January 8

Page Two

“Drive Safely!”

How often this has been said to departing family members or guests! It is a good reminder. Driving may be hazardous. There are many factors involved in getting to your destination safely. Each year millions of people don’t.

Can anything be done to improve driving safety? Awake! correspondent in Britain takes a look at the situation in several countries and provides sound counsel to help operators of motor vehicles to drive so as to save their own lives and the lives of others.

Safe Driving​—The Urgent Need

IT HAS been said of driving that “there is simply no other activity which presents scope for so much mayhem and suffering, but demands so little real sustained training and responsibility.” Have you ever had to dodge out of the way of an oncoming vehicle? As a pedestrian, a passenger, or a driver, have you witnessed a traffic accident and expressed concern at the carnage on the roads?

In Britain “the number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured has been rising for five years.”​—The Times.

“About 4,000 men, women and children are killed on Canadian roads . . . every year.”​—The Toronto Star.

From 1981 to 1985, motor vehicle accidents in the United States caused 233,200 deaths.​—The World Almanac, 1987.

“The car . . . kills more than do tuberculosis, cancer, and heart disease in Rio de Janeiro [Brazil].”​—O Estado de S. Paulo.

On a world scale, what does this amount to?

Driving​—At a Price

Worldwide, every year an estimated quarter of a million human lives are snuffed out as a result of traffic accidents! According to The Toronto Star, this is “more than all those killed each year in wars, crimes and industrial accidents.”

In Britain the cost of a single road death is assessed at £252,000 ($400,000, U.S.). Why so much? Apart from what has been invested in the individual, his lost earning potential, and material damage, there is the expense of ambulance, hospital, and other services. Unsafe driving is costly indeed!

The “Potential of Killing”

Britain’s former Secretary of State for Transport John Moore finds it “amazing that some 5000 lives are wiped out each year in Britain​—and yet there is barely a murmur from the media [and the] British public.” Some road-safety pressure groups claim that ‘killing with a vehicle is in danger of becoming an acceptable form of homicide.’

Despite this apparent lack of concern, one conclusion is inescapable: How you drive may make the difference between life and death for someone, possibly you. Alex Miller, senior driving examiner for Strathclyde Police in Scotland, explains: “Every car is a lethal weapon providing the driver with the potential of killing.”

As a driver, what does that mean to you? It is very thought provoking, is it not? Nevertheless, many operators of vehicles pay it scant attention, especially those who drink and drive.

From the Federal Republic of Germany comes the report that “in 1984 there were 40,332 traffic accidents in which people were killed or maimed and 20,000 involving serious damage to property​—all involving drunken drivers.” In Britain alcohol is linked to 1 out of every 3 road deaths.

Do such statistics deter drinking drivers? Not according to a police spokesman in England who observed: “There is still a substantial number of drivers who are prepared to take a chance and put themselves, their families and other road users at risk.” Professor Robert Kendell of Edinburgh University claims that “something like 10 per cent of the male population of [Britain] drive a car at least once a week over the legal limit [of blood alcohol].” What is that, if not pure selfishness?

Some alcoholic-beverage producers in Britain try to alleviate the problem by promoting pub-transport schemes. These involve bus or car-hire companies engaged to transport the drinker to and from his favorite hostelry, whatever his physical condition may be. On a group level, a few drivers who like to drink try to avoid danger by determining in advance which one among them will drive the group home, and who agrees to stay sober and consume only soft drinks. Do these efforts, praiseworthy though they may be, succeed? Reports in the Glasgow Herald claim that such initiatives “are not enough to reduce the incidence of drinking and driving in any significant way.”

What, then, is the answer to the drinking-driver problem? “Ultimately we must make drinking and driving unsociable,” concludes the Warwickshire police chief, Peter Joslin, adding: “Our only advice is: ‘Do not drink and drive.’”

Is this a realistic directive? Some countries strictly enforce their traffic regulations, handing out severe penalties to the drinking driver. Sweden’s legislation empowers the authorities to confiscate the car of a dangerous driver, just as they would take a knife or a gun from the violent criminal. The British Magistrates’ Association reportedly backs a move to ban drivers who fail breath tests whenever it is believed they may commit the offenses again before the case gets to court.

There is, however, more to safe driving than just staying sober.

[Picture on page 3]

Worldwide, every year the number of people killed in traffic accidents exceeds the population of Iceland

Avoid Excessive Speed and Aggression!

“IF THE car was invented today it would be banned,” asserts Geoff Large, assistant director of road safety for Britain’s RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents). “You would never be allowed to sell something which would kill and injure a third of a million people every year in this country alone.”

Motor-vehicle manufacturers recognize the potential danger of their product. They invest vast sums of money and go to great lengths to improve the safety features built into modern cars. But as London’s Sunday Express Magazine comments: “Security-conscious drivers know that protecting the car​—and its occupants—​doesn’t come cheap.” Though advertising may feature safety devices, what captures the buyer’s attention? Often it is the vehicle’s performance, how it achieves maximum speed in minimum time, its power, as well as its sleek lines and sporty trim.

Retired judge Richard Spiegel believes that German motorists seem “to have a neurotic relationship to speed . . . still the most frequent cause of accident.” It is this attitude that he believes is exploited by “motor industry advertising.” Is this true in your country too?

Other factors, such as increasing traffic density and the diminishing quality of the road network, render driving more risky in many countries. Reports from Brazil focus on the perils of unmarked intersections. “In these situations,” comments the Brazil Herald, “one or more drivers suddenly become confused, hesitate, which can lead to an accident.”

Faced with such hazards, it is imperative that drivers of modern high-performance vehicles be responsible, well-trained, and caring people. The Swedish publication Trygg i trafiken? (Safe in Traffic?) offers this estimation: “Next to the right to vote, a driver’s license is the most important thing you can be entrusted with by society.”

Beware of Aggression!

Speed kills. Drunken drivers kill. ‘But,’ you say, ‘I stick to the speed limits, and I don’t drink any alcohol when I am going to drive. I realize driving can be a matter of life and death. What more can I do?’

“The car amplifies a human faculty, that of movement, making it possible to cover distances much more rapidly than by his own means,” writes psychologist Zulnara Port Brasil, adding: “That in itself is not wrong.” So where is the problem? According to Zulnara, it “lies in the manner in which each driver handles that power.”

No doubt you agree with the French daily Le Monde that commented: “A widespread, cultivated attitude of mind makes us take . . . the wheel as a symbol of power . . . If one cannot avoid the foolishness of others . . . , at least one can control one’s own driving.”​—Italics ours.

Modern motoring is more arduous and hazardous owing to what the Glasgow Herald calls “the rising level of aggression and intolerance behind the wheel.” Add to this “brinkmanship [the practice of pushing a dangerous situation to the limit of safety before stopping] and cut and thrust techniques,” which have become “increasingly prevalent to the point of physical violence and collisions,” and you have a recipe for devastation on the roads. Canadian police superintendent Ken Cocke comments: “People have just forgotten all the rules​—and everybody’s in a hurry. We sense we have to be more aggressive; everybody pushes and nobody waits in line.”

This aggressive streak, characteristic of today’s driver, does indeed provoke trouble. “The worst fault,” reports Rheinischer Merkur, “is that of following too close behind. . . . Few road users appreciate how others feel. For example, drivers of fast cars often feel that motorcyclists are a menace. They feel challenged, envious, and envy can easily trigger aggression.” So common is this trait that “one person in three questioned admits to having felt upset or even insulted by being overtaken.”

Top Priority​—Drive Safely!

The increased violence taking place on the highways in the United States seems to reflect this aggression. An item in The Wall Street Journal, August 3, 1987, under the heading “Drivers Are Turning Increasingly Violent,” stated: “In cities across the country, police note a rise in highway shootings, fistfights and other mayhem, many starting with minor run-ins between drivers. In a few cases motorists have been killed.” The New York Times, August 6, 1987, reported: “Since mid-June, violence on southern California freeways has killed four people . . . and left 15 injured.”

There is thus no question about it: to drive safely is a must, for our own benefit and for that of others too. After lamenting the lives lost each year on Britain’s roads, former transport secretary John Moore urges: “Road safety . . . has to be among all road users’ top priorities.”

On the practical side, then, how can you drive safely? What should you be looking for? What advice do safe, experienced drivers offer? Our next article, “Cultivate Safe Driving Habits,” will consider these questions.

Cultivate Safe Driving Habits

SAFE, careful, steady, cautious, overcautious, erratic, reckless, dangerous​—these are all descriptions of drivers. Which applies to you? Most drivers may consider themselves safe and careful drivers, but their passengers and other road users may be less complimentary.

One essential to driving safely is a roadworthy vehicle.

Is Your Vehicle Roadworthy?

Some countries check the mechanical condition of vehicles at regular intervals. The results are often surprising. In France, for example, a recent inspection of five-year-old vehicles revealed that 73 percent were in either mediocre, very poor, or even dangerous condition.

To help you check your own vehicle, you will find it useful to follow a routine in much the same way as airline pilots do to ensure that all is ready for the takeoff. The suggested check is shown on page 8.

With a roadworthy vehicle, properly insured and legally acceptable, you need a valid driving permit. To obtain this, you must take a test. Will you pass or fail?

The Driving Test

Most learner drivers view the driving test as a hurdle. It certainly is a major topic of conversation among them. Tests vary from country to country.

In France, as in many other lands, learner drivers take a driving test in two parts, practice and theory. In Germany, training includes first-aid instruction on what to do at the scene of an accident. Additionally, the authorities there impose a legal minimum of one and a half hours’ practice in night driving as well as just over two hours’ driving on a motorway (freeway). If the learner passes the examiner’s test, he receives a probationary license valid for two years. Should this time pass without incident, a permanent license is granted.

Japan insists on from 30 to 60 hours of practical instruction from qualified driving instructors, followed by a three-part test: medical (for vision, color blindness, hearing), driving (for practical skill), and written (on traffic regulations).

According to The Times of London, “the tough British driving test is defeating hundreds of angry Americans [resident there].” With a 51-percent failure rate (compared with 15 percent in the U.S.A.), it is reckoned to be “one of the most stringent in the world.”

The variations extend past the technicalities. Ben Yoshida, who runs a driving school in New York, asserts: “In Tokyo, an inspector tests [drivers] from the point of view of how well they can drive a car technically, but in the United States, he tests to see how safely they can drive.”

Whatever the differences, all drivers need to apply themselves to driving safely. How can they do this?

One English lady, who took her driving test when 50 years of age and passed, found it helpful to prepare by making a thorough study of Britain’s Highway Code.a But as with any skill, she found that more is required than studying a textbook.

Practice is essential. If you are a new driver, learn to drive safely under varying conditions. For example, when the weather changes, so does the condition of the road surface. Though there may be only a light sprinkling of rain, the grip of your vehicle’s tires will not be as effective as on a dry road. Consequently, slower speeds coupled with a greater awareness of road hazards become imperative. Heavy rain brings additional problems, such as when the spray kicked up behind vehicles obstructs your clear view ahead. Yes, become accustomed to different weather conditions and adjust your driving accordingly.

You are probably not a qualified mechanic. In fact, “not one in five motorists knows his car’s tyre pressures or service intervals,” claims London’s Daily Mail, adding: “Not one in three ever reads a handbook and nearly all are baffled by modern engines.” How about you?

Although it is not necessary to know all the intricate mechanical details of today’s vehicles, it does help to know the basics. This will enable you to develop ‘car sympathy.’

Improve Your Technique

Passing your driving test will give you a good feeling, a sense of achievement. But then what? Will you let your standards drop? “Often after passing the test, many drivers get a bit reckless,” comments a driving instructor. He offers this advice: “Know your limitations and the limitations of the vehicle in varying conditions. Until you have found those out, you are likely to have an accident.” One driver conceded: “If I drove the way I did the first few weeks after my test, I would be a safer driver.” Why so? He admits: “I now take more chances.”

On passing your test, you demonstrate that you are basically a safe driver. To become a good driver, you now must continue to work on your driving. You can almost certainly improve your skill with experience and attention to your driving technique.

Become ever more alert to possible dangers. “Lack of anticipation and awareness of what is going on in front, behind and around your car is the main fault of today’s drivers,” claims British police driving examiner, Alex Miller. Try to expect the unexpected. Learning to ‘read the road’ will help.​—See box on this page.

Safety Involves Attitude

“Temperament,” according to driving examiner Miller, “is the most important thing.” A driver with 30 years’ experience, in both Africa and Europe, offers this estimate: “Driving is a question of character. A person’s driving manners reflect the way he treats others in everyday life.”

A Canadian driver focuses attention on the value of the right attitude, writing: “When a driver’s license is regarded as a ‘privilege’ rather than a ‘right,’ traffic etiquette will improve our highway safety appreciably.”

“If safety is an attitude of mind,” states a British Department of Transport driving manual, “then humility is one of its main ingredients.” For many, this will mean a change of temperament. Is that possible? Yes. It involves being conscious of others, being unselfish. How well the Biblical golden rule expresses it: “All things, therefore, that you want men to do to you, you also must likewise do to them.”​—Matthew 7:12.

But how does this work out in practice? “When tempers get frayed on the road, it is really difficult to cultivate good qualities,” observes one driver in England. No doubt you agree. The desire to retaliate is strong. “Nevertheless, I have used music cassettes to help me. The calming effect is amazing.”​—See box on page 9.

“Try very hard to control any feelings of irritation,” is the admonition of one experienced Japanese driver. “If you are upset for some reason, hum or sing.”

Do not expect too much of others. Accident statistics clearly warn of the peril from dangerous drivers. Be determined to drive defensively, or as one driver put it: “Drive as though everyone else on the road is a potential hazard.”

Recognize, too, that you can learn from others. Analyze the quality of their driving.​—See box on this page.

“There isn’t much magic to becoming a Driving Ace,” asserts Jim Kenzie, writing in The Toronto Star. “All you need is some knowledge, some common sense, [and] some consideration for the other guy.” Whether you are a new driver or an experienced one, remember that the road is not the place for showing off, for impatience, or for selfishness.

By developing ‘car sympathy,’ by ‘reading the road,’ by concentrating and anticipating, as well as by cultivating a humble attitude, you will succeed in driving​—safely!

[Footnotes]

[Box/​Pictures on page 8]

Is Your Vehicle Roadworthy?

Items one should check every trip:

Windshield and windows: Clean? Is windshield washer filled? Wiper blades in good condition?

Lights, brake lights, and turn signals: In working order?

Tires: Any deep cuts or cracks, splits, bulges, or other damage?

Brakes: As soon after start as possible, check if they are in working order.

Periodic check per owner’s manual:

Engine: Is oil level above the “ADD” line? Do not overfill.

Radiator (if any): Is coolant level high enough? Is there adequate freeze protection?

Tires: Correct inflation pressure, depth of tread, and evenness of wear?

Battery: Is fluid level correct in each cell? Do not overfill.

[Box on page 9]

Driven to Distraction

Car radios and cassette recorders offer up-to-date news and music. Do they interfere with the driver’s concentration? Opinions differ. Some drivers claim they concentrate well whatever is broadcast. Others prefer to limit the use of such to background music when driving in heavy traffic. This is in harmony with the warning of the Driving manual: “Serious listening could affect your concentration.” What, then, of the use of car phones? It advises: “Stop before making or receiving a call.”b

[Footnotes]

[Box on page 10]

Read the Road

In a series of booklets designed to help both learners and qualified drivers, Britain’s RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) first acknowledges the motor industry’s investment in producing vehicles that meet high safety criteria. But it reminds drivers that “a car can only be as safe as the driver at the wheel.” It recommends that all drivers ‘read the road.’ How can this be done? What is involved?

1. Search for early indications of road and traffic situations. Most of the time, a driver should look ahead, searching for information that will alert him to possible hazards. He will, however, be aware of what is happening at the side of the road.

2. Observe the location, weather, time, and other road users. Where you are, in town or in the country, should influence your driving. Wet, icy, or snowbound roads are more hazardous. Patchy fog is especially dangerous. High winds may blow you out of your traffic lane. Glare, either from the sun or from an oncoming car’s headlights, may blind you temporarily or at least drastically reduce your vision. Vacation time brings many inexperienced drivers onto the roads. Watch out for pedestrians and animals. Notice the shadows that warn you of pedestrians crossing the road in front of the bus you overtake.

3. Predict how what you observe will affect your driving. Decide carefully how to cope with this, and drive through the situations safely.

“This technique,” claims RoSPA, “is constantly used by expert drivers. . . . It should improve your standard of driving.” What is more, “it is known to help to reduce the possibility of accidents.”

[Box on page 11]

Tips From the Experts

Take pride in giving your passengers a comfortable, smooth ride.

View driving as a skill to be perfected.

Make sure your vehicle is in tip-top condition.

Look ahead to the far distance and the middle distance, as well as close by.

Check the mirrors for what is happening behind and alongside your vehicle.

Beware of the blind spot in your vision.

Before turning or changing lanes, check mirror and give signal in sufficient time.

If necessary, physically turn to check before changing direction rather than relying on the mirrors alone.

Be patient. Keep calm.

Safe driving means obeying the traffic laws.

[Picture on page 7]

The driving test is to ensure that you will drive safely

Living With Parkinson’s Disease

IF YOU met my mother today for the first time, chances are you would have no idea that she has Parkinson’s disease. Although the symptoms are obvious at times, she is still able to go shopping, clean the house, and generally carry out the normal activities of daily life.

A little over 12 years ago, however, it was a different story. I had just learned that Mom had been diagnosed as having the disease. I wanted to visit her, but I didn’t want to arrive uninformed. So before traveling, I did extensive reading about the disorder. Yet, even this didn’t prepare me for what I saw.

The vivacious woman I remembered moved like an automaton. Her arms were held stiffly, close to her sides, her fingers unnaturally straight. Although erect as she had always been, she walked with little steps, shuffling, and with an agonizing slowness that belied the energy I knew was inside. It was her face, however, that made my heart sink. It was like a mask: wooden, expressionless. She smiled, but only with her mouth. Her eyes were unaffected.

Mom told me that it took two years of visits with various doctors to be correctly diagnosed. As with many, her initial symptoms were ambiguous: deep aching in joints and muscles and difficulty in just shampooing her hair and brushing her teeth. As the symptoms settled in, she began to have difficulty turning over in bed, and my father would have to help her. Walking became more difficult. Although she loved her active life in the Christian ministry, she often found that she could not even speak clearly and had to cut back her activities.

Shocked by what I saw, I began to delve into the matter. What causes this affliction? Can it be cured? Might I get it some day? How active a life can a person with such a disease have?

I soon learned that an astounding number of people contract Parkinson’s disease​—one out of every 150 to 200 persons! According to the American Parkinson Disease Association, there are from a million to a million and a half cases in the United States alone. Fortunately, with proper care the vast majority of sufferers are able to manage quite well.

What Is It?

James Parkinson, whose name was given to the disease, described the condition in 1817. His description remains remarkably complete and accurate: “Involuntary tremulous motion, with lessened muscular power, in parts not in action and even when supported; with a propensity to bend the trunk forward, and to pass from a walking to a running pace, the senses and intellects being uninjured.”a

It was the last portion that gave me great relief: Mom would retain both her intellect and her senses! She would not lose the ability to relish good food, be delighted by music, become touched or tickled by a talented author, or enjoy any of the many beauties of creation that she loves so much. The lack of spontaneous movement and reactions that I saw had nothing to do with the keen mind that was still very much alive within her.

At the beginning of his description, Parkinson mentioned “involuntary tremulous motion.” This slow, rhythmic tremor, especially of the hands, is the symptom I and most people associate with Parkinson’s disease, for it is the most obvious. In fact, the clinical name for Parkinson’s is paralysis agitans, the second word implying agitation or shaking. However, Mom showed no sign of it, nor does she to this day. ‘Why not?’ I wondered. Dr. Leo Treciokas, adjunct associate professor of neurology at University of California at Los Angeles, explained to me that for some unknown reason a significant percentage never get tremor. In others, tremor is the main symptom.

Everyone who has Parkinson’s, though, gets two other symptoms and almost always before any tremor sets in: rigidity or stiffness of the muscles, and what is called akinesia​—an unconscious lack of inclination to use the affected muscles even semiautomatically. This results in a slowness of movement, called bradykinesia. Some neurologists include difficulty in walking and in balance as separate but main symptoms.

The stiffness is really the result of the person’s muscles pulling steadily against one another. As the muscles that bend the body are affected more than those used to straighten it up, a person with Parkinson’s disease gradually assumes a stooped posture. It also makes his muscles and joints ache severely.

Contributing to these symptoms is the akinesia. In healthy people a host of little reflexes accompany the most basic actions: getting up, walking, turning, stopping, and even smiling. In Parkinson’s patients, many of these reflexes are absent or require conscious effort. (That is why Mom looked so expressionless and mechanical.) In addition, short, alternating movements, as used when one brushes one’s teeth, are hard for them. Their handwriting usually gets small and cramped after the first few words. They tend to sit and stare, moving the eyes rather than the head to look somewhere else. And yet they are neither stupid nor lazy.

Pronounced difficulty in walking and balance usually develops as well. My mom, like others, needs to take several little steps before she can break into a stride. Most walk with a constant shuffle, and many have what is called festinating gait (from the Latin festinare, to hasten). Tending to lean forward, their short steps will increase in rapidity till they are nearly running, and they will fall unless they can catch themselves​—or someone else does. Even when walking is under control, anything that suggests a change in equilibrium​—a looming obstacle, a moving stairway, even a line on the floor—​may cause the person to lose his balance and fall or even freeze.

What Can Be Done

These disheartening symptoms are no longer as disabling as they were only recently. In fact, because of medical advances that are less than 20 years old, Parkinson’s patients can now enjoy a very productive life in spite of their affliction.

As the symptoms are caused by an imbalance in the brain between two body chemicals, dopamine and acetylcholine (see box on page 15), doctors will generally try to restore that balance. How? By providing dopamine to the brain through the blood. However, dopamine itself can’t get past what is called the blood-brain barrier, so it gets used up in the body. But another substance, called levodopa, or L-dopa, can get through. It is turned into dopamine by normal metabolism, both inside and outside the brain.

When taken by itself in therapeutic doses, L-dopa has numerous side effects. This is because so much of it is transformed into dopamine before it reaches the brain. To prevent these side effects, inhibitors are added.

Does the therapy work? Yes, in many cases. The major disabling symptoms of Parkinson’s (rigidity, akinesia, difficulty in walking and balance, and sometimes tremor) are frequently reduced, sometimes dramatically. In fact, Parkinson’s patients now may have about the same life expectancy as anyone else. But does this therapy work perfectly? Unfortunately, no. Only the body itself knows exactly how much dopamine is needed and can normally produce it in such precise doses. Supplying it orally is only second best.

Since some people have immediate negative reactions to L-dopa, and because its effectiveness wanes with the years even in those who respond well, other treatments are also used.

What the Patient Can Do

But is there anything else that can be done? Yes, some very important things. One of them is regular exercise. Since movement is difficult and often painful, and balance may be a problem, the tendency of a Parkinson’s patient is to restrict his activities severely. Without exercise, however, everything gets worse. Muscles and joints get stiffer and may become rigid. Blood circulation suffers, which may lead to other illnesses. A tendency to become withdrawn and eventually totally dependent on others may develop.

For these reasons, neurologists say that a program of regular exercise is essential for maintaining well-being and mobility. Of course, a doctor should be consulted for each individual case. But, generally, simple daily exercises, such as walks of moderate length, swimming, and especially stretching and straightening exercises, help maintain suppleness and strength of muscles and the brain’s ability to adapt to its new chemical circumstances.

The coordination problems that Parkinson’s disease causes in walking, speaking, and writing can be helped by conscious effort. The UCLA School of Medicine and the American Parkinson Disease Association recommend slow, deliberate motions for each of these, which allow the higher motor centers in the brain to learn to compensate​—at least to some degree—​for the spontaneous reflexes now missing.

What Others Can Do

Others can assist as well. A Manual for Patients With Parkinson’s Disease gives this suggestion for helping those who have difficulty in walking: “A gentle offer of support or giving the patient a hand to hang onto may be all that is required to get the patient started again. The patient should always take the hand or arm of the helping person rather than being ‘helped along’ because suddenly grasping the patient’s hand or arm often throws him or her farther off balance.”

Encouragement is especially helpful. As Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine (1983) states: “The severity of the symptoms is considerably influenced by emotional factors, being aggravated by anxiety, tension, and unhappiness, and minimal when the patient is in a contented frame of mind. . . . The patient often needs much emotional support in meeting the stress of the illness, in comprehending its nature, and in carrying on courageously in spite of it.” Thus, loving consideration, care, and reassurance go far in helping a person to live with Parkinson’s disease.

Medical science does not yet understand the causes of this disease and therefore cannot offer a cure. However, my mother is sustained by the knowledge that the Creator does and that he will provide such a cure under his Kingdom by Christ Jesus. (Isaiah 33:24; Luke 9:11; Revelation 21:1-4) Until that time, she and many others are effectively coping with Parkinson’s disease.​—Contributed.

[Footnotes]

[Box on page 14]

Physical Helps for Parkinson’s Patientsb

◼ Firm chairs, slanted forward, are easier to get out of than low, deep, soft ones.

◼ A rail by the bed and by the toilet helps the patient to get up.

◼ A bed pull (a cord attached to the end of the bed) can assist the patient to sit up and turn over.

◼ A shower caddy holding needed items at about shoulder level, soap on a rope, and a sponge on a handle may be useful in showering.

◼ On clothing, pull-apart closures like Velcro are easier to handle than buttons or zippers.

[Footnotes]

[Box/​Picture on page 15]

What Causes Parkinson’s?

This is what the medical profession wanted to know right up until the 1960’s. In fact, the root cause is still not known, but the cause of the symptoms has been found.

In the brain stem, about level with the top of your ears, is a plate of dark nerve tissue called the substantia nigra, or black substance. The substantia nigra is part of a feedback system for the brain and produces a chemical messenger for nerve transmission called dopamine that is used deep inside the brain for modulating or smoothing out movement of the body.

In Parkinson’s patients, 80 percent or more of this nerve tissue is lost. Because of a lack of dopamine, a precious balance with another nerve messenger, acetylcholine, is also lost. This brings on the symptoms.

Why the substantia nigra degenerates, and why only it does, is still a mystery. The disease is evidently not hereditary, although there is now some evidence that susceptibility may be. In some cases, the symptoms are not due to Parkinson’s at all but to adverse reactions to certain drugs, such as reserpine and phenothiazine, which are used at times to control high blood pressure and mental imbalance. Withdrawal of these medications generally restores normality. Other recent cases are due to new “designer drugs” that look and act like heroin. When bad batches of these have been used, they have irreversibly destroyed the substantia nigra in those who have taken them, producing a condition indistinguishable from true Parkinson’s disease.

[Picture]

Substantia nigra

Bangkok​—A Medley of Past and Present

THE Thai people call it Krung Thep, or “City of Angels.” Western visitors of the past called it Venice of the East. To the rest of us, it is Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, the ancient Kingdom of Siam.

When Europeans first arrived in Thailand in the 16th century, Bangkok was only a small fishing village, occupied by Chinese merchants and artisans. Today, two million tourists yearly find this bustling metropolis of more than five million people a captivating medley of past and present.

City of Contrasts

In 1782 King Rama I, the first king of the present Chakri dynasty, moved the capital of Siam from Thon Buri across the Chao Phraya River to Bangkok. Here, on the east bank of a bend in the river, he built his royal residence, now the Grand Palace complex. Swept on three sides by the river, the city was crisscrossed by a network of canals​—called khlongs—​that served as its thoroughfares as well as its water supply, bath, and marketplace. “Venice of the East” was indeed a fitting name.

Today, though, a visitor will no longer find idyllic scenes along gleaming, peaceful canals. Gone, too, are most of the waterfront houses on stilts and the bamboo rafts. Instead, what he will find is a teeming metropolis of concrete and neon, with endless traffic jams in which even crossing the street may be a harrowing experience. Most of the canals have been filled in to become the city’s road system. And “shophouses” with two, three, or four stories have replaced the canalside homes.

In many ways Bangkok has adopted a western character complete with high-rise office buildings and air-conditioned shopping centers. But right next to the ultramodern is the traditional​—Buddhist temples, shrines, and spirit houses. Inside a Buddhist monastery, monks meditate and chant, and people try to find some peace and quiet. Right outside, endless streams of cars, noisy samlors (open, three-wheeled taxis), motorcycles, and smoke-belching buses and trucks clog the streets, some of which were elephant trails only about a hundred years ago.

In the residential sections of the city, people live in air-conditioned, western-style apartments. But in the outskirts and poorer areas of the city, families, often several generations strong, live in small wooden houses, with little furniture, though usually with a TV antenna on the roof.

Religious Life

About 95 percent of the Thai people are Buddhists, so the first thing visitors might notice is a profusion of glittering temples, or wats, with their multitiered, pointed roofs and richly ornamented gables. About 400 of the country’s 30,000 Buddhist monasteries are in Bangkok. The most famous of them is the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It is the Royal Chapel, and it houses Thailand’s most revered object, a 61-centimeter-high [24 in.] Buddha image made of a green crystalline stone. It is considered so sacred that the king himself will change its three different robes at the beginning of the rainy, the cool, and the hot seasons.

At one of the busiest intersections in the city stands Bangkok’s most popular shrine, with a gilded statue of the four-headed Hindu deity Brahma. Here, Buddhism has been mixed with Hinduism from the beginning.

Another part of the Oriental mystique is the presence of many spirit houses throughout the city. To the Thais, every tract of land is occupied by a guardian spirit that has to be appeased. Thus, a spirit house is erected alongside practically every structure, whether it is a residence, a hotel, a bank, an office complex, or even a monastery.

The mixture of religious beliefs and ideas has shaped the Thai people’s attitudes and thinking in many ways. Although Buddhists view life as consisting mainly of suffering, Thais do believe in sanuk (pleasure or fun). This creates in them a carefree and easygoing spirit. While this may help in some things, it surely does nothing for orderly traffic or observance of necessary laws. Attitudes such as mai pen rai (never mind; it doesn’t matter) and tam sabai (take it easy) help little in eliminating problems like littering, nor do they encourage farsighted planning.

On the other hand, the acceptance of the effects of past karma (deeds) as being responsible for misfortunes seems to explain the Thais’ patient endurance of unpleasant circumstances. Not only does the farmer appear to be content with his hard lot in life but the average city motorist is hardly upset should anyone cut in ahead of him. Passengers on a crowded bus remain unperturbed even when it gets stuck in one of the many traffic jams in the sticky afternoon heat. This is all aptly referred to as jai yen (cool head).

A Changing City

The traditional life-style is gradually disappearing. Yet, respect for one’s elders is still emphasized from an early age. It is a pleasant sight to see young students greeting their teachers with a wai, bowing the head with palms pressed together at the chin.

Saffron-robed monks making their early morning alms rounds is a familiar scene in Bangkok. Many young men still honor tradition and take up the monkhood for a short period of time​—while on leave with full pay from their employer.

All roads in Thailand converge on the capital, bringing with them what the Bangkok Post calls “the most congested traffic in Asia​—perhaps in the world.” Many of these roads were built by filling in existing canals. The result is drainage problems, sewage backups, and frequent flooding, especially during the annual monsoon season.

To compound the problem, Bangkok is sinking​—at a rate of more than four centimeters [1.6 in.] a year! Thus, will the “Venice of the East,” so fascinating a medley of past and present, soon become the “Atlantis of the East”?

[Box/​Pictures on page 18]

Bangkok’s Floating Market

Imagine going to market seated in a long-nosed, narrow boat and, on arriving, buying fruits and vegetables from other similar boats. Unusual? Not if you live in exotic Bangkok and frequent its Floating Market.

True, this swelling metropolis also has modern-style marketplaces, but none are more fascinating than the market on Bangkok’s khlongs, or canals, which lace this capital city into a watery network.

At the Floating Market, you see women boaters dressed in their traditional garb, complete with what looks like wide-flanged lamp shades perched on their heads. These bamboo-hatted vendors hawk their wares to eager customers. One boat is laden with lush, tropical fruit; another with a cornucopia of vegetables; the next with an assortment of seafood.

Don’t worry if all this shopping makes you hungry or thirsty. Just paddle right up to a boat. There a ‘chef de cuisine’ hovers over a steaming wok that is emitting a tempting, spicy aroma. She is cooking some delightfully tasting morsels. Try one! Or glide to the boat across the khlong where cool fruit drinks are for sale. They will quench your thirst as you slowly leave this traffic jam of bobbing boats.

[Credit Line]

Tourism Authority of Thailand

[Picture Credit Line on page 16]

Photos: Tourism Authority of Thailand

Young People Ask . . .

Why Should I Obey Mom and Dad?

JOHN and two girl schoolmates stood before a large hole in a fence that had been built to prevent access to the roadway of a busy six-lane highway. As cars zipped past, the two girls prepared to dash across the roadway in order to get home quicker.

“Come on, John,” urged the girls. “You’re going with us, aren’t you?” John started to follow them. “Then I remembered that my mom and dad had told me never to cross on the roadway itself but always to use the overpass walkway.”

Noticing John’s hesitation, one of the girls taunted: “You’re just a chicken!” The words dug deep. John, who was not afraid, hated to have two girls show him up.

Ask yourself, ‘If I had been John, what would I have done?’ He was faced with humiliation before his peers if he did not take up their challenge. Only the command of his parents​—who were nowhere around—​stood in the way.

No doubt your parents have likewise set some guidelines they expect you to obey. Such rules may cover not only cleanliness, homework, curfews, and types of entertainment but also conduct and morals. At times, though, youngsters are tempted to ignore parental rules. But think . . .

Why Do Parents Set Rules?

“My son [or daughter],” wrote a wise parent, “keep my commandments and continue living.” (Proverbs 7:1, 2) Yes, the rules, “commandments,” of a parent are intended for your good. They are an expression of your parent’s genuine love and concern. Really, a lack of firm guidelines and rules breeds insecurity.

For instance, one youth wrote: “My folks . . . let me get by with anything. I’ll bet a lot of kids would love it if their parents would let them do whatever they pleased. Well, it’s not fun. It makes me feel guilty and rotten. One of these days I’m afraid I’ll do something awful. The thought of it makes me scared.” This youth has good reason to be fearful. In some cases, a parent’s failure to lay down necessary rules has led to disaster.

One young man, for example, wrecked his father’s car three times. “It is obvious that your son can’t drive,” his father’s work supervisor said upon learning of the accidents. “Why do you continue to let him use your car?” The father replied that he didn’t want to hurt his son’s feelings by forbidding him to drive. So he again gave the boy his car keys​—for the last time.

Twenty minutes after the son drove off, the father got a call from the police. They wanted him to come down and identify his son’s mutilated body. According to police, the son had struck a telephone pole at a speed of over 100 miles per hour [160 km/​hr]! “I should have stopped him,” lamented the father. “If I had put my foot down, he would be alive today.”

But rules do more than shield you from harm. By ordering you to do household chores and school homework, your parents are teaching you to do hard work. How important is this? Well, one study of 456 teenage boys compared the lives of those who developed the capacity to work during childhood with those who did not. The researchers considered such things as whether the boys did regular house chores and participated well in school. Some 30 years later, most of these boys were contacted again.

Those boys rated high on work skills turned out to be twice as likely to have warm relationships with a wide range of people as those rated low. They were also five times more likely to be well paid for their secular work. On the other hand, those least successful at work in childhood were ten times more likely to be rated emotionally disabled and six times as likely to be dead by age 47! Thus, obeying your parents’ rules regarding home chores and schoolwork may beneficially affect the rest of your life.

When It’s Hard to Obey

In some instances, it may simply be carelessness that leads to breaking a rule. You may need periodically to remind yourself of the rules. Also, observing other parents who are lenient may make you feel, ‘Why can’t I do it too?’ Remember, your parents have to evaluate what is best for you. If other parents are too lenient, both they and their children will eventually harvest a crop of serious problems, for “whatever a man is sowing, this he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7, 8) Why ask to reap the same?

At times, a parent may arbitrarily impose a rule that you feel is unfair. The tendency is to disobey. But at the right time, why not discuss your feelings with your parents, explaining why you think the rule is unfair. You may find it most helpful to have in mind a new rule that could be an acceptable compromise. In yet other cases, however, the cause of the disobedience is spite.

One 17-year-old girl felt emotionally deprived because of the indifference of her parents, who were preoccupied with their own squabbles. Enraged at her parents, she was determined to violate the Bible principles that her parents had stressed. She committed fornication with a man she picked up while traveling on a train. “I felt I owed my parents one,” she later said. But by acting out of spite, she became the real loser, for her rage led to a seared conscience. Thereafter, she began cutting school classes and got involved in both abusing and selling drugs.

The righteous man Job was warned: “Take care that rage does not allure you into spiteful [actions] . . . Be on your guard that you do not turn to what is hurtful.” (Job 36:18-21) When you feel spiteful, stop and think: ‘What will my disobedience accomplish? Even if I break the rules to get back at my parents, will I possibly have to live with the results for a lifetime​—long after my emotions have quieted down?’ Rather than act in spite, it is time to keep calm and not act rashly.

Finally, adolescence is a time when youths often assert their independence. ‘You treat me like a baby. Why don’t you let me take responsibility for my own homework, room, curfew, appearance, friends, and bedtime?’ Many youths feel fully capable of making their own rules. But John, mentioned at the outset, learned . . .

The Value of Obedience

“I don’t care if you do call me a ‘chicken,’” said John to the two girls. “I just have to listen to my mother.” As the girls darted across the roadway, John obediently used the walkway. While crossing, he heard the screeching of tires. Looking down, he saw the two girls hit and knocked into the air. One landed in the opposite lane of traffic, where she was struck again and killed. Her sister’s leg was crushed and was later amputated.

This tragedy brought home to John how limited was his own experience. He had seen many other youths, including the two girls, run across the roadway without mishap. His mother, however, vividly remembered that, some five years earlier, the child of one of her friends was killed while trying to run across the same roadway. Because of her broader experience, she made rules to protect her son.

John’s mother, Thelma, later visited the mother of the girls to comfort her. The grieving mother explained: “I constantly told the girls always to use the overpass, but they wouldn’t listen. They decided to go anyway. I sure wish they had been as obedient as your son.” Yes, John’s obedience may have saved his life.

Of course, not every time a parental rule is broken is it a matter of life or death. With a little cleverness, you sometimes can get around virtually every rule your parents set. But disobedience in small issues may build a pattern that is difficult to change. One’s heart may become hardened in wrongdoing.​—Ecclesiastes 8:11.

John’s obedience did not depend on whether his parents were watching, for he knew that God commanded such obedience, and he wanted to please him and thus have a good conscience. (Ephesians 6:1) Such obedience must come from the heart. One wise parent advised his child: “May your heart keep fast hold of my words. Keep my commandments and continue living.”​—Proverbs 4:4.

[Picture on page 20]

How should you view the rules of your parents?

International Expositions​—Fighting for Survival

INTERNATIONAL expositions and world’s fairs have usually generated great public interest. They have also promoted world trade. But there are those who now wonder if they can survive. Why is this?

The history of fairs and expositions and their purpose, along with observations of a recent exposition, will help answer the question.

Origin and Purpose

The history of fairs can be traced back to pre-Christian times, to religious feasts and gatherings in the Middle East. They opened the way for traders such as the Phoenicians to distribute goods over the entire Mediterranean region.

Commercial fairs similar to what we know got their start in the Middle Ages in Europe. They were trade centers for merchants and others. Their religious background can be seen in the fact that the word “fair” comes from the Latin feriae (feast), relating to the medieval religious fairs and feasts. Similarly, “the German word for fair, Messe, is derived from the Latin missa, meaning ‘mass.’” (The Encyclopedia Americana, International Edition) In time, though, the religious background pretty well faded out of the picture, and the emphasis shifted to the commercial aspect.

That emphasis was clear in the Crystal Palace Exposition in London, England, in 1851, viewed as the first truly international exposition and the model for those that came after. Its purpose was to “introduce the world to British goods and manufacturing processes, thereby stimulating demand.” Was it a success?

The Encyclopedia Americana answers: “Not only did the British learn about the superb arts and crafts of other peoples, but the visitors . . . became acutely aware of the superiority of British goods, machinery, and production techniques. Immediately, orders for British goods showed a sharp increase.”

As the number of international expositions increased, it was seen fit to manage these with a world body. (The box on page 25 gives a partial listing of some better-known world’s fairs and expositions.) Thus, in 1928 in Paris, France, 35 nations signed an agreement to have a diplomatic convention “to regulate the frequency and method of organizing world fairs.” By 1931 this convention set up the BIE (Bureau International des Expositions) to oversee these gatherings.

EXPO 86: The 1986 World Exposition

The most recent international exposition was EXPO 86 at Vancouver, Canada, from May 2 to October 13, 1986. More than 90 pavilions dotted its 173-acre [70 ha] site, and 54 nations participated. The theme of EXPO 86 was “transportation and communications,” and its theme statement was “World in Motion​—World in Touch.” Its centerpiece was Expo Centre, a 17-story stainless-steel geodesic dome. Among other things, it housed a 500-seat Omnimax theater for projecting movies on a peripheral-vision screen eight stories high!

The Soviet Union and the United States displayed their space vehicles and satellites to show what they have accomplished in travel and communications. The showpiece of the fair, however, was the Canada Pavilion located at Canada Place, a spectacular $144.8 million structure meant to be a “permanent federal government complex.” Built on a pier in Vancouver’s harbor, it looks like a combination of a luxury liner and a giant five-masted sailing vessel about to put right out to sea.

After Expo ended, Canada Place became the World Trade Centre. It is well suited for that. Inside, it is as big as two football fields. It is able to accommodate a convention crowd of 5,000, offers 23 other meeting rooms, and even has a 500-room hotel and ballroom.

“Was It Really Worth It?”

The continuing use of the buildings and the site developments cause some to say that whatever the cost, a world exposition is well worth it. They point to the jobs created; the increase of tourism; the tax revenues; and the new transportation system, bridges, and highways, as well as all the other worthwhile spin-offs.

Many praise the amount of clean entertainment for families at an exposition. At Expo, in addition to the educational exhibits in each pavilion, there was a midway, four amphitheaters and movies, and more than 43,000 free performances, such as dances and concerts. Its atmosphere caused one writer to say about it: “You feel good just walking around.” One of its films was “nominated for an Academy Award for the best live action short subject category.”

But “was it really worth it?” one newspaper asked. On the last day of EXPO 86, a Canadian newspaper, when introducing the matter of the hundreds of millions of dollars of debts to be faced, said: “Tomorrow, the hangover begins.”

Costs and Debts

“The fair finished with a deficit of $349 million,” The Toronto Star reported. Losses in operating past expositions are noted in the box already referred to. So EXPO 86 was no exception. True, it had over 22 million visitors​—more than expected. And it had excellent free publicity all over the world​—10,000 journalists from 60 countries accredited to write about it. It had been eight years in preparation and had a “brilliant global marketing campaign” to promote it. Yet it lost money.

However, would not the economy get a boost? “The province’s troubled economy received a brief hit like the one a drug user seeks​—quick, euphoric. But the promised international investment doesn’t seem to have materialized,” said one report. Unemployment in the area dropped back to its pre-Expo level.

Costs to the taxpayer are not over. Though a beautiful facility like Canada Place has future use, still it would require renovation. Simply gutting it would cost an estimated $10 million. The cost of renovation has already run about $18 million. But there are other factors that indicate a decline for expositions.

Other Decline Factors

One writer observed: “We have come to suspect technology; at the very least, we are no longer awed by it.” It no longer arouses unqualified admiration.

David Suzuki, a Canadian scientist, said about EXPO 86: “Amidst the glowing promise of artificial intelligence, space travel and nuclear fusion, [it] gave no indication of the overriding military consequences of this work, the enormous profits to be reaped by private industry or the social, environmental and personal consequences of the coming changes.”

Among other reasons given for the decline of interest are: “World’s fairs are no longer benchmarks for the industrial world.” “There is less sense of wonderment in the world today. . . . People . . . can see all the wonders of the world on their television set.” “The proliferation of Expos in the last couple of decades has evidently made some people blasé about them.”

What Future for Expositions?

‘Too many category fairs and, in the U.S. at least, too many failures, are leading to a reappraisal of the world’s fair concept,’ according to the commissioner-general for EXPO 86. Moreover, that was before EXPO 86 started.

The declining attendances at many of the recent expositions had raised concern among those who organize and promote them. Now Australians are preparing for EXPO 88 in Brisbane, to open April 30. It will have the theme “Leisure in the Age of Technology.” Will it repeat the success of EXPO 86? Time will tell. It is obvious that something will have to be done to attract larger audiences and to prevent the great financial losses of international expositions if they are to survive.

[Box/​Picture on page 25]

Some Well-Known World’s Fairs and International Expositions

◼ Chicago World’s Fair, 1893, had an attendance of 27.5 million; it featured world’s first Ferris wheel.

◼ The New York World’s Fair of 1939-40, with its futuristic Trylon and Perisphere to highlight its theme, “The World of Tomorrow,” had an attendance of almost 45 million.

◼ Another New York World’s Fair (1964-65) stressed its theme of “Peace Through Understanding” with its Unisphere, a 140-foot-high [53 m] stainless steel globe. The fair’s expenses exceeded its receipts by more than $20 million.

◼ Expo 67 (1,000 acres) [400 ha] at Montreal, Canada, was considered to be a great success, with more than 50 million attending and with more than 60 nations participating. But it “left a $300-million deficit.”

◼ Osaka, Japan, hosted Expo 70 (815 acres) [330 ha], drawing an attendance of 64,218,770. It was outstanding for its record of 77 participating nations.

◼ Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.A. (1982); 11.1 million attended.

◼ New Orleans, U.S.A. (1984); 7.3 million present but closed with an estimated $100-million deficit.

◼ Tsukuba, Japan (252 acres) [102 ha] (1985); 20.3 million attended.

[Credit Line]

Background photo: Library of Congress

[Pictures on page 23]

Above: Unisphere, New York World’s Fair, 1964-65

Left: Atomium, Brussels’ World’s Fair, 1958

Below: Expo Centre, Vancouver Exposition, 1986

[Pictures on page 24]

Scenes from EXPO 86, Vancouver

[Picture Credit Line on page 22]

Background photo: Library of Congress

The Bible’s Viewpoint

Is Sectarian Worship Acceptable to God?

WHAT comes to your mind when you hear the word “sect”? Groups of people in strange attire chanting and dancing on street corners? Hordes of devotees bowing before some mysterious guru figure? Horrifying stories about kidnapped or abused children? Or, perhaps, gruesome accounts of serial murders or mass suicides?

Regrettably, reports of this type do appear often, perhaps too often. The result is that, to most people, the word “sect” has come to be synonymous with what is strange, nontraditional, and perhaps menacing. For them, all religious groups that do not belong to the so-called established, mainstream churches are sects. Is such a view valid? And, more importantly, is that the Bible’s viewpoint?

What Is a Sect?

Interestingly, many Jews of the first century took just such a view of the followers of Jesus Christ, particularly of the apostle Paul. Because of his zealous preaching of the good news about Jesus Christ, the Jewish authorities accused Paul of being “a pestilent fellow and stirring up seditions among all the Jews throughout the inhabited earth and a spearhead of the sect of the Nazarenes.” (Acts 24:5) The word “sect” is here translated from the Greek word haiʹre·sis, meaning “a choice,” that is, “the choice of an opinion contrary to that usually received.” Thus, a “sect” is a group or a body of people that chooses to follow a course or belief different from what is commonly accepted.

The Jewish religious leaders found the message preached by Paul and his fellow Christians contrary and upsetting. Thus, they branded them a sect. But were they right? Certainly not, for if we accept that line of reasoning as being valid, then we would have to say that Christianity as preached by Jesus the Nazarene and the apostle Paul was a sect!

Quite to the contrary, the Bible speaks of “the sect of the Pharisees” and the “sect of the Sadducees.” (Acts 15:5; 5:17) Why? Because they chose to follow a course or belief different from what the Bible teaches. Jesus pointed out their error when he said: “Adroitly you set aside the commandment of God in order to retain your tradition. . . . Thus you make the word of God invalid by your tradition.” (Mark 7:9, 13) Though they considered that they practiced the established, mainline religion, they formed the sects of those days.

Because of their fastidiously clinging to their own ideas of what is right, those self-righteous religious leaders rejected Jesus. Consequently, Jesus told them: “This is why I say to you, The kingdom of God will be taken from you and be given to a nation producing its fruits.”​—Matthew 21:43.

Who Are the Sects Today?

Today, the term “sect” is used freely by religion writers, critics, and others, slinging it like a mud pie at whosoever offends their own brand of religious sensibility. But is that a sound basis for judging? Rather, would it not be best to follow the guideline Jesus provided and examine their “fruits”? He said: “By their fruits you will recognize them.”​—Matthew 7:16.

By this criterion, many of the groups and movements we read about can indeed be called sects. Rather than producing “the fruitage of the spirit,” they have manifested in abundance “the works of the flesh,” which include “fornication, uncleanness, loose conduct, idolatry, practice of spiritism,” and others. (Galatians 5:19-24) Many of these can rightly be considered cults, since they idolize certain charismatic leaders and follow their teachings instead of God’s Word, the Bible.

But what about the so-called mainline religions? Well, do they uphold the high standards of the Bible in matters of morals, or do they have their own ideas about them? (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10) Do they love one another, which Jesus said is a mark of true discipleship, or are they swayed by nationalism and politics into slaughtering one another in times of war? (John 13:35) Do they champion the Bible as God’s inspired Word, as Jesus did, or do they label it as myth and uphold instead human philosophies and the God-dishonoring theory of evolution? (John 17:17) It is clear that, in spite of their “respectability,” the so-called mainstream religions are nothing but false sects masquerading as true Christianity.

What You Should Do

True Christianity is not a sect, nor does it exist in divisions. If you belong to a church, then it behooves you to examine carefully what your church teaches and what “fruits” its members produce. Are these wholly based on and in harmony with the Bible? Or could it be that your church has also chosen a course different from what the Bible teaches, thus making it a sect? A diligent study of the Bible is the only way to know for sure.

[Blurb on page 27]

The apostle Paul was accused of being “a spearhead of the sect of the Nazarenes”

[Blurb on page 27]

Does your church champion the Bible as God’s Word or label it as myth and legend?

From Our Readers

The World Since 1914

I must highly commend you for your articles “The World Since 1914.” (March 8 through June 22, 1987) These have enabled me to understand why the nations were maiming, killing, persecuting, and bringing woes upon themselves. The actual brain behind the scene​—Satan the Devil.

O. P. I., Nigeria

I have been reading with keen interest your series of articles about the world since 1914. For the first time in my life, I am given a bird’s-eye view of the history of our generation in just a few issues.

E. E., Côte d’Ivoire

Luther’s House in Shambles?

I am appalled! (“Why Is Luther’s House in Shambles?” September 8, 1987) I have close ties with my relatives still living in Germany. I am 40 years old and Lutheran. My grandfather was a Lutheran minister and both of my sisters are married to Lutheran ministers. What appalls me about your articles is that you seek to discredit my faith and the faith of my forefathers. How dare you! Most of the problems you mention are the problems of nearly any congregation on the face of the earth. I have had numerous theological discussions with my brothers-in-law, Bible class teachers​—all Lutherans. Never have I encountered anyone who is wishy-washy or hodgepodge or any of the other defaming adjectives you chose to use.

R. D. B., United States

It was stated at the beginning of the series that the condition described, while dealing with the Lutheran Church in Germany, was representative of the true state of Protestantism in most parts of the world. The description of Protestant theology as being “hodgepodge” and “this as well as that” was quoted from outside sources and is generally acknowledged by many Protestant spokesmen in Europe. Our purpose in publishing the material was a sincere effort to help readers of all faiths to analyze their beliefs in the light of Bible truth. Jesus said: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) Even the well-known German Lutheran clergyman Dietrich Bonhoeffer emphasized in his sermons: “In religion only one thing is of essential importance, that it be true.” “It [the church] must strive for purity of teaching.” ‘On Judgment Day, God will certainly ask us: “Have you listened to my Word and kept it?”’​—ED.

Thank you so much for your articles “Why Is Luther’s House in Shambles?” They expressed my sentiments exactly. You must keep in mind that my father was a Lutheran minister until he was pensioned two years ago, my mother was a teacher of religious education, and until 18 I was surrounded by the activities of a Lutheran parsonage. But even when I was only 11 or 12, unanswered questions, hypocrisy, and a certain spirit of hopelessness caused me to feel strangely empty. After a wearisome search for the truth, I finally found what I longed for back there as a child, people who really love God and obey his laws, Jehovah’s Witnesses.

D. B., Federal Republic of Germany

Watching the World

First for Witnesses!

Authorities in the African country of Tanzania have for the first time given approval for Jehovah’s Witnesses to meet together freely for Christian worship. During May and June last year, a series of five circuit assemblies was successfully held throughout the country. The combined attendance for these gatherings was 5,177, with 124 baptized​—the highest number of baptisms ever recorded in the history of the work of the Witnesses in Tanzania. For most in attendance, it was their first assembly. One assembly was held in the main auditorium on the campus of the University of Dar es Salaam.

Catholics Defect

One out of every five persons raised as a Roman Catholic “no longer considers himself or herself an adherent of the faith,” reports The New York Times. When compared to the number of people converting to Catholicism, the number of defections, the survey shows, is three times greater. The survey cited interfaith marriages as a primary factor among those defecting. At least one half of the former Catholics interviewed stated they married non-Catholics, while one fourth said they were presently divorced or had been divorced and were now remarried. The average age of those who have distanced themselves from the church was 36.

Animal Chiropractors

A growing number of chiropractors are treating animals as well as humans, reports The Wall Street Journal. “A few chiropractors now practice on animals full time, including several who are also veterinarians.” While not universally acclaimed, the animal chiropractors say they have got results where traditional veterinarians have failed. Among the animals worked on have been horses, llamas, cats, dogs, and parakeets. Because of tiny or, more often, massive bones, new techniques have had to be developed. “Some chiropractors place a padded 2-by-4 against a large animal’s bones and pound the board with a mallet,” says the Journal.

Stamp Mania

“In 1985 alone, countries around the world produced 9,141 [new issues of] stamps and 915 miniature sheets of stamps,” notes The New York Times. “Purchasing just one of each would have cost a collector more than $12,000.” Stamps are now one of the most lucrative exports among South Pacific nations. Only 20 percent of the stamps produced by Tonga, for instance, are actually used for mail. Distinctive stamps that are round, the shape of pineapples or bananas, or shaped like the country have been snapped up by collectors. “The Pitcairn Islands, home to only about 50 people, issues new sets of stamps four times a year and exports almost nothing else,” says the Times. And Tuvalu, a nation of 8,000 population, “issues an average of one new stamp a day.”

Positive Steps

The Belgian daily newspaper Le Soir reports that positive steps have been taken by the new president of Burundi to restore religious freedom throughout the country. In a 30-minute speech shortly after the coup ousting the former president, the newly installed president, Major Pierre Buyoya, “affirmed his intention to reestablish freedom of worship, which supposed the lifting of a number of restrictive measures that were aimed at Catholics, but also Jehovah’s Witnesses, Protestants, and Muslims,” notes Le Soir. President Buyoya criticized “the increasing number of preventive detentions that were too prolonged, arbitrary and often under inhuman conditions, and the absence of a coordinated stand against criminality.” Upholding the president’s policy on human rights, the new government of Burundi has released all imprisoned Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Microwaving Milk

According to the book The Canadian Parents’ Sourcebook, warming baby’s milk bottles in a microwave oven poses a danger to the baby. In a section on “Microwave Alert,” the authors warn that the practice “has caused scalding when it has been done improperly” because the oven “heats the milk unevenly.” Even though the bottle itself may feel deceptively cool, “different parts of the milk will be different temperatures,” say the authors. Similar warnings are given about warming jars of baby food in microwave ovens. Always test the temperature of the milk or food before feeding the baby. They also recommend telling baby-sitters and others of this precaution. And because “rapid heating could cause bacterial problems,” they caution against warming frozen breast milk in the microwave oven.

Safety Warning

Nuclear-reactor safety must be improved, says Dr. Robert Gale, a bone-marrow-transplant specialist who treated victims of the Chernobyl accident in the U.S.S.R. last year. He contends that there is a 25-percent chance of a nuclear-power-plant catastrophe of similar proportions happening somewhere in the next decade and a 50-percent chance in the United States. The German newspaper Hannoversche Allgemeine notes that statistics compiled so far indicate that “in the next 50 years an estimated 60,000 people all over the world would die of cancer as a result of the Soviet reactor meltdown . . . A further 5,000 would suffer serious genetic damage and up to 1,000 would suffer from health defects from birth as a result of Chernobyl.” Atomic energy, said Dr. Gale, could be beneficial only if handled properly.

Police Seals

While their contemporaries in Florida and California are trained to balance beach balls on their noses and do other entertaining tricks, some seals in New York City are currently being trained to do police work. The harbor seals are taught to retrieve handguns that are thrown into the water. Retrieving dumped contraband and drugs, taking underwater photographs, and finding submerged objects are also up for consideration. Stanley, a two-year-old harbor seal who already knows how to retrieve guns, has added unbuckling seat belts on submerged humans to his repertoire. Such ability is expected to be useful in recovering bodies from sea disasters.

Historic Births

Last October 1, a 48-year-old South African gave birth to her own three grandchildren. Pat Anthony acted as surrogate mother for her 25-year-old daughter, whose uterus was removed three years ago. Mrs. Anthony was implanted with four of her daughter’s eggs that were fertilized in a laboratory with sperm from her son-in-law. The triplets, two boys and a girl, were delivered by cesarean section at a Johannesburg hospital. This case not only adds fuel to the moral and legal controversy surrounding surrogacy but has also become a religious dilemma. Since the family are Roman Catholics, and the Vatican has condemned the practice of surrogate parenting, can church policy allow the babies to be baptized?

Presidential Pardon

An official statement released to the press from the Rwandese Republic Embassy in Canada announced that the president of Rwanda, General Major Juvénal Habyarimana, has granted “a total suspension of sentences” for all Jehovah’s Witnesses who were incarcerated for religious reasons. According to the embassy statement, this action took place on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the independence of Rwanda. Following their release, the Witnesses were allowed to return to their homes and to resume their secular work. It is reported that local officials who failed to uphold the presidential pardon were reprimanded by the central government.

What Makes Them Erupt?

WE ARE awestruck as we see pictures of volcano eruptions. At the same time, we wonder, ‘What is going on underneath?’

Geophysicists do not know exactly what is going on underneath. According to the theory of plate tectonics, however, the entire surface of the earth is divided into several large plates. These plates move like conveyor belts toward boundaries with other plates, and one slips under the other at the boundary. If an ocean plate slips under a land plate, pressures and temperatures rise. As the water in ocean plates is squeezed out, it reduces the melting point of rocks. If the temperature is high enough, the rock will melt into magma.

Molten rock, or magma, is forced upward and accumulates in a reservoir some miles below the surface of the ground. When pressure builds up in the magma reservoir, it is released through eruptions. Depending on the type of molten rock and its gas content, eruptions blow off tops of mountains, cause explosions of steam and gas, or spew out lava.

Though geophysicists have delved extensively into the mechanism of volcanoes, they still do not know the details as to how magma is formed. When it comes to knowledge concerning the formation of mountains, we still cannot answer the challenge the Creator put to Job: “Where did you happen to be when I founded the earth? Tell me, if you do know understanding.”​—Job 38:4.

[Picture Credit Line on page 31]

Inset photos: C. W. Stoughton/​National Park Service

Christians in the Midst of War

How do Christians cope when armies overrun a country, as they did in Korea in the 1950’s, or when violence is a daily threat, as it has been for years in parts of Ireland? What course do they take in order to stand for righteous principles?

The 1988 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses is filled with experiences of Christians standing firm for righteousness during the war in Korea and during the years of violence in Ireland. The Yearbook also provides a historical account of the activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Costa Rica, as well as an up-to-date picture of their work worldwide.

Please send, postpaid, the 1988 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I enclose $1 (U.S.).