March 8

Page Two

The threat of nuclear destruction being rained down on earth from the sky is now more than a remote possibility. Is this a fulfillment of Jesus’ words that there “will be fearful sights and from heaven great signs”? The following articles provide helpful information on this question

Has This Generation Seen ‘Sign From Heaven’? 3

‘Signs From Heaven’​—A Cause for Gloom? 5

Has This Generation Seen ‘Signs From Heaven’?

SOME oldsters of this generation can recall the early years of aviation following Orville Wright’s successful flight in 1903. Back then the airplane was viewed as a big toy. It provided adventure for pilots and entertainment for crowds of onlookers.

But in 1911 Italy began using airplanes to drop grenades on Turkish troops. Then came 1914. “The circus-and-carnival era of man flight ended abruptly with the outbreak of World War I in 1914,” states the Encyclopædia Britannica. “The millions that belligerent governments were willing to pay aircraft designers suddenly made aviation big business.”

Air Warfare Begins

From the very start of the war, European nations used airplanes to spy on one another. But on August 26, 1914, a Russian aircraft was purposely rammed into an invading Austrian plane. Both pilots were killed. That same day, three British aircraft surrounded a German reconnaissance plane and forced it to land. Clearly, the nations had begun to make war in the air. On October 5, 1914, a French pilot took off with a hand-held machine gun with which he shot down a German plane. Soon airplanes were fitted with machine guns, resulting in frightening air fights. By the end of the war, well over 10,000 men had lost their lives in these encounters.

Still more terrifying was the sight of bombs falling from aircraft. On October 8, 1914, two British planes bombed strategic targets in Cologne and Düsseldorf. Then, in December 1914, Germany commenced air raids on Britain. “Bombing raids became more fearsome as the war progressed,” writes Susanne Everett in the book World War I​—An Illustrated History.

In his book Flyers and Flying, Aidan Chambers sums up the significance of the airplane in World War I: “The aeroplane had come of age in an orgy of destruction. Over the battlefields of France lay the tortured wreckage of many an aerial combat; London and other cities, towns and villages had been bombed; ships had been attacked from the sky. War . . . was changed completely by the arrival of the flying men in their incredible machines.”

Many saw in these and other war developments a fulfillment of the Bible prophecy: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; . . . and there will be fearful sights and from heaven great signs.” (Luke 21:10, 11) A parallel account of this prophecy adds the words: “All these things are a beginning of pangs of distress.”​—Matthew 24:7, 8.

“The Beginning of the Birthpangs”?

Did World War I with its ‘fearful sights and great signs from heaven’ prove to be “only the beginning of the birthpangs,” as The Jerusalem Bible expresses it? History answers yes. Well over a million tons of bombs were dropped from earth’s immediate heavens during World War II. Among these were blockbusters and other six-ton devices that could penetrate about 16 feet (5 m) of solid concrete.

Imagine the terror that struck the hearts of Hamburg’s residents on the night in July 1943 when a swarm of some 700 heavy aircraft bombed their city. This was repeated two nights later, causing a firestorm that claimed over 40,000 victims. “A stream of haggard, terrified refugees flowed into the neighbouring provinces,” wrote Adolf Galland. “The Terror of Hamburg spread rapidly to the remotest villages of the Reich.”

Warsaw, London, Coventry, Berlin, Dresden, Tokyo, and many other cities, suffered from intense bombing. One Tokyo air raid caused a firestorm that proved even more destructive than the one in Hamburg. It claimed over 80,000 lives. After repeated air raids millions fled the city. “Tokyo’s population went from five million to two and a third million,” records historian Jablonski. A Japanese woman says: “Whenever I hear the siren of a fire truck or see logs crackling in a fireplace, my heart pounds and I relive those days of childhood terror.”

World War II introduced terrifying new weaponry. In the last year of the war, Germany began firing V-2 rockets loaded with one-ton warheads. Traveling 3,500 miles per hour (5,600 km/​hr) at impact, these reached British soil only about five minutes after being launched. Then the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing over a hundred thousand people outright. “Allied to the atomic bomb,” explains the Encyclopædia Britannica, “the V-2 foreshadowed the intercontinental ballistic missiles [ICBMs] of the postwar era.”

After the war, the nations developed even more destructive nuclear weapons. There was a feverish testing of these before the signing of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963. Nuclear bombs were even exploded in space. Regarding one such experiment, Dr. Mitton writes in his book Daytime Star​—The Story of Our Sun: “The Starfish explosion of July 1962 produced a radiation belt that persisted for several years. The folly of this exercise was brought home forcefully when it was realized that several expensive satellites had thereby been effectively wrecked.”

The 1963 treaty limited the testing of nuclear weapons, but it did not prevent the superpowers from making more of these bombs. Neither did it prevent them from improving methods of delivering them. Commenting on this, Dr. Jastrow wrote in Science Digest: “When the Germans were raining V-2s on Britain 40 years ago, they thought they were doing well if a rocket came within 10 miles [16 km] of its target. . . . The warheads on Soviet and American ICBMs in operational use today land within about 300 yards [270 m] of their targets after flights of many thousands of miles.”

Dr. Jastrow went on to describe new warheads having radar eyes and electronic brains. Called “smart warheads,” these are said to “land within 25 yards [23 m] of their targets on the average.” It is believed that “smart warheads” could be fitted onto intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Would you not agree that what started back in 1914 was “only the beginning of the birthpangs”? Man’s use of “heaven” has become increasingly deadly.

[Picture on page 4]

Nuclear bombs were tested in space before the signing of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

‘Signs From Heaven’​—A Cause for Gloom?

“Terribly effective weaponry could well be deployed in space by the year 2000, weaponry that can attack both satellites and space stations as well as targets here on Earth.”

THE above statement was made last year by the president of the International Academy of Astronautics. Space weaponry is not just talk. Already one of the superpowers has successfully tested an antisatellite weapon.

In a speech given on March 23, 1983, the president of the United States proposed the use of space-based weapons as a means of defense. This would require that a number of satellites be placed in orbit​—satellites with the ability to detect enemy missiles and the means to destroy them. Officially called the Strategic Defense Initiative, the plan has been nicknamed Star Wars.

One scientific journal describes it as “a great hope for the future,” one that would “lessen the awesome threat of nuclear weapons.” Another, the journal Nature, said: “The development of a star wars system makes the chances of reducing the number of nuclear weapons increasingly remote; if your enemy has a shield you need more arrows.” Similarly, an article in Scientific American described the “precipitous drop in global security” brought on by the nuclear age and suggested that if “an unrestrained contest in space weaponry” should follow, it would further reduce the “level of security.”

Gloomy Expectations Foretold

The insecurity experienced by our generation was foretold in the Bible when it said that men would “become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” (Luke 21:26) Many things cause people to “become faint out of fear” for earth’s future.

For example, a team of five scientists recently wrote on the subject “The Climatic Effects of Nuclear War” and said: “Recent findings by our group, confirmed by workers in Europe, the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., suggest that the long-term climatic effects of a major nuclear war are likely to be much severer and farther-reaching than had been supposed. In the aftermath of such a war vast areas of the earth could be subjected to prolonged darkness, abnormally low temperatures, violent windstorms, toxic smog and persistent radioactive fallout . . . Even in regions far from the conflict the survivors would be imperiled by starvation . . . and other dire consequences.”​—Scientific American, August 1984.

This global aftereffect of nuclear war is commonly called the nuclear winter. Not surprisingly, even people in the southern hemisphere feel alarm although they are far from the territory of the superpowers. In an editorial entitled “Armageddon,” the South African Medical Journal said: “The all-too-real possibility of global thermo-nuclear war makes all other risks to human health pale into insignificance. . . . In anything more extensive than a limited exchange of nuclear weapons, medical services as we know them would cease to exist. . . . At the present time, there is probably more general awareness of the dangers of a nuclear catastrophe than ever before.”

Gloomy expectations of mass destruction are not limited to the threat of nuclear war. Natural cosmic disasters, of one form or another, are a frequent topic in books and magazines. The prospect of a gigantic body striking the earth was the theme of a recent suspense film, Meteor. Even more recently, an African newspaper posed the question: “How safe is human life from destruction by stray asteroids or comets?” And the destruction of earth by the explosion of a large star, blasting a heavy dose of radiation toward our earth, has also been given as a possibility.

Need such speculations cause you gloom? And what about the real threat of nuclear war and its aftermath? Is there basis for believing that the earth and human life will keep surviving?

Reasons for Optimism

Predictions of mass extinction are often based on the belief that even if there is a Creator, he is not capable of maintaining his universe. But is such reasoning sound? Respecting Almighty God’s ability, the Bible psalmist was inspired to write: “Praise him, you sun and moon. Praise him, all you stars of light. Praise him, you heavens of the heavens . . . For he himself commanded, and they were created. And he keeps them standing forever, to time indefinite. A regulation he has given, and it will not pass away.”​—Psalm 148:3-6.

But, you may wonder, ‘What assurance does the Bible give that the earth, too, will stand forever?’ Note: “He [God] has founded the earth upon its established places; it will not be made to totter to time indefinite, or forever.” (Psalm 104:5) Thus the divine promise is: “The meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace. The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.” (Psalm 37:11, 29) Jesus Christ, in fact, quoted from Psalm 37, thereby showing that he firmly believed in an everlasting future for man on earth.​—Matthew 5:5.

Jesus even foretold the generation that would begin to see the fulfillment of God’s promises. Along with foretelling the present-day ‘great signs from heaven,’ he said that food shortages, pestilences, earthquakes, lawlessness, and other calamities would be features of the last days of this system of things. (Luke 21:10, 11; Matthew 24:6-12) Surely cause for gloom, one might conclude. But listen to Jesus: “As these things start to occur,” he said, “raise yourselves erect and lift your heads up, because your deliverance is getting near. . . . When you see these things occurring, know that the kingdom of God is near.”​—Luke 21:28-31.

Why this optimism? Because Jesus knew that it would not be necessary for his true followers to share the general “fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth.” (Luke 21:26) Rather, they could confidently lift up their heads because deliverance from all threats of calamity would be near. Such deliverance could never come through man-made political governments. But it will come by intervention of “the kingdom of God.” That is why Jesus taught his followers to pray: “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.”​—Matthew 6:9, 10.

But you may wonder: ‘When will this promised deliverance come?’ Respecting the generation that would start experiencing ‘great signs from heaven,’ Jesus said: “Truly I say to you, This generation will by no means pass away until all things occur.” Therefore, some of the 1914 generation who began to witness those “signs” will still be alive when God’s Kingdom takes full control of earth’s affairs.​—Luke 21:32.

Will You Be Among the Survivors?

You can survive this era of fear because Jesus said: “Keep awake, then, all the time making supplication that you may succeed in escaping all these things that are destined to occur, and in standing before the Son of man.” (Luke 21:36) Yes, you can “succeed in escaping.” But how?

First, it is necessary that you gain knowledge of God’s will and purpose. This requires serious reading and study of the Bible. Marvelous blessings result, as Jesus said: “Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need.” When you think about it, what greater cause for happiness is there than the assured hope of everlasting life? Jesus said in prayer to God: “This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.”​—Matthew 5:3; John 17:3.

But Bible knowledge in itself is not sufficient for a person to become a survivor of this epoch of fear. Jesus said: “Happy are those hearing the word of God and keeping it!” Yes, it is necessary to keep, or live in harmony with, God’s Word. In other words, we must keep doing the will of God. The Bible promises: “He that does the will of God remains forever.”​—Luke 11:28; 1 John 2:17.

The distributors of this magazine will be glad to assist you. They will be happy to demonstrate how you can study the Bible in your own home. The life-giving knowledge obtained can result in your gaining everlasting life in Paradise on earth. (Psalm 37:29) To be sure, there is a basis for viewing the future with optimism.

[Pictures on page 6]

What is your future​—A charred earth? Or a paradise?

[Pictures on page 8]

Jesus taught that ‘the meek shall inherit the earth’

One Wife or Many​—Does It Matter?

By “Awake!” correspondent in Nigeria

THE convention in Ibadan, Nigeria, had come to an end, and the joyous​—yet weary—​conventioners were heading home. A man named Johnson, however, stayed behind in the bamboo convention booth with his three wives and ten children. He was making arrangements to dissolve his polygamous marriage.

What Johnson and others heard at that convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses touched them so profoundly that they were moved to renounce an age-old part of African life: polygamy. But what did they hear? Was their decision to make this change based on purely practical considerations? Or were they somehow convinced that polygamy is wrong?

Polygamy Versus Monogamy

Some sincere people would question Johnson’s actions, no doubt due to the fact that polygamy exists in many cultures inside and outside of Africa. Many argue it has practical benefits. For example, where polygamy is illegal, adultery is often common. People thus, in effect, take on additional mates anyway​—through the process of divorce and remarriage. Plural marriages, however, are said to eliminate promiscuous extramarital relationships. Some even claim that polygamy is a protection against prostitution and venereal disease.

However, the main reasons polygamy persists are social, not moral. A polygamous household with many sons gives a man social prestige and security. His daughters eventually earn a sizable bride price, or dowry. In rural areas, children and wives work on the farm, increasing the family’s wealth. African men are thus under pressure to marry many wives. For example, an African man named Moses stated: “I had decided to marry only my first wife. But seeing that she bore me only a daughter, my father insisted that I take a second wife, saying: ‘How can you have only one child? A daughter at that!’”

In spite of such seemingly persuasive arguments, though, polygamy has serious inherent problems. Having many wives does not stop immorally inclined men from having extramarital affairs. Nor are women always happy with the idea of sharing a husband; some have resorted to prostitution. Polygamous marriage is often, therefore, little protection against venereal disease.

And there are other disadvantages. Moses recalls: “My father had five wives and much trouble because the women were constantly fighting and trying to harm one another.” This is the reason Moses originally wanted only one wife. With reference to Johnson, who was mentioned at the outset, his son Rufus further observes: “There used to be fights among my father’s wives over cooking and other work. They also fought over the disciplining of the children. Then there was the matter of jealousy. They hated to share their husband. This made life quite miserable for all of us.”

Closeness is therefore lacking in polygamous families. The man relates to the family as an overlord rather than as husband and father. Training and disciplining of his many children is usually left to the wives with their conflicting methods and standards. Children grow up in a loose, even confused, institutional arrangement rather than in warmth and intimacy.

A More Important Consideration

Many argue that God approves of such an arrangement, since he permitted polygamy among the ancient Israelites. True, the Bible shows that some outstanding servants of God had many wives. Polygamy, however, did not start among God’s people. Remember that he created just one wife for the first man, Adam, “as a complement of him.” (Genesis 2:18-24) It was not until violent Lamech came on the scene that we read of polygamy. He took two wives. But the specific mention of this suggests that it was an unusual thing in human society even at that time.​—Genesis 4:19-24.

Later on, men like Noah, his three sons, and Lot practiced monogamy. But what of Abraham? Until he was at least 85 years old, Abraham confined his sexual relations to his wife Sarah. But because she failed to bear children, Sarah invoked ancient custom and suggested a substitutionary arrangement. Her maid Hagar would bear him a child for her. (Genesis 16:1-11) There is no indication, though, that Abraham had further relations with Hagar after he fathered her son Ishmael. Indeed, Jehovah continued to speak of Sarah exclusively as Abraham’s “wife,” but of Hagar as his “slave girl.” Furthermore, Abraham later dismissed Hagar from his household.​—Genesis 17:19; 21:8-16.

Polygamy, however, was already a fixture in many tribal societies. So when the Law later given to Moses discussed polygamy, it was not introducing something new. The Law simply regulated an existing institution and prevented its abuse. This it did by regulations and restrictions, which tended to discourage plural marriages. (Exodus 21:9-11; Deuteronomy 21:15-17; 1 Samuel 21:3-5; 2 Samuel 11:11) Consequently the majority of Israelites were not polygamists. Polygamy was practiced mainly by the wealthy and the ruling class. Jehovah did warn, however, that the king should “not multiply wives for himself, that his heart may not turn aside.” (Deuteronomy 17:17) And Jehovah consistently spoke of model marriages in terms of a single wife.​—Psalm 128:3; Proverbs 5:18; 31:10-31.

No, Jehovah did not institute polygamy. It had his approval no more than did divorce, which was also practiced by his people.​—Malachi 2:14-16.

Polygamy and Christianity

Jesus observed: “Moses, out of regard for your hardheartedness, made the concession to you of divorcing your wives, but such has not been the case from the beginning.” (Matthew 19:8) The same can be said of polygamy. It was not “the case from the beginning.” “Did you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will stick to his wife, and the two will be one flesh’? So that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has yoked together let no man put apart.”​—Matthew 19:4-6.

Jesus thus confirmed the original standard for marriage. (Matthew 19:3-8) The Bible further shows that an overseer in the Christian congregation must, if married, be “a husband of one wife.” Likewise, the “widow” should also have been the “wife of one husband.” This is further evidence that monogamy is the standard for all Christians. Overseers, as “examples to the flock,” cannot claim that their position of oversight entitles them to a standard for marriage different from the one for others in the congregation. (1 Timothy 3:2; 5:9; 1 Peter 5:3) So Christian options are clearly either singleness or monogamy. Either is perfectly acceptable to God. (1 Corinthians 7:8, 9) Polygamy, though, is quite out of the question.

This divine standard gives dignity to both men and women. Married women need not anxiously fear that their husbands will take secondary wives. Nor does a single Christian woman contemplate becoming someone’s secondary wife​—even when there are few unmarried men locally. She waits until she can “have her own husband.” (1 Corinthians 7:2) Yes, marriage mates truly belong to each other. They can unitedly provide a wholesome and balanced family life for their children.​—1 Peter 3:7; Ephesians 5:21-31; 6:1-4.

The Christian Standard

It was these basic facts that moved Johnson, back in 1947, to make drastic changes in his life. His son Rufus recalls: “My father sent two of his wives back to their parents. He provided for their maintenance but left no opening to be enticed to resume living with them. He wanted to obey God’s requirements.”

It was not easy for Johnson to give up his polygamous life. Doing so involved serious moral, emotional, and cultural adjustments. More was involved than choosing between two social systems. It was a matter of obeying God and becoming free to serve him. So while Johnson’s polygamous arrangement may have brought him and his wives certain material benefits, remaining in it debarred all of them from gaining God’s favour.

Many have followed Johnson’s courageous course. Théodore, for example, says: “I was attending the meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses and wanted to be baptized. But I had eight wives. How could I send away seven of them? I lived in that situation for five years, praying to Jehovah to help me out of it. I continued to study the Bible and associate with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Gradually my increasing knowledge of God’s Word and my desire to please him strengthened me to make the right decision. I explained to my wives that the Bible says that my first wife is the ‘wife of my youth’ and that I should remain married to her alone. (Malachi 2:14-16) I then dismissed the seven junior ones from my home and provided separate accommodations for them and their 12 children. So I brought my life into harmony with Christian standards and realized my desire to serve Jehovah. My former wives, too, were now free to serve Jehovah acceptably and to get married again if they chose to.”

Results Despite Opposition

Such changes often brought strong opposition from relatives and neighbours. Warigbani’s experience illustrates this: “I was the second of my husband’s two wives and had two children for him. When I learned that the first wife is the rightful wife in the eyes of the Creator, these questions confronted me: Should I leave my husband? If I did and was allowed to take the children, how would I feed them and me? Should I suppress my conscience and deprive myself of this great joy of finding the true religion? You see, I was studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. I prayed to Jehovah for help.

“When I told my husband that I had to leave and wanted to take the children, he became very angry and refused to listen to me. Finally I was allowed to go with the children, but without any financial assistance​—not even transport fare.

“Next I had to face the wrath of my own family. They said I was mad. My brother called me a ‘prodigal daughter’ and laughed at me. But I kept preaching to them and, after some time, several of them started to study the Bible. Now five of these family members are joining me in serving Jehovah. True, I have had to do without many things I used to enjoy. I have to work hard in order to earn a living for myself and my two children. But the joy of knowing the truth and obeying it surpasses material things. Wealth cannot be compared to pleasing Jehovah.”

Moses similarly concludes: “I now have the joy of a clean, harmonious family relationship. My children have grown up to be dedicated, faithful worshipers of Jehovah. This has made me very happy.”

Reflecting on how Johnson’s action brought benefits, his son Rufus says: “There were no more fights in the house, and my father was able to give us close supervision and training in harmony with the Bible’s teachings. He became a pioneer [full-time preacher] for the greater part of 20 years, and remained faithful to Jehovah until his death two years ago.”

Do you wish to learn more about God’s standards? We invite you to ask Jehovah’s Witnesses to study the Bible with you. They will be pleased to tell you about the coming Paradise earth where God’s standards will prevail!​—Isaiah 11:9.

[Blurb on page 10]

In polygamy a woman must share her marriage mate with others

[Picture on page 11]

In monogamy marriage mates truly belong to each other and they can unitedly provide a wholesome family life for their children

“Mission England”​—A Missed Opportunity

By “Awake!” correspondent in Britain

FOR British newspapers to devote over 50,000 column inches to reporting religion​—any religion—​must be something of a record. “Mission England,” a crusade sponsoring Billy Graham and Luis Palau during the hot summer of 1984, certainly hit the headlines. Rallies in six key cities countrywide were coordinated with a London campaign to attract tens of thousands of people. Why was a crusade deemed necessary? How did the British respond to American-style evangelism? What did “Mission England” actually accomplish?

For ten years the idea of inviting Dr. Graham to England had been considered, but as recently as in 1980 prominent church leaders made no secret of their opposition. Undoubtedly they remembered Billy Graham’s last major crusade in 1967, after which one survey revealed that only 5 percent of those who made a public declaration and began to attend church were still doing so a year later.

Nevertheless, with Britain in something of a spiritual slump, others gave unqualified support to the plans. “Britain needs spiritual renewal,” urged Methodist “Mission England” chairman, Lord Tonypandy. David Sheppard, Bishop of Liverpool, pointed out: “There’s a lot of people, both members of the churches and on the fringe of the churches . . . who need that challenge to get off the fence and commit themselves to be followers of Jesus Christ.” So what was there to lose? Eventually, as The Times pointed out, “Mission England” turned “into a bandwagon that most church leaders were happy to climb on to.”

But even as the mission got under way, there was no letup in criticism from clergymen. The Sunday Telegraph reported that Richard Jones, head of the Methodist Church in East Anglia, decried the “crude doctrine” and “crude style” presented by both Graham and Palau. Added Methodist leader Lord Soper: “I dislike their methods and advertising very much.” Why? What were the problems?

Promotion and Personalities

Religion for the average Englishman is a very personal matter. Seldom is it discussed even in private, and public debate is rare. Therefore, the orchestration of a public crusade to promote religion goes against the national grain. A generally approving Liverpool Daily Post nevertheless commented: “Saturday night’s performance​—for that is what it was—​was unabashed American-style evangelism, perceived elsewhere as pure showbusiness.”

Others took exception to the strong emphasis on personalities. “It is Dr. Graham who is billed as the star attraction, and not the substance of his message,” complained Church of England cleric Jack Burgoyne as Graham was about to start his Ipswich meetings. “He has been turned into a cult personality by his organisation.” Guest speakers, gospel singers, and visiting dignitaries were welcomed to draw the crowds. But in the final analysis, Palau and Graham were the focus of attention. In a guarded criticism, the Church Times concluded: “There is a profound hesitation about the whole style of the Graham and Palau meetings​—about the use of music, crowd-psychology and personal eloquence to create a pressure to ‘come forward’ on a particular evening.” Was the concern of the Church Times justified?

Commitment​—For Whom?

As “Mission England” drew to a close, a count revealed that about a hundred thousand had ‘come forward’ to make a ‘commitment to Christ’ at the instigation of Graham and Palau. It came as something of a surprise, however, that the majority already had association with some church. One estimate gave 15 percent as new recruits. “Was Dr. Graham literally preaching to the converted?” queried the Church Times. “You have to say that the potential converts . . . were in a distinct minority. As much as anything, therefore, it was an occasion for encouraging the troops.” Why was such encouragement necessary?

“The high-ups in the church are seriously worried,” stated Birmingham’s Sunday Mercury, because the total number of worshippers in the Church of England is “decreasing to a worrying extent.” Bill Flagg, a bishop and “Mission England” chairman for the North-West, acknowledged: “The churches had almost given up on evangelism in the 1970s.” To their members, Billy Graham’s call was simply: “You might have been baptised. You might have been confirmed, and you might go to church. But deep inside you’re not right with God.”

Back to Church

“Everyone who responds is referred back to a church,” explained one of Dr. Graham’s aides. “If a person comes forward who has no church background we try to find a church he can identify with.” Evidently the doctrine of the church did not matter. The Catholic Herald commented: “Catholics were trained alongside Pentecostals, Baptists, Anglicans and Brethren and others” to be counsellors to help and advise those who came forward. The fact that the Roman Catholics were involved at all raised some eyebrows and aroused indignation in The British Council of Protestant Christian Churches for whom such a rapprochement was nothing short of a betrayal of basic Christian doctrine.

Even so, just how deep the commitments were must remain an open question. One report indicated that 500 ‘went forward’ seemingly so as not to “disappoint a visiting celebrity.” But what about the follow-through for those who made such commitments? “Churches aren’t geared up for new believers . . . Some churches are so boring I would not want to attend,” confessed Anthony Bush, South-West regional director of “Mission England,” as reported in The Sunday Telegraph.

Directing people back to the churches is really tantamount to sending a hungry man to get food from an empty larder. As a Gallup poll conducted prior to the Merseyside crusade revealed, two thirds of those asked wanted the church not only “to give moral guidance” but also “to teach the Bible.” In a similar survey around Sunderland, vital subjects that people said they needed to know about were: world peace, coping with today’s problems, God, Jesus, and, again, the Bible. What did Palau and Graham do to satisfy these needs?

A Missed Opportunity

“I want you to say to yourselves ‘I want to know that if I died tonight, I would go to heaven.’ This might be your last chance, the closest you will ever be to God’s Kingdom.” This was Billy Graham’s commitment appeal. But such a death-oriented philosophy answers no questions. “Young people are searching for something to believe in,” declared Graham. But young people need hope and a reason to live, to be convinced that life has a purpose and that God will act to safeguard their future.

In fact, God’s Kingdom is what young people​—and their elders—​badly need to hear about. This Kingdom is humanity’s only hope, a real government by means of which peace, along with everlasting life, will be restored to mankind. (Isaiah 9:6, 7; Matthew 6:9, 10) Jesus prophesied that Christians in our day would be busy preaching the good news of God’s Kingdom to all the nations, a work in which Jehovah’s Witnesses have been busy for many decades now. (Matthew 24:14) Palau and Graham’s campaign drew thousands, yet both of them failed to explain the real importance of God’s Kingdom to the assembled throngs. What a missed opportunity!

Truthfully, though, we should not expect many good results from such a crusade. The Christians of the first century did not campaign in this manner, neither did they appeal to people in such an emotional way. A Church Times editorial declared that during such a crusade, “it is impossible to discuss in a calm and intimate manner the many questions . . . which must be in the minds of the hearers if the audience is at all representative.”

The wise man Solomon said: “Anyone inexperienced puts faith in every word, but the shrewd one considers his steps.” (Proverbs 14:15) In searching for truth, we need to be discerning. The safest course by far is to follow the example of the early Christians in Beroea to whom Paul preached. They were commended for their diligence in “carefully examining the Scriptures” and for using them as the authority for their faith. (Acts 17:11) Jehovah’s Witnesses have always followed this example. Get in touch with them to “discuss in a calm and intimate manner” your Bible questions. You have nothing to lose​—but much to gain.

[Picture on page 14, 15]

Those who responded were referred back to the churches they originally left because they had found no hope

Young People Ask . . .

Why Say No to Drugs?

“I AM an emotional child,” says Mike, a young man 24 years old. “At times I’m afraid and even intimidated by others my own age. I suffer from depression, insecurity, and at times I’ve even considered suicide.”

Ann is 36 years old. She, too, describes herself as “emotionally very young,” having “low self-esteem.” She adds: “I find it very difficult to live a normal life.”

Why are these two otherwise healthy people having such emotional difficulty? Mike and Ann are reaping the consequences of a decision they made when they were quite young​—to experiment with drugs.​—Galatians 6:7.

There is no denying that many youths today are using drugs​—everything from hallucinogens to marijuana. So chances are that sooner or later you will be offered drugs. The desire to be accepted by your peers can be quite strong, and this need to belong can exert strong pressure. What will you do? Will you have the confidence and strength to say no to drugs? Why should you? Before we can answer that, it is helpful first to consider some facts about you and the growing-up process that leads to emotional maturity.

How You “Grow Up” Emotionally

As a young person, you are at a time of accelerated growth that includes sexual development. But you are experiencing more than physical growth. You are also growing emotionally. What does this mean?

Well, you’re continually being exposed to new experiences and challenges that can prove to be stressful as well as rewarding. But all these experiences are essential to your growing up emotionally. How so? It has to do with your developing coping skill, that is, the ability to face life’s challenges, learning how to handle success and how to deal with failure. This is what growing up emotionally is all about. Youths who try to escape from problems by turning to drugs can actually hinder such emotional development. More about that later.

But why call the ability to cope a skill? Because it is something that must be learned or practiced to be attained. To illustrate: Have you ever been amazed when watching a skilled soccer player? Perhaps you were fascinated with the way he met all the challenges of the game. You watched him use his head and feet in ways that were nothing short of awe inspiring! Yet, how did this player develop such skill? By years of practice. He learned to kick the ball, run with it, dribble, feint, and so on, until he became proficient at the game.

Developing coping skill is very similar. It takes practice! And how can you get such practice? The Bible provides a clue at Romans 5:3: “Let us exult while in tribulations, since we know that tribulation produces endurance.” Endurance is the quality of remaining firm under pressure or hardship without giving up. And notice that it is by facing and dealing with “tribulation,” or distressful circumstances, that you can develop the quality of endurance. The endurance you develop during your present “tribulation” will leave you better equipped to deal with future hardships. Thus, “tribulation” can be a positive experience that produces fine results.​—Compare James 1:2-4.

How can you put this principle to work in your life? By facing and dealing with the problems or hardships you experience now as a young person. For example, do you lack confidence? Are you shy or lonely? Or maybe you’re concerned with your physical appearance? Is your family life difficult or are you having problems in school? Problems will vary from one young person to another, ranging in severity from the minor “everyday” problems to the much more disturbing ones that sometimes trigger thoughts of suicide. But no matter what your particular problems may be, to grow emotionally you need to face and deal with them now!

‘But what does all of this have to do with saying no to drugs?’ you ask. Consider.

Drugs Hinder Growth

Ann, who used drugs as an escape, says: “For 14 years I haven’t dealt with my problems.” She admits: “Emotionally I am very young.” Mike expressed a similar thought, saying: “I had used drugs since I was 11 years old. When I stopped at the age of 22, I felt like a child. I latched onto others, trying to find security. I came to realize that my emotional development stopped when I started using drugs.”

Mike, Ann, and countless others like them, shortly after they began experimenting with drugs felt that these substances could be used to cope with the discomforts of life. But the more they relied on drugs the less they actually faced problems. The result? They failed to develop the coping skills necessary for mature adult life. Basically their emotional development stopped or slowed down when they started using drugs.

As Dr. Sidney Cohen, former director of the Division of Narcotic Addiction and Drug Abuse, explains: “The problem with the juvenile [drug] user whose waking hours may be taken over by the ‘stoned’ state is that even if something is learned, practice time is not available. His day consists of ‘blowing pot’ after breakfast, at the 10 o’clock recess, during the lunch hour, and so on. This leaves little time for any sort of practice or review of what was learned.”

To understand this better, recall our illustration of the soccer player. What would happen if he stopped practicing soccer at one stage of his development, say after he learned to kick the ball? Why, he wouldn’t progress beyond that point of ability. Similarly, what happens when a 13-year-old by using drugs stops practicing coping skills? “I wasted all those years of development,” answers Frank, who had abused drugs since he was 13 years old. “When I stopped, I came to the painful realization that I was totally unprepared to deal with life. I was a 13-year-old all over again with the same emotional turmoil that faces any other adolescent.”

We Learn By Experience

When you experience adolescent life with its ups and downs, you are actually preparing yourself for life and all its challenges. “We learn much by experience,” a rehabilitation counselor explained to Awake! “As we experience life our minds make a permanent record, one that it will refer to when faced with a problem. It is very similar to a computer. We program information into a computer. Then when faced with a problem, it searches its memory banks, analyzes, and comes up with the answer. But what would happen if we programmed even one bit of wrong information into it? When called upon to solve certain problems, it would give wrong answers.”

As a young person, your learning process is similar. The above-mentioned counselor continues: “If the young person experiences life while abusing drugs, his mind will record wrong or distorted information. Then when he is faced with problems, his mind will base its analysis on wrong information, thus making it difficult for him to deal with certain of life’s problems.”

So as a young person, you need to fully experience life with all its ups and downs, its successes and failures. True, growing up is not easy. But if you try to avoid the “growing pains” by using drugs, you can seriously hinder your chances of being a responsible mature adult.

In this connection take a lesson from Jesus Christ himself. When he was on the execution stake, some offered him “wine drugged with myrrh” as an escape. What did he do? “He would not take it,” the Bible answers. (Mark 15:23) So what should you do when others urge you to try drugs? “Don’t!” urges Mike. “Don’t experiment with drugs. You’ll suffer the rest of your life!”

But how can you say no to drugs? This will be discussed in a future issue of Awake!

[Blurb on page 18]

“Don’t experiment with drugs,” urges Mike. “You’ll suffer the rest of your life!”

[Picture on page 17]

What would you say?

Word-Search Game

Cities or islands of the apostle Paul’s ministry

In the puzzle below can be found the names of 39 cities or islands mentioned in connection with the apostle Paul’s ministry. The names are found spelled forward, backward, up, down, and diagonally. Some overlap. Scripture clues are given below. See solutions on page 26.

1. Acts 13:14 _______

2. Acts 14:25 _____

3. Acts 14:25 _______

4. Acts 14:21 ______

5. Acts 14:21 _______

6. Acts 28:12 ________

7. Acts 28:13 _______

8. Acts 28:13 _______

9. Acts 20:5 _____

10. Acts 20:6 ________

11. Acts 27:3 _____

12. Acts 20:13 _____

13. Acts 21:39 ______

14. Acts 13:4 ________

15. Acts 13:4 ______

16. Acts 13:5 _______

17. Acts 13:6 ______

18. Acts 21:1 ___

19. Acts 21:1 ______

20. Acts 21:1 ______

21. Acts 18:19 _______

22. Acts 21:7 ____

23. Acts 21:7 _________

24. Acts 20:15 _____

25. Acts 20:15 _____

26. Acts 20:15 _______

27. Acts 27:7 ______

28. Acts 27:7 _____

29. Acts 17:10 ______

30. Acts 17:11 ____________

31. Acts 14:20 _____

32. Acts 28:1 _____

33. Acts 18:1 ______

34. Acts 18:1 _______

35. Acts 18:22 ________

36. Acts 18:22 (______)_______

37. Acts 21:15 _________

38. Acts 28:16 ____

39. Acts 27:5 ____

Word-Search-Game Solutions

1. Antioch

2. Perga

3. Attalia

4. Lystra

5. Iconium

6. Syracuse

7. Rhegium

8. Puteoli

9. Troas

10. Philippi

11. Sidon

12. Assos

13. Tarsus

14. Seleucia

15. Cyprus

16. Salamis

17. Paphos

18. Cos

19. Rhodes

20. Patara

21. Ephesus

22. Tyre

23. Ptolemais

24. Chios

25. Samos

26. Miletus

27. Cnidus

28. Crete

29. Beroea

30. Thessalonica

31. Derbe

32. Malta

33. Athens

34. Corinth

35. Caesarea

36. (Syrian) Antioch

37. Jerusalem

38. Rome

39. Myra

“Have You Visited the Storehouse of the Snow?”

AS THE fire burned warmly inside, quietly and gently a white blanket had begun to cover the house and the earth. It was snowing. For some, moments like these cause the mind to search for an answer to a question posed centuries ago: “Have you visited the storehouse of the snow?” (Job 38:22, The New English Bible) Even to this day, snow​—its origin, flake growth, and design—​staggers the mind of scientists.

But what is this fluffy stuff, really? Simply put, snow is a clustering of ice crystals crafted from the water vapor in the air. Temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure help sculpture the beautifully symmetrical shapes of ice crystals. When the temperature near the ground is above 32° F. (0° C.) snow may reach us as rain. But if the temperature is below 32° F., the tiny crystals will clump together to form a snowflake.

But there must be something that the moisture can be formed around, something that acts as a “seed.” What can be used? Any microscopic particles floating in the air will do​—dust, salt, or even pollution. Around these nuclei, ice crystals will grow into flat six-pointed stars, hexagonal pillars, or sparkling needles. As snow tumbles slowly earthward from as high as six miles (10 km), it may collide with other crystals and stick to them, or it may shatter, forming more “seeds” for more crystals.

Is Each Snowflake Unique?

Here are two statistics that may surprise you: A cubic foot (.028 cu m) of snow may contain 10 million snowflakes. And it has been estimated that up to one half of the earth’s land surface and 10 percent of the sea, about 48 million square miles (124 million sq km), may at times be under this wintry blanket. With all that snow, is it possible that no two snowflakes are alike? Yes!

To try to understand why, let us consider just one more set of facts. Millions of water molecules, which can be arranged in many different ways, may form a single ice crystal. And it takes from one to more than a hundred of these ice crystals to make one snowflake. According to Charles Knight, physicist at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research, if you put all these numbers in a computer, you would find that there are still more possible combinations of molecules in each snowflake than there have been snowflakes in all earth’s history.

In addition, the air around a flake shapes its growth. As mentioned earlier, moisture, temperature, and barometric pressure sculpture snow. However, wind molds its shape too. All four factors may vary from moment to moment. Falling snow may pass through air masses of varying temperature. The wind may blow it through any number of temperature and humidity ranges in its downward journey. And since no two flakes are likely to follow the same path to earth, each one should indeed be unique.

Our “Thermal” Blanket

Just as many enjoy a soft, warm blanket on a cold winter night, the earth has its own winter blanket. Thanks to snow, the fluctuations in temperature of the soil are moderated. The soil holds in the heat it had absorbed before it was covered. Thus seeds are protected and crops will grow for the next harvesttime.

The earth is not just insulated by the snow blanket, however; it is also fertilized. How so? Because of the vital nitrates that are deposited by the snow. In the 1970’s it was estimated that an average snowfall on prairie farms would deposit about $20 worth of nitrates per acre (.4 ha).

And did you know that snow is referred to as the most effective “dam” of any kind? The water is held back or stored in the form of snow. In this form it will wait until it is released by melting in the spring. Hence, snow holds back water as a dam does. Even then, thanks to its ability to reflect the sun’s rays, the snow will melt away slowly, and in this way much of the water will filter its way down into the soil instead of just flowing off.

Over 2,500 years ago, the Bible outlined these benefits of rain and snow by stating: “The pouring rain descends, and the snow . . . [and] actually saturates the earth and makes it produce and sprout, and seed is actually given to the sower and bread to the eater.” (Isaiah 55:10) Yes, for many of earth’s inhabitants, the water they drink and the food they eat, and even the electricity they use, may be directly or indirectly a result of tapping “the storehouse of the snow.”

[Box on page 21]

Have You Ever Wondered . . .

What color is snow?

“White,” most people would answer. Yet snow is transparent; it is clear. It is made up of billions of tiny prisms. As light passes through each crystal prism, it breaks up into all the colors of the rainbow. Our eye, not able to handle all this color at once, simply sums it up into its total​—white.

Why is it that I get a sore back after shoveling snow when the flakes are so light and airy?

The weight of millions of flakes stacked one on another is considerable. For example, if you shoveled the snow from a sidewalk 50 feet long (15 m) and 5 feet wide (1.5 m) after a 15-inch snowfall (38 cm), you will have lifted about 2,000 pounds (900 kg) of snow!

[Picture on page 21]

Ice crystals are all symmetrical and six-sided in shape, yet no two are alike

A Fresh Look at Fresh Water

From the Louisiana World Exposition

FROM May 12 to November 11 about seven million people walked along the banks of the Mississippi River in the city of New Orleans, in the United States. The city, known as the birthplace of jazz music, was playing a different tune this past year as it hosted the Louisiana World Exposition, located on an 84-acre (34-ha) site. The theme of the fair, “The World of Rivers: Fresh Water as a Source of Life,” flowed through exhibits from 25 countries. The Exposition focused attention on the worldwide importance of a good supply of fresh water and the problems connected with maintaining it.

To any visitor who tended to take the supply of fresh water for granted, there were a number of startling facts to alter that view. For instance, did you know that:

○ 100,000 gallonsa of water are used to manufacture one automobile?

○ 267 gallons are used to produce one pound of sugar?

○ 300 gallons are used to yield one pound of synthetic rubber?

○ 280 gallons are used in the making of one Sunday edition of the newspaper?

Many national exhibits featured the role water played in carving out the beauty of their land. In fact, every nation had pictures to showcase the truly beautiful spots in their part of the earth. And most of these were connected with rivers or lakes. Thus one commentary referred to water as “the sculptor of our landscape, the poet of our wilderness.”

A Look at the Exhibits

AUSTRALIA: A spokesman said, “Although Australia receives less rain than any other inhabited continent, the real message is what Australia has achieved with the water it has.” As an example, the Snowy Mountains Scheme in the southeast part of that continent is called “Australia’s greatest engineering project.” It is one of the world’s largest irrigation and power projects, taking 25 years to build. It includes about 100 miles (160 km) of tunnels, 80 miles (130 km) of aqueducts, 16 dams, and 9 power stations.

CANADA: Unlike Australia, Canada has no water shortage. But the Canada exhibit pointed up the recent and growing problem of acid rain, which is killing all life in many of the lakes along the U.S. border. It was described as “the most serious environmental problem facing today’s industrialized world.”

CHINA: The Chinese displayed books printed in the 12th century that dealt with theories on flood control, the construction of canals, dams and levees​—together with photographs of some of those structures still in use today.

JAPAN: The theme of the Japan pavilion was “Water’s Role in Both Benefiting and Threatening Human Life.” It described flood damage in Japan as well as new technology to improve and control rivers.

The Exposition leaves one with an increased awareness of our dependency on fresh water. And these following three impressions linger in the mind: Water is essential to life, and the Creator has generously and bountifully provided it. The waters of the earth are truly beautiful. And problems with water are largely man-made due to his selfishness or ignorance. For thinking people, the Exposition was truly a fresh look at fresh water.​—Contributed.

[Footnotes]

[Box on page 23]

Water Quizb

Q: The world’s rainiest spot is located in the United States. Where is it?

A. Mount Rainier, Washington

B. Rains County, Texas

C. Mount Waialeale, Hawaii

D. Mount Wetmore, North Dakota

A: Mount Waialeale, which averages 471 inchesc of precipitation a year.

Q: Of all the water on earth, how much of it is in the form of liquid fresh water?

A. 0.6 percent

B. 2.2 percent

C. 49 percent

D. I give up!

A: Only 0.6 percent, which is found in rivers, lakes, surface-soil water, and groundwater. Ice caps and glaciers account for 2.2 percent and salt water 97.2 percent.

Q: If all the moisture in the atmosphere were to fall to earth as rain, how much would it measure?

A. One inch

B. One footd

C. One hundred feet

D. Enough to dive in

A: The approximately 3,100 cubic miles (12,900 cu km) of moisture in the atmosphere would cover the earth with an inch of water.

Q: Plants give up moisture to the air in a process called transpiration. How much water will an acre of corn yield per day through transpiration?

A. 30-40 gallons

B. 300-400 gallons

C. 3,000-4,000 gallons

D. None, it yields only corn syrup

A: It yields 3,000-4,000 gallons a day at the height of the growing season. On an annual basis, a large oak tree will yield as much as 40,000 gallons of water a year through transpiration.

Q: To provide enough electricity to power a typical home for 24 hours, how much water must fall 42 feet through a hydroelectric plant?

A. 1,700,000 gallons

B. 3,200,000 gallons

C. 5,700,000 gallons

D. Enough to make the roof leak

A: A typical American home consumes 24 kilowatt-hours of electricity a day, and it takes 3,200,000 gallons of water falling 42 feet to generate 24 kilowatt-hours.

[Footnotes]

Death at Daybreak! Tragedy in Mexico

By Awake! correspondent in Mexico

“WAR has started!” “A bomb has been dropped on us!” Those were the anguished cries in a Mexico City suburb during the early morning of November 19, 1984. What had happened?

Four huge storage tanks, each holding approximately 1,600,000 liters (420,000 gal) of liquefied gas, had exploded. So had 48 smaller ones. The series of explosions transformed the whole area into a holocaust. Ten days later the official toll stood at 452 known dead and some 5,000 injured, many seriously. Besides that, about 1,500 individuals had disappeared.

Yes, tragedy had struck at daybreak in San Juanico, another name for the Mexico City suburb of San Juan Ixhuatepec. Within the hour, at 6:40 a.m., we received an urgent call from Victor Vazquez, a traveling overseer. He was greatly concerned about the welfare of some 150 of our brothers living in the area affected by the blasts.

From our position about 25 kilometers (15 mi) away, we saw the immense mushroom cloud, similar to that of an atomic blast. The explosions could even be heard here. Immediately, arrangements were made for two of us to travel to the area to see how our brothers were faring.

In the Face of Disaster

Isidro Rodriguez and his family lived less than a hundred meters (110 yd) from the explosions. “When the explosions occurred,” he said, “it felt as if our home was sinking. I immediately got my family together and fled.”

“The fire and searing heat filled the streets,” Dalio Diaz told us. “I was out with my sister-in-law buying milk when we felt the tremendous blast, followed by intense heat. I threw myself behind a brick wall for protection, and only one of my hands was burned. My sister-in-law, though, was caught by the fire and suffered burns all over her body.”

“On feeling the explosions, I quickly ran into the street,” Josué Calderon explained. “I felt as if I was going to catch on fire. My fright increased when I saw a man burning alive. His flesh was falling off and his hair was on fire. I ran around in circles until I got control of myself.

“Then I managed to tell my wife, who was still inside the house, to flee with our children. She got the girls into an automobile that stopped for them, but since there was not enough room for her, she had to go another way.”

Josué’s right arm was burned. Later he learned that his wife was unhurt and was in the home of some brothers. The girls also were unhurt and safe in the home of another family.

It is difficult to describe the panic following the explosions. Terrified people ran around, bumping into one another. Many were burned to death; others were crushed to death when huge pieces of steel from the exploding gas tanks were hurled through the air and fell on top of their homes. One of the pieces made a hole 50 centimeters (20 in.) deep where it fell on a concrete street.

Help From Many Sources

The government was quick to mobilize the different branches of the police and army in order to rescue victims and rush them to shelters where they could be treated and fed. To prevent thievery, sentries were posted around the area of abandoned homes. Badly burned people were taken to nearby hospitals.

That Monday, television and radio stations were transmitting disaster news throughout the country. Food, clothing, medicine, and money started to pour into the stricken area. In fact, other countries also sent help. Thus protection and help were provided for the hundreds of people that were severely affected.

Many were able to flee, even in the midst of falling pieces of steel, wood, and stones. Some got to the Mexico/​Pachuca highway and were picked up by passing automobiles. Others were rescued by government workers and were taken to provisional shelters.

Love Demonstrated

The brothers in outlying areas immediately went to work, looking for and helping their brothers who were victims of the disaster. These concerned and loving brothers hospitably opened their homes and provided lodging and help in every way.

When it was found that many of the brothers were not accounted for, the elders of that area organized a systematic search for them. Little by little, those unaccounted for began showing up. One family had gone all the way to the state of Veracruz, 400 kilometers (250 mi) from the disaster area. Others had been taken to the classrooms of the National Polytechnic Institute. From there, they had been transferred to friends’ homes, where they were given loving care.

All the brothers in the disaster area were soon located. One brother and his teenage son died due to the seriousness of their burns. The elders made arrangements for the funeral, and the widow and her remaining children have been receiving full support, materially and spiritually.

Since news of the explosions spread rapidly, the brothers quickly found out about the situation, and it seemed as though all of them were trying to communicate with the Society’s office at once. They wanted to know how their brothers and sisters were faring and how they could help them. So much in the form of clothes, food, and money came in that the committee formed to assist the victims was very busy getting relief supplies to the needy ones.

This disaster was not a pleasant experience, but it gave Jehovah’s people opportunity to show love, kindness, and hospitality. They responded as did their first-century brothers upon finding out about the circumstances of their needy companions in Judea.​—1 Corinthians 16:3; 2 Corinthians 8:1-4.

Unlike people in general, Jehovah’s servants were not worried about the loss of material possessions. For instance, the Jara family said, “We were taught not to worry about material possessions but to preserve our lives.”

What basic effect does such a tragedy have on true Christians? Well, perhaps this was demonstrated very simply by four-year-old Michel of the city of Puebla. While observing the disaster scenes on TV, she asked her father to turn it off so that she could say a prayer. In part, she said: “Jehovah, we are praying in behalf of our brothers. May you protect them and help them so that they do not suffer such terrible things. Also, please help my sister Adriana so that she will not be upset about what is happening to the people in the explosions. Help her to think about nice things, like the Paradise you have promised.”

[Pictures on page 25]

Four huge tanks like those at the left exploded first. Then 48 smaller ones like the one shown below exploded, some being hurled hundreds of meters

An Insider’s View of the World of Pornography

TODAY pornography is a booming business involving the mass production of books, slick magazines, videocassettes, films, cable-television programs, and even dial-a-porn phone messages. In the United States its estimated revenue runs from $7 billion to $8 billion a year.

Some years ago former pornographer Burton Wohl wrote a vivid description of this sordid industry in Harper’s magazine. Calling his place of employment a “porno-fac,” Wohl revealed that “it was truly a factory, turning out tons, carloads of the stuff every month.” And he noted that “it was huge, sprawling, covering many acres, housed in many buildings, some contiguous, others scattered over a quarter-mile radius, all located in an industrial zone.”

And what kind of people were the models in this “porno-fac”? Here is how he characterized them: “Most of the people who appeared in the magazines​—not my department—​were lost souls. Not only were they stoned on one or more drugs, but they were the kind of hollow-eyed, deluded, self-absent young person one used to see​—and does still—​floating over the surface of California and heading, so many of them, and so inexorably, for ultimate bewilderment.”

“Pornography is squalor,” he confessed, “a stain, not merely indelible but also irreducible beneath” what is used as an overlay for it, be it “art, anthropology, sociology, religion, psychology.” As an insider, Wohl admitted that “pornography, like sewage, bleeds into everything it touches. Bleeds, yes, because the letting of blood, violence, is pornography’s bottom line and not even the insatiable marquis [de Sade who reveled in terrible violence] could get beyond it. Power depends on violence, bloodshed. And power is what pornography celebrates, illuminates​—above all, sublimates.”

Mr. Wohl left this gruesome business after a year because, as he reported, “I couldn’t do that anymore. I thought that pornography was shabby stuff, squalid, that our profit came from human weakness, illness, even tragedy.” He concluded, “I learned that the price I paid for those wages was rising all the time. Thanks but no thanks.”

How well this inside portrait of the pornography business dovetails with the description found in the Holy Bible at Romans 1:24, 28 of the degradation of humans who reject God’s high moral standards: “That is why God left them to their filthy enjoyments and the practices with which they dishonour their own bodies. . . . In other words, since they refused to see it was rational to acknowledge God, God has left them to their own irrational ideas and to their monstrous behaviour. And so they are steeped in all sorts of depravity, rottenness.”​—The Jerusalem Bible.

From Our Readers

Overprotective Parents

What truth you expressed in your article “Young People Ask . . . Why Are My Parents Overprotective?” (November 22, 1984) I could not understand why my mom and dad were so overprotective of me and would get upset with me when I would come in late. Later I became the stepmother of a teenage daughter and soon learned why. It was because they cared about me.

G. H., Florida

Today my mother read me the article “Why Are My Parents Overprotective?” I am ten years old and it seems my parents worry too much about me. When my mom read me the last sentence, “It means you are loved,” I hugged and kissed my mom. It really reached my heart. Thank you.

E. K., Arizona

Improving Grades

I just wanted to thank you for the article “Young People Ask . . . How Can I Improve My Grades?” (December 8, 1984) Everything in that article applied to me. I am 13 years old and in the eighth grade. It is sometimes hard for me to make good grades. I am exactly like those 770 students interviewed. I really thought I was studying, but I wasn’t. TV was my problem! I am going to follow your suggestions of setting goals, exercising self-discipline, and staying away from the TV until my homework is done.

L. T., Kentucky

Influence of TV

I found your article “Young People Ask . . . Is There Anything I Can Watch on TV?” (November 8, 1984) interesting. However, I must contest a basic tenet of the article, stated in the last paragraph: “ . . . the programs can be dangerous. Learn to control it [TV]. Otherwise, it can control you.” The danger of television programs on human behavior is far from proved. You are getting too close to viewing humans as automatons when you imply that television can “control” them. Humans are endowed by the Creator with free will. We have the power of choice over how our entertainment selections will or will not affect our actions.

D. H., Colorado

True, TV programs could only control one if one allowed it. Also, there are more influences on one’s actions than TV. But it is unrealistic to ignore the powerful influence television programs can exert with their effectively programmed combination of sight and sound. It is true, humans have free will, but if they willingly fill their minds with grisly acts of violence, a certain influence is there. The evidence submitted in the report by the British researcher William Belson, the conclusions reached by the National Institute of Mental Health (U.S.), the research done by Dr. Leonard Eron of the University of Illinois, as well as recent statements by Dr. Leonard Berkowitz, professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin, all confirm the negative influence that violent TV programs exert on the regular viewer.​—ED.

Watching the World

Nuclear Winter Possible

● To the known dangers of radioactivity and destruction of the ozone layer as deadly consequences of nuclear war, add another one​—nuclear winter. A report by the United States National Academy of Sciences indicates that a severe nuclear winter could possibly follow a major nuclear war. According to The New York Times, the Academy’s report stated that “drops in temperature of 18 to 45 degrees [Celsius] might last for months in the North Temperate Zone, with near total loss of light over much of the Northern Hemisphere.” Tens of millions of tons of soot and smoke would be propelled into the atmosphere from nuclear explosions and fire, thereby blocking sunlight. Even the southern hemisphere would be affected if dust and soot clouds drifted across the equator. The theory that such a man-made disaster is possible, first postulated in 1983 by a small group of scientists working outside the U.S. government, is no longer “dismissed by some critics as alarmist conjecture,” says the Times.

New Planet Discovered?

● A United States astronomical research team from the University of Arizona and the National Optical Astronomy Observatories has discovered a planetlike object nearly the same size as Jupiter outside our solar system. They believe that this huge, gaseous object that is orbiting a distant star in the constellation Ophiuchus is a planet​—the first ever seen outside our system of planets. Other astronomers, however, disagree. They say the body is not a planet, nor is it a true star. Rather, it could be the first evidence of a whole new class of objects called brown dwarfs. Whatever the case may be, both sides concur that the discovery is remarkable and exciting. The newly sighted object is 21 light-years​—about 123 trillion miles (198 trillion km)—​from Earth.

Famine’s Toll on Youth

● One million of Ethiopia’s children under four years of age are starving, and probably about one half of them will suffer some permanent disability due to famine, reports The New York Times. “Clearly there will be a generation of Ethiopian children who will be stunted, both physically and mentally, by the drought they are going through,” says the executive director of the United Nations Children’s Fund. Emergency airlifts of food and medicine can only provide temporary relief. A UN report grimly predicts: “There is no end in sight for the silent suffering of what is undeniably the worst human disaster in the recent history of Africa.”

Blood Transfusion Risk

● Blood transfusions are a health risk to cancer patients, warn several Japanese medical studies. According to the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, surveys by the Juntendo University’s Main Surgery and Blood Transfusion Laboratory found that “colon cancer patients not receiving blood transfusions have a higher rate of survival” than do those who had transfusions. The National Fukuoka Central Hospital found similar results in their study of uterine cancer patients. It appears that blood transfusions lower the body’s immune system, allowing cancer to spread more easily. Shozo Murakami, president of the Japan Blood Transfusion Society, said: “An American report affirms that the survival rate for breast cancer and lung cancer is reduced with blood transfusions. However, there are many persons among the doctors who use blood transfusions for treatment not taking into consideration the fact that immunity is weakened by transfusions.”

Europe’s Highest Crime Rate

● Out of 14 European countries, Britain reported the highest overall crime rate according to a recent Gallup poll. The survey, sponsored by The Daily Telegraph of London, questioned about a thousand people in each country about break-ins, robberies, and personal assaults during the past five years. The poll found that France had the most break-ins, 17 percent; Holland led Europe in robberies, with 30 percent; and Spain ranked first with assaults, 6 percent. In each of the three categories, Britain was placed second and thereby led Western Europe in overall crime.

Your Money or Your Life?

● A new study done by two researchers at the University of Chicago advises: Do not resist if you are the victim of a robbery. Resistance drastically increases your risk of being killed. Their report, “Victim Injury and Death in Urban Robbery,” analyzed about a thousand robberies reported to police over a one-year period in the city of Chicago. “The victim’s refusal to cooperate with the offender generates a contest of wills,” says the report. In a robbery, the researchers conclude, “the correct answer to the implicit question of your money or your life is, provide the money.”

Profits Versus People

● Industrial accidents at fuel and chemical sites have rocked three developing nations, last year killing more than 3,000 people. In each disaster, people​—packed into teeming slums and living too close to industrial plants—​were the victims. Firestorms caused by a leaking gasoline pipe in Cubatao, Brazil, and exploding liquid petroleum gas tanks in Mexico City, Mexico, claimed the lives of about a thousand poor people. And central India witnessed the worst chemical-industry disaster in history. Poisonous gas seeping from a pesticide factory became a white cloud of death for at least 2,000 people camped near the plant.

Some of the developing nations either do not have zoning laws separating industrial and residential areas or are lax in enforcing them. “And governments are not in a position to tighten regulations since in many areas the industry involved is the main source of income,” said the editor of Hazardous Materials Intelligence Report to the Associated Press. Poorer nations with lower standards of safety than developed nations “could well become international dustbins,” stated a United Nations report. It appears that in the profits-versus-people battle, the poor are usually the losers.

Electronic Bibles

● First it was on stone, then papyrus, sheepskin, paper, and now, computer chips. The Word of God has entered the electronic world of computers. Until recently, only major universities used computers as tools for Bible study and research. “But sophisticated programs are becoming available now on personal computers” for home use as the number of computer programs for religious education and Bible study grows, notes The Wall Street Journal. “A number of companies,” the report continues, “have put the King James version on computer diskettes and developed programs that let users search for particular words and print out surrounding passages.” Other home computer programs now on the market are a side-by-side comparison of scriptures from different parts of the Bible on the video screen, a Greek concordance of the “New Testament,” and Bible quizzes and text games.

. . . And Talmud

● Both the 36-volume Babylonian Talmud, an authoritative collection of Jewish law and tradition, and 248 major collections of responsa, written interpretations and answers to 47,000 novel questions on the Talmud, have been computerized at Bar Ilan University, Tel Aviv. The use of God’s name in computerized text, though, raised a serious problem in this massive endeavor. Jewish traditional law forbids the erasing of God’s name. “We had to go to the rabbis,” the director of the project told The New York Times, “and ask if the name of God written on magnetic computer tape and disks or even on the video screen could be erased. Fortunately, they said a magnetic tape was not considered writing and that it was O.K. to erase it.”

Lightning Safety

● According to a team of Singapore scientists meeting in Oxford, England, people are most likely to be killed by lightning when on golf courses, football fields, in small boats, bus shelters, or, as is well known, when they stand under a tree. When thunderstorms occur, what is the best thing to do? Seek shelter in a well-grounded building and keep away from metal objects, pipes, or wet walls. Reported The Daily Telegraph: “If caught on the open ground with nowhere for shelter, crouch down in the lowest point or depression. It is better to get wet than killed.”

Noise Solution

● City dwellers often complain about noisy neighbors. What can be done about them? Professor Kazuo Yamamoto of Tokyo’s Keio University may have a solution. “According to his survey,” reports the Mainichi Daily News, “when neighbors have not met each other, about 65 percent of them feel the sounds irritating. The figure is down to 35 percent when the neighbors are on nodding terms and further down to 20 percent when they know each other well enough to have a little chat on the street.” So, says the professor, get to know your neighbors.

M.D.’s Use Nature Cures

● Although looked at with dubious eyes by the medical profession in some countries, nature cures are seen effective by most doctors in Germany. “More than 60 per cent of the 67,000 general medical practitioners in the Federal Republic of Germany occasionally use nature cures,” says The German Tribune. “Twenty per cent regularly prescribe herbal drugs and between 5 and 10 per cent use nothing else.” According to Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Dr. Veronika Carstens, an advocate of pluralism in science, said: “Doctors today ought to be keen to combine the absolutely indispensable achievements of modern medicine and the gentle, harmless and often extremely effective nature cure techniques.”

Alcohol-Powered Vehicles

● Brazilian officials say that total sales of alcohol-powered vehicles topped one million by the end of 1983 and that about 90 percent of all vehicles sold in the country now have engines that burn alcohol. At the same time, the nation’s alcohol program, PROÁLCOOL, has helped to substitute 35 percent of the gasoline consumption with alcohol, reducing oil imports by 100,000 barrels a day and creating 360,000 jobs in the process. The government booklet The National Alcohol Program PROÁLCOOL notes that alcohol production cannot compete with the price of diesel oil yet, but alcohol does burn cleaner and produces less air pollution.

Add The Books of Moses to Your Cassette Library

You can now receive on cassette tapes the first five Bible books written by Moses​—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Check the ones you want.

TAPE ORDER

◻ Genesis on 4 cassettes.

Playing time: 4 hours 50 minutes. $6.00.

◻ Exodus on 3 cassettes.

Playing time: 3 hours 45 minutes. $4.50.

◻ Leviticus on 2 cassettes.

Playing time: 2 hours 35 minutes. $3.00.

◻ Numbers on 3 cassettes.

Playing time: 3 hours 37 minutes. $4.50.

◻ Deuteronomy on 2 cassettes.

Playing time: 2 hours 55 minutes. $3.00.

Please mail the cassettes that I have checked. I enclose $‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ (U.S.).

A Book People Want

A clerk in a general merchant store in St. John’s, Newfoundland, had a Bible discussion with the secretary. The book My Book of Bible Stories was recommended to her. She always wanted a book just like it but found, in checking with various religious organizations, that the books they had were just too expensive. When she discovered that this volume was available on a small contribution, she readily accepted it. When others in the store, including the manager, saw the book, they wanted copies for their children, as well as for themselves and their friends. As a result, the clerk left 25 My Book of Bible Stories with the staff at the store.

You, too, will be pleased to receive My Book of Bible Stories. It contains 116 Bible accounts that give the reader an idea of what the Bible is all about. The book has large type and over 125 pictures, most of them in beautiful color. Receive this valuable 256-page publication by filling in and mailing the accompanying coupon.

Please send, postpaid, the hardbound book My Book of Bible Stories, for which I enclose $2.50 (U.S.).