, then, that even some die-hard advocates of ‘free love’ are running scared!

And those who aren’t perhaps should be.

The Deadly Diseases

Syphilis no longer kills millions as it did in Columbus’ day, but it is still dangerous. Medical science says that the spiral-shaped syphilis bacterium (Treponema pallidum) exudes from open sores or rashes on a victim’s genitals. Infection occurs during sexual relations. Once inside its new victim, T. pallidum heads for the bloodstream and lymphatic system and, if unchecked, eventually infects the entire body. But the syphilis bacteria are insidiously slow. Ten to 90 days go by before the victim notices the characteristic syphilitic sore at the place of the germ’s entry​—usually the genitals. Untreated, the invader can do irreparable damage to the vital organs, even to the point of causing death.

Second-century physician Galen coined the name for the age-old partner of syphilis​—gonorrhea. Its telltale symptom is a burning sensation during urination. But, says the U.S. Department of Health: “In women . . . symptoms may not be sufficient to provoke the patient’s suspicion or motivate her to seek care.” And in men the symptoms generally disappear in a couple of months. Nevertheless, doctors say gonorrhea can still work its way into the blood system and infect vital organs, and women are especially prone to gonorrhea complications. Said The Journal of the American Medical Association: “The most severe of these complications is pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) . . . Almost 1 million women are treated for PID in the United States each year.” With what result? “Involuntary infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain.”

Interestingly, though, perhaps the majority of the cases of PID are caused by a disease most people have never even heard of​—chlamydia. Says the CDC (Centers for Disease Control): “Infections caused by Chlamydia trachomatis are the most prevalent sexually transmitted diseases in the United States today.” The Age similarly reported that the increase of chlamydial infections poses an “insidious danger” to Australians. The symptoms of chlamydia are enough of a look-alike to gonorrhea to fool even doctors.

“Unfortunately,” says Dr. Yehudi M. Felman, “many physicians still think of chlamydia as a minor-league disease.” (Medical World News) But to the estimated two-and-a-half to three million victims of chlamydial infections in the United States alone, the disease is hardly “minor-league.” Nor is it “minor-league” to babies, often stricken with pneumonia or even blindness, who are born to infected mothers.

Syphilis and gonorrhea have thus lost some of their prominence among STD’s. In Great Britain diseases other than syphilis and gonorrhea (including some of the more obscure ones like chancroid and granuloma inguinale) account for 84 percent of the STD cases requiring treatment. Why, though, does this plague remain on the scene in the first place?

“Passed From the Scene”

“As a result of antibiotic therapy,” pronounced Dr. John F. Mahoney in 1949, “gonorrhea has almost passed from the scene as an important clinical and public health entity.” These words typified the faith the medical profession​—and the public at large—​bestowed upon the new wonder drugs such as penicillin. Convinced that science had dealt STD a deathblow, many doctors simply lost interest in studying it. In Central and West Africa UN-sponsored programs to eradicate syphilis and other related diseases seemed so effective that officials even relaxed their surveillance activities.

The rapid changes of the 1960’s thus caught almost everyone off guard. Between ‘1965 and 1975 the number of reported cases of gonorrhea in the United States tripled.’ (CDC) The rise in the tourist trade, spawned by jet air travel, helped spread disease from country to country. A worldwide STD epidemic was therefore brewing, but as Theodor Rosebury wrote in Microbes and Morals, “The appalling discovery was made that young doctors and medical students knew practically nothing about [STD].”

Doctors have therefore had a tough time catching up with the epidemic growth of STD’s, even though they claim that effective cures exist for most of them.b People are simply contracting the diseases faster than doctors can cure them.

While a number of sexually transmitted diseases have plagued mankind for many years, two in particular have been highly publicized recently. These are herpes and AIDS. What these involve will be considered in the following article.

[Footnotes]

[Blurb on page 6]

“The appalling discovery was made that young doctors and medical students knew practically nothing about [STD]”

[Chart on page 4]

A Partial List of Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Syphilis Chlamydia trachomatis

Gonorrhea Ureaplasma

Hepatitis B urealyticum

Genital Herpes Genital Warts

Chancroid Scabies

Crabs (pubic lice) Granuloma inguinale

Lymphogranuloma Trichomoniasis

venereum AIDS

Source: Centers for Disease Control

[Pictures on page 5]

The rapid changes of the 1960’s led to the so-called sexual revolution and a liberalizing of moral codes

Herpes and AIDS in the Spotlight

“I FEEL like a leper. Who would want me if I told him that I have an incurable disease that can be sexually transmitted?” Thus spoke a sufferer of the much-publicized genital herpes. It is rampant in the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan. The United States alone reports that an estimated 200,000 to 500,000 individuals are afflicted with it each year. One doctor estimated that “20,000 to 50,000 new cases of genital herpes are diagnosed in Canada each year.”

The cause of all this misery? Medical science says it is a tiny particle, a virus, that is but one member of a large herpes “family.” Chicken pox and shingles are common afflictions caused by herpes viruses. The one causing genital herpes is similar (at times identical) to the virus causing the ordinary cold sores people get on their lips. But when herpes afflicts the genitals, the sufferer has usually (but not alwaysa) contracted the virus in a specific way: by sexual contact with another herpes victim.

Three to seven days after exposure to herpes, the infected one notices a burning or tingling sensation in the genital area​—the herald of painful, fluid-filled blisters. The sores work their torment for two to six weeks before healing. But herpes does not go away. Doctors say it merely beats a retreat, via nerve pathways, to nerve clusters at the base of the spine. There it lies dormant until something (such as stress) triggers a reactivation of the virus. Awakened, it travels the nerve pathways back to the skin and begins the misery cycle all over again.

Perhaps the most insidious effect of herpes is upon the sufferer’s emotions. Observes Dr. Oscar Gillespie: “The major problem with herpes isn’t so much in the virus itself, but in the ways its presence can create fears, doubts and disruptions in day-to-day living.” Said one victim: “It’s very difficult to describe the feelings of anger, guilt, and loss of control that you have when you have herpes. It’s something that I believe only a fellow herpes victim could share and understand.” Yet such emotional turmoil merely prolongs the cycle of suffering, often by triggering further recurrences of the disease.

Why Called Incurable

Why doesn’t the body’s immune system simply crush the irritating herpes virus? Doctors say that herpes escapes such a fate by attaching itself to a cell, penetrating its outer membrane and hiding therein. Safely inside, it swiftly commandeers control of the cell’s “brain,” turning the cell into a veritable herpes factory! From 80,000 to 120,000 new viruses are created within three to five hours. The cell wall then bursts open, allowing an army of dangerous particles to flow into the bloodstream and infect yet other cells.

You can thus see why doctors say that herpes is so tough to kill. A cure would somehow have to penetrate infected cells to kill the virus. Or it would have to kill infected cells without destroying healthy ones. Little wonder that medical science is thus far stumped. (See box.) Recent reports that herpes vaccines are being tested give some ray of hope perhaps. But while such an “ounce of prevention” may help millions, what about those already afflicted?

AIDS​—A New STD?

“In my professional career, I have never encountered a more frustrating and depressing situation,” Newsweek quoted Dr. Peter Mansell as saying. He referred to the disease that has captured world attention: AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). The term describes a shutdown of the body’s immune system. Its victims thus succumb to rare forms of cancer and pneumonia.

How far has AIDS spread? Thus far, over 4,000 casesb have been reported in the United States alone. At least 32 other countries have also reported incidents of the disease. Countries thus far relatively unaffected, such as Japan, have geared up to deal with it​—just in case.

AIDS victims appear to have a staggering mortality rate. Over 60 percent of those first diagnosed as having it died within a year. Some, however, fear that all AIDS victims will eventually die of the disease. Yet the syndrome starts off innocently enough with flulike symptoms, fatigue and weight loss. Unfortunately, as Dr. Frederick P. Siegal observes: “By the time most physicians see AIDS patients, the ball game is over.”

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), active homosexuals (with multiple partners) have the greatest risk of contracting AIDS. Also at risk are hemophiliacs and abusers of intravenous drugs.c But since roughly 70 percent of the AIDS victims were homosexuals, it is strongly suspected that the disease is in most cases sexually transmitted.

AIDS Panic

“Fear is spreading much faster than the disease,” said Discover magazine. No doubt headlines such as “Mere Contact May Spread AIDS” have promoted this fear:

● Hospital workers have refused to treat AIDS patients.d

● Morticians have been reluctant to embalm the bodies of AIDS victims.

● Police in San Francisco, California, were issued resuscitation devices and rubber gloves to avoid AIDS infection while rendering first aid.

● Technicians refused to hook up a microphone for an AIDS victim scheduled for an interview on a TV talk show. The purpose of the show? To allay fears about AIDS.

● AIDS hot-line services “have been flooded with calls asking if the disease could be contracted from holding subway straps or using toilet seats used by gays.”

The gay community, however, felt the greatest impact. Gay bars and bathhouses reported a lull in business due to people’s fear of contracting AIDS. And since homosexuals with multiple partners are at the greatest risk, some even made drastic changes in their life-style. Few, if any, were scared straight (heterosexual). But some have avoided anonymous sexual contact and settled into “monogamous” relationships.

It is the AIDS victim, however, who suffers the real anguish. Treated as outcasts by neighbors and workmates, shunned by lovers, AIDS victims must also bear the burden of having an incurable disease. “It just hangs over your head,” said one AIDS victim. “There is always the overriding uncertainty that on any day you’ll come down with something new that your suppressed immune system can’t repel.”

So while the public’s reaction may to some extent be an overreaction, fear of AIDS is not unfounded. AIDS is an insidious killer. And reports that it can spread to the public at large through blood transfusions have ignited further fear and resentment. (See box on page 9.)e Homosexuals thus find themselves victims not only of hostility but of a life-style fraught with peril.

[Footnotes]

[Blurb on page 10]

Dr. Frederick P. Siegal observes: “By the time most physicians see AIDS patients, the ball game is over.”

[Blurb on page 10]

The shock of contracting a sexually transmitted disease has caused many to view promiscuity in a new light

[Box on page 8]

A Cure for Herpes?

Bogus cures for herpes, say doctors, have not only raised false hopes but in some cases simply made a bad condition worse. Among some of the treatments called ineffective by the CDC are vaccines, immune stimulants, vitamins C, E and B₁₂, special diets, zinc, lactobacillus (acidophilus) tablets, steroid creams and dye-light therapy.

But why do so many claim relief by means of these “cures”? Doctors remind us of what appears to trigger recurrences of herpes​—stress and anxiety. Just about anything that calms a person down and makes him less anxious might seemingly cure the malady​—temporarily. It is generally just a matter of time, however, before the latent herpes viruses, still nestled away in the cells, decide to attack again. Of course, controversy still surrounds some of these treatments, but a person is wise to investigate a treatment thoroughly before submitting to it.

For the time being, the best medical science has to offer is symptomatic relief. The drug acyclovir, for example, has been approved for use in the United States and appears to speed the healing of herpes sores. But, alas, it does not prevent recurrences!

Doctors give some common-sense advice for herpes sufferers that may also bring a measure of relief. Rest, warm baths, compresses, ice packs and keeping the sores dry are considered helpful, although far short of being cures.

[Box on page 9]

AIDS and Blood

First it was the hemophiliacs. The treatment for their malady (clotting factor VIII) is derived from the blood of hundreds of donors. So when some hemophiliacs contracted AIDS, blood immediately became suspect. Then an infant who had received a transfusion from an AIDS victim also contracted the disease. Though the chances of getting AIDS from a transfusion seemed slim, the CDC nevertheless warned that “members of groups at increased risk for AIDS [primarily homosexuals] should refrain from donating plasma and/​or blood.”

Getting voluntary compliance from blood donors, though, has been easier said than done. And the homosexual community has cried “Discrimination!” to suggestions that they be banned from donating blood. European doctors have therefore talked of banning imports of U.S. blood products, and some patients have refused blood transfusions!

Fear that AIDS may be contracted by sharing needles even caused a temporary panic among blood donors. A spokesman for the Greater New York Blood Program told Awake! that blood donations went down 25 percent during the month of July 1983. And this in spite of the fact that the needles used are sterilized and hermetically sealed before use, and then broken and discarded after use.

While the newly announced test for screening blood may protect the blood supply from AIDS contamination, the AIDS scare has served to remind the public that transfusing blood is a practice that carries with it some serious risks.

[Diagrams on page 7]

(For fully formatted text, see publication.)

Step one: The herpes virus attaches itself to the cell and penetrates its outer membrane.

CELL WALL

CELL NUCLEUS

CELL DNA

HERPES VIRUS

VIRAL DNA

Step two: The virus takes over the cell’s nucleus to reproduce herpes viruses by the thousands.

CELL NUCLEUS DESTROYED

VIRAL NUCLEUS

NEW VIRUS

VIRAL DNA

Step three: The cell wall ruptures, releasing tens of thousands of viruses.

CELL WALL

The “New Morality”​—Reaping What It Has Sown?

“GOD has replaced fire and brimstone with AIDS,” wrote one indignant reader to the New York Post. Many similarly feel that the epidemic growth of AIDS, herpes and other STD’s is more than a product of the so-called sexual revolution. They see it as the divine punishment for promiscuity.

The STD epidemic is, to be sure, a frightening specter. But the Bible does not indicate that God today uses disease as punishment for wayward conduct. Sickness and disease are the inescapable results of inherited sin afflicting all mankind. (Romans 5:12) Thus even God-fearing, right-living people at times find themselves the victims of devastating illness.

Nevertheless, one often can improve one’s lot in life​—including one’s health—​by adhering to godly standards. For example, the Bible condemns overindulgence in alcoholic beverages. (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; 1 Timothy 3:8) Proverbs 23:29-34 points to some of the reasons why this position is a sound one:

“Who has woe? Who has uneasiness? Who has contentions? Who has concern? Who has wounds for no reason? Who has dullness of eyes? Those staying a long time with the wine . . . At its end it bites just like a serpent, and it secretes poison just like a viper. Your own eyes will see strange things, and your own heart will speak perverse things. And you will certainly become like one lying down in the heart of the sea, even like one lying down at the top of a mast.”

Injuries, wrecked health, hallucinations​—all nasty effects of drunkenness. God, though, cannot be blamed for these ailments. The individual, by ignoring God’s standards, brings them upon himself. At Galatians 6:7, 8 the Bible says: “Do not be misled: God is not one to be mocked. For whatever a man is sowing, this he will also reap; because he who is sowing with a view to his flesh will reap corruption from his flesh.”

The same principle holds true when it comes to sexual morality. At 1 Corinthians 6:18 the Bible warns: “Flee from fornication. . . . He that practices fornication is sinning against his own body.” “Fornication” covers an array of sexual sins, including premarital sex and homosexuality. Note that it is a sin against one’s own body. “Now the body is not for fornication,” states Paul. (1 Corinthians 6:13) Man’s procreative powers were designed for a sacred purpose: to populate the earth with righteous children. (Genesis 1:28) Sex relations were to serve also as a source of mutual pleasure for married couples.​—1 Corinthians 7:3-5; Proverbs 5:18-20.

Promiscuous sex makes a mockery of this blessed arrangement. Hence it is morally degrading, making one unclean in God’s eyes. Ultimately it leads to the judgment spelled out at 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10: “Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men kept for unnatural purposes, nor men who lie with men . . . will inherit God’s kingdom.” One who ‘sins against his body,’ though, may also ‘reap what he has sown’ in a physical and emotional sense. Sexually transmitted diseases are just a part of a constellation of problems the promiscuous may encounter: broken or insecure marriages, repeated heartbreak, fear of pregnancy, distrust of others. Homosexuals, too, ‘receive in themselves the full recompense, which was due for their error,’ says the Bible. (Romans 1:27) Their grossly obscene sexual acts​—whether done with multiple partners or “monogamously”—​are “contrary to nature.” (Romans 1:26) Should it surprise us, then, that a host of physical problems accompany their life-style?

No Free Ride

The STD plague has therefore done more than cause a few people physical discomfort. It has cast a shadow upon a way of life that promised freedom, but that for many has delivered nothing but heartache and misery. The notion that with “the pill” and penicillin one can enjoy illicit sex without consequences has been proved a naive absurdity. Of course, Christians do not at all delight in the sufferings of others. They do, however, hope that those trapped in the “fast lane” of promiscuity will seriously reflect on their way of life and what it can result in. It is not too late​—or too difficult—​for such ones to make needed changes. Christians in ancient times succeeded in escaping the trap of sexual immorality. And in modern times Jehovah’s Witnesses have helped thousands more do likewise.​—1 Corinthians 6:9-11.

Sad to say, however, the majority seem determined to continue their selfish course. Fear of contracting an STD is no more likely in the long run to promote chastity than fear of nuclear bombs, peace. Observed one college student: “I suppose AIDS and herpes are definitely on people’s minds. But I don’t think they have in any way curtailed the sexual revolution among most people my age.”

So whether AIDS, herpes or their other lethal companions will continue their epidemic growth or sneak off into oblivion is irrelevant. Either way the damage to the “new morality’s” gleaming facade has been irrevocably done. It has been exposed as a fruitless, unproductive and dangerous way of life. ‘Free love’ advocates thus find, to their dismay, that illicit “love” isn’t so “free” after all.

Indeed, the price is just too high.

Luther​—A New Force for Unity?

Normally one would expect the 1,950th anniversary of an event of great importance to get more attention than the 500th anniversary of another event of lesser importance. Yet during 1983, the 1,950th anniversary year of the death of Jesus Christ, the Founder of Christianity, went largely unnoticed in Christendom. Not so, however, the 500th anniversary of the birth of one of his proclaimed followers, Martin Luther. This latter anniversary particularly commanded the headlines in those countries where the world’s 70 million Lutherans live. During the Luther Year many celebrations, conferences and displays were held, one of which had over 600 paintings, sculptures, graphic drawings and documents on display.

LUTHER’S impact upon German culture is undeniably great, although probably less known​—at least outside Germany—​than the one he made on religious history. Excepting Jesus Christ, this impact is probably much greater than that of any other man upon the German-speaking world. The East Berlin Neue Berliner Illustrierte, for example, claims that “Luther’s translation of the Bible revolutionized Europe’s intellectual life, shaped generations and determined their deliberations and decisions.”

From the profusion of dialects that existed in his day, Luther virtually created the standard German now spoken. He also significantly contributed to the foundation of what later became public grammar schools. He made a tremendous contribution to the cause of the united German state that later came into being. But his religious activities mainly overshadowed these cultural contributions, bringing about a religious division that still exists.

Once Again a Force for Unity

Recent attempts, however, to point up Luther’s cultural contributions have turned him once again into a symbol of unity. Luther Year celebrations were held both in the Federal Republic of Germany and in the German Democratic Republic (DDR)a. The DDR paperback entitled Martin Luther und seine Zeit (Martin Luther and His Times) speaks of him as “one of the great personalities of global reputation” who made a lasting impression upon Germany and Europe. It says: “Because of the outstanding significance for German and world history and because the majority of places where Martin Luther worked are located within the territory of the German Democratic Republic, the DDR has a special obligation to cultivate Luther’s inheritance and to honor Martin Luther on the occasion of his 500th birthday.”

Although the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic are disunited politically, the Luther Year celebrations served to remind them of their common heritage and the contributions that Luther had made to it. This did not go unrecognized by the Federal Republic’s president, Karl Carstens. Speaking at the opening of the above-mentioned exhibition in Nuremberg, he said that Luther had ceased being a “symbol of division.” In fact, “Luther has become a symbol of unity of all Germany,” he said. “We are all Luther’s heirs.”

But if Luther was being seized upon as a symbol of political unity, what about the religious disunity that he had helped bring about? Was this simply being overlooked? Evidently not, as the following press reports indicate.

“The anniversary year has not torn open a new gap between Lutherans and Catholics. To the contrary: cultural events, discussions and literature, as far as we can determine, have brought forth ecumenical fruitage.”​—Nürnberger Nachrichten.

“Indeed, as the reformer who fractured Christianity, Luther has latterly become a key to reuniting it.”​—Time.

To understand this unexpected development, we must briefly review how Luther brought about disunity in the first place.

Luther​—A Force for Disunity

Martin Luther was an Augustinian monk and a Catholic priest. Even as a young man he began questioning various Catholic teachings. He also found fault with what he considered to be ecclesiastical evils and distortions. The scandalous selling of indulgences by the archbishop of Mainz, for example, particularly raised his ire. Had the Catholic Church immediately addressed these criticisms and perhaps made certain reforms, the Reformation might never have taken place.

However, Luther was maneuvered by events into an ever stronger position of opposition. On October 31, 1517, (as tradition has it) he nailed to the church door at Wittenberg 95 theses exposing wrong teachings of the church. Then in 1520 he published the pamphlets “An Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation,” “The Babylonian Captivity of the Church” and “The Liberty of a Christian Man.” Each became stronger in its criticism. A papal bull threatened Luther with excommunication. On December 10, 1520, he defiantly burned this papal bull. In 1521 at the Diet of Worms he refused to retract, whereupon he was declared an outlaw in the Holy Roman Empire and was forced into hiding. While protected by friends he found time to finish his translation of the “New Testament.” This was in the fall of 1522. By 1534 he had completed translating the “Old Testament,” now making, for the first time, his entire Bible available in German. With its history of opposition to Bible translations in the vernacular, the Catholic hierarchy did not greet this with pleasure. By now the break between Catholics and Lutherans was complete.

Before such a person as Luther could ever be viewed as a force for unity, there would have to be a considerable change in attitudes. Such a change has now taken place.

A Change of Heart

According to the Rheinische Post, “the Catholic view of Luther has . . . undergone an astonishing change. For Roman Catholics the Reformer has been upgraded from an accursed heretic to a father in belief.” To which Cologne’s Cardinal Höffner, during a speech at a Lutheran anniversary ceremony in Worms, added that the Protestant and the Catholic views of Luther could no longer be used to drive a wedge between them.

As far back as 1967, Protestant theologian Walther von Loewenich observed: “There is a growing affection for Luther among German Catholic theologians that would put a Lutheran to shame.” And now, in a letter to Cardinal Jan Willebrands of the Netherlands, even the Catholic pope has added his voice, speaking of Luther’s “deep religiousness.” This and other conciliatory commentary about Luther made in the pope’s letter caused Rome newspapers to hail it as a “historical turning point in the relationship between Catholics and Protestants.”

Sunday, December 11, 1983, was another first. Never before in history had a pope delivered a sermon to a Lutheran congregation in Rome’s Lutheran church. “We yearn for unity, and we are working for unity,” he told his audience, speaking in German. “In the year commemorating the birth of Martin Luther five centuries ago, we believe to be able to see in the distance the morning light of the advent of reunification.”

Will Religious Unity Be Achieved?

“Whether the pope’s appearance in Rome’s [Lutheran church] can be considered a milestone in the ecumenical movement, or whether this historical gesture will remain nothing more than just that​—a gesture—​who of us can judge now?” This was the question raised by Munich’s Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Regardless of whether this proves to be a milestone on the road to reunification or not, another question of importance is: why this sudden and unexpected willingness to reunite?

There are undoubtedly several factors involved​—the general drop in religious interest and the loss of religious authority and influence, for example. Both Catholicism and Protestantism are facing a crisis. Antichurch and antireligious sentiments are growing. Organized religion seems to be falling apart. Secularization is on the march. Reunion is seen as a means of stemming the tide.

According to press reports, George Lindbeck, cochairman of an international Lutheran-Catholic commission, believes that without Luther and his Reformation “religion would have been much less important during the next 400 to 500 years. And since medieval religion was falling apart, secularization would have marched on, unimpeded.” This is a fascinating supposition, because it means that the same Luther who served to perpetuate organized religion back there by being a force for disunity is today being seized upon as a force for unity.

This view is of particular interest to Christians familiar with Bible prophecies foretelling the destruction of organized false religion under the symbol of Babylon the Great. (See Revelation, chapters 17 and 18.) This destruction was foretold to occur at a time period of human history that could not begin before 1914, certainly not back in Luther’s day. So Luther’s Reformation contributed to keeping organized religion “in the saddle” until God’s foreordained time to take action against it.

Real Christian Unity

Christian unity is desirable, and the Bible encourages us to maintain it. “Now I exhort you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you should all speak in agreement, and that there should not be divisions among you, but that you may be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought.”​—1 Corinthians 1:10.

However, unity is genuine only when based upon the solid foundation of truth, not upon opportunistic compromising. Real Christian unity requires following the Scriptural advice Paul gave the Philippian Christians: “Unitedly become imitators of me, brothers, and keep your eye on those who are walking in a way that accords with the example you have in us.”​—Philippians 3:17.

Is the Catholic Church today “walking in a way that accords with the example” we find in Paul and in the other early Christians? Is the church imitating them in doctrine, in conduct and in the setting of life’s priorities? And what about the Lutheran Church? Certainly every Catholic and Lutheran owes it to himself to find out just how his church is measuring up in this regard.

There is no doubt that global unity will come. Bible prophecy promises it, in a governmental as well as in a religious way. Governmental unity will be achieved by replacing today’s political system with God’s heavenly government, for which Christ taught his followers to pray: “Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.” (Matthew 6:10) This government “will never be brought to ruin,” promises Daniel 2:44. Rather, under Christ’s rule, “it will crush and put an end to all these [other] kingdoms [or governments], and it itself will stand to times indefinite.” Under that Kingdom all mankind will, through Christ, come to be united in worship of the one true God.

The basis for governmental and religious unity was therefore laid at Christ’s death, the 1,950th anniversary of which was celebrated on Tuesday, March 29, 1983. The 500th anniversary celebration of Martin Luther’s birth, on the other hand, while of passing interest, holds no lasting promise of global unity, either governmental or religious.

Learn more about today’s real force for unity​—God’s Kingdom. The publishers of this magazine will be pleased to supply additional information on request, or you may ask one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

[Footnotes]

[Map/​Picture on page 14]

(For fully formatted text, see publication.)

The Luther Year helped make Luther a symbol of political unity for all Germany

FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY

GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

The Marmot​—Nature’s Whistle Blower

By “Awake!” correspondent in France

“LOOK up there, near the rocks!”

Our guide signals us to stop and points to an animal squatting on its haunches about a hundred meters (about 330 ft) away.

“That’s a marmot,” he says. “If we get nearer, it will whistle and you will see its companions take off for the burrows.” The marmot we can see is sitting on a rock, commanding a clear view of the surroundings.

We go on, and Hans soon cries out: “Listen! The marmot guard is whistling to sound the alarm! We’ve been spotted!” The marmot disappears.

Living High

“Since we’ve been seen,” Hans continues, “it might be better to rest up a while and I will tell you more about this captivating little animal. It’s a rodent related to the squirrel, but the marmot has not inherited the squirrel’s bushy tail. Although the South American capybara and the beaver are the world’s largest rodents, the marmot comes next, weighing about six kilograms (about 13 lb) and measuring anywhere from 63 to 75 centimeters (25 to 30 in.).”

“Are the marmots to be found anywhere else but in the Alps?” inquires Jacqueline.

“Oh, yes, but generally at high altitudes, between 1,200 and 3,200 meters [4,000 and 10,500 ft]. Although in the French and Swiss Jura Mountains and in Austria some live as low as 800 meters [2,600 ft], the natural habitat of the European marmot is in the Alps and in the Carpathian Mountains. However, they have also been introduced by man into the Black Forest in Germany, and the Jura, Auvergne and Pyrenees mountains in France. I am here referring to the marmots found in Europe and Siberia, but there are other species, such as the bobac that lives in the steppes of Russia and Turkey, and the woodchuck that lives in North America.

“Look, there’s one!” We all keep still and the marmot slowly emerges from its hole and comes into full view. We are close enough to see its dark-brown back, reddish-yellow belly and even its tiny ears. As it turns to face us, we can distinguish a pair of bulging eyes and two incisors revealing a cleft upper lip.

“Marmots have very sharp hearing,” whispers Hans, “but their eyesight is even more remarkable, for they have an estimated visual field of 300 degrees, including above, from where swoops their archenemy, the eagle.”

“Is the eagle their only enemy?”

“No, for they also have to reckon with foxes. Man also hunts the marmot for its fur and fat, but in most countries the hunting period is short and the hunters are forbidden to use traps or to dig animals out.”

“How does the marmot defend itself?” asks Jacqueline, moved at the thought of this poor little animal having to deal with such enemies.

“When it is cornered,” explains Hans, “marmots will face up to their enemy and will bite. However, they usually find safety in flight, for they never stray very far from one of their burrows.”

We can now understand why they need a watchman, like the one we saw sitting up when we arrived.

“However,” Hans adds, “marmots just love to squat on their haunches to eat. Various types of tender green grass and plants make up the best part of their diet, and if we were in a reserve where hunting is prohibited and where animals are used to visitors, we could even get close enough to stretch out our hand and feed one.”

The Marmot’s Bedchamber

Along the way, noticing that parts of the mountainside look like a piece of Swiss cheese, I inquire as to the reason.

Our guide replies: “That is typical of marmots. Their long hard claws are designed for digging. In addition to shallow escape holes, they also dig summer and winter burrows.”

Interrupting Hans, I ask: “Why are there two sorts of burrows?”

“First of all, marmots remain at high altitudes only during the summer and later make their way down to lower pastures to dig their winter burrows. At medium and lower altitudes, however, the two burrows may be very close to each other. The summer burrow may be some ten meters (over 30 ft) long and have several wider portions that serve as chambers. The burrow runs more or less parallel with the surface of the ground and about 50 to 90 centimeters (20 to 35 in.) down. This is where Mother Marmot, after a gestation period of 33 to 35 days, will give birth to a litter of two to four young.

“The winter burrow, on the other hand, is a model of subterranean architecture. The entrance gallery is consistently 15 centimeters (6 in.) wide; it may reach 10 meters (33 ft) in length and goes down to a depth of several meters before widening out into a large round cavity​—the bedchamber.”

“You mean they even provide a bedroom?” asks Jacqueline, flabbergasted.

“Yes, indeed, and quite a big one too. It is often over a meter wide and is lined with grass and dry leaves. There are even little openings that serve as latrines. In winter, the burrow is sealed off with a heap of excavated soil.”

The Long Sleep

“But that’s not all,” pursues Hans. “The most remarkable thing about marmots is their ability to hibernate. They go off to sleep toward the end of September and don’t wake up until April, or even later. We might be able to catch sight of one carrying some dry grass or hay in its jaws to line a bedchamber. Another interesting fact is that marmots purge before hibernating, by fasting and progressively emptying their bowels.”

“So their peaceful sleep goes undisturbed?”

“Yes. Once the burrow is sealed off, the animal will curl up and go to sleep, losing all consciousness and sense of feeling. It has been noted that they breathe only one to four times a minute instead of the usual 25 to 30 times. Also, their pulse rate drops from 90 to about 10 beats a minute, thus greatly reducing blood flow.”

“But isn’t there a danger of clotting?”

“It seems that a special mechanism sets off the production of heparin, an anticoagulant. However, this process is not too well understood. The body temperature may drop to around four degrees Celsius (39° F.) with no ill effects.”

“What happens if its temperature falls even lower?” Evidently Jacqueline wants to know everything.

“Another unexplained device will then awaken the animal, which immediately starts producing heat. The same thing occurs every three or four weeks when it wakes up to empty its bladder, after which it falls back into its former torpor. It is thought that this rise in body temperature is brought about by an influx of adrenaline in the bloodstream.”

Jacqueline is worried about their survival under such conditions: “What do they eat during all this time?”

“Marmot pie!” replies Hans with a laugh. “Let me explain. The animal draws upon its own fat and will lose from 25 to 50 percent of its initial weight.”

Time to Wake Up

“Is it the milder temperatures that wake the marmots up in May?”

“This is not considered to be the case, for the ambient temperature is often still very low, but for some unknown reason the marmot’s body temperature starts to rise, and it becomes a warm-blooded mammal once again. It is thus compelled to search for food, even digging its way out through the snow if necessary.”

We were left meditating on the aptness of the psalmist’s words: “How many your works are, O Jehovah! All of them in wisdom you have made.” (Psalm 104:24) Indeed, all we have just discovered about the marmot emphasizes God’s wisdom and encourages us to praise our Great Creator who made all things to perfection!

Acrostic Puzzle

Directions: Write the answers over the numbered lines and then transfer the letters individually to the corresponding spaces in the diagram. The puzzle reads across only. When the diagram is complete, it will spell out a scripture. The first letter of each answer will spell out the writer of the Bible book from which it is taken and also the place in which it was written. Solutions on page 27.

1. “Get out of her, my ․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․ .” (Revelation 18:4)

2. “․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․ and you will receive.” (John 16:24)

3. “The form of worship that is clean and ․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․.” (James 1:27)

4. “He will be like the fire of a refiner and like the ․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․ of laundrymen.” (Malachi 3:2)

5. “Jehovah let the heart of ․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․ the king of Egypt become obstinate.” (Exodus 14:8)

6. “One’s very tongue will ․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․ away in one’s mouth.” (Zechariah 14:12)

7. “He that approaches God must believe that he ․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․ and that he becomes the rewarder of those earnestly seeking him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

8. “Set up road marks for yourself. Place ․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․s for yourself.” (Jeremiah 31:21)

9. “Your people will ․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․ themselves willingly on the day of your military force.” (Psalm 110:3)

10. “Look! I am making all things ․․․․․․․․․․․․․․․.” (Revelation 21:5)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

ACROSTIC SOLUTIONS:

CLUE WORDS:

(1) people; (2) ask; (3) undefiled; (4) lye; (5) Pharaoh; (6) rot; (7) is; (8) signpost; (9) offer; (10) new.

When filled in, the grid contains a quotation from the Bible.

Young People Ask . . .

“How Can I Ever Grow Up if I Don’t Move Out?”

LIKE most youths, you probably look forward to the time when you will have the freedoms (and responsibilities!) of adulthood. Some, however, imagine that the best way to gain this independence is to go out on one’s own and experience life firsthand.

Admittedly, the challenges of ‘making it on my own’ have helped some youths mature rapidly. But does one really have to leave home to grow up? Are only those ‘out on their own’ capable of making adult decisions, of behaving responsibly? Not at all. The book Adolescence observes: “Simply moving out of the family home does not guarantee a successful transition [to adulthood]. Nor does staying at home imply the failure to grow up.” (Italics ours.) Many youths who leave home in search of independence actually end up economically and emotionally dependent upon their parents. On the other hand, many who choose to remain at home develop into mature, responsible adults. ‘But how can you grow up if you don’t go out on your own?’ some ask.

Growing Up​—What Is It?

For some youths, growing up means having their own money, job and apartment. But the Bible says differently. For example, when describing Samuel’s growth it says: “All the while the boy Samuel was growing bigger and more likable both from Jehovah’s standpoint and from that of men.” (1 Samuel 2:26) Quite a lot about growing up is conveyed here. First of all, to be “likable” to God, Samuel’s conduct must have been above reproach. (Psalm 15:1, 2) He must have prayed regularly and shown a “fondness” for God’s laws. (Psalm 119:16) Notice, too, that he was “likable” to men. He knew how to get along with people. So though just a boy, Samuel was in many ways grown up.

An adult, however, must also make his own decisions. Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs “to give to the inexperienced ones shrewdness, to a young man knowledge and thinking ability.” (Proverbs 1:4) Many youths, though out on their own, lack this “thinking ability.” They make decisions that harm them emotionally and spiritually. But, says Solomon: “When wisdom enters into your heart and knowledge itself becomes pleasant to your very soul, thinking ability itself will keep guard over you, discernment itself will safeguard you, to deliver you from the bad way.”​—Proverbs 2:10-12.

Having this “wisdom” and “thinking ability” is thus another mark of maturity. And often listening to and obeying the direction of your parents is the best way to attain it. For the Bible says, “The wisdom from above is first of all chaste, then peaceable, reasonable, ready to obey.” (James 3:17) But what if you are running into problems at home? Is it still possible to mature while living there?

‘Bearing the Yoke in Youth’

Life is mastered by facing problems squarely and endeavoring either to solve them or to deal with them. Nothing is gained by running away from situations that are not to our liking. For many youths, however, leaving home is merely an escape from parents they have difficulty getting along with or who they feel are too strict. The prophet Jeremiah, however, once said: “Good it is for an able-bodied man that he should carry the yoke during his youth.”​—Lamentations 3:27.

Mac, now 42 years old, recalls how difficult it was for him to live at home: “Dad worked on a construction gang and was gone most of the day. This meant we ended up doing farm chores as soon as we came home from school. When summer vacation came, Dad would take us with him on the job all day. I thought he was the meanest man alive for keeping us from playing and enjoying ourselves. Often I thought, ‘If only I could get away from here and have my own place!’ “ But did ‘carrying the yoke’ prove “good” for Mac? He now says: “What Dad did for me was priceless. He taught me how to do hard work and endure hardship. Since then I’ve had far more serious problems to face, but I know how to face them head on.”

A Fool’s Paradise

Simply living at home, however, does not guarantee your maturing. Horst, who left home at 17, recalls: “Living at home with my folks was like living in a fool’s paradise. They did everything for me. I didn’t have to do any of the household chores. But when I moved away from home I had to start doing my own laundry. My clothes often came out faded or spotted.”

Part of growing up is learning how to do things for yourself. Unfortunately, though, many youths just do not see the value of pitching in and helping out around the house. Granted, taking out the garbage or doing the laundry is not as much fun as playing your favorite records. But what can result if you never learn how to do these things? You can become a helpless adult, thoroughly dependent upon your parents. Dr. Richard Robertiello thus advises youths to have a full share in household chores, as this is an “activity that encourages development of an autonomous, independent self.”

Are you (whether a young man or a young woman) preparing for eventual independence by learning how to cook, clean, iron or make household repairs? Now, you may have to take the initiative, especially if your folks are the type who like to do a lot of things for you. However, a young man named Timo who asked his parents to assign him a household chore says he was “astonished” at their positive reaction! Your parents might react similarly.

Economic Independence

Says 12-year-old Lucy: “Lots of times I think it’s unfair because parents don’t let you do what you want with your own money.” Youths often prefer making and handling their own money to living off an allowance, and having a part-time job can be a valuable experience.

But just as important as making money is managing it! Dr. Jerald Bachman of the Institute for Social Research notes that youths often spend their money on luxury items. Those with money to burn, however, often conclude that money is easy to come by and even easier to spend. What a rude awakening they are in for when they move out on their own! Recalls Horst (previously mentioned): “By the end of the month both my wallet and my cupboard were empty.”

So learn how to handle money while you are living at home. And your parents might be superb teachers. They have had years of experience doing this and can often help you avoid many pitfalls. Now, they may hesitate to tell you how much money they make, but they are probably more than willing to tell you how much they have to spend. The book Pulling Up Roots suggests asking them such questions as: ‘How much does it cost each month for electricity? Heat? Water? Telephone? What kind of taxes do we pay? What rent do we pay?’ You may be shocked to learn that working youths often have more pocket money than their parents! So if you are working, offer to make a reasonable contribution to the upkeep of the household.

Learn Before You Leave

No, you do not need to leave home to grow up. But you must work hard while there to develop good judgment and levelheadedness. ‘Kindness, goodness, mildness and self-control’ will also make you likable to both God and men. (Galatians 5:22, 23) But you must take the time to study the Bible and Bible-based publications. Learn, too, how to get along with others. Prove that you can take criticism, failure or disappointment. These traits are the true marks of a grown Christian man or woman.

In time circumstances may lead to your leaving home​—perhaps you get married or the opportunity to expand your service to God arises. But if you have truly grown up, your leaving home will not be a plunge into disaster. What you have learned there will prove to be a solid foundation for further growth. And though your leaving may even further sever the bonds of dependency, the bonds of love and affection between you and your parents will be forever intact.

[Picture on page 22]

Home can be a fool’s paradise if you put forth no effort to help out around the house

[Picture on page 23]

Our parents have had years of experience in handling money and can often teach us a great deal

Why I Laid Down the Sculptor’s Tools

THE year is 1950. A mountain road winds down among the fir trees, with occasional clearings that provide majestic views. At a magnificent spot high above the valley and overhung with a wooded rocky cliff, a small team (including me) are perched on scaffolding. We are chiseling away at large blocks of stone assembled to form a mass 15 meters (50 ft) high. A human form is starting to take shape. But what is it to be? A memorial to the Maquisards (French resisters) that fell in their fight against the Nazis. For this region, situated halfway between Lyons and Geneva, at the southern end of the French Jura Mountains, was the scene of much fighting during World War II.

Later I took up a new profession. Yet I still feel a pull on my heartstrings whenever I hear workmen hammering away at stonework. How did I come to lay down the tools of the trade I cherished?

A Passion From Youth On

My favorite recollections from as far back as I can remember are of times spent modeling or drawing. I excelled in art and handicraft classes, resulting in my enrollment in the Lyons Art School in 1945, when I was 17. There I learned the different techniques involved in the art of sculpturing. We were taught to make facsimiles of the “Venus of Milo,” the “Nike (or, Victory) of Samothrace,” one of the slaves sculptured by Michelangelo, and so forth. We also learned to work from live models. Basically this consisted of executing clay copies of busts, trunks or the entire human body. This we did in the round, that is to say, in three dimensions unattached to a background, a method to be distinguished from bas-relief, in which figures are carved on a flat surface, projecting only a little from the background.

Under the watchful eye of Monsieur Bertola, a famous master sculptor, we also learned how to balance volume harmoniously, capture the rhythm of graceful silhouettes and control the play of light by varying the rounded forms and hollows. Every afternoon during the last school year, we were trained in the studio in the art of stone carving. This branch was to become my speciality.

Early in 1950, I began part-time work in a religious art studio, at the same time continuing my studies in sculpture. I stayed there only a few months because the man in charge had artistic conceptions that were very different from mine.

How I Was Taught

I will try to outline briefly how I was taught to carve a statue. The sculptor starts with a few sketches enabling him to estimate form and proportion. He then makes a rough, reduced clay model that will allow him to determine the main shape and structure of the work. The next step is the most important and the longest, for it is the making of a clay model, usually full scale, of what the finished statue will look like. A plaster cast of this fragile clay model must be made before it dries and cracks. This cast may then be copied in marble or some other type of stone.

Our plaster model was on a one-to-five scale, making it three meters (10 ft) high. The little team consisted of two experienced stone carvers who did most of the rough hewing, and two assistants who, like me, continued on with the work to the point where the master sculptor could put the finishing touches on.

Work on the spot continued for over three months. We did everything ourselves, from putting up scaffolding to forging the different chisels and points. In this way, we acquired much skill in the art of handling hammers, especially working alongside such practiced stone carvers. Work here was a far cry from the studio, where fine chiseling requiring only light hammering with a few supple wrist movements was performed and where the stone, placed at the correct level, was on a revolving stand for easier handling.

I particularly remember the trouble we had in getting the scaffolding to stay close to the rock we were sculpturing, especially toward the top of the monument. The tall wooden scaffolding poles had a tendency to give to a certain extent. This complicated things, especially when I was trying to chisel out the lady’s delicate hairline, 15 meters (50 ft) above the ground. The flimsy platform wobbled, and I had the impression that the statue moved backward every time I hit the chisel!

However, we learned to become as agile as monkeys and took a mischievous pleasure in inviting visitors to come up and take a closer look at our handiwork. As a rule, by the time they got up there and discovered the impressive setting and shaky planks underfoot, their minds were absorbed with everything but our masterpiece! It must also be admitted that a close-up of a 40-centimeter (16-in.) nose or ear is not particularly inspiring!

Spiritual Longing Satisfied

I was not making as much progress spiritually as I was professionally. I had been brought up a Catholic but had much difficulty in accepting certain doctrines, especially transubstantiation, the belief that Christ’s literal body is served at Mass. I often had discussions with my priest. One day, having run out of arguments, he told me I reasoned like a Protestant. Considering myself to be spiritually disabled, I prayed to God for faith.

I was still of the same mind in August 1950, when I came across a book called Let God Be True. Knowing my interest in spiritual matters, my mother had obtained it from Jehovah’s Witnesses a year before. At that time I had just leafed through it and put it on a bookshelf. Now, as I started reading it, I just could not drop it. I read it from cover to cover. Upon discovering the different Bible doctrines, I began to realize that all my questions from years back were now being answered. I immediately wrote to the Paris office of Jehovah’s Witnesses for more details.

One evening, in September, a Witness came to our house and asked my mother if I was home. She explained that I was never there during the week. This was so, for I was working as assistant to the Lyons sculptor Charles Machet. For several weeks now we had been working away on an enormous sculpture to the glory of the Maquis of the Ain department, in the lower Jura Mountains. It represented a woman appearing to emerge from a cliff and breaking her chains. The following words of the French poet Aragon were engraved on the side: “Où je meurs renaît la patrie” (“Where I fall, the fatherland rises again”).

The Acid Test

Every weekend we all returned home to Lyons, and that is where I met Jehovah’s Witnesses. One Saturday my mother told me they would be coming, and come they did​—right on time. We had a long but lively conversation, and I bombarded them with questions concerning the Trinity, the origin of evil, the end of the world, and so forth. They would consistently use the Bible when replying, and arrangements were made to start a study.

In November 1950, having finished work on the enormous sculpture in the lower Jura, I resumed classes at the Lyons Art School. During this period I started studying the Bible, spending many hours learning about God’s purposes. However, after my initial enthusiasm, the discussions frequently became stormy.

The acid test was the study of the Ten Commandments. I balked at the second one, recorded in Exodus 20:4, 5: “Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them . . . for I Jehovah thy God am a jealous God.”​—American Standard Version.

Of course, I replied that I only made religious statues and memorials; I did not worship them. I was merely earning my living. Roger and Yolande, the Witnesses who were studying with me at the time, used the same reasoning as second-century writer Tertullian, considered a church father. He wrote: “To begin with, that speech, wont to be cast in our teeth, ‘I have nothing else whereby to live,’ may be more severely retorted, ‘You have, then, whereby to live?’ . . . ‘I make,’ says one, ‘but I worship not;’ as if there were some cause for which to dare not worship. . . . The arts have other species withal to afford means of livelihood, without outstepping the path of discipline. . . . For how much more easily does he who delineates [sketches out] a statue overlay a sideboard!”​—On Idolatry, chapters 5, 6, 8.

In time I was obliged to admit that I would have to give up making sculptures connected with religion, or even with the dead, for this amounted to ‘rendering sacred service to the creation rather than the One who created.’ (Romans 1:25) This development severely cut down on the number of orders I could accept in order to earn a living. Yet, at the same time, I shared Tertullian’s view that I could use my art “without outstepping the path of discipline.”

Ups and Downs

I was still of the same mind when, in March 1951, I learned that the municipality of Saint-Étienne (a large town not far from Lyons) was searching for an art teacher to give lessons in modeling and stone sculpture. The candidate was to be selected according to qualifications and by means of a practical test. I thought that this job would be ideal and applied for the post. Unfortunately, I was turned down due to my poor health record, for in 1948 I had been treated for tuberculosis.

This was a bitter disappointment, but Roger and Yolande sustained and comforted me, and I started attending meetings at the local Kingdom Hall. An important step came in 1951 when I attended the Witnesses’ first postwar national convention for France, held in Paris. I was just bubbling over with enthusiasm and felt completely adopted as part of that happy throng of conventioners. I went out in the preaching work for the first time, and when I came back I had already made a firm decision to dedicate my life to Jehovah.

Upon arriving back home, I found a letter from the municipality of Saint-Priest in the Lyons area ordering a fresco on a model that I had submitted. The bas-relief was based on the theme of education and was to decorate a school complex then under construction. This was welcome news, for it would keep me occupied for several months and would help me break with my old acquaintances. During that time, I attended local meetings more regularly. A few weeks later, in November 1951, I was baptized.

Up until then, my father had made heavy sacrifices so that I could learn the difficult art of sculpture, and he just could not understand why I no longer put all my efforts into securing a career. So I was obliged to leave home. Moreover, once my work on the fresco was finished and the wages were used up, it became impossible to accept the few orders that were now coming in, because of my stand on Bible principles.

I finally faced up to the decision that I had always postponed​—so unbearable it seemed to me. Yes, I abandoned my beloved passion and stopped making things “sculptured by the art and contrivance of man.” (Acts 17:29) I then accepted office work in an insurance company with which I am still working today, 30 years later.

I do not regret my choice, for it has resulted in many blessings for both my family and me as part of Jehovah’s people. But even to this day, I will not go near anything to do with sculpture for fear that my old passion might be aroused. However, I am awaiting Jehovah’s promised New Order in hopes that my art might find some useful outlet. If so, I will joyfully pick up the sculptor’s tools and resume my work with hammer and chisel, only this time to Jehovah’s glory.​—Contributed by Dominique Aimo-Boot.

From Our Readers

Resisting Rapists

I wish to express my gratitude for the article entitled “They Resisted Rapists.” (February 22, 1984) A short time back while on my way home at about 8:15 p.m. I was attacked by a man. The aforementioned article came to mind immediately. After some time, when I wouldn’t comply with his request to be quiet I screamed again, this time “Jehovah help!” My assailant let go of me and walked away. Without your article I would not as readily have been able to protect myself.

L. G., Canada

I appreciate the articles in your magazine, especially the one on rape. As a teacher in the public school, I was able to share that information with the whole class. Many were quite surprised and now have a new attitude about rape.

A. C., Virginia

They Love It That Way

In your article “They Love It That Way!” (January 22, 1983) you forgot one group: yourselves, Jehovah’s Witnesses. Undisputedly your criticism of today’s governments is justified. But I find fault with you for not even trying to do it better. You are bound to have sufficient morally and professionally qualified people who could with good conscience accept positions in community administration and for whom a person could vote without need of anxiety. Your continual references to tomorrow’s new order does not excuse your behavior today at a time when this new order does not yet exist. It is not God’s will that everyone be allowed to carry on his atrocities without hindrance. It is therefore the duty of those recognizing this fact to take steps to change this. That is, unless we love it that way.

M. Z., Federal Republic of Germany

We agree that all who put faith in God’s coming New Order need to live their lives now in accord with his righteous principles. Jehovah’s Witnesses are known worldwide for being honest, hardworking people who are conscientious, dependable, law abiding and considerate of others. They also spend much of their free time teaching these important Bible principles to others, helping others to benefit by living in accord with Bible principles. On the other hand, Jesus Christ himself emphasized that his followers should not get involved in political affairs of this present world, stating to them: “You are no part of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.” (John 15:19) When Jesus fed a multitude, certain men were about to seize him and make him king, but Jesus withdrew from them. (John 6:14, 15) He stated the principle that one does not sew a new patch on an old garment, nor does one pour new wine into old wineskins. (Matthew 9:16, 17) When he was arrested, Jesus could have involved his disciples and even angels in his defense, but he stated when before Pilate: “My kingdom is no part of this world.” (John 18:36; Matthew 26:52, 53) As to the conditions in this world, Jehovah’s Witnesses definitely do not “love it that way,” and this is shown in their example and activities worldwide. In this they follow Jesus’ commands and example.​—ED.

Watching the World

Possible Deadly Mistake

● Many European computer specialists and scientists are publicly expressing fear of “nuclear warfare by mistake.” Computer problems and false alarms of the American air defense control in recent years, coupled with the “considerable decrease in time available for early warning within Europe,” have caused the experts to rise up in opposition. According to the magazine Computerwoche, a group of German professors is preparing to make a constitutional complaint against the Federal Government over the use of electronic systems designed to retaliate within a few minutes with a nuclear counterstrike. According to the professors, these are “semi-automatic or automatic reaction systems backed up by computers that, because of technical errors or human failure, are immensely unreliable and could therefore lead to nuclear warfare by mistake.”

Leading Sex Disease

● “Chlamydia, a little-known, often misdiagnosed and mistreated infection, is causing a national epidemic of venereal disease,” reports The New York Times. “It now far surpasses gonorrhea as the leading sexually transmitted disease in the United States.” Said to affect between three and ten million people a year, it can cause infertility in men, sterility in women and conjunctivitis and pneumonia in newborn infants as well as in adults. Swedish researchers have discovered that a single attack of chlamydia is three times more likely to cause sterility in women than gonorrhea is. Young women are particularly susceptible to reproductive damage from the infection. Unfortunately, as its name indicates (from the Greek “to cloak”), an estimated 60 to 80 percent of the women who have it have no symptoms and may not seek treatment until serious difficulties occur. And often, thinking it is gonorrhea, the physician will prescribe the wrong drugs​—suppressing the disease but not eradicating it.

First Sumerian Dictionary

● The first dictionary of the Sumerian language, spoken some 4,000 years ago, is starting to be printed. Scholars at the University of Pennsylvania recently announced the completion of the first volume. The painstaking work was begun in 1976. When finished, the dictionary is expected to have at least 22 volumes and contain some 16,000 entries. “I’ll probably be dead before it’s finished,” said Professor Ake Sjoberg, the 59-year-old editor of the dictionary. Writing in cuneiform on clay tablets, the ancient Sumerians​—inhabitants of the valley between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers about 2000 B.C.E.​—were very prolific writers. “They wrote down everything,” says Erle Leichty, the dictionary’s coeditor. “We have more from the Sumerians than from any culture in history before the invention of the printing press.” Some one million tablets have already been unearthed, most of which have been waiting to be deciphered.

Child Victims

● Children “are often the ones to suffer most, when parents fail to get along or have difficulties,” reports the German newspaper Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. An extensive study made in Germany’s state of North Rhine-Westphalia revealed that violence in “normal” families happens more often than is generally supposed. About 30,000 cases of severe child abuse are registered in the Federal Republic of Germany annually, and several hundred children are beaten to death. However, it is estimated that as many as 400,000 children are physically abused each year. In 80 percent of the cases investigated, the one doing the abusing either was related to the victim or came from the circle of family acquaintances. Injuries were often passed off as “a fall” or “proneness to bleeding.”

“Bad Luck” for Animals

● People may think it brings them “good luck” to toss coins to animals at the zoo, but this thoughtless practice brings no “good luck” to the animals themselves. Often they become victims of the coins when they swallow them. Two penguins at a Canadian zoo recently died when coins caught in their throats, and a third had to have surgery to remove a coin from its stomach. “A 35-year-old alligator had to be put to death after refusing to eat for a year,” said an editorial in The Globe and Mail of Toronto. “The post-mortem found 84 pennies, four nickels and three dimes in her stomach. Copper poisoning is suspected.” The editorial concluded: “There are times when people’s ignorance is literally breathtaking.”

Never Shake Infants

● Parents who are angry or upset with a child and are prone to reach for the child and “shake some common sense into him” are advised: Don’t shake the infant! This type of discipline can bring tragic results says Dr. David B. Horner, president of the California Medical Association. “Infants have very weak neck muscles and only gradually develop the strength to control their heavy heads,” he explains. “If they are shaken, their heads wobble rapidly back and forth . . . and it is this vigorous movement of the head which may cause brain damage and bleeding in and on the surface of the brain . . . even to 4-year-olds.” As reported in Parade Magazine, the Shaken Infant Syndrome, as it is called, can cause “brain damage, mental retardation, spinal cord injury, eye damage, even death.”

East-West Relations

● Relations between the United States and the Soviet Union are at their worst since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, with little prospect for improving, according to the annual review of world developments by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. The group indicates that current situations increase the “risks that dangerous posturing and miscalculation might draw them into direct conflict.” No improvement was seen due to the combination of the election year in the United States and the new leader in Moscow.

Beavers Best

● When spring flooding regularly erodes the banks of a stream and the surrounding areas are flooded, building a dam to control the problem can be costly​—up to $100,000. So when faced with the problem of controlling Wyoming’s Currant Creek, the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) hit upon the perfect solution: Use beavers. Since there were no trees around for the beavers to use, the BLM helped by bringing in aspens and by wiring truck tires together to make a foundation in the stream. The beavers did the rest, the stream has been slowed and now only widens by about 50 feet in the spring. And as silt settled behind the dams, grass and willows were restored along the banks​—all at a cost of less than $3,000. Now officials are planning to use beavers to restore the ecological balance along streams in other states.

Reducing Cancer Risk

● Recent studies have shown that the risk of certain kinds of cancer can be drastically reduced by simple dietary changes. One study showed the incidence of cancer of the esophagus to be greatly reduced by good nutrition alone. Another showed that the risk of cancer of the mouth and pharynx could be reduced by increased fruit and vegetable consumption. “The dietary patterns that substantially reduced risks in these studies did not require the use of high-dosage food or vitamin supplements,” said Regina Ziegler of the National Cancer Institute. “A moderate increase in consumption of certain common food groups was all that was necessary.” Studies are now under way to evaluate the role of diet in other types of cancer.

Bloodless Surgery for Infants

● “‘Bloodless’ open-heart surgery, originally developed for adult members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses,” reports the medical journal Cardiovascular News, “now has been safely adapted for use in delicate cardiac procedures in infants and children.” The techniques developed were tried on 48 pediatric patients, aged three months to eight years, in correcting a variety of heart defects. “All 48 patients tolerated the procedure well and, in comparison to conventional surgery, the bloodless technique resulted in less blood loss and less strain on the kidneys and lungs,” says the report, and “renal function proved to be statistically better in the patients undergoing the bloodless procedure.” The technique has been adopted now as routine procedure for pediatric patients.

Pope Video Star

● Anyone who can arrange a private audience with the pope can now have a videotape of the event. According to Parade Magazine, for an agreed fee a CTV (Centro Televisivo Vaticano) crew “will film your arrival in Rome; your entrance into the Vatican, with its picturesque Swiss Guards saluting you smartly; and . . . your audience with John Paul II.” Other video cassettes that can be purchased include the 1983 visit of the pope to Lourdes and one called “The Pardon,” showing the pope’s visit with the man who shot him, Ali Agca, in a Rome jail. “Plans are also under way,” says Parade Magazine, “to videotape the Pope’s Wednesday services for the general public and to sell souvenir video cassettes the following morning to those who attend.”

Now 1,785 Languages!

● That is the number of languages that the Bible has been published in up to the end of 1983, according to an announcement by the UBS (United Bible Societies). This is 24 more languages than the preceding year. The figure of 1,785 is broken down this way: The whole Bible​—283 languages; the “New Testament”​—572 languages; various individual Bible books​—930 languages.

Eyeing Each Other

● Feeling that educational standards in American schools should be raised, critics of the American educational system have been admiring the stricter Japanese system. At the same time, Japanese educators have been casting an approving eye on the more relaxed American schooling. As Dr. Ernest L. Boyer, head of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in the United States, said: “We’re impressed by [Japan’s] clear standards and tough curriculum, and their systematic evaluation and close community support.” On the other hand, he said, “they’re looking for ways to free themselves from restrictions we seem to admire.” The New York Times reported that Japanese educators, worried about the effects of the intense pressures of their national tests on the children, have urged a relaxation of the tough requirements; while those in the United States, which lacks a system of national measurement, are calling for more tests and greater rigor in their schools. The quest, said Dr. Boyer, is for a better balance between the two.

Saving the Environment

● International scientists and scholars, following a conference sponsored by the World Resource Institute, issued a statement calling for the nations to work together to protect the earth’s biological systems and environment. As reported in The New York Times, they declared: “The era we are entering is new in human experience in that for the first time the human species has the capability to alter the environment on a global scale and within the span of a single generation.” The statement outlined goals necessary to stabilize the global environment and ensure continuance of the earth’s natural resources, warning that “if we remain inactive, whether through pessimism or complacency, we shall only make certain the darkness that many fear.”

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