October 8

Page Two

All of us have experienced suffering or have seen someone we love suffer. Indeed, human history is filled with accounts of the suffering of people from various causes. Why has God permitted this for such a long time? Will suffering ever end?

Questions That Need Answering

AT SOME time in your life, you may have asked: ‘If God exists, why has he permitted so much suffering? And why has he permitted it for such a long time, throughout all human history? Will suffering ever end?’

Because of not having satisfactory answers to such questions, many become embittered. Some even turn away from belief in God, or they blame him for their misfortunes.

For instance, a man who survived the Holocaust, the murder of millions by the Nazis in World War II, was so embittered that he said: “If you could lick my heart, it would poison you.” Another man who suffered as a result of ethnic persecution, which caused the death of friends and family members in World War I, asked bitterly: “Where was God when we needed him?”

Thus, many people are perplexed. From their point of view, it appears to be inconsistent for a God of goodness and love to allow bad things to happen for such a long time.

What People Have Done

It is certainly true that people have committed enormous evils against others down through the centuries​—in fact, for thousands of years. The magnitude and horror of all of this staggers the imagination.

As civilization supposedly progressed, humans devised ever more hideous instruments for destroying or maiming others: artillery, machine guns, warplanes, tanks, missiles, flamethrowers, chemical and nuclear weapons. As a result, in this century alone, the wars of the nations have killed about a hundred million people! Hundreds of millions more have been injured or have suffered in other ways. And the amount of property destroyed, such as homes and possessions, is beyond measure.

Think of the immense sorrow, the agony, and the tears that war has caused! All too often it is innocent people who have suffered: old men and women, children, babies. And all too often, many who inflicted the evils were not called to account.

Worldwide, suffering continues right up to the moment. Every day, people are being murdered or otherwise victimized by crime. They are injured or die in accidents, including ‘acts of nature’ such as storms, floods, and earthquakes. They suffer from injustice, prejudice, poverty, hunger, or disease, or in numerous other ways.

How could a good God have created something​—humankind—​that has suffered so terribly, so often, century after century?

A Dilemma in the Human Body

This dilemma is reflected even in the human body. Scientists and others who have studied it agree that the human body is wonderfully, magnificently made.

Consider just a few of its marvelous features: the incredible human eye, which no camera can duplicate; the awesome brain, which makes the most advanced computer look clumsy; the way intricate body parts cooperate without our conscious effort; the miracle of birth, producing an adorable baby​—a copy of its parents—​in just nine months. Many people conclude that this masterpiece of design, the human body, had to be created by a masterful Designer​—the Creator, Almighty God.

Yet, sadly, that same marvelous body deteriorates. In time it is overtaken by sickness, old age, and death. Ultimately it crumbles into dust. How pitiful! Just when a person should benefit from decades of experience and become wiser, the body collapses. What a pathetic contrast, at its end, to the health, vitality, and beauty that the body had the potential for at its beginning!

Why would a loving Creator make something as superb as the human body, only to have it end so sadly? Why would he create a mechanism that starts out so well, with so much potential, but that ends up so badly?

How Some Explain It

Some have said that wickedness and suffering are God’s instruments for improving our character through adversity. A Methodist clergyman asserted: “The paying of the good for the bad is a part of God’s plan of salvation.” He meant that to build character and get saved, good people must suffer from the acts of bad people as part of God’s plan.

But would a loving human father try to improve his children’s character by planning to let them be victimized by a vicious criminal? Consider, too, that many young people are killed in accidents or are murdered or die in warfare. Those young victims would have no further opportunity to improve their character because they would be dead. So the idea that suffering is permitted in order to improve character just does not make sense.

No reasonable and loving human father would want suffering or tragedy to come to his loved ones. In fact, a father who would plan for his loved ones to suffer in order to ‘build character’ would be considered unfit, even mentally unbalanced.

Then could it reasonably be said that God, the supreme loving Father, the all-wise Creator of the universe, deliberately arranged suffering as part of his ‘plan for salvation’? That would be attaching an extremely cruel and hideous attribute to him, an attribute that all of us find unacceptable even in lowly humans.

Finding the Answers

Where can we turn for answers to the questions surrounding God’s permission of suffering and wickedness? Since the questions involve God, it makes sense to see what he himself provides in the way of answers.

How do we find his answers? By going to the source that God says he authored as a guide for humans​—the Holy Bible, the Sacred Scriptures. Regardless of what one may think of that source, it is worthy of examination, for, as the apostle Paul said: “All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial . . . for setting things straight.” (2 Timothy 3:16) He also wrote: “When you received God’s word, which you heard from us, you accepted it, not as the word of men, but, just as it truthfully is, as the word of God.”a​—1 Thessalonians 2:13.

Finding the answers to questions about the permission of suffering is more than just an intellectual exercise. The answers are crucial to our understanding of what is taking place right now on the world scene, what will take place in the near future, and how each one of us is affected.

We owe it to ourselves to let the Bible, God’s communication to the human family, speak for itself. What, then, does it say about how suffering began and why God permits it?

A key to understanding the answer has to do with how we are made mentally and emotionally. The Bible shows that the Creator implanted in our makeup as humans this crucial quality: the desire for freedom. Let us consider briefly just what is involved in free will for humans and how this bears on God’s permission of suffering.

[Footnotes]

The Marvelous Gift of Free Will

DO YOU appreciate having the freedom to choose how you will order your life, what you will do and say? Or would you want someone to dictate to you what your every word and action must be, every minute of every day, as long as you live?

No normal person wants his life taken out of his hands and controlled that completely by someone else. Having to live that way would be very oppressive and frustrating. We want freedom.

But why do we have such a desire for freedom? Understanding why we treasure our freedom of choice is a key to understanding how wickedness and suffering could originate. It will also help us to understand why God has waited until now before acting to bring wickedness and suffering to an end.

How We Are Made

When God created humans, among the many marvelous gifts he gave them was free will. The Bible tells us that God created man in his ‘image and likeness,’ and one of the qualities God has is freedom of choice. (Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 7:6) Thus, when he created humans, he gave them that same wonderful quality​—the gift of free will.

That is why we prefer freedom rather than enslavement by oppressive rulers. It is why resentment builds up against harsh and stifling rule so that people often revolt to gain freedom.

The desire for freedom is no accident. The Bible gives the underlying reason. It states: “Where the spirit of Jehovah is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17) So wanting freedom is part of our nature because God created us that way. It is something that he wants us to have because he himself is the God of freedom.

God also gave us the mental abilities, such as the powers of perception, reason, and judgment, that work in harmony with free will. These enable us to think, weigh matters, make decisions, and distinguish right from wrong. (Hebrews 5:14) We were not created to be like mindless robots that have no will of their own; nor were we created to act primarily out of instinct, as were the animals.

Along with free will, our first parents were given everything anyone could reasonably want: They had been put in a parklike paradise; they had material abundance; they had perfect minds and bodies that would not get old or sick and die; they would have children who would also have a happy future; and the expanding population would have the satisfying work of turning the entire earth into a paradise.​—Genesis 1:26-30; 2:15.

Regarding what God had set in motion, the Bible says: “God saw everything he had made and, look! it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31) The Bible also says of the Creator: “Perfect is his activity.” (Deuteronomy 32:4) Yes, he gave the human family a perfect start. It could not have been better.

Freedom With Limits

However, was the marvelous gift of free will to be without limits? Well, would you care to drive an automobile in heavy traffic if there were no traffic regulations, where you were free to drive in any lane, in any direction, at any speed? Of course, the results of such unlimited freedom in traffic would be catastrophic.

It is the same in human relations. Unlimited freedom for some would mean no freedom for others. Unrestricted freedom can result in anarchy, which damages everybody’s freedom. There must be limits. Therefore, God’s gift of freedom does not mean that he purposed for humans to behave in any manner without considering the welfare of others.

God’s Word says on this point: “Behave like free men, and never use your freedom as an excuse for wickedness.” (1 Peter 2:16, The Jerusalem Bible) So God wants our free will to be regulated for the common good. He did not purpose for humans to have total freedom, but relative freedom, subject to the rule of law.

Whose Laws?

Whose laws were we designed to obey? Whose laws work best for us? Another part of the scripture at 1 Peter 2:16 noted above states: “You are slaves of no one except God.” This does not mean an oppressive slavery but, rather, that we were created to be in subjection to God’s laws. We are the happier if we stay subject to them.

God’s laws, more than any code of laws that could be devised by humans, provide the very best guide for everybody. As Isaiah 48:17 states: “I, Jehovah, am your God, the One teaching you to benefit yourself, the One causing you to tread in the way in which you should walk.” Yet, at the same time, God’s laws allow for a wide scope of freedom within their boundaries. This allows for much personal choice and variety, making the human family more interesting, indeed, fascinating.

Humans are also subject to God’s physical laws. For instance, if we ignore the law of gravity and jump off a high place, we will get injured or killed. If we stay underwater without a special breathing apparatus, we will die in minutes. And if we ignore our internal laws for the body and stop eating food or drinking water, we will also die.

Hence, our first parents, and all who issued from them, were created with the need to obey God’s moral or social laws as well as his physical laws. And obedience to God’s laws would not be burdensome. Instead, it would work for their welfare and that of the entire human family to come. Had our first parents stayed within the limits of God’s laws, all would have been well.

What happened to spoil that fine start? Why, instead, have wickedness and suffering become rampant? Why has God permitted them for so long?

[Picture on page 7]

The marvelous gift of free will separates us from mindless robots and from animals that act mainly on instinct

Why God Permitted Suffering

“It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step. Correct me, O Jehovah.”​—Jeremiah 10:23, 24.

THOSE words were written thousands of years after humans were created. Jeremiah realized that up to his day, human history was a tragedy compared with the good start God gave our first parents.

Jeremiah’s observation has been reinforced by the record of over 2,500 additional years of history since his time. The human tragedy has even worsened. What went wrong?

Misuse of Free Will

Our first parents lost sight of the fact that they were not created to prosper apart from God and his laws. They decided to become independent of God, thinking that would improve their lives. But this was an abuse of their freedom. They stepped outside the God-ordained limits of free will.​—Genesis, chapter 3.

Why did God not just destroy Adam and Eve and start over with another human pair? Because his universal sovereignty and his way of ruling had been brought into question. His being Almighty God and the Creator of all creatures gives him the right to rule over them. Since he is All-Wise, his rule is best for all creatures. But God-rule was now challenged.

Could humans do better than being ruled by God? The Creator certainly knew the answer to that question. A sure way for humans to find out was to allow them the unlimited freedom they desired. Therefore, one reason, among others, why God has permitted wickedness and suffering is to show beyond any doubt whether human rule independent of him can succeed.a

Adam and Eve brought suffering upon themselves and their offspring. They ‘reaped what they sowed.’ (Galatians 6:7) “They have acted ruinously on their own part; they are not [God’s] children, the defect is their own.”​—Deuteronomy 32:5.

Our first parents had been warned that independence from God’s rule would result in their death. (Genesis 2:17) That proved to be the truth. By leaving God, they left their source of health and life. They degenerated until death overtook them.​—Genesis 3:19.

Thereafter, God permitted enough time for the human family to demonstrate fully whether any political, social, or economic system they devised apart from his rule would prove completely satisfying. Would any of these systems usher in a happy, peaceful world free from crime or war? Would any develop material prosperity for all? Would any conquer sickness, old age, and death? God’s rule had been designed to accomplish all those things.​—Genesis 1:26-31.

What the Passage of Time Teaches

History soon brought home the truth of Romans 5:12: “Death spread to all men.” This verse explains that “through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin.” When our first parents rebelled against God’s rule, they became defective, imperfect. This defectiveness was all they could pass on to their offspring. As a result, all of us have been born defective, prone to sickness and death.

The passage of time also has revealed how horribly sin-laden people behave toward one another. There have been vicious wars too numerous to count, ethnic and religious hatreds, inquisitions, awful crimes of all sorts, and acts of selfishness and greed. In addition, poverty and hunger have victimized countless millions of people.

During the past thousands of years, mankind has tried every conceivable type of government. Yet, one after another has failed to satisfy man’s needs. Recently, Communist governments have been rejected in many lands. In democratic nations there is rampant crime, poverty, economic instability, and corruption. Really, all forms of human government have proved deficient.

Further, God has allowed time for humans to come to their peak of scientific and material achievement. But is it genuine progress when the bow and arrow have been replaced by nuclear missiles? when people can travel into space but cannot live together in peace on earth? when millions of people fear going out at night because of crime?

What the test of time shows is that it is no more possible for humans to ‘direct their own steps’ successfully than it is for them to live without food, water, and air. We were designed to be dependent on our Maker’s guidance as surely as we were created to be dependent on food, water, and air.​—Matthew 4:4.

By permitting wickedness and suffering, God has once and for all time shown the sad results of misusing free will. This is such a precious gift that rather than take free will away from humans, God has allowed them to see what its misuse means.

Regarding free will, the publication “Statement of Principles of Conservative Judaism” says: “Without the real possibility of people making the wrong choice when confronted by good and evil, the entire concept of choice is meaningless. . . . Much of the world’s suffering directly results from our misuse of the free will granted to us.”

Surely, Jeremiah was correct when he said: “It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.” And Solomon too was correct when he said: “Man has dominated man to his injury.”​—Ecclesiastes 8:9.

Forcefully, that illustrates man’s inability to eradicate suffering. Even Solomon, with all his wisdom, wealth, and power could not straighten out the misery stemming from human rule.

How, then, will God bring an end to suffering? Will he ever compensate humans for their past suffering?

[Footnotes]

[Picture on page 9]

God gave mankind a perfect start, but history shows that independent of God humans cannot ‘direct their steps’ successfully

A New World Free From Suffering

“The former things will not be called to mind, neither will they come up into the heart. But exult, you people, and be joyful forever in what I am creating.”​—Isaiah 65:17, 18.

THOSE prophetic words were inspired by God over 2,700 years ago. They describe, in part, what life will be like on earth in the future. When? After God brings an end to the present system of things. Many Bible prophecies make clear that it is God’s purpose to remove this present system of things shortly and to replace it with a new world free from any suffering.

How different life will be in that new world compared with life throughout previous human history! God’s prophetic Word tells us that it will be completely free from war, crime, poverty, and injustice. Gone forever will be sickness and death. No more will there be the divisive governments, religions, or economic systems that have proved so inadequate. Tears of joy will replace tears of sorrow because gone forever will be wickedness and suffering.

Foreshadowed in Bible Prophecies

Notice how such conditions were foreshadowed in this sampling of Bible prophecies:

No More War: “He is making wars to cease to the extremity of the earth.” (Psalm 46:9) “Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore.”​—Isaiah 2:4.

Justice for Everyone: “I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the leveling instrument.”​—Isaiah 28:17.

Freedom From Fear: “They will actually sit, each one under his vine and under his fig tree, and there will be no one making them tremble.” (Micah 4:4) “They will actually prove to be on their soil in security.”​—Ezekiel 34:27.

Hunger Eliminated: “There will come to be plenty of grain on the earth; on the top of the mountains there will be an overflow.” (Psalm 72:16) “The tree of the field must give its fruitage, and the land itself will give its yield.”​—Ezekiel 34:27.

No More Old Age or Sickness: “Let his flesh become fresher than in youth; let him return to the days of his youthful vigor.” (Job 33:25) “No resident will say: ‘I am sick.’”​—Isaiah 33:24.

Death, Mourning, and Pain Gone Forever: “[God] will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”​—Revelation 21:4.

Not Affected by the Past

The incoming new world of God’s making will be so satisfying that the enjoyment of life by earth’s inhabitants will not be hindered, even by any unpleasant memories of previous suffering. The many upbuilding thoughts and activities that will be the everyday life of people in that new era will gradually erase the past bad memories. God’s promise is: “The former things will not be called to mind, neither will they come up into the heart.” People will be “joyful forever” in what God will introduce earth wide. “The whole earth has come to rest, has become free of disturbance. People have become cheerful with joyful cries.”​—Isaiah 65:17, 18; 14:7.

Today, “expectation postponed is making the heart sick,” as the Bible states. But the situation will be reversed in the new world. At that time “the thing desired [will be] a tree of life when it does come.” (Proverbs 13:12) No more will hearts be made heavy by suffering or by unrealized hopes. Instead, they will be filled with contentment and joy because of the many marvelous things that God will provide for the human family.

Different Rulership

Rather than have unsatisfactory human rule independent of God, the new world will have an entirely different rulership. Governing authority will be taken away from humans. Never again will they be allowed to rule independent of God.

Bible prophecy states: “In the days of those kings [the rulers now in power] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom [in heaven] that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people [there being no more human rule]. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms [that now exist], and it itself will stand to times indefinite.”​—Daniel 2:44.

Jesus taught his followers to pray for earth’s new rulership when he said: “Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.”​—Matthew 6:10.

That will be mankind’s new government​—the heavenly rule of God by means of his Kingdom in the hands of Christ. And on earth, loyal human servants of God will administer affairs according to God’s direction. (Isaiah 32:1) The apostle Peter spoke of this new arrangement as “new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell.” (2 Peter 3:13) That Kingdom rule is the Bible’s central teaching.

‘The Creation Set Free’

This new rulership will also bring earth’s natural forces under complete control. No longer will ‘acts of nature’ such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, or droughts cause distress. Jesus himself demonstrated his power in commanding these forces. On one occasion, for example, when the boat that Jesus and his disciples were on was about to capsize in a storm, he calmed the wind and the sea. The amazed disciples declared: “What sort of person is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”​—Matthew 8:23-27.

So the earth, as well as its human creation, will find an unparalleled freedom. “The creation itself also will be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God. For we know that all creation keeps on groaning together and being in pain together until now.”​—Romans 8:21, 22.

Can we be sure that human rule will soon end and that God’s new government will take over the directing of all the affairs of earth? We certainly can, because the Universal Sovereign has given his word: “‘My own counsel will stand, and everything that is my delight I shall do’; . . . I have even spoken it; I shall also bring it in. I have formed it, I shall also do it.”​—Isaiah 46:10, 11.

“An Appointed Time”

How will that come about? When will it happen? God’s Word states: “For everything there is an appointed time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) This includes an appointed time for God to say ‘enough!’ and to end wickedness and suffering. Daniel referred to “the appointed time of the end.” (Daniel 8:19) Jesus also spoke of an “appointed time.”​—Mark 13:32, 33.

Yes, God has set a definite time for him to intervene in human affairs and wipe out the miserable experiment in human rule independent of him. “The true God will judge both the righteous one and the wicked one, for there is a time for every affair.” (Ecclesiastes 3:17) And the evidence in fulfillment of Bible prophecy indicates that God’s allotted time for permitting suffering is soon to end. When that time limit has expired, he will crush out of existence the unsatisfactory system of human rule that for thousands of years has brought great suffering to the human family.​—Matthew 24:3-14; 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 13; Revelation 19:11-21.

When God executes his judgments, notice what will happen to those who submit to his rule, contrasted with those who do not: “Just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more; . . . but the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.” “As for the offspring of the wicked ones, they will indeed be cut off. The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.” “Keep the upright one in sight, for the future of that man will be peaceful. But the transgressors themselves will certainly be annihilated together.”​—Psalm 37:10, 11, 28, 29, 37, 38; see also Proverbs 2:21, 22; Matthew 5:5.

But what of the thousands of millions of people who have already died? How will they benefit from a new world? By means of the resurrection, a restoring to life right here on earth. They will come back from the grave and be given the opportunity to enjoy life forever. God’s Word guarantees: “There is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Acts 24:15) And Jesus demonstrated this by resurrecting dead persons, such as Lazarus and the son of the widow of Nain.​—John 11:38-44; Luke 7:11-16.

“Compensation”

How heartening it is to know that God’s purpose is to bring an end to suffering and to usher in a righteous new world! Think of living millions of years​—indeed, forever—​in perfect health and happiness amid paradisaic surroundings, where wickedness and suffering will forever be things of the past!

Would you not agree that this “compensation” by God to mankind​—throughout eternity—​far outweighs the relatively few thousand years that God has allowed suffering? And does it not also far outweigh the 70 or 80 years of suffering​—or less—​that we may have endured individually in our lifetime?

A Long-Range View

In his long-range view of things, the Creator knows that it was vital to settle first the crucial matters of his right to rule as Universal Sovereign and the rightness of his rule. And it was vital to settle the matter of the proper and improper uses of freedom of choice. It was also necessary to demonstrate that his creation is perfect in that humans who loyally submit to his righteous laws can keep integrity to him under persecution and test by worldly rulers, the outstanding example of this being his own Son, Jesus, while on earth.

Having settled all the issues, God will not allow wickedness and suffering to reappear to mar the peaceful universe. “Distress will not rise up a second time.”​—Nahum 1:9.

Throughout all the eternity to come, God can use what has happened these past thousands of years much as if it were a test case decided in a supreme court. Its precedent could be applied at any future time, anywhere else in the universe, should questions ever again come up with reference to God’s sovereignty or the proper use of free will.

What Will You Choose?

We have a choice today. We can use our free will in one of two ways: We can choose to ignore God’s purposes, be satisfied with imperfect human rule and share its destiny, or we can use our freedom of choice to learn what God’s purposes are and what we need to do to please him as devoted subjects of his Kingdom.

Jesus said to God in prayer: “This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.” (John 17:3) So if we want life in the new world, we need to make the effort to learn the truth about God, his purposes, and his requirements. Note how the Bible puts it: “Jehovah is with you as long as you prove to be with him; and if you search for him, he will let himself be found by you, but if you leave him he will leave you.”​—2 Chronicles 15:2.

Time is running out for this old world; a new one is on the way in: “The world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.” (1 John 2:17) Which will you choose​—the outgoing old world or the incoming new one?

God’s Word states: “I have put life and death before you, the blessing and the malediction; and you must choose life in order that you may keep alive, you and your offspring, by loving Jehovah your God, by listening to his voice and by sticking to him; for he is your life and the length of your days.”​—Deuteronomy 30:19, 20.

Is it your desire to enjoy the blessings that God has in store for those who conform their will to his? The publishers of this magazine or Jehovah’s Witnesses anywhere in the world will be happy to assist you, free of charge, to learn more about this.

[Blurb on page 12]

The dead will have the opportunity to live in God’s new world by being resurrected from the grave

Crossword Puzzle

Clues Across

1. This Bible book name comes from a translation of the Hebrew name Qo·heʹleth

8. An Ephraimite city given to the Kohathites (1 Chronicles 6:66, 68)

9. The son of Jesus, and an ancestor of Jesus Christ (Luke 3:28)

11. A small salamander (Leviticus 11:30)

13. What Jesus said a cock would do after Peter denied him (Luke 22:34)

14. Method used to determine who would possess Jesus’ inner garment (John 19:23, 24)

15. Secure (1 Timothy 6:12)

16. They were used to sound “a war call” (Numbers 10:9)

17. He slandered Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 16:3; 19:27)

18. These were baptized by the Pharisees as part of their tradition (Mark 7:3, 4)

20. The onetime capital of Egypt, known today as Thebes (Ezekiel 30:14-16)

21. One’s relatives (See Acts 4:6.)

22. Fifth letter in the Hebrew alphabet (Psalm 119:33-40)

23. Figuratively speaking, God alone does not have one (1 Corinthians 11:3)

27. An ancestor of Jesus (Luke 3:27)

28. Inhabitant (Isaiah 33:24)

29. A person of this inclination should learn from an ant (Proverbs 6:6)

30. An Asherite whose three sons were tribal heads (1 Chronicles 7:39, 40)

31. Israel’s restoration was likened to the blossoming of this flower (Hosea 14:5)

33. He took care of David’s camels (1 Chronicles 27:30)

35. “Here I am! Send --” (Isaiah 6:8)

36. Where Paul met Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:1, 2)

37. Jews from this city stirred up much trouble for Paul (Acts 17:13)

Clues Down

2. Leviathan (See Job 41:1-34.)

3. It was placed opposite the table of showbread in “the Holy Place” of the tabernacle (Hebrews 9:2)

4. He killed Zechariah to become king in Samaria but was also murdered after ruling for only one month (2 Kings 15:10-15)

5. Man of insight (Isaiah 28:4)

6. Male offspring (Luke 1:31)

7. Ephesian fertility goddess (Acts 19:27)

10. Underlying support (Amos 2:9)

12. The youngest of the four men who spoke to Job (Job 32:1-6)

13. The great exiling of Jews from the Promised Land (Ezra 2:1)

18. Army officer (Acts 10:1, King James Version)

19. Jesus told him to ‘pick up his cot and walk’ (Mark 2:9-11)

23. One of Jehovah’s titles [2 words] (Isaiah 1:4)

24. Son of Meshillemoth (Nehemiah 11:13)

25. The inhabitants of this site sought shelter from the advancing Assyrians (Isaiah 10:31)

26. Ravage (Habakkuk 2:8)

32. In the dream image, these were made of iron (Daniel 2:33)

34. Abraham’s nephew (Genesis 11:27)

CROSSWORD SOLUTIONS PAGE 22

Answers Across

1. ECCLESIASTES

8. JOKMEAM

9. ER

11. NEWT

13. CROW

14. LOTS

15. FIRM

16. TRUMPETS

17. ZIBA

18. CUPS

20. NO

21. KIN

22. HE

23. HEAD

27. NERI

28. RESIDENT

29. LAZY

30. ULLA

31. LILY

33. OBIL

35. ME

36. CORINTH

37. THESSALONICA

Answers Down

2. CROCODILE

3. LAMPSTAND

4. SHALLUM

5. SEER

6. SON

7. ARTEMIS

10. ROOTS

12. ELIHU

13. CAPTIVITY

18. CENTURION

19. PARALYTIC

23. HOLY ONE

24. AHZAI

25. GEBIM

26. DESPOIL

32. LEGS

34. LOT

Add Some Color to Your Life

IT DOES not cost you any money. It makes you look more attractive. It gives you greater confidence. What is “it”?

“It” is the ability to match or coordinate the colors of the clothes you wear. Although it is an art that can be learned easily, many people feel confused, even frustrated, when it comes to determining what color goes with what.

Is that how you feel when you try to decide if you should wear yellow with blue, or is it yellow with green? If so, take heart, for creating successful color combinations in your wardrobe does not require memorizing a lot of rules. All you need to know is something about the nature of the colors and how they work together. So let’s look at some of the basic principles and see how you can add some color to your life.

How Many Colors Are There?

“When we look at a rainbow we whimsically pick out red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, blatantly ignoring the colors in between,” explains Japanese color scientist Kunihiko Takei to Awake! “Just as the colors in the rainbow gradually change from red to violet, so each particular color can be subtly changed from dark to light, intense to subdued. To say there are hundreds of any one color is conservative and pointless.”

What this means is that the various colors are not separate entities. They are interrelated, and an understanding of this relationship is invaluable in learning how to match colors. A helpful tool in this regard is the color wheel, or circle. One version of it is shown on page 16. The colors of the rainbow are arranged in a circle. The primary colors​—red, yellow, and blue—​are evenly spaced around the wheel.a By mixing these colors in varying proportions, all the other colors, or hues, on the wheel can be produced.

When a color on the wheel is mixed with an equal amount of the color at the opposite side of the wheel, the result is black or dark gray. If unequal amounts are mixed, the results are the darker or neutralized colors. Because they contain more colors, these neutralized colors can harmonize with many hues. Neutralized red, for example, contains not only red and green but also yellow and blue, which are the parents of green.

Another way of creating colors is by adding varying amounts of white, gray, or black. Gray subdues the vividness, and the results are tones, or duller colors of the same hue. Tints, or light colors, can be produced by adding white, and shades, or dark colors, by adding black. A color chart (bottom right) displays the many colors of the same hue. Multiply this by the number of colors or hues, and the exciting possibilities run into the millions. It is estimated that there are about ten million tones, tints, and shades.

‘But that is just the problem,’ you may say. ‘All those colors!’ Well, let’s not overlook the forest on account of the trees. The important thing is to see the relationship between the colors. Did you once have a red sweater that you felt did not suit you and you therefore decided that you can never wear red? Was it a blue-red or an orange-red, was it a dark wine or a light pink, was it bright or toned? If you analyze the color this way, you will find numerous reds, or other colors, that you can wear successfully.

‘How Do I Know Which Colors Suit Me?’

While there are a lot of colors, this does not mean that all of them will suit you. You may like certain colors, but they may not necessarily look good on you. Rather, the colors you are wearing when you receive the most compliments are the ones that suit you.

According to many experts, everybody is either a blue type or a yellow type. Blue types, they say, look good in colors like blues and cool pinks and should avoid oranges and browns. Yellow types look good in yellow, gold, and warm colors but will probably have trouble with purple.

The easiest way to decide which colors suit you is to hold them up against you, one at a time, and look in a mirror in daylight. According to Carole Jackson, color consultant and author of the best-seller Color Me Beautiful, the right color “smooths and clarifies your complexion” and “brings a healthy color to your face.” On the other hand, the wrong color “may make your complexion look pale, sallow, or ‘muddy’” and may even “age your face.”

How About the Rules?

But what of all those rules we hear so much about? Aren’t certain combinations strictly no-no’s?

“The only rule today is ‘Never say Never,’” wrote Hollywood color and image consultant Leatrice Eiseman in her book Images in Colour. “Think in terms of guidelines rather than rules, which can hamper your creativity and take the fun out of being open to new ideas.”

What, then, are the guidelines? Well, there are basically just two to bear in mind: (1) Bring the right colors together, and (2) have them in correct proportions. In applying these basic guidelines, there are certain approaches or schemes that can be helpful. Using the color wheel and color chart will help you understand how these schemes work.

Monochromatics. This means using colors of the same family or hue. The color chart will be helpful here. Can you see how all the shades, tones, and tints blend? Even though only one basic color is used, monochromatic combinations can be very effective when contrast is created by varying the shades and tints. Such combinations have a pleasing, unified appearance.

Duochromatics, or two colors. This is the combination you will probably use most in clothing. The two colors should be either close together on the color wheel or as far apart as possible. Colors adjacent to each other on the wheel, like red and red-orange or red and red-purple, are called analogous and go well together. On the other hand, colors that lie diametrically across the wheel from each other, like red and green, or yellow and purple, are called complementary. They intensify each other and make the colors stand out. To utilize complementary colors tastefully, use your second color sparingly, or use it in a darker shade. A color can also be successfully combined with the colors right next to its complement on the color wheel. This is called near-complementary. Yellow with blue-purple or with red-purple make such a combination, and you may want to accentuate this by having the latter in a darker shade. If a color looks dirty, you are seeing it against the wrong colors. Search for a better match.

Trichromatics, three colors. This extends the duochromatics by adding another analogous or near-complementary color. Red, red-orange and orange form an analogous trichromatic. An example of a near-complementary trichromatic would be red with yellow-green and with blue-green. Another pleasing scheme, called a triad, combines three colors equally spaced on the color wheel, such as the three primary colors​—red, yellow, and blue. In all such combinations, often only one color is bright and the others toned, neutralized, or darkened.

Polychromatics, or many colors. Be very careful if you are assembling four or more colors. You do not want to look like a circus clown. Tweeds and multicolored prints in which colors are not fighting for attention, however, are safe.

Finally, in a class of their own are the neutral colors of beige, gray, dark brown, and in a loose way, black and white. Taupe (a mix of beige and gray) matches virtually everything. Neutral colors are practical for expensive items, such as suits, because they allow for so many alternatives in coordination. Neutral colors are the standards of conventional good taste.

Balance and Proportion

Whatever combination you choose, take a good look at the overall balance and let your eye be the guide. Setting rules is impossible. The eye sees proportions differently according to such factors as the material used, intensity or brightness of color, whether the color registers quickly like orange, or slowly like gray.

Colors that vie for attention do not please. So for harmony, let one color dominate and the others play subordinate, supporting roles. This applies to all combinations. For clothing, 75 to 90 percent should be in the dominant color, recommends Eiseman. If you introduce a third color into your outfit, make sure it is just a touch, an accent. But for complete harmony, you must consider your skin, your eyes, your hair​—you.

Bear in mind, too, that some colors will make you look fatter, others thinner. International designer Mary Quant says: “If you’re top heavy choose separates with the darker colour at the top. . . . Hips wider than you’d like? Draw attention elsewhere with brightly coloured sweaters. . . . Dark shades retreat, light ones advance.” And Carole Jackson recommends a slimming trick: “A color that flatters you draws the eye upward to your face and away from your body.”

After advising Japanese politicians to brighten up their appearances, international designer Hanae Mori added: “There is no need to be showy.” These simple guidelines will help you to stay well within the bounds of good taste and still enjoy color. Now, go ahead and see what you can create! There are ten million colors out there just waiting for you to add them to your life.

[Footnotes]

[Graph/​Picture on page 16]

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BLUE

RED

YELLOW

Blue and red produce purple

Red and yellow produce orange

Blue and yellow produce green

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Tints of Red

10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

[Picture on page 18]

Color coordination can make a difference in your appearance

Human Rule Weighed in the Balances

Part 5​—Unlimited Power—​A Blessing or a Curse?

Autocracy: government by one person having unlimited power; Authoritarianism: the use of governing power without the consent of the governed, less extreme than totalitarianism; Dictatorship: government with a ruler whose absolute power is not limited by law or restrained by any official body; Totalitarianism: centralized control by an autocratic body, making citizens almost totally subject to State authority.

AUTHORITARIAN governments, long on control and short on individual freedom, readily call to mind adjectives like “oppressive,” “tyrannical,” and “despotic.” Highly nationalistic, they are regimes that control every branch of government, keep strict watch over all their citizens, and ban activities, however harmless these may be, that do not promote national interests. Sad to say, human history has no lack of authoritarian governments about which to report.

A Matter of Degree

The World Book Encyclopedia says: “The Russian government under the czars came close to being an absolute autocracy.” But not all authoritarian rule is absolute; it is largely a matter of degree. And all authoritarian governments are not autocracies, that is to say, governments headed by a single ruler, a dictator, or a czar. Some may be controlled by a group, perhaps by a military junta, or by an oligarchic or plutocratic elite.

Even democracies can be authoritarian. It is true that they have political parties, hold elections, maintain courts of law, and boast of a parliament or legislature. Yet, to the extent that the government controls these various institutions, forcing them to do its bidding, to that extent it is authoritarian, regardless of structure. Not that it was consciously so designed. During wartime or periods of national turmoil, the situation may have demanded granting the government emergency powers. Perhaps the emergency subsided; the emergency powers, however, did not.

Monarchies are in varying degrees authoritarian. But absolute monarchies have for the most part been replaced by limited monarchies. Legislative bodies and possibly written constitutions limit the authority such monarchies can exercise, lessening their potential for authoritarianism. Thus, the enjoyment of individual freedom in the limited monarchies of today reaches levels far beyond those found in the absolute monarchies of the past.

Even when absolute monarchies were common, their power was limited. Professor of history Orest Ranum explains that “most of the kings lacked both the temperament and the actual power to dominate their subjects totally or crush out racial and cultural minorities like a Hitler or a Mussolini or a Stalin.” Obviously, a king’s high morals and fine qualities​—or lack of same—​were decisive. At any rate, Ranum says: “No absolute monarchy approached the modern totalitarian state in its degree of cultural and economic centralization.”

Aiming for Total Power

During the 1920’s and 1930’s, in Italy, the Soviet Union, and Germany, a new kind of authoritarian government burst onto the world scene, one that necessitated the coining of a new term to describe it adequately. In these lands the media had come under State control. The police had become servants of the ruling political party and no longer were servants of the people. Propaganda, censorship, regimentation, secret police surveillance, and even force were being used to counteract opposition. Citizens were being coerced into adopting as their own the official political and social ideology of the government. Those who refused were dealt with as traitors. The term “totalitarianism” seemed appropriate​—a state in pursuit of its own goals, totally in control of all its citizens.

The German magazine Informationen zur politischen Bildung (Information for Political Education) elaborates: “The state that aims for total control, in contrast with an authoritarian regime, does not content itself with taking over official positions of power. It is unwilling to grant citizens in limited measure relative freedom but demands allegiance and active doctrinal support from them at all times. These unlimited demands require a totalitarian state to influence areas normally exempt from state intervention, such as family, religion, and leisure time. To meet these demands, the totalitarian state must cast out an organizational net capable of supervising every individual at all times.”

Of course, from the standpoint of the State and its interests, totalitarian government is highly efficient. But it is impossible to maintain, says journalist Charles Krauthammer. There is simply too much to control. “For short bursts of time you can jail, even shoot, people,” he says, “but after a while you run out of bullets, jails, energy, even victims. . . . Only permanent revolution can meet the totalitarian ideal, and permanent revolution is impossible. Even tyranny needs its sleep.”

Caused by ‘Mass Society’?

Various theories have been advanced to explain why authoritarianism, particularly in its most extreme and successful form, totalitarianism, has so characterized the 20th century. According to The World Book Encyclopedia, “the first two-thirds of the 1900’s was a period of great change​—perhaps the most rapid and widespread change in all history.” Without doubt, this has had much to do with the trend toward authoritarianism.

The population explosion, urbanization, and technological advances are modern phenomena that have helped create what is called mass society. This term designates an industrial society characterized by large, centralized, bureaucratic, and impersonal institutions. It is a society in which human relationships tend to be shallow and fleeting. It is a society in which, amid masses of people, lonely individuals are constantly in search of their roots and of a sense of community.

To what extent mass society fostered the development of totalitarianism is controversial. According to the late German-born political scientist Hannah Arendt, its influence was considerable. Her book The Origins of Totalitarianism notes that totalitarianism is built, not on classes, but on masses of people who “either because of sheer numbers, or indifference, or a combination of both, cannot be integrated into any organization based on common interest, into political parties or municipal governments or professional organizations or trade unions.”

Arendt also mentions other factors that contributed to the rise of totalitarianism: imperialism, anti-Semitism, and the disintegration of the traditional nation-state.

Imperialism?

Shortly before the turn of the century, colonization took an upsurge. British economist John Atkinson Hobson dates 1884 to 1914 as a period of what is now called new imperialism. This was nothing other than the authoritarian use of power by monarchical or democratic governments for the purpose of expanding their empires. Ascendancy over other lands was achieved either by direct acquisition or by indirect domination of their political and economic affairs. Hobson interprets imperialism to be chiefly a matter of economics. Of a fact, this new brand of colonialism often had less to do with political power than it did with economic expansion and with the creation of new markets for a nation’s goods.

Nowhere was this more apparent than in what became known as the Scramble for Africa. Already in the early 1880’s, Britain, France, and Portugal had numerous African colonies. But when Belgium and Germany began casting envious glances, the rush was on. Except for Ethiopia and Liberia, all Africa was soon under European rule. Black Africans were forced to look on as white “Christian” settlers expropriated their land.

The United States of America also became an imperial power. In the late 19th century, it acquired Alaska, Hawaii, the Philippine Islands, Guam, and Samoa and other Pacific islands, as well as Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands. Of more than passing interest is a comment made by Henry F. Graff, a professor of history at Columbia University, who writes: “The activities of Christian missionaries were as influential as those of the publicists in the making of modern imperialism.” But had these missionaries of Christendom been genuine Christians, they would have remained politically neutral in the scramble for Africa as well as other colonial empires, in accordance with Jesus’ words: “They are no part of the world, just as I am no part of the world.”​—John 17:16; James 4:4.

The era of imperialism supposedly ended in 1914. This is not true, however, of its authoritarian spirit. This spirit was well epitomized by Cecil Rhodes, prime minister during the 1890’s of what is now a part of South Africa, when he said: “Expansion is everything.” A moving force in expanding the British Empire, he once boasted: “I would annex the planets if I could.” This spirit of self-interest still motivates nations to control, as far as possible, the political and economic policies of other lands for their own benefit. Japan, for example, having failed to conquer militarily, is sometimes accused of now trying to “conquer” economically.

Is Overthrowing Authoritarian Rule the Solution?

Unlimited power wielded by unprincipled and greedy humans is a curse, not a blessing. Apt are the words of ancient King Solomon: “Look! the tears of those being oppressed, but they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power, so that they had no comforter.”​—Ecclesiastes 4:1.

Under authoritarian rule “the tears of those being oppressed” have indeed been many. In his 1987 book Perestroika, however, Mikhail Gorbachev warned: “It is possible to suppress, compel, bribe, break or blast, but only for a certain period.” Accordingly, despite power being “on the side of their oppressors,” citizens have repeatedly risen up to throw off the shackles of authoritarian government. The bloody overthrow in Romania last December of Nicolae Ceauşescu and his security forces, the Securitate, is a case in point.

Overthrowing authoritarian rule can indeed bring relief. But it is also true, as a Burmese proverb observes, that “only with a new ruler do you realize the value of the old.” Who can guarantee that what was bad will not be replaced by something even worse?

To mention only one example, the authoritarian rule in one Latin-American land was overthrown. The populace was full of hope that things would improve, but did they? Commenting about the situation years later, a newsmagazine said that life had grown, “if anything, worse.” Speaking of skyrocketing inflation, the magazine called the national currency “virtually useless,” bemoaned the country’s inadequate health facilities, and noted that malnutrition was growing. In time, that regime was also removed from power.

Is it not all too obvious that human rule in its every form has been found inadequate? And yet people continue to search for the ideal government. Two outstanding examples of the disappointment to which this can lead, plunging entire nations into the depths of despair with “no comforter,” will be discussed in our next issue.

[Picture on page 21]

An example of an almost absolute autocracy was Russia under the czars

[Credit Line]

Alexander II by Krüger, c. 1855

Young People Ask . . .

Why Should I Study the Bible?

“WHEN I come home from school, I don’t want to study anymore. I want to go outside and be with my friends!” Such was the reaction of a teenager named Ken to the suggestion that he spend some time studying the Bible.

Like many teenagers, you may never have done much in the way of personal Bible study. Perhaps you believe that the Bible is God’s Word. You may even attend Christian meetings. But you may feel that you already know what the Bible teaches. Or you may wonder: ‘Why should I study the Bible? What will I get for my efforts?’

Satisfying Your Spiritual Need

Asking such questions is not wrong or disrespectful. On the contrary, it may even indicate that you are beginning to sense what Jesus called your “spiritual need.” (Matthew 5:3) This is more than idle curiosity. As The New English Bible renders this verse, it is a “need of God”​—a need to know God intimately and to understand his purposes. For example, when you were a small child, your parents may have taught you basic Bible truths. You probably accepted what they said without question. But as you got older, you may have felt a need to “make sure of all things”​—to know whether what you have been taught is true or not.​—1 Thessalonians 5:21.

Then again, perhaps you were not raised in a religious home. Does this mean that you have no spiritual need? Hardly! Consider the situation in one land where atheism has long been promoted. In recent years young people there have shown an increasing interest in religion. One antireligious propagandist pointed the finger at, among other things, “the failure of atheists to provide convincing answers to questions about the meaning of disappointment and suffering in life.” You may find yourself asking the very same questions​—proof that you have a spiritual need.

Not all religions, though, provide satisfying answers. Young Manish, for example, grew up as a Hindu, believing in millions of gods. Yet, he admits: “I started to wonder, ‘Who is God?’” And many youths raised in the religions of Christendom have found the search for satisfying answers to be just as elusive. Where can one go? Jesus Christ answers: “Your [God’s] word is truth.”​—John 17:17.

An accurate knowledge of God’s Word, the Bible, can satisfy your thirst for spiritual truths. It will answer your questions about God’s identity, the reasons for present world conditions, and your prospects for the future. Granted, you may have been raised by parents who are Jehovah’s Witnesses, and you may feel that you already know ‘the truth’ to some extent. But do you “grasp mentally . . . the breadth and length and height and depth” of the Bible’s truths, or is your knowledge merely at surface level? (Ephesians 3:18) If the latter is the case, you need to ‘prove to yourself the good and acceptable and perfect will of God,’ by thoroughly studying the Bible.​—Romans 12:2.

Finding the Right Way

Have you ever been given the wrong directions to a place you wanted to go? The lost time and wasted effort can be frustrating. Yet, entire lives of many young people are heading the wrong way! The Bible says: “There exists a way that is upright before a man, but the ways of death are the end of it afterward.”​—Proverbs 14:12.

Consider, for example, the issue of sexual morality. One 14-year-old girl said: “There is no right thing. There are just opinions.” Granted, the desire to experience sex is powerful, especially when you are young. But left unchecked, this desire can direct you into “the ways of death.” Every year, 2.5 million U.S. teenagers contract a sexually transmitted disease. Many young girls become unwed mothers​—or kill their babies by abortion! And even though pregnancy or disease may be averted, premarital sex always incurs God’s displeasure.​—1 Thessalonians 4:3.

So why stumble about in “the ways of death”? The Bible gives clear-cut direction to help you “flee from the desires incidental to youth.” (2 Timothy 2:22) This involves ‘deadening,’ not the normal desire for sexual relations in an honorable marriage, but immoral sexual impulses. (Colossians 3:5) Studying the Bible can help you accomplish that. It can give you the moral strength to run away from what is wrong​—even though that wrong may seem very appealing. It can “give to the inexperienced ones shrewdness, to a young man [or woman] knowledge and thinking ability” so as to avoid circumstances that could lead to immoral conduct.​—Proverbs 1:4.

Young Dan is one who has benefited from studying the Bible. While acknowledging that promiscuous teenagers seem to be having fun, he says he’s also seen “babies born out of wedlock, sex diseases, and many other problems.” He asks: “If I didn’t study the Bible, how would I be living?” The Bible can save you, too, from “the ways of death.”

Help in Drawing Close to God

While many youths today claim to believe in a God, the belief in a personal God diminishes as youths grow older. An article in the journal Adolescence observed that for some youths, “the concept of God is too abstract.” Many religions have made God seem abstract by concealing the fact that God has a name. After all, how can you feel close to someone whose name you do not know?

The Bible, however, reveals that God’s name is Jehovah, using that name over 7,000 times! (Psalm 83:18) Knowing that name opens the way for you to have a personal relationship with Almighty God. But this means more than having a casual interest in the Bible. Says 1 Chronicles 28:9: “If you search for him, he will let himself be found by you.” This implies digging into the Scriptures in an effort to know Jehovah intimately.

Have you done so? For example, can you explain why the Bible speaks of Jehovah as having “eyes,” “ears,” a “face,” and an “arm”? (1 Peter 3:12; Ezekiel 20:33) Does not the Bible say that “God is a Spirit”? (John 4:24) Or are you aware of the extent to which God has the ability to observe you, to know what you are about to say even before you say it? (Psalm 139:4) And what about Jehovah’s cardinal attributes of love, wisdom, justice, and power? Can you explain what the greatest manifestation of God’s love was? (John 3:16) Do you know the difference between God’s spirit and his power? (Micah 3:8) Can you prove that God has feelings​—and that it is possible to hurt his feelings?​—Psalm 78:40.

There is only one way to answer those questions​—by studying the Bible. Young Luther has learned that “by studying His Word, I can ‘see’ Jehovah’s personality and the type of person he is.” (Compare Job 42:5.) Jaquella has similarly come to know God better. By a study of the Bible, she has come to appreciate “that Jehovah can back up what he says. When he promises something, he doesn’t break his promise; he doesn’t lie.”​—Titus 1:2.

The Reward for Your Effort

Studying the Bible involves effort and the sacrifice of some of your free time. Getting started may be difficult and may even bring ridicule from family and friends. But look at the rewards. Regular Bible study has helped Paula. She said, I developed “a closer relationship with Jehovah, my Christian brothers, and my family.” Sandy says it helped her “build a conscience” that is responsive even in relatively minor matters. She says: “I can think of scriptures or principles that enable me to decide what to watch on TV.” And remember Ken who was mentioned at the outset? He began reading the Bible more often and says: “The more I read, the more I was impressed, the more it made sense.” Ken was moved to become a baptized servant of God.

Why not make a serious study of the Bible? View it as a challenge. Ask your parents or a member of a local congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses to help you get started. Be determined not to quit. Apply what you learn. And remember: ‘He who peers into that perfect law and who persists in it will be happy in his doing it.’​—James 1:25.

[Blurb on page 24]

Do you “grasp mentally . . . the breadth and length and height and depth” of the Bible’s truths, or is your knowledge merely at surface level?

[Picture on page 25]

A parent or another member of the Christian congregation can help you get started on a project of Bible reading

The Bible’s Viewpoint

When Does Human Life Begin?

SEPTEMBER 21, 1989, was an unusual day for the Fifth Judicial District of the State of Tennessee, U.S.A. On that day the circuit court handed down an opinion on a custody dispute over seven frozen human embryos. The court had to decide which of the divorcing parents was entitled to custody. However, first another issue cried out for settlement: Are the embryos to be considered property or human beings?

Professor Jerome Lejeune of Paris, world-famous geneticist, testified before the court that each human has a unique beginning, which occurs at the moment of conception and that “as soon as he has been conceived, a man is a man.” In other words, beginning at the three-cell stage (zygote), the embryos are, as he told the court, “tiny human beings”!​—Italics ours.

When asked if he was testifying that the zygote should be treated with the same rights as an adult, Dr. Lejeune answered: “I’m not telling you that because I’m not in a position of knowing that. I’m telling you, he is a human being, and then it is a Justice who will tell whether this human being has the same rights as the others. . . . But as a geneticist you ask me whether this human being is a human, and I would tell you that because he is a being and being human, he is a human being.”

Based primarily on Dr. Lejeune’s unrebutted testimony, three of the courts salient conclusions are:

◻ “From fertilization, the cells of a human embryo are differentiated, unique and specialized to the highest degree of distinction.”

◻ “Human embryos are not property.”

◻ “Human life begins at conception.”

Does this agree with what the Bible says about the beginning of human life?

Life Begins at Conception

Jehovah God is “the source of life” and “by him we have life and move and exist.” (Psalm 36:9; Acts 17:28) When does the Creator say life begins? He views the life of a child as precious even during the very early stages of development after conception. More than 3,000 years before the above court ruling, he inspired David, his prophet, to write:

“You kept me screened off in the belly of my mother. I shall laud you because in a fear-inspiring way I am wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, as my soul is very well aware. My bones were not hidden from you when I was made in secret [within the womb], when I was woven [allusion to the veins and arteries, which are embroidered through the body like colored threads of fabric] in the lowest parts of the earth [poetic description of the darkness in the womb]. Your eyes saw even the embryo of me, and in your book all its parts were down in writing.”​—Psalm 139:13-16.

From the moment of conception, the developing life follows a precise pattern as if obeying the instructions set forth in a book, a very large book. “The amount of information which is inside the zygote,” says Dr. Lejeune, “would if spelled out and put in a computer tell the computer how to calculate what will happen next, this amount of information is that big that nobody can measure it.”

The Life of an Unborn Is Precious

Thus, the unborn child developing inside the womb is something far more than a mere clump of tissue. It has great value, and for this reason, God has stated that a person would be called to account for injury to an unborn child. His law at Exodus 21:22, 23 warns: “In case men should struggle with each other and they really hurt a pregnant woman and her children do come out but no fatal accident occurs, he is to have damages imposed upon him without fail according to what the owner of the woman may lay upon him; and he must give it through the justices. But if a fatal accident should occur, then you must give soul for soul.”

Some Bibles translate the above verses in such a way as to make what happens to the woman the main focus of the law. However, the original Hebrew text directs attention to a fatal accident to either the mother or the child.a Hence, deliberately induced abortion simply to avoid the birth of an unwanted child is the willful taking of human life.

Some people may argue that a human embryo is not a human life because it cannot sustain itself outside the womb. This is hollow reasoning. No one doubts that a newborn baby​—only minutes old—​is a human being. Yet, if that child were put naked into an outdoor field, how long would the child survive? It is utterly helpless and, like the embryo or a fetus, lacks the capacity to sustain itself. The newborn baby needs shelter, warmth, and food​—the sustenance, aid, and assistance only an adult, like a mother, can provide.

Therefore, the aforementioned legal decision agrees with the Bible’s viewpoint that human life begins at conception. The life of the unborn is not something trivial to be swept away willfully as an inconvenient foreign object. Human life is sacred not only after it leaves the womb but also while it is inside the womb.

[Footnotes]

[Picture Credit Line on page 26]

Windsor Castle, Royal Library. © 1970 Her Majesty The Queen

Watching the World

BIBLE BROCHURE IN 192 LANGUAGES

The Guinness Book of World Records includes under its heading “Highest Printings” the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, published in 1968 by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. By May 1987 the Truth book had reached the total number of 106,486,735 copies printed in 116 languages, according to the Guinness book. More recently, however, Jehovah’s Witnesses have been distributing the brochure Enjoy Life on Earth Forever! This brochure, published in 1982 by the same society, is now available in 192 languages, and more than 60,000,000 copies have been printed.

OVERUSE OF PAINKILLERS

An Australian official recently announced that ‘Australians take four thousand million analgesics each year,’ according to The Courier Mail. The main concern is that a growing number of schoolchildren, especially girls, are becoming habitual users of these drugs. The Education Department of Australia has prepared the book Painkillers: A Student Workbook for distribution to all State schools. The purpose of the book is “to try to reduce the need for schoolchildren to use drugs to cope with problems,” noted The Courier Mail. One physician noted that “many girls have grown up thinking they should take a pill for every ill.” He also listed anemia, constipation, and stomachache as possible side effects of analgesic abuse. He recommends drinking water, going to bed early, exercise, walking in the fresh air, and regular nutritious meals as alternative remedies for headaches and minor pains.

CLEVER RUSE

Want a sweet and gentle pet? Try an East German guard dog. Some 6,000 of the dogs patrolled the strip between East and West Germany. Along with electrified fences, land mines, and machine guns, they were intended to deter East Germans from fleeing to the West. It worked. Georg, an East German border guard, was even afraid to walk near them on his patrols. “Then I noticed that none of them even barked at me,” he said. “It was all just a bluff.” With a unified Germany on the horizon, West Germans seeking to obtain the animals as vicious guard dogs have been disappointed. “Most of the dogs were just decoys,” says Ulrich Karlowski of West Germany’s Society for the Protection of Animals. “They were trained to do simple things like sit and run, not attack people.”

AFRICA’S WARS

“It may be that three million people or more died as a result of Africa’s wars over the past decade,” according to the newspaper Lesotho Today. Estimates of deaths in the Ethiopian War range “between 500,000 and one million.” Lesotho Today adds that probably the rural poor population has suffered the most, stating that “some nine to 12 million Africans were made homeless by war, becoming refugees or displaced persons.” According to The Star of Johannesburg, South Africa, an estimated 600,000 lives have been lost in Mozambique during its civil war, among them 380,000 children. This is more than ten times the death toll of Americans in the Vietnam War.

BABIES BRED FOR SACRIFICE

Investigations into the practice of Satanism in various parts of South Africa show that its grip on the youth is becoming more widespread. However, according to the Saturday Star, a South African newspaper, “entire families​—fathers, mothers and children—” are involved, and some Satanists are “professional people of high standing in the community.” The police are investigating the practices of child abuse, rape, bestiality, and the murder of babies. Former Satanists have disclosed to Cape Town police that 11 babies have been ritually murdered over the past five years and that the babies were specially bred for sacrifice, noted the Saturday Star.

FATAL ACCIDENT IN MECCA

The city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia hosts millions of Muslim pilgrims from throughout the world every year. This year, on July 2, 1990, a terrible accident marred this religious pilgrimage. According to The New York Times, Saudi officials reported that “1,426 Moslem pilgrims died in a stampede in a pedestrian tunnel linking this city with a tent camp for pilgrims.” Reportedly, the tunnel, which can hold about a thousand people, became crowded beyond capacity with some 5,000 pedestrians. One witness reported that in addition to those trampled in the stampede, many collapsed unconscious, and others died from lack of oxygen. The Times noted that Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd referred to the accident as being “God’s will, which is above everything.”

A NEW BIBLE FOR THE ARCTIC

Translating the Bible into Inuktitut, the language of native Inuit people in the Arctic, has long been a challenge. The language had no word for sheep, horse, or donkey, but it has 30 words for snow. The translation currently in use, according to The Globe and Mail of Toronto, Canada, is 90 years old and rife with mistranslations and awkward phrases. It renders the phrase ‘the lamb of God,’ for instance, as “God’s special thing that looks like a caribou calf.” But thanks to satellite television and education, the Inuit people are now familiar with more words once unknown to them. Thus, a new translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures is under way. “Sheep” will now be rendered by the Inuit term “sheepi,” but “donkey” will remain “the thing with big ears.”

LETHAL MIXTURE

The “cocaine” sold to drug abusers in Brazil contains only about 7.5 percent pure cocaine, according to Paulo Sérgio Fleury, chief of police in the State Department of Narcotics (Denarc) in São Paulo. Using adulterated cocaine can be lethal. The Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S.Paulo reported that cocaine seized by police has been found to be mixed with such materials as ‘boric acid (a poison used to kill ants and cockroaches), confectioners’ sugar, a diarrhea remedy, a local anesthetic, sodium chloride (salt), gypsum, and even powdered glass.’ Powdered glass, even though ground up, “may cause internal fissures, cuts and wounds in the user.”

NEW SOVIET-VATICAN TIES

The meeting between Pope John Paul II and Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev last December has resulted this year in official ties between the Vatican and the Soviet Union for the first time since the Russian Revolution of 1917. Described by Vatican spokesman Joaquim Navarro as “pre-diplomatic relations,” the agreement calls for the Vatican to exchange a representative with rank of apostolic nuncio for a Soviet representative with rank of ambassador extraordinary. Gorbachev is said to have promised the pope that freedom of religion will be guaranteed by the Soviet Union.

THE POWER OF WILLPOWER

Researchers at the University of California at San Diego in La Jolla have found that willpower may prolong life under certain circumstances. The researchers studied the death rates of elderly Chinese women during a 15-year period. They found that the mortality rates dropped by 35 percent in the weeks before the Chinese Harvest Moon Festival, an annual event in which the women play the central ceremonial role. During the week after the festival, the death rates peaked over the normal level by 35 percent. It was similar with Jewish men in regard to Passover. Sociologist David P. Phillips, who led the research, is quoted in The Boston Globe as saying: “The results suggest quite strongly that some people are able to postpone death briefly in order to reach an occasion which is psychologically significant to them.”

A DEADLY GAME

Children living in high-rise housing projects in New York City have found a deadly way to seek thrills: riding on top of the elevators. The stunt has been known for at least 20 years, but police say that it is on the increase, leading to almost 200 arrests and 40 injuries during 1989, double the figures for 1988. Besides inflicting gruesome injuries, this game also kills. One 12-year-old boy tried to somersault from a beam onto a moving elevator and was crushed to death, just three weeks after a movie warning children against this game was made in the same elevator shaft. Some youths attempt to jump from the top of one moving elevator to another. Others ride below the car, hanging from an electric cable. Girls as well as boys play the game. According to housing officials, the children are motivated by boredom and a desire to impress their peers.

From Our Readers

Makeup I work as a makeup artist and found the article “Young People Ask . . . How Can I Use Makeup Properly?” (June 22, 1990) to be very accurate and informative. Regarding the danger of bacterial contamination of store samples or testers, one sensible precaution is to shop at a reputable store. Such stores are usually staffed by well-trained personnel who work hard to keep their tester units clean and appealing to customers. You should also insist that disposable applicators, such as cotton swabs or cotton balls, be used. Lipsticks should be cleansed with alcohol before use. Makeup brushes should first be cleansed with a cleaning solvent. Eye pencils should be sharpened before each use. You can also show consideration for the next customer by not putting your fingers into any of the products.

C. H., United States

Guns I am offended by your distorted portrayal of firearms in the May 22, 1990, issue. Such a one-sided, negative portrayal of inanimate objects is ridiculous. Guns are not inherently good or evil; neither is producing, selling, or possessing them.

J. P., United States

My uncle lost his wife in a car accident and spent three months drinking heavily. Eventually he locked himself in the bathroom and shot himself. I hope that people who read the article will stop and think as to whether it is worthwhile to own a gun.

M. C. A., Brazil

Though I must confess that I have always wanted a gun, when I read through those pages, it made me question whether it is still worthwhile for me to go on saving toward buying one.

D. M., England

Catholic Divisions I was horrified at your issue of June 22, 1990! Was it necessary to show our crucified Savior split in half?

D. L. A., United States

No disrespect for Christ was intended. The crucifix is commonly used as a symbol of the Catholic Church itself. The picture thus served to dramatize the lamentable divisions inside Catholicism. Interestingly, when the apostle Paul condemned the sectarianism among Christians at Corinth, he used this vivid illustration: “The Christ exists divided.” (1 Corinthians 1:13)​—ED.

Congratulations. The writing was well researched, interestingly written, and nonjudgmental. You’ll never convert me to your religion, but you have enlightened and informed me.

V. O., United States

Epilepsy I must express my deep gratitude for the article on epilepsy! (June 22, 1990) What a relief to realize I am not the only one who suffers from epilepsy. I had been so terribly depressed that I was going to end it all. The article came just in time. It opened up the hope of a future without sickness.

N. P., Federal Republic of Germany

Animal Research I very much appreciated your article. (July 8, 1990) I knew that experiments were carried out on animals, but I would never have imagined that they were used in the development of cosmetics, shampoos, and detergents! I am anxiously awaiting the time when such abuses will cease.

R. M., Italy

The Price of Dishonesty

CASEY LUNSFORD’S kidneys were failing him. Doctors estimated that the three-and-a-half-year-old boy would survive for only another three or four months unless he had a kidney transplant. His parents, who are Jehovah’s Witnesses, decided in favor of the operation; in fact, Casey’s father was to donate one of his own kidneys to the boy.a Their only stipulation was that no blood be used​—Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse transfusions on Scriptural grounds.​—See Acts 15:20.

The Lunsfords planned to have the operations done in a Texas hospital with a known record of successful kidney transplants performed without blood transfusions. But a hospital just miles from the Lunsfords’ home in California was willing to perform the transplant without a blood transfusion. The Lunsfords chose this closer hospital.

During the week before the operation, the hospital staff and the transplant surgeon repeatedly assured the parents that there would be no necessity for a blood transfusion or a court order authorizing one over the parents’ objections. However, right after the parents agreed to the surgery, the surgeon began arranging to get a court order to force blood on Casey. He even managed to have a social worker in the case replaced when she insisted that the parents had a right to know about any court order. On the morning of the operation, the hospital filed a certificate requesting a court order to transfuse Casey. The certificate made it sound as if Casey were currently lying bleeding on an operating table when, in fact, the operation had not yet begun! An hour after the operation, which had been successfully performed without blood, Casey was given a blood transfusion.

The Lunsfords sued the surgeon and the hospital for violations of their civil rights and for fraud, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and breach of fiduciary duty. After a four-week trial, the jury deliberated for two and a half days and returned a verdict against the surgeon and the hospital. They were ordered to pay the Lunsfords a total of $500,000.

Although the trial judge has now overruled the judgment on the civil rights violations and ordered a new trial for the fraud and other charges, the 12 jurors were convinced that the deceit of the hospital and the doctor justified the award of $500,000. Attorneys for the family have indicated that they will seek to uphold the jury’s decision by an appeal.

[Footnotes]

Have You Ever Wondered?

◻ What is God’s view on divorce?

◻ Does the Bible approve of fornication or homosexuality?

◻ Why has God permitted suffering?

◻ Did he really intend the world to be like it is?

◻ What does the future hold?

One of Jehovah’s Witnesses would be pleased to visit you and help you find Bible answers to such questions. Jehovah’s Witnesses provide personal and group instruction in the Bible at no charge.

So if you would like to have a qualified person visit you in your home or at some other convenient place, we will gladly arrange for it. You will be helped to find not only answers to your Bible questions but also answers to problems of today that can be solved by the application of Bible principles. To avail yourself of this service, simply fill in the information requested below and mail it to the address below.

(Outside the U.S.A., write to local Watch Tower branch for information. See page 4.)