April 22

Page Two

Rapes and muggings are everyday occurrences in many parts of the world. Even within their homes, many do not feel safe. Why is there all this violence? What is the solution? How should you react if threatened by a violent confrontation? This issue of Awake! will help to answer such questions.

Violence​—Why the Growing Concern

By Awake! correspondent in Britain

DO YOU live in a “no-go” area? This is a part of a city that public service employees​—doctors, nurses, and even policemen—​are fearful of entering alone. Officially, there are none in Britain, but ‘difficult area’ is a less emotional name for the same thing. And some authorities say there are over 70 of these in London alone, with many more in other cities of the country.

Britain’s Home Secretary expressed his concern, saying: “The peace of our society is now undermined not by foreign threats, but by the appetite for violence of too many of our fellow citizens.”

Not that Britain (with its 17-percent rise in violent crime during a recent 12-month period) is at the top of the list. Far from it. Many other places have higher crime rates. In the first nine months of last year, 10,607 violent crimes​—murder, rape, robbery, and assault—​were committed just on New York City subways! However, researcher Dr. Michael Pratt says there is evidence to support the claims that “the streets of London are becoming like New York.”

Yet, New York is not the worst city for crime. Atlanta, Miami, Detroit, and Chicago are among the eight major U.S. cities that reported more violent crimes per capita in 1987 than New York did. Everywhere, it seems, violence is a growing cause for concern. Psychiatrist Thomas Radecki observed that ‘most Western countries have seen increases in violence rates of from 200 to 500 percent over the past 20 years.’

Violent crimes have also increased elsewhere. In Kenya, East Africa, for example, 400 cattle rustlers not long ago indiscriminately slaughtered some 190 men, women, and children, callously leaving the bodies to be eaten by vultures and hyenas.

In the Soviet Union, soccer violence was reported ‘to be sweeping the nation.’ Similarly, China’s Central Committee for Promoting Socialist Ethics spoke out against ‘quarrels, fistfights, and even injuries and deaths during soccer matches.’ The committee lamented: ‘Sports enthusiasts, especially young ones, must be educated to be civilized.’

Clearly, violent crimes are a cause for growing concern. But what is being done to meet the challenge they present?

Violence​—Are We Meeting the Challenge?

MUCH of Britain’s crime is committed by school-age youths. One teacher in Sheffield, England, said that she had taught a class of 15 pupils in a school where only 3 did not have a criminal record. In fact, even kindergarten children are now involved in classroom violence.

“Nursery staff are seriously assaulted by their pupils, and you can imagine the terror in the hearts of the other children,” said one Yorkshire teacher. She added: “If a first-school child can inflict this sort of injury, what are they going to be like at secondary level if we don’t do something about it?”

But why are children so inclined to be violent?

The Role of TV and Movies

More children are watching violent and sadistic television programs and movies, and many authorities say that this is a factor in the increase of violence. In Australia, for example, a survey was taken of the viewing habits of about 1,500 children aged 10 and 11. The Australian film review board rated half of all the films the children had seen as unsuitable. Yet, a third of the children said that they especially enjoyed the violent scenes.

One explained: “I liked the part where the girl chopped off her dad’s head and ate it as a birthday cake.” Regarding another movie, a child said: “I liked it when the alien ate the lady’s head and kept on burping.” Still another child said: “I liked where they chopped a lady up and all white spurted out of her.”

The researchers concluded that as a result of watching this type of material, both children and adults are developing an appetite for violence. They also said that parents are being intimidated or seduced by strong social pressures channeled through their children to allow their children to watch such films.

Britain’s Independent Broadcasting Authority conducted a study of the effect of viewing programs featuring violence. Two million viewers, or 6 percent of the total audience, said that after watching crime programs, they sometimes felt “quite violent.” The Times of London, in its report of the findings, said that children fail to understand that screen violence is not real and have the impression that murder is a “day-to-day affair.” Is it any wonder that so many children are inured to violence and have few qualms about perpetrating it themselves?

Schools and Parents

Some have attributed much of the blame for the increase of violence to the failure of schools to teach moral values. Of this failure, a report prepared in Britain by two inner-city teachers says: “This is a tragic situation and one that goes a long way towards explaining the increasing violence in our society.” But is it fair to blame teachers for failing to instill moral values in children?

A report by the British National Association of Head Teachers answers: “Standards of behaviour in school and in society are deteriorating but the influence which schools can have on society via the young should not be over stressed.” Since a child’s disposition is already formed long before he or she gets to school, the report said: ‘There is little a teacher can do to change that.’

Roy Mudd, deputy head at City of Portsmouth Boys’ School, likewise stresses that teachers who see their pupils for only a few hours a day ‘can do nothing to put added moral fiber into the school diet unless children have been taught the difference between right and wrong by their parents.’

There is no question about it, the foundation for wholesome moral conduct must be laid early in life by parents. They, rather than the schools, must primarily be involved in teaching their children moral values if a reversal of the escalating violence is to occur. Yet, neither parents nor schools are meeting the challenge of violence, or at least not enough of them are.

What About Law Enforcement?

Are law-enforcement officials meeting the challenge? In Colombia, South America, 62 judges are reported to have been assassinated because they refused to accept payoffs from cocaine traffickers. Likewise, in Los Angeles county, U.S.A., law enforcement was unable to prevent 387 drug-gang killings in 1987. Law-enforcement authorities in many such places are acknowledging that particularly due to drugs, they are facing an unmanageable crisis. But why can’t they meet the challenge?

It is because of the breakdown in law and order worldwide. In Great Britain, Surrey’s chief constable, Brian Hayes, explains: “In years gone by police would tell a group to move on and they would. Nowadays the police would be set upon.” The Sunday Times of London notes that society often has “inverted values, where the police are cast as criminals and the law-breakers are seen as heroes.”

Richard Kinsey, a lecturer in criminology at the University of Edinburgh, says: “In Scotland we send more people to prison than in any other country in Europe and two and a half times as many as in the south [England].” With what result? In 1988 Glasgow’s Strathclyde police reported a 20-percent increase in crimes of violence over a 12-month period. Wryly, Kinsey concludes: “We in Scotland have seen [that] the key in the cell door has proved useless.”

An Unmet Challenge

Illustrating the failure to meet the challenge of violence was an editorial in Britain’s Nursing Times. It said: “No one warns nursing recruits that they are joining a dangerous profession​—perhaps they should.” The findings of the Health and Safety Commission, the editorial continues, are that nurses face “a level of violence and intimidation many times greater than the population as a whole.”

Among the most dangerous places for a nurse to work is in A&E (Accident and Emergency), as it is called in Britain. These can be particularly violent places on weekends when the usual hospital departments are closed. Awake! interviewed a former nurse who described work in a London A&E.

“The hospital was situated in a locality where there were many drug addicts, and we had a specific area of the casualty department set aside for them. There they could be left to sleep off the effects of their overdose, away from other patients. On occasion, as they came round, they would become very violent. It was a frightening experience.

“I have seen people admitted who have been badly injured in a gang fight and who continued their fighting in A&E. So often the violence can be turned without warning on the nursing staff. When I entered the nursing profession, a nurse’s uniform seemed to afford some kind of protection​—but not so today.”

Violence has put all of us on the defensive. Statements such as, “Now nobody is safe” and, “It seems that you are not safe anywhere,” are more and more common. Parents watch over their children, afraid to let them out of their sight. Women live in fear of being mugged and raped. Elderly folk barricade themselves inside their homes. From every angle, it is a sorry picture.

This brings us to a vital question, What can we do when faced with violence?

[Picture on page 5]

Television violence can promote real-life violence

Violence​—You Can Protect Yourself

BRITAIN’S Home Office recently pioneered a new form of training for the prison service, called “control and restraint.” The training is broken down into three headings:

◼ Controlling and restraining an individual by teamwork

◼ Breakaway techniques for staff who are on their own

◼ Handling concerted aggression, such as riots

The course “is not intended as an aggressive form of unarmed combat,” explains a Home Office spokesman. “Every other option and means of controlling and defusing a situation should be tried first.” In other words: Avoid Confrontation! How valid is such thinking?

What About Self-Defense?

Although the martial arts are often advocated, their use in self-defense against criminals is not endorsed as an option for most people. The publication Violence​—A Guide for the Caring Professions explains:

“There has usually been little support for the teaching of complex self defence skills, not only because the main aim of training is seen as prevention but also because of their frequent impracticality. . . . Moreover such procedures may be limited in their applicability in settings like confined, cluttered spaces and will often involve the trainee in considerably more harm and injury during training than would be experienced in a professional lifetime of risk of attack.”

In Self Defence in Action, Robert Clark, national coach of the British Jiu Jitsu Association, goes further, saying: “Like all things learned for the first time, they [martial arts] will require a great amount of initial effort before their performance becomes second nature and can be performed without conscious thought. When you are attacked, you simply won’t have time to think about which move follows what.”

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust, a charity established in memory of a 25-year-old woman who mysteriously disappeared during the course of her secular work in London in 1986, likewise recommends self-defense only as a last resort.

If martial arts are not the answer to combat an unexpected act of violence, what is?

Coping With Muggers

The key to coping with muggers is to avoid making yourself vulnerable. As a police inspector in Leeds, England, noted: “Mugging is an opportunist business, that’s the thing to remember.” So if circumstances compel you to be in an unsafe area, stay alert. Don’t give muggers an opportunity. Act in keeping with the Bible principle: “A sensible man foresees danger, and hides from it; but the simple pass on, and are punished.”​—Proverbs 22:3, An American Translation.

Keep your eyes moving over the street ahead and occasionally look behind. Look ahead before entering a block​—anticipate danger. Try to avoid traveling alone after dark. If you are at a meeting place, wait to walk home with a friend. When driving your automobile, make sure that all doors are locked. If they are not, a criminal can easily enter when you stop at a signal.

But what if, despite your precautions, you suddenly find yourself face-to-face with someone who has a knife or a gun? Remember: Your life is your priority. No possession can exceed its value. So if your attacker wants money, give it to him. Some people living in dangerous areas carry ‘mugger money’​—a little money in a wallet or purse to satisfy a mugger.

Remember too: Act calmly. Speak firmly and with your normal voice. Look the person in the eye, and try to hold his gaze. Do not reply in kind to insults or threats. Apply the Bible counsel: “An answer, when mild, turns away rage.” “Be gentle toward all.” (Proverbs 15:1; 2 Timothy 2:24) Be ready to apologize even though there may not really be anything to apologize for.

Rape and Home Security

“Many rapists are surprised at how easy it is to rape a woman,” writes Ray Wyre in Women, Men and Rape. “Her terrified paralysis is interpreted as a lack of protest which commonly becomes an offender’s excuse for going ahead with the attack.” So, never acquiesce! Make it clear that you are not going to submit. You can use any means at your disposal to avoid intercourse. Even if you are not a strong fighter, you have a powerful weapon​—your voice.

Scream as loud as you can. That is in keeping with the advice of the Bible. (Deuteronomy 22:23-27) One teenager, dragged into a secluded park area, yelled hard and resisted. This so startled her attacker that he ran away. Screaming can unnerve your assailant and may thus give you a chance to escape, or it will alert others to come to your aid.a

In Britain, most cases of rape occur indoors, quite often in the home of the woman being attacked. An increasing number of these attacks occur during burglaries. It makes sense, therefore, to ensure that your home is as safe as possible. In this regard, what can you do?

You should secure all possible means of entry by using strong window latches and dead-bolt locks for the doors. Such a lock requires the use of your key to turn the bolt when you are leaving and a turn of the bolt when you are inside. In addition, it may be wise to obtain a door chain. But remember, such a device is only as strong as the doorframe and the bolts that secure the chain.

Another wise precaution is to check the credentials of all callers. Ask for their ID cards.

Violence is not decreasing. Indeed, statistics from around the world reveal that it is increasing. Doing what we can now to protect ourselves and our loved ones is prudent, but it does not entirely solve the problem. What really is the answer?

[Footnotes]

[Box on page 7]

What You Can Do

◼ Plan your journey, especially if at night, to avoid unlit roadways and deserted streets. Remember, too, that you can run faster in flat shoes than in high-heeled ones.

◼ Never accept a lift from a stranger. Do not be lured out of your vehicle on any pretext. Any repairs are best made by somebody you know and in a safe place, not by a stranger at the side of the road.

◼ Walk near the curb, well away from the buildings where a potential attacker may be lurking in a doorway or alley.

◼ If you see a group of suspicious-looking persons ahead, cross the street to avoid them, or change direction. If you are followed, step into the street. If danger seems imminent, run or call for help.

◼ Carry a screech alarm in your hand, not in your purse. Noise can often send a would-be attacker on his way.

◼ Avoid entering an elevator if you sense danger from the occupants. When in an elevator, stand next to the control panel. If a suspicious-looking person gets in, it may be wise to get out.

◼ Carry credit cards and other valuables in a separate place on your person. In this way, even if your purse is snatched, your loss will not be as great.

[Box on page 10]

Watch for “Steaming”

In Britain, “steaming” is a new word to describe the activity of teenagers who swarm en masse into a store, a bus, or a train, intimidating those they encounter. They rely on sheer weight of numbers to threaten and steal, sometimes with violence. So, wisely, do not wear jewelry or other valuables that can easily be seen and snatched. Carry a wallet or a purse containing a little money​—keeping important papers and credit cards elsewhere—​and be prepared to hand it over. If you readily give “steamers” something, they may leave you and quickly pass on.

[Picture on page 8]

Will you struggle to keep your money and perhaps lose your life?

[Picture on page 8]

When attacked sexually, the best thing a woman can do is SCREAM

[Picture on page 9]

Quality locks are vital for securing your home

[Picture on page 9]

Check credentials before letting someone in

Violence​—The End in Sight!

HUMANS have had plenty of time to bring violence under control, but it has only grown worse. Is it not obvious that men cannot do it? What hope, then, is there for the end of violence?

Surely, it is to their Creator that humans need to look for the solution to the problem, as well as to all other problems. His answer is his Kingdom, which is a righteous heavenly government. Jesus Christ devoted his preaching work on earth to telling people about this Kingdom government. You pray for that government when you say: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”​—Matthew 6:9, 10, King James Version.

But how will God’s Kingdom eliminate violence? Foretelling the very days in which we live, the Bible says: “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will . . . crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite.” (Daniel 2:44) Yes, God’s Kingdom government will completely destroy earth’s present governments and the societies they govern, with all their violence and crime.

But when will this occur? The fulfillment of Bible prophecy shows that it will be within our lifetime. Why do we say this? Because “the sign” that Jesus said would mark “the conclusion of the system of things” is now undergoing fulfillment. This “sign” includes “the increasing of lawlessness.” (Matthew 24:3-14, 34) What a marvelous relief when God wipes out this violence-ridden world! However, to enjoy the benefits then, we must do the will of God now.​—1 John 2:17.

A Bible prophecy recorded by the ancient prophet Isaiah tells about God’s invitation to submit to His instructions and “walk in his paths.” Those who respond, the prophecy says, “will have to beat their swords into plowshares” and will not “learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:3, 4) Another prophecy recorded by Isaiah tells of the result: “No more will violence be heard in your land, despoiling or breakdown within your boundaries.” Why? Because “Jehovah himself will become for you an indefinitely lasting light.”​—Isaiah 60:18-20.

Although a measure of peace can be enjoyed even now by learning the will of Jehovah God and submitting to it, just imagine what it will soon be like when God’s Kingdom rids the earth of all unrighteousness. Then there will be no cause for fear, no reason to be afraid to walk on any street or to enter any park at night. There will be no need for locks on your doors, no need to worry about protecting yourself.​—2 Peter 3:13.

Would you like to live in such a new world free of violence? This can be your happy prospect, for it is based on the sure Word of our Creator himself. Jehovah’s Witnesses will be happy to help you understand these fine prospects our Creator is extending to all of us. Why not take the initiative to find out for yourself? You too can rejoice, knowing that violence will end​—soon!

Something Worse Than AIDS

“The tests were positive. You have AIDS.” Those words of my doctor rang in my head as I hung up the phone one day last year. If only I had listened to God’s counsel and applied it, I could have avoided this!

I WAS raised as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the state of Washington, and my parents made sure that I knew what God’s requirements were. So it came as quite a surprise to a lot of people when I began to live so contrary to my childhood training.

Being liked by the other kids at school was an obsession with me. I tried all kinds of things to be accepted. Well, nothing worked, and by the time I was 15, I figured all was hopeless. I even tried, unsuccessfully, to commit suicide.

Thinking that it would make things better, I started using tobacco and marijuana. Well, it didn’t. After a while, I decided to leave Jehovah’s organization to look elsewhere for happiness. I announced to my school friends that I was no longer one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and they seemed to like that.

An Immoral, Inconstant Life

Eventually I found a job and also an apartment down on skid row, where all the winos and prostitutes hung out. They proceeded to tell me how easy it was to turn tricks for money. With their help, it wasn’t long before I had learned the ropes. I went from being a person who wanted to be liked by everyone and to be happy to being someone who was used by everyone and was very unhappy.

I wanted to change, to go back home and start over. I missed my parents and the life I had before. So I prayed to Jehovah for help. The hard part was to approach my parents and ask their forgiveness. Thankfully, they found it in their hearts to forgive me.

The Christian elders met with me, and I expressed my desire for reinstatement into the congregation. It wasn’t easy for them or for me. Not only was I having problems with the side effects of drug abuse but I had also contracted a serious venereal disease. My doctor told me that if I had waited just one more month, I would have died. What a mess I had got myself into!

In time, I was reinstated, and I even married a young woman from a neighboring congregation. Things were looking up. Yet, I still didn’t appreciate Jehovah’s love. I was trying to do things on my own instead of leaning on him for strength.

Less than two years later, I was divorced and disfellowshipped again for immorality. I had got involved with some worldly people. It was all quite innocent at first, but the Scriptural warning invariably proves accurate: “Bad associations spoil useful habits.”​—1 Corinthians 15:33.

Sinking Deep Into Badness Again

By moving far away, I thought I wouldn’t be hurting my family as much. I had no problem finding a job and a place to stay in San Francisco, California. A drug dealer offered me a job distributing drugs. I was also among his elite group who got to try, for free, all the new ‘designer drugs’ that would come along. I now had a new kind of popularity. Everybody who knew me (and there were quite a few) knew that I had drugs. They would come up to me on the streets, in the bars, and even at work, wanting to purchase something from me.

Besides, I also wasted no time getting involved in immorality; it was a way for me to feel liked. And I was liked a lot. I learned to use other people through sex to get things I wanted. For years I lived this way.

I vividly recall on one occasion running an extremely high fever and becoming very weak. My doctor didn’t know what I had. In time it passed. I wouldn’t know what I had been exposed to until three years later.

During this time, I also began having trouble with the demons, once actually coming under attack. I felt that a demon was trying to enter my body. It was a struggle to get any words out of my mouth. I tried and tried until I finally was able to scream, “Help me Jehovah!” The demon immediately left.

Imagine how I felt! Here I was living a grossly immoral life and thinking only of myself, yet I had the nerve to call on Jehovah for help! I felt so ashamed. Why should I have assumed that Jehovah would help me? I went into a deep depression. I intentionally put my life in jeopardy, wanting someone to kill me.

A Desire to Change

One day, while partying with some friends, we got into a discussion about world affairs. When they asked me what I thought about the future, I found myself telling them of God’s purpose for the earth and its people. They were amazed. But one person became very upset with me and called me a hypocrite! He was absolutely right. I was living a double life. Yet, deep in my heart, I knew that Jehovah was our only salvation and that his organization was the only place to be.

About this time my life and the lives of those around me started to change. Many of my friends were coming down with AIDS. It was difficult to watch people who were once healthy slowly wither and die. I felt so helpless in comforting them. It was especially frustrating since I knew a better way of life. I knew then that I wanted to come back into Jehovah’s love. But how?

I started praying to Jehovah for help. It was so hard to do. I felt so ashamed and dirty. One day I received a phone call. It was from my aunt, whom I hadn’t seen for over nine years. She wanted to come and see me. Although she did not share my parents’ faith, I told her that I wanted to change my life and return to being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. She could see my sincerity and wanted to help.

The Long Way Back

My aunt invited me to move in with her until I could get back on my feet. When she asked me if that would help, I just stood there and cried. I knew this was the way out that I needed, so I left my former associates. The next few months weren’t easy, but I was confident that Jehovah would help me get through them. I think Malachi 3:7 applies here: “‘Return to me, and I will return to you,’ Jehovah of armies has said.”

I met with the elders immediately after moving. I told them everything about myself and that I truly wanted to serve Jehovah. They knew and I knew that my reinstatement wasn’t going to come overnight by any means. I had a bad track record. Yet, I was determined this time. Every day and every night I prayed constantly to Jehovah for his help. I used to think I was such a weak person. On my own I guess I am. But when you have Jehovah’s help, it’s amazing how strong you become.

I had used drugs for so many years to cope with everyday life. Now I was having to do without them. I was afraid. Crowds scared me, and I would literally get sick if I was around them too long. At the same time, I was also trying to quit smoking after having been used to smoking almost four packs a day. The only thing that helped me get through all of this was prayer and continually reminding myself that my corrective actions were pleasing to Jehovah. I also found comfort and peace by attending the meetings regularly. Even though I couldn’t speak to anyone because of my being disfellowshipped, I still felt the love and warmth of my future spiritual brothers and sisters there.

Eventually, about a year after turning my life around, Jehovah saw fit to move his servants to reinstate me into his organization. He knew the exact time to welcome me back. He doesn’t let you be tested beyond what you can bear. Shortly afterward, I received that call from the doctor telling me that I had AIDS. Indeed, what Galatians 6:7 says is true: “Do not be misled: God is not one to be mocked. For whatever a man is sowing, this he will also reap.”

First I cried. All kinds of thoughts went through my mind. Visions of my past flew before my eyes. I had seen firsthand what this disease does to a person, as well as how others react to victims. How foolish I was to think that the world had something to offer! And what a waste of valuable time!

Contentment Despite Having AIDS

I know that there are youths in the same position I was, desiring to be accepted by worldly companions. Please, don’t be fooled into believing that what happened to me in the world won’t happen exactly the same to you if you ignore God’s counsel. Satan’s lures may be different, but the results are always the same.

However, I have also learned that no matter how bad you’ve become or whatever wrongs you have committed, Jehovah God will still help you and forgive you if you sincerely want to please him and if you go to him in earnest prayer.

Whatever happens to me doesn’t really bother me anymore. Sure, I get a little blue now and then, but I get over it soon enough. The only thing I worry about now is pleasing Jehovah. He is my real source of joy and comfort. I know that if I am doing everything that I can to please him, I will be well taken care of and loved by him.

I am so grateful that I am back among Jehovah’s people because even if I should die before he vindicates himself at Armageddon, I have the hope of the resurrection. Take it from me, to live without Jehovah’s love and favor is much worse than having AIDS.​—Contributed.

[Blurb on page 13]

Being liked by the other kids was an obsession with me

Religion’s Future in View of Its Past

Part 8​—c. 563 B.C.E. onward​—An Enlightenment That Promised Liberation

“The test of a religion or philosophy is the number of things it can explain.”​—American 19th-century poet Ralph Waldo Emerson

LITTLE, if anything, is known about him for sure. Tradition says that he was named Siddhārtha Gautama, that he was a prince, and that he was born about 600 years before the birth of Christ in the northern Indian kingdom of the Sakya. He was called Sakyamuni (sage of the Sakya tribe) and Tathagata, a title of uncertain meaning. Most likely you will recognize him only by his better-known title, the Buddha.

Gautama was raised in palatial surroundings, but at 29 he suddenly became aware of the misery around him. He wanted an explanation, not unlike people today who sincerely wonder why wickedness and suffering exist. Leaving his wife and infant son, he fled to the desert, where for six years he lived the life of an ascetic. He lay on thorns and for a time existed on a single grain of rice a day. But this brought no enlightenment.

Now about 35, Gautama decided upon a more moderate course, one he called the Middle Way, or Path. He vowed to remain seated under a fig tree until enlightenment was attained. Finally, after a night of visions, he felt his search had been rewarded. Thenceforth he was known as the Buddha, meaning “enlightened one.” But Gautama did not claim a monopoly on the title. It must therefore always be used with an article, a buddha or, in Gautama’s case, the Buddha.

The Way to Liberation

The Hindu gods Indra and Brahma are said to have begged the Buddha to tell his newly found truths to others. He set out to do so. Although retaining Hinduism’s tolerant attitude that all religions have merit, the Buddha disagreed with its caste system and its emphasis on animal sacrifices. He rejected its claim that the Hindu Vedas were scriptures of divine origin. And while not denying that God might possibly exist, he did rule out God as being a Creator. The law of causation, he argued, had no beginning. And he went further than Hinduism, allegedly promising in his first sermon: “This, monks, is the middle path the knowledge of which . . . leads to insight, which leads to wisdom, which conduces to calm, to knowledge, to perfect enlightenment, to Nirvana.”

‘What is Nirvana?’ you ask. “It is difficult to find an erroneous answer to this question,” says historian Will Durant, “for the Master left the point obscure, and his followers have given the word every meaning under the sun.” “There is no single Buddhist view,” agrees The Encyclopedia of Religion, for it “varies with the culture, the historical period, the language, the school, and even the individual.” One writer calls it “the pure absence of desire, the timeless infinity of the void . . . , the everlasting tranquillity of death without rebirth.” Others, in reference to its Sanskrit root meaning of “to blow out,” say that it is like a flame that goes out when its fuel is exhausted. At any rate, Nirvana promises liberation.

The need for achieving liberation the Buddha summed up in the Four Noble Truths: Life is pain and suffering; both are caused by craving for existence and for the indulgence of desires; the course of wisdom is to suppress this craving; this is achieved by following the Eightfold Path. This Path entails right belief, right intention, right speech, right action, right living, right endeavor, right thought, and right meditation.

Victories Abroad, Defeat at Home

From its beginning, Buddhism found ready response. A group of materialists of the time, called the Charvakas, had already prepared the way. They rejected Hindu sacred writings, scoffed at the idea of belief in God, and renounced religion in general. Their influence was substantial and helped create what Durant calls “a vacuum which almost compelled the growth of a new religion.” This vacuum, together with “the intellectual decay of the old religion,” contributed to the rise of the two major reform movements of the day, Buddhism and Jainism.

In the middle of the third century B.C.E., King Aśoka, whose empire embraced most of the Indian subcontinent, did much to popularize Buddhism. He strengthened its missionary aspects by sending missionaries to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and possibly to other countries also. During the first centuries of the Common Era, Buddhism spread throughout China. From there it spread to Japan by way of Korea. By the sixth and seventh centuries C.E., it could be found in all parts of east and southeast Asia. Today, there are over 300 million Buddhists worldwide.

Even prior to King Aśoka’s day, Buddhism had been on the move. “By the end of the fourth century B.C., Buddhist missionaries were found in Athens,” writes E. M. Layman. And he adds that after Christianity was founded, its early missionaries were confronted with Buddhist doctrine everywhere they went. In fact, when Catholic missionaries first went to Japan, they were mistaken for a new Buddhist sect. How could this be?

Apparently the two religions had much in common. According to historian Durant, things like “the veneration of relics, the use of holy water, candles, incense, the rosary, clerical vestments, a liturgical dead language, monks and nuns, monastic tonsure and celibacy, confession, fast days, the canonization of saints, purgatory and masses for the dead.” He adds that these things “seem to have appeared in Buddhism first.” In fact, Buddhism was said to be “five centuries in advance of the Roman Church in the invention and use of all the ceremonies and forms common to both religions.”

Explaining how these similarities developed, author Layman hints at a common origin. He writes: “By the time of the Christian era . . . pagan influences had become apparent in Buddhist forms of worship. . . . Pagan influences probably were [also] responsible for some of the worship practices which developed in the Christian church.”

Despite its worldwide impact, Buddhism suffered a serious defeat at home. Today, less than 1 percent of India’s population is Buddhist; 83 percent is Hindu. The reason is unclear. Perhaps Buddhism was so tolerant that it was simply reabsorbed by more traditional Hinduism. Or perhaps the Buddhist monks slacked off in shepherding the laity. A major factor, at any rate, was the penetration of Islam into India. This led to Muslim rulership under which many people, particularly in northern India, converted to Islam. In fact, by the end of the 13th century, about a quarter of the population was Muslim. Meanwhile, many Buddhists were reverting to Hinduism, apparently finding it better equipped to cope with the Muslim onslaught. Living up to its name of tolerance, Hinduism welcomed them back with a fond embrace, easing their return by proclaiming the Buddha a god, an incarnation of Vishnu!

The Many Faces of the Buddha

“The first images of the Buddha were made by the Greeks,” writes E. M. Layman. Buddhists claim that these statues are not worshiped but are only aids to devotion, designed to show respect for the great Teacher. At times the Buddha is shown standing, but most often he sits cross-legged, the soles of his feet facing upward. When his hands are atop one another, he is meditating; when his right hand is lifted to the chin, he is blessing; and when the thumb of the right hand is touching the forefinger or when both hands are joined in front of the breast, he is teaching. The reclining pose depicts him at the moment of passage into Nirvana.

Just as there are differences in his various postures, so there are varieties of his doctrine. It is said that within 200 years after his death, 18 different versions of Buddhism already existed. Today, 25 centuries removed from Gautama’s “enlightenment,” Buddhist interpretations of how to achieve Nirvana are many.

Erik Zürcher of the University of Leiden in the Netherlands explains that there are “three basic orientations within Buddhism, each with its own doctrinal ideas, cultic practices, sacred scriptures, and iconographic traditions.” These movements are called vehicles in Buddhist terminology because, like ferryboats, they carry a person across the river of life until he finally reaches the shore of liberation. Then the vehicle may safely be abandoned. And the Buddhist will tell you that the method of travel​—the kind of vehicle—​is immaterial. Getting there is all that matters.

These vehicles include Theravada Buddhism, which apparently remains fairly close to what the Buddha preached and is particularly strong in Burma, Sri Lanka, Laos, Thailand, and Kampuchea (formerly, Cambodia). Mahayana Buddhism, particularly strong in China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, and Mongolia, is more liberal, having adapted its teachings to reach more people. For that reason it is called the Greater Vehicle in contrast with Theravada, the Lesser Vehicle. Vajrayana, the Diamond Vehicle, commonly known as Tantrism or Esoteric Buddhism, combines ritual with the practicing of Yoga, and supposedly speeds up one’s progress toward Nirvana.

These three movements are divided into many schools, each differing in the interpretation of certain basic elements, oftentimes because of placing special emphasis on certain sections of Buddhist scriptures. And since, according to Zürcher, wherever it went, “Buddhism was in varying degrees influenced by local beliefs and practices,” these schools soon fathered any number of local sects. Not unlike Christendom with its thousands of confusing sects and subdivisions, the Buddha, figuratively speaking, wears many faces.

Buddhism and Politics

Like Judaism and professed Christianity, Buddhism has not limited itself to religious activities but has helped mold political thought and behavior as well. “The first fusion of Buddhism and political action came during the reign of [King] Asoka,” says author Jerrold Schecter. The political activism of Buddhism continues to our day. In the latter part of 1987, 27 Tibetan Buddhist monks were arrested in Lhasa for taking part in anti-Chinese demonstrations. And the involvement of Buddhism in the Vietnam war of the 1960’s caused Schecter to conclude: “The peaceful path of the Middle Way has been twisted into the new violence of street demonstrations. . . . Buddhism in Asia is a faith in flames.”

Dissatisfied with the deplorable political, economic, social, and moral conditions of the Western world, some people turn to Eastern religions, including Buddhism, for explanations. But can “a faith in flames” provide the answers? If you apply Emerson’s criterion that “the test of a religion . . . is the number of things it can explain,” how do you rate Gautama’s enlightenment? Would some of the other Asiatic religions “In Search of the Right Way” do better? For an answer, read our next installment.

[Box on page 18]

Some of Its People, Places, and Things

Adam’s Peak, a mountain in Sri Lanka viewed as holy; a mark in the stone there is said by Buddhists to be the Buddha’s footprint, by Muslim’s to be Adam’s, and by Hindus to be Siva’s.

Bodhi Tree, the fig tree under which Gautama became the Buddha, “bodhi” meaning “enlightenment”; an offshoot of the parent tree is said to survive and is venerated in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

Buddhist Monks, recognized by their distinctive robes, form a principal element of Buddhism; they promise to be truthful, to be compassionate to man and beast, to beg for their livelihood, to shun amusements, and to live in chastity.

Dalai Lama, Tibetan secular and religious leader, viewed by Buddhists as an incarnation of the Buddha, who in 1959 was driven into exile; “dalai,” from the Mongolian word for “ocean,” signifies broad knowledge; “lama” refers to a spiritual teacher (like the Sanskrit guru). According to news reports, during the 1987 Tibetan demonstrations, the Dalai Lama “gave his blessing to civil disobedience but condemned violence,” thereby causing India, his host country, to remind him that political statements might jeopardize his stay there.

Temple of the Tooth, a Buddhist temple in Kandy, Sri Lanka, reputedly housing one of the Buddha’s teeth as a sacred relic.

[Box on page 19]

Tea and Buddhist “Prayer”

Despite similarities, Buddhist “prayer” is more correctly termed “meditation.” One form that particularly stresses self-discipline and deep meditation is Zen Buddhism. Brought to Japan in the 12th century C.E., it is based on a Chinese form of Buddhism known as Ch’an, which is traced back to an Indian monk named Bodhidharma. He went to China in the sixth century C.E. and borrowed heavily from Chinese Taoism in creating Ch’an. It is said that he once cut off his eyelids in a fit of anger after having fallen asleep while meditating. They fell to the ground, took root, and produced the first tea plant. This legend serves as the traditional basis for Zen monks’ drinking tea to keep awake while in meditation.

[Picture on page 16, 17]

Buddhist temples, such as the Marble Temple in Bangkok, Thailand, are very impressive

[Picture on page 17]

Also seen here is a statue of a Buddhist demon guarding a temple, and below, a statue of a buddha. These are familiar sights in Buddhist countries

Young People Ask . . .

How Can I Carry On a Successful Courtship?

“MY BIGGEST mistake was in getting attached affectionately to Andy before I allowed myself to see what he was like as a person,” reflected Louise, whose marriage was shattered by divorce. “Our courtship had been pretty much limited to one-on-one settings. I never saw how he reacted outside those ‘ideal’ situations.”

While Louise’s marriage lasted seven agonizing years, serious problems developed within weeks of the wedding. How can you avoid such mistakes and use courtship to prepare for a happy marriage?

Before Dating

“The prudent man [or woman],” according to the Bible, “looks and considers well where he [or she] is going.” (Proverbs 14:15, The Amplified Bible) Getting emotionally involved with someone you hardly know can lead to marriage to a person whose emotions and goals are light-years from yours. So first observe that one in a group, perhaps while enjoying some recreation.

“I knew that if I got too close at first, my emotions would cloud my judgment,” explained Dave, now happily married for ten years. “So I viewed Rose from a distance without her knowing I was interested. I could see how she treated others and that she was not a flirt. In casual talks, I found out her circumstances and goals.” It is also wise to talk with someone who knows the person well to find out what kind of reputation he or she has.​—Compare Proverbs 31:31.

The First Dates

First of all, you should consider whether you (and any prospective partner) are of marriageable age and in a position to fulfill the responsibilities of marriage. Having decided that someone has possibilities as a marriage mate, you might approach the person and express a desire to get to know that one better.a Assuming there is a positive response, your first date need not be some elaborate affair. A lunch date, or even being part of a group date, will enable you to become better acquainted so as to decide whether you want to take the relationship any further. Keeping things somewhat informal eases the nervousness both might feel initially. And by avoiding premature expressions of commitment, you can minimize the feelings of rejection​—or embarrassment—​if one of you loses interest.

Regardless of the type of date planned, show up on time, neatly and appropriately dressed. Display the skills of a good conversationalist. Be an active listener.b Young men will want to follow what is considered locally to be good manners. This may include opening a door for the young lady or helping her to be seated. The young woman, while not expecting to be treated like a princess, should cooperate modestly with her date’s efforts. Though there are no hard rules in such matters, a young man can set a pattern of respect for the future, for a husband is commanded to ‘honor his wife as the weaker vessel.’​—1 Peter 3:7.

Is holding hands, kissing, or embracing appropriate, and if so, when? When done as genuine expressions of endearment​—not selfish passion—​such actions can be viewed as clean in the eyes of God. The God-inspired Song of Solomon indicates that some fitting expressions of endearment had been exchanged between the Shulammite maiden and the shepherd boy she loved and would soon marry. (Song of Solomon 1:2; 2:6; 8:5) But as with that chaste couple, a couple would further take care that expressions of affection do not become unclean or lead to sexual immorality. (Galatians 5:19, 21) Expressions of endearment should be made only when the relationship has reached a point where mutual commitment has developed and marriage seems imminent. Doing so, you will not be distracted from a primary purpose of successful courtship​—really getting to know the person.

“The Secret Person of the Heart”

After evaluating what led to strong relationships among 231 dating couples, a research team reported in the Journal of Marriage and the Family (May 1980): “Marriages seem more likely to survive and prosper if people enter them with relatively full knowledge of one another’s inner selves.” Yes, getting to know “the secret person of the heart” of your partner is essential.​—1 Peter 3:4.

Yet, ‘drawing up’ the intentions of another’s heart takes effort. (Proverbs 20:5) Plan activities that will help you see your partner’s inner self. While going to a movie or a concert may do at the start, engaging in activities that lend themselves to conversation (such as skating, bowling, visiting zoos and museums) makes it easier to become better acquainted.

To get a glimpse of your partner’s feelings, use open-ended questions, such as, “How do you spend your free time?” “If money were no object, what would you like to do?” “What feature of our worship of God do you like the best? Why?” These allow in-depth responses so that you can learn what your partner treasures.

As the relationship deepens and a couple more seriously consider marriage, there is need for serious talk about important issues, such as where and how you will live, financial matters, whether both of you will work outside the home, concepts of each one’s role in marriage, children, birth control, and immediate and long-term goals and how you plan to achieve these. It is a time to reveal things, perhaps in one’s past, that may affect the marriage, including any major debts or obligations. Health matters, such as any serious disease, should also be discussed.

In such discussions, follow the example of Elihu, who said: “I talk straight from my heart and speak sincerely.” (Job 33:3, The Holy Bible in the Language of Today, by Beck) In explaining how her courtship prepared her for a happy marriage of now ten years, Esther said: “I never tried to ‘put on’ or say I agreed with Jaye when I felt differently. I still don’t. I try always to be honest.”

Do not evade sensitive subjects or gloss over them out of fear of putting your partner on the spot. Beth made this mistake during her courtship with John. Beth said she believed in saving for the future and not wasting money. John said he agreed. Beth probed no further, thinking they saw eye to eye. But it turned out that his idea of saving for the future meant saving for a new sports car! After marriage they continually argued about money.

Such misunderstandings can be prevented. Louise, mentioned previously, admitted: “I should have asked a lot more questions, such as, ‘What if I got pregnant and you didn’t want to have a baby?’ Or, ‘If we were in debt and I wanted to stay home and care for our child, what would you do?’ I would have carefully noted his reaction.” Such discussions can bring to the surface qualities of the heart that should best be seen before marriage.

See Him/​Her in Action!

“A person can be very nice with you on a one-to-one basis,” explained Esther. “But when others are around, he may be put into an unexpected situation. One of your friends might say something to your partner that he may not like. Now you get to see how he reacts under pressure. Will he tell the person off or be sarcastic?” Thus, she concludes: “Being around each other’s friends and family during courtship helped tremendously.”

In addition to engaging in recreation, spend time working together. Share in Christian works, including the study of God’s Word and the Christian ministry. Also, take on some of the daily chores that after marriage will become a way of life​—food shopping, preparing a meal, washing dishes, and housecleaning. By being together under real-life circumstances​—when your partner may even be at his or her worst—​you can see what he or she is really like.

The shepherd boy in the Song of Solomon saw how his girlfriend acted when she was disappointed or while laboring under the scorching sun​—sweaty and tired. (Song of Solomon 1:5, 6; 2:15) After beholding her loyally resist the enticements of rich King Solomon, he said: “You are altogether beautiful, O girl companion of mine, and there is no defect in you.” (Song of Solomon 4:7) Surely he did not mean that she was perfect, but her physical beauty was enhanced by her moral strength. She had no basic moral defect or blemish. In his mind, her strengths outweighed any weaknesses.

By using courtship effectively, you will be able to make a similar assessment. With eyes wide open, you can enter marriage with the skills to work out disagreements. Successful courtship will have prepared both of you for a satisfying and happy marriage.

[Footnotes]

[Picture on page 21]

By observing a prospective mate in real-life circumstances, you really get to know that person

More Living Space for a Growing Family

THIS magazine, Awake!, and its companion, The Watchtower, are a family production. They are produced by what is called the Bethel family, “Bethel” meaning “House of God.” Over 11 million copies per issue of Awake! and more than 13,000,000 copies per issue of The Watchtower are printed in such family-operated factories around the world. Since in the major languages both magazines are semimonthly, that’s nearly 50 million copies printed a month, or about 2 million each working day! In addition, the Bethel family produces tens of millions of Bibles, books, and booklets each year.

The Bethel family worldwide has grown to more than 9,000 members. These include single men and women, as well as married couples. The international headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses, located in the Brooklyn Heights section of Brooklyn, New York, has the largest individual family, numbering nearly 2,800. That is an increase from about 600 members in 1960. So over the years, more and more living space has been needed for this growing Brooklyn family. The largest facility, the former Towers Hotel, was purchased in 1975 and was remodeled to accommodate about 800 people. But more recently three more major facilities have been added to this Bethel complex.

97 Columbia Heights One is this beautiful new 11-story building overlooking the East River, located on the site of the former Hotel Margaret. It has an unobstructed view of one of the most photographed sights of all time, the skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan and its famous financial district. More importantly, it is located next to 107 and 124 Columbia Heights, large residences that accommodate over a thousand members of the Bethel family.

Just a hundred years ago, the 150-foot-high [50 m] Hotel Margaret was completed at 97 Columbia Heights and became internationally known. In February 1980, while the Margaret was in the process of being converted into luxury apartments, it was devastated by fire and was afterward torn down. In 1986, after the developer finally received permission to go ahead with the new construction, he sold the property to the Watchtower Society, a legal agency of Jehovah’s Witnesses. As successive floors of the building were readied for occupancy during 1988, a total of 250 members of the Bethel family moved in.

A spokesman for the firm that designed the building said that an attempt was made “to keep some memory of the Margaret alive.” The way the windows are done, for example, is reminiscent of the copper metalwork on the Margaret. The spokesman added: “We tried to keep the building larger in scale toward the water and smaller in scale toward the community.” Thus, the building is stepped down to the level of buildings nearby.

Standish Hotel A second major addition to the Bethel complex is the 12-story Standish Hotel, which is a short distance down the street, at 169 Columbia Heights. Telling of the erection of this hotel, named after Miles Standish of early New England fame, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle said in 1903: “The company believes that the site it has selected, by reason of its environment and the unsurpassed view it offers of the East River and surrounding points of interest, is the ideal spot for a hotel and it intends to put up one of the finest finished and equipped houses in the country.”

The hotel was opened shortly afterward, but by the 1970’s it had greatly deteriorated. Cohi Towers Associates purchased it in the early 1980’s, and in time a complete renovation was undertaken with the intent of providing additional housing for the Bethel family. In 1986 renovation was completed, and in 1988 the Watchtower Society purchased the Standish. It accommodates 140 members of the Bethel family and about 25 of the original tenants who still live there.

The Bossert Hotel The third major addition to the Bethel complex is the 12-story Bossert Hotel on Montague Street, less than a five-minute walk from the Standish. Originally opened in 1909 with 200 rooms, it was reputed to be the finest hotel in Brooklyn. The general style of architecture was 15th-century Italian Renaissance.

In 1914 another 175 rooms were added, and two years later a rooftop restaurant was added that resembled a promenade deck of a private yacht. “Nowhere in the city was there anything to equal it for scenic delight,” reported the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in 1949. “Top figures in public life, the theater and sports world came to the Marine Roof.” Diners, as well as residents on the higher floors, enjoyed a sweeping view of New York harbor, Governor’s Island, the Statue of Liberty, the Jersey shore, and the lower end of Manhattan.

Eventually, the once gorgeous hotel was reduced to a sad condition by age and neglect. Cohi Towers Associates purchased it in 1983, and a massive rehabilitation project was begun. The Watchtower Society then purchased the Bossert in 1988. It now accommodates about 270 family members, while 40 or so of the original tenants also live there.

The restoration work entailed replacing all doors and windows and the entire plumbing, heating, and electrical systems. A new service elevator was also installed, and presently two of the three original elevators are being renovated. The ballrooms were converted into three spacious dining rooms, and the kitchen in the basement was completely gutted, rebuilt, and fitted with modern equipment. The rooms throughout the hotel were refurbished. Also, the lobby was restored in keeping with its special character, which included repairing the damaged marblelike columns by a process that has generally become a lost art.

On the outside, the entire building was cleaned, masonry was repaired, and large portions of ornamental stonework were rebuilt. Participating in the cleaning, repair, and restoration work were hundreds of volunteer workers from all over the United States. These donated their time and talents for a week or more at a time. A crew of 39 young women, Witnesses, seen here on the Bossert roof, worked for months on scaffolds, repairing the outside masonry of the hotel.

Altogether, the Brooklyn Bethel family now lives in about 20 residences in Brooklyn Heights, all within short walking distance of one another. In fact, the Towers, 124 Columbia Heights, 107 Columbia Heights, and 119 Columbia Heights, which accommodate nearly 2,000 of the family, are connected by underground tunnels. Plans are for the new 97 Columbia Heights building also to be connected to them by tunnel sometime soon. The Bossert and Standish Arms, however, are too far away from these buildings to be joined to them by tunnels under the streets.

The growth of the Bethel family reflects the growing response to the preaching of the Kingdom message by Jehovah’s Witnesses. (Matthew 24:14) The 3,592,654 sharing in this work last year was more than twice the number who shared in it in 1973. The members of the Bethel family in Brooklyn, New York, are happy for the privilege of serving the spiritual needs of these brothers and sisters of theirs worldwide. And they are indeed grateful for the increased living space that has been provided for them.

[Pictures on page 24, 25]

The Standish Hotel and its lobby

Opposite page: the Bossert Hotel and its lobby

[Pictures on page 26]

Volunteer workers who repaired the outside masonry of the Bossert Hotel

“All Mankind Is One”

That title is used for a chapter in the book The Discoverers to express the conclusion reached when Christopher Columbus and others found that the native peoples of the Americas were neither the monsters nor the savages Europeans had thought would be encountered by the explorers of that era. Columbus is quoted as having reported:

“In these islands I have so far found no human monstrosities, as many expected, on the contrary, among all these peoples good looks are esteemed.” These “Indians” were “very well built, of very handsome bodies and very fine faces.” He also said:

“They are so ingenuous and free with all they have, that no one would believe it who has not seen it; of anything that they possess, if it be asked of them, they never say no; on the contrary, they invite you to share it and show as much love as if their hearts went with it, and they are content with whatever trifle be given them, whether it be a thing of value or of petty worth.”​—Pages 626, 628.

Though the Europeans were stunned to find that physical beauty as well as kindness and love are reflected in all men, it should have come as no surprise. These things were in the first man, made in God’s image and likeness. What Columbus discovered only emphasized further the truthfulness and accuracy of the Bible account of the creation of one original man from whom all others have descended. (Genesis 1:26-28; 10:32) It is just as the apostle Paul explained 1,400 years before Columbus set foot in the Americas: “From one man he created all races of mankind and made them live throughout the whole earth.” Indeed, all mankind is one.​—Acts 17:26, Today’s English Version.

Watching the World

THE YEAR OF THE UN

The United Nations surprised most of its critics by stringing together a number of major achievements last year. Although it did not end any war, the UN acted as a peacemaker in conflicts in Afghanistan, the Persian Gulf, southwestern Africa, Western Sahara, Cyprus, and Kampuchea. In addition, its peacekeeping forces won the Nobel Prize for Peace last September. Also, in December the UN made substantial cuts in its budget for the years 1990 and 1991, much to the pleasure of the superpower members. Sir Bryan Urquhart, recently retired under secretary of the UN for peacekeeping, said: “The rigors of the Cold War no longer paralyze the United Nations. It even seems possible humanity could take the great step forward towards a community of nations.”

HANDGUNS AND SUICIDES

Based on a study in Sacramento County, University of California medical researcher Garen J. Wintemute concludes that handguns may account for nearly 70 percent of firearm suicides committed in the United States, instead of the generally accepted figure of 45 percent. He estimated that 50 percent of the nation’s households have one or more firearms in their possession. Wintemute gave several reasons why the handgun is “the weapon of choice” for suicides. One is that since they are most often owned for self-protection, they are more apt to be loaded and within easy reach. He said that “easy access” to handguns is likely a “major contributing factor” in suicides for those who act on impulse.

THINGS LEFT UNSAID

A university professor in California, U.S.A., feels that Americans miss out on many news stories they really need to hear. So he has a group of experts​—prominent magazine and newspaper editors, TV producers, economists—​choose the year’s most underreported stories in the U.S. media. Some of the items for 1987 were: some 250 nuclear reactor accidents; U.S. government funding of university research in developing deadly organisms for biological warfare; rapid acceleration of the extinction rate, with perhaps a thousand species now vanishing each year; and the question of who owns the media. These went largely untouched in the U.S. media. The name of the group? Project Censored.

SMOKING TOLL RISES

Smoking remains the “single most important preventable cause of death” in the United States, proclaims a recent federal report on smoking, released on the 25th anniversary of the first such report. In fact, the report estimates, smoking may cause 30 percent more deaths than previously believed. The U.S. surgeon general says in its preface: “The critical message here is that progress in curtailing smoking must continue, and ideally accelerate, to enable us to turn smoking-related mortality around. Otherwise, the disease impact of smoking will remain high well into the 21st century.” The surgeon general estimates that cigarette smoking is accountable for more than one out of every six deaths in the United States today.

GARBAGE PILING UP

In the Federal Republic of Germany, the cost of disposing of private and industrial garbage, including toxic waste, amounts to an estimated 5.5 to 6.5 billion dollars (10 to 12 billion W. German Marks) each year, according to figures published at the environmental fair “Entsorga 1988” held in Essen. In the last few years, private homes alone produced 30 to 32 million tons of garbage yearly​—that amounts to about 800 pounds [360 kg] per person.

AIDS CRISIS IN AFRICA

Cases of infection by the deadly AIDS virus are skyrocketing in Africa, reports a bulletin from WHO (World Health Organization). WHO estimates that as many as one fourth of the people between the ages of 20 and 40 living in some central African cities have the AIDS virus. Epidemiologist Rick Mathias of the University of British Columbia believes that the AIDS virus infections have not yet leveled off in Africa because of the widespread practice of polygamy in many African countries. The WHO bulletin also singled out blood transfusions as another reason for the spread of AIDS in Africa.

RELIGIOUS VALUES WANE

For three years, residents of Takarazuka, Japan, have blocked the building of a Buddhist temple, saying that the chanting of sutras and funeral ceremonies will upset the peace of their neighborhood. Since learning that the previous temple was to be relocated about a half mile [800 m] nearer to them, the residents have been insisting that temples should be built in more “suitable places” that are remote from residential areas, such as mountainous regions, reports the Mainichi Daily News. The temple’s priest, Tetsuhide Sato, laments: “The good old days are gone when people gathered at temples in adoration.”

GANGLAND WAR IN BOMBAY

The streets of Bombay, India, are becoming more and more like a battlefield than a peaceful city scene, reports the magazine India Today. Gangland warfare between rival underworld thugs has soared as they battle for supremacy. And the stakes are high: control of smuggling, narcotics, illicit alcohol, prostitution, and all the wealth that such vices rake in. Last year 13 gangsters died in shoot-outs.

CERVICAL CANCER THREAT

South Africa may be on the verge of a cervical cancer epidemic, warns Dr. Basil Bloch, head of Oncology and Colposcopy at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town. He described the cancer as primarily a sexually transmitted disease and told delegates at a conference on sexuality held in Cape Town that it may pose as serious a threat to health as AIDS. What type of women are at risk? Those who were sexually active early in life, married early, had numerous sexual partners, and smoked. “If all patients had routine pap smears, the incidence of cervical cancer could be decreased by 80 to 90%,” Dr. Bloch said. “It is a preventable disease.”

BABY CAFFEINE ADDICTS

The list of those endangered by excessive caffeine use includes babies and people with anxiety and depression disorders. The newspaper The Australian reports from Sydney that “one pregnant woman drank 15 cups of coffee and two litres of cola a day. Another pregnant woman told her doctor she only drank five cups of coffee a day but forgot to mention that each cup had five spoons of instant coffee in it. The result was the same​—these babies were born caffeine addicts and went through even longer periods of withdrawal than babies born addicted to heroin.” Furthermore, a report in the American Journal of Psychiatry claims that caffeine will increase sensitivity in people with anxiety or panic disorders. It may also make victims of depression feel increased anxiety.

EUROTUNNEL UNDER WAY

If all goes according to plan, England and France will finally be joined by tunnel in 1993. The idea is not new. The first of some 27 attempts to join the nations by tunnel was approved by Napoleon 187 years ago. The British, fearing a French invasion, were against it. One tunnel, begun in the 1880’s, was more than a mile long on both ends before it was abandoned. The last attempt came to naught in 1975. This latest venture, dubbed Eurotunnel, seems assured of success. Eurotunnel will consist of two 26-foot-wide [7.9 m] tunnels and one 10-foot-wide [3 m] tunnel running between them for service and rescue operations. Using huge tunnel-boring machines, workers have already made headway, especially on the service tunnel​—about two and a half miles [4 km] from the England side and a quarter mile [0.4 km] from the France side. The English and French tunnelers expect to meet in 1991 and hope to miss by no more than a few inches.

LIFE UNDERGROUND

Scientists had long assumed that nothing lives in the earth below the topsoil, the domain of earthworms, grubs, and plant roots. They were wrong. Four holes recently dug in South Carolina, U.S.A., revealed some 3,000 species of microorganisms living as far as 1,800 feet [550 m] below the topsoil. Many of the microscopic bugs were previously unknown to science. Living in a dark world with little air or food, the microbes that need oxygen get it from the local groundwater. They generally make up for the sparseness of food by living very slow, hibernationlike lives. Scientists are currently investigating how the tiny creatures got to live where they do, and whether they can be harnessed for human uses such as purifying polluted wells.

From Our Readers

Rainbow Your “Make Your Own Rainbow” article (January 8, 1989) surprised me in that you hedge your bets by saying, “Some experts discount indigo.” This should read “all physicists.” When Isaac Newton discovered that white light could be split by a prism, he stated six colours. The church objected, as six is an evil number, and made him say that God’s most beautiful sign to man must have been seven colours, as seven is a holy number.

J. F., Scotland

J. F.’s historical note is of interest. We might add that “The New Encyclopædia Britannica” (1987), whose contributors likely include physicists, states that the common rainbow has arcs “of violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red.”​—ED.

Parents’ Homework I have just finished reading “Parents​—You Have Homework Too!” (September 8, 1988) I needed that article. I am 27 years old and have a young boy of 4. Parents sometimes are so involved in their work that they don’t have enough time to play with their children or just spend time with them. But thanks to your article, from now on I am determined to find time for my boy. Even if I start off by dedicating ten minutes at a time, I know it will be worth while​—my child is more important than all the rest.

A. F., Italy

As a teacher, I appreciated the fine articles. Teachers need parents’ help with discipline and need to know that they are supportive. Most parents are too busy to take time to talk with teachers. They expect teachers to do the parenting for them and very often blame teachers when something goes wrong. Your articles gave many good suggestions on how parents can help by becoming involved and most of all by letting the child know they care about their schoolwork. Thanks again for bringing this problem and its solution to the attention of parents. Teachers need their support!

R. N., United States

I am the president of the La Cumbre Junior High School Parent-Teachers Association. You have published a series of articles relating to schools, parenting, etc., that I would like to make available to our parents. We have many who need to read material like this.

G. B., United States

Artwork The photograph that appears on the inside cover page of the July 8, 1988, Awake! is just so creative and stunning. As an artist, observing the formats, colors, and designs, I find that it is truly magnificent! The graphic work is so updated. The artwork complements the very informative articles and really whets the appetite. As is the case with any appetizing dish, the eyes “taste” first.

E. S., United States

I read the cover title (August 22, 1988), saw the troubled child looking at the nuclear destruction, and then turned the page! No words were needed. What an impact the two pictures make. Here’s a magazine that in just two pictures can give hope, true hope, to many children.

V. K., United States

A belated thanks for the article “India’s Catholic Church” in the Awake! of September 22, 1987. At that time I was still very much for the church, but then the Witnesses called, and I started to have doubts. Those pictures in the article really opened my eyes. Now I am all for Jehovah’s Witnesses. Many thanks.

A. L., Federal Republic of Germany

A Milestone in Aviation

LAST spring a Soviet airliner roared aloft from a Moscow-area airport to become the first commercial airliner to be powered by hydrogen rather than by petroleum-based jet fuel. Although the event was given little publicity in the Western world, some considered it historic. One U.S. congressman compared it to the launching of Sputnik in 1957.

“Once again we’ve missed the boat,” he noted, “and we can only hope that the next administration will be more interested in hydrogen than this one has been.”

When petroleum-based fuels are burned, dangerous pollutants are produced. In fact, the carbon dioxide gas that is expelled contributes to the global “greenhouse effect,” and this could have disastrous consequences to life during the next century. On the other hand, the combustion product of a plane powered by hydrogen is harmless steam, and thus the Soviet plane’s engine was called “absolutely ecologically pure.”

The airliner was equipped with a special fuel tank that held liquid hydrogen at a temperature below minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit [-253° C.]. As the liquid was warmed, it was ducted to the engine and burned with intense heat, producing a powerful thrust. But since the fuel is violently combustible, it poses a potential danger, as illustrated by the explosion of the hydrogen-powered space shuttle Challenger in 1986.

The United States is developing an aircraft powered by hydrogen that will be capable of flying both in outer space and within the atmosphere. It has been dubbed the Orient Express, since it could theoretically fly from Washington, D.C., to Tokyo in two hours. Its first flight is scheduled for 1994.

[Picture Credit Line on page 31]

Sovfoto

Why Does God Permit This?

Bad news is a fact of life, but why is it so prevalent? Why is there so much wickedness? How can its existence be reconciled with belief in a loving God? Will wickedness ever end?

The answers to these and other important questions are found in the Bible. The answers involve you and your family. They involve your happiness. You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth is a book that gives hope by pointing you to the Bible answers.

The book’s 256 pages, the same size as this magazine page, are filled with over 150 teaching illustrations, most in beautiful color. Order now. Only $3.

Please send, postpaid, the 256-page, hardcover book You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth. I enclose $3 (U.S.).

[Picture Credit Line on page 32]

Background photo: U.S. National Archives