April 8

Page Two

A Global Garden—Dream or Future Reality? 3-10

People love peaceful gardens with their flowers, plants, streams, and lakes. Read how the entire earth will become a beautiful garden.

Sexual Exploitation of Children—A Worldwide Problem 11

Called “the most savage and disgusting category of crime.” What is the solution?

Can a Marriage Be Saved After Infidelity? 23

When one mate is unfaithful, must the marriage ties be severed?

Our Love of the Garden

DO YOU welcome the tranquillity of a beautiful garden as a refuge from the noise and hectic pace of life? Are quiet parks with their lawns, flowers, shady trees, and ponds the surroundings you prefer for a picnic with your family or for a stroll with a friend? Yes, how soothing, refreshing, peaceful, and even therapeutic the garden is!

Although some may shy away from tending a garden, perhaps for want of time, all of us delight in the garden’s colors, aromas, sounds, and fruits. Thomas Jefferson—architect, scientist, lawyer, inventor, and U.S. president—loved the garden. He wrote: “No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth. . . . I am still devoted to the garden. But though an old man, I am but a young gardener.”

His view is shared by many. Each year millions of visitors stream to famous gardens of the world—Kew Gardens (the Royal Botanic Gardens), in England; the gardens in Kyoto, Japan; the gardens of the Palace of Versailles, in France; Longwood Gardens, in Pennsylvania, U.S.A., to mention a few. Many countries also have city areas where homes, nestled along tree-lined avenues, are surrounded by shrubs, trees, and a blaze of floral color—like a miniature paradise.

Gardens Can Promote Health

It has been observed that when humans keep in touch with the natural world, their health may be better, although the contact is no more than seeing flowers, trees, shrubs, and birds through a window. This led a New York City hospital to plant a garden on its roof. It was “received fantastically,” said a hospital official. “It’s been a morale booster for both patients and staff. . . . We see it having lots of therapeutic possibilities.” Indeed, studies show that people can benefit physically, mentally, and emotionally by feasting their senses on nature.

Moreover, a person who is spiritually inclined may feel closer to God when amid His handiwork. This aspect of the garden can be traced back to the very first garden on earth, the Garden of Eden, where God first communicated with man.—Genesis 2:15-17; 3:8.

The love of the garden is universal. And this, as we shall see, is significant. Before discussing that feature, though, we invite you to “walk” through a few of the gardens of history to see how deep in the hearts of all peoples the yearning for Paradise really is.

A Look at Some Famous Gardens

THE human experience with Paradise began in a garden located in an area called Eden, possibly near Lake Van, of modern Turkey. A river that branched into four rivers watered the garden for Adam and Eve, who were “to cultivate it and to take care of it.” What a delight it would be to manage a garden in which “every tree desirable to one’s sight and good for food” abounded!—Genesis 2:8-15.

Eden was a perfect home. Adam and Eve and their descendants were to extend its boundaries, no doubt using God’s exquisite original design as their model. In time, the entire earth would become a paradise comfortably filled with people. But the willful disobedience of our first parents resulted in their being evicted from this sanctuary. Sadly, all others of the human family were born outside this home in Eden.

Nevertheless, mankind was designed by the Creator to live in Paradise. So it was natural that future generations would try to surround themselves with imitations of it.

Early Gardens

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon have been hailed as one of the wonders of the ancient world. They were built by King Nebuchadnezzar more than 2,500 years ago for his Median wife who yearned for the forests and hills of her homeland. This 75-foot-high [22-m] stepped structure of arched vaults, all richly planted, contained enough soil to nurture large trees. The homesick queen was likely comforted as she strolled through this terraced Edenlike area.

Landscape gardening was prominent in Egypt’s fertile Nile Valley. “Egypt,” says The Oxford Companion to Gardens, “is the source of the world’s oldest pictures of gardens and the location of an exceptionally long . . . tradition of gardening.” A landscape plan of a garden belonging to an Egyptian official at Thebes, dating from about 1400 B.C.E., shows ponds, tree-lined avenues, and pavilions. Next to royal gardens, temple gardens were the most luxuriant, with their groves, flowers, and herbs irrigated by canals from ponds and lakes teeming with waterfowl, fish, and lotus lilies.—Compare Exodus 7:19.

The Persians too made an early mark on the world of gardens. So captivating were the gardens of Persia and Egypt that when Alexander the Great’s conquering armies returned to Greece in the fourth century B.C.E., they came well stocked with seeds, plants, and ideas. In Athens, Aristotle and his pupil Theophrastus assembled the growing inventory of flora and established a botanical garden, to study and classify plants. Many wealthy Greeks, like Egyptians and Persians before them, had lavish gardens.

Roman city dwellers blended house and garden in the confined space of the city. The wealthy created spectacular pleasure parks at their country villas. Even the tyrant Nero wanted his Eden, so he ruthlessly evicted hundreds of families, demolished their homes, and created a private park of over 125 acres [50 ha] around his palace. Later, about 138 C.E., at Emperor Hadrian’s villa at Tivoli, Roman landscaping reached its zenith. The villa had 600 acres [243 ha] of parks, pools, lakes, and fountains.

The ancient Israelites also had gardens and parks. Jewish historian Josephus writes of delightful parks abounding with streams at a place called Etam, some eight to ten miles [13-16 km] from Jerusalem. Etam’s parks may have been among the ‘gardens, parks, pools, and forest’ that the Bible says Solomon ‘made for himself.’ (Ecclesiastes 2:5, 6) Just outside Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives was the Garden of Gethsemane, made famous by Jesus Christ. Here, Jesus found a refuge where he could quietly teach his disciples.—Matthew 26:36; John 18:1, 2.

From Arab Gardens to English Gardens

When Arab armies spread east and west in the seventh century C.E., they, like Alexander, came across the gardens of Persia. (Compare Esther 1:5.) “The Arabs,” writes Howard Loxton, “found the Persian gardens very similar to the paradise which was promised to the faithful in the Koran.” Like its Persian model, the typical Arab garden, from Moorish Spain to Kashmir, was divided into four sections by four streams united at the center by a pool or a fountain, reminiscent of the four rivers of Eden.

In northern India, by Lake Dal in the beautiful Vale of Kashmir, 17th-century Mogul rulers planted more than 700 paradisaic gardens. These formed a dazzling palette of colors punctuated by hundreds of fountains, terraces, and cascades. The black marble pavilion built on Lake Dal’s shore by Shah Jahan (builder of the Taj Mahal) still carries the inscription: “If there is a paradise on the face of the earth, it is here, it is here, it is here.”

A few centuries earlier, Europe had passed from the Middle Ages into the 14th-century Renaissance. The gardening tradition of Rome, trampled under when the Middle Ages began in the fifth century C.E., started to bloom once again—this time under the rule of the church. Christendom saw the garden as a ‘provisional paradise.’ A ninth-century plan of a monastery shows two gardens labeled “Paradise.” Christendom’s gardens soon became bigger and grander, but instead of reflecting spiritual ideals, many became symbols of power and wealth.

When Charles VIII of France conquered Naples, Italy, in 1495, he wrote home: “You would not believe the beautiful gardens I have in this city . . . It seems that only Adam and Eve are lacking to make it a terrestrial paradise.” But if Charles had lived into the 17th century, he would have seen on French soil the vast gardens of King Louis XIV. The book The Garden asserts that the gardens at the Palace of Versailles “can still lay claim to being the world’s largest and grandest.”

The Renaissance, however, had a new definition of paradise: nature is to be subservient to enlightened man who is to impose order on the garden by purging it of all wildness. Trees and flowers were all set out in precise geometric configurations. Thus, early Roman topiary—the art of shaping trees and shrubs by clipping and training them—enjoyed a prodigious revival.

Then, in the 18th and 19th centuries, maritime exploration and trade revealed new plants and gardening concepts to the western world. England took its turn at garden designing. “In 18th-century England,” says The New Encyclopædia Britannica, “man became increasingly aware of the natural world of which he was a part. Rather than imposing his man-made geometric order on the natural world, he began to consider adjusting his own life to it.” Men like William Kent and Lancelot Brown excelled in landscaping. Brown laid out more than two hundred estates in England. Two men who became presidents of the United States, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, toured England in 1786 to study English gardens.

Landscapes of the East

China’s gardening tradition is to Eastern civilization what the traditions of Egypt, Greece, and Rome are to Western. The Chinese originally practiced an animist religion, in which rivers, rocks, and mountains were all seen as materialized spirits and so were to be respected. Thereafter, Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism swept through the land and produced their own forms of the garden.

On the other side of the Sea of Japan, Japanese gardens developed their own style, where form takes precedence over color and every item has its precise place. In an attempt to capture, in a limited area, nature’s aesthetics and diversity, the gardener places his rocks with care and plants and trains his garden meticulously. This is evident in bonsai (meaning “potted plant”), the art of training a miniature tree or perhaps a grove of trees into precise form and proportion.

Though its style may vary from its Western counterpart, the Eastern garden also reflects a yearning for Paradise. For example, during the Heian period in Japan (794-1185), writes Japanese garden historian Wybe Kuitert, gardeners attempted to evoke the atmosphere of a “paradise on earth.”

A Universal Love

Including even hunter-gatherer tribes, who lived in “natural” gardens—jungles, forests, and grasslands—the love of the garden is universal. Regarding “the Aztecs of Mexico and the Incas of Peru,” says the Britannica, “the conquistadors reported elaborate gardens with terraced hills, groves, fountains, and ornamental ponds . . . not unlike contemporary gardens in the West.”

Yes, ancient groves astride the Nile, landscapes of the East, modern city parks, and botanical gardens—what do these reveal? Mankind’s yearning for Paradise. In noting this enduring “nostalgia for Paradise,” writer Terry Comito stated: “Gardens are places in which men come home again.” And what human would not delight in saying, ‘My home is like the Garden of Eden’? But is a global Eden—and not only for the wealthy—just a dream? Or is it a future certainty?

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Artist’s conception of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

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A classical garden in Japan

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Versailles, France

Down through history, humans have longed for Paradise

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French Government Tourist Office/Rosine Mazin

The Way Home to Paradise

IN VIEW of the human yearning for Paradise and the attempts both large and small to recreate it, one would think that by now the earth would be a veritable paradise. But it is not.

Mankind, instead, has given priority to greed, which often rules at the expense of the environment and its diversity of living things. Believing that material wealth will win out, many people have lost all hope that this earth will ever be transformed into an Edenic paradise. Rather, they look to an afterlife in heaven as their only hope for Paradise. This view implies, first, that our human yearning for Eden will forever be frustrated and, second, that God has abandoned this planet to human folly and greed. Is this so? Just what does the future hold? And where will that future be?

Paradise—In Heaven or on Earth?

Nearly 2,000 years ago, when speaking to a repentant thief impaled beside him, Jesus Christ said: “You will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43) Did Jesus mean that the thief would go to heaven with him? No.

The evildoer would not have even entertained that idea. Why not? Because he would probably have been familiar with passages in the Hebrew Scriptures, which existed in his day, such as the first part of Psalm 37:29: “The righteous themselves will possess the earth.” Jesus taught that same truth, declaring: “Happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5) This scripture harmonizes with what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer, which states: “Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.”—Matthew 6:9, 10.

The Bible teaches that God created the earth, not heaven, as home for the human family. His Word states that he “did not create [the earth] simply for nothing” but “formed it even to be inhabited.” (Isaiah 45:18) For how long? “He has founded the earth upon its established places; it will not be made to totter to time indefinite, or forever.” (Psalm 104:5) Yes, “the earth is standing even to time indefinite.”—Ecclesiastes 1:4.

It is God’s purpose for the vast majority of those who serve him to make this earth their home forever. Note how God’s Word, the Bible, comments on this. Psalm 37:11 foretells: “The meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.” For how long? Psalm 37:29 says: “The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.” At that time the scripture will be realized that declares: “You [God] are opening your hand and satisfying the desire of every living thing,” that is, the desire that is in harmony with God’s will.—Psalm 145:16.

What about those who have no desire to do God’s will? Proverbs 2:21, 22 declares: “The upright are the ones that will reside in the earth, and the blameless are the ones that will be left over in it. As regards the wicked, they will be cut off from the very earth; and as for the treacherous, they will be torn away from it.”

Paradise Restored

Soon now, God’s judgments will be executed against this wicked world. (Matthew 24:3-14; 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 13) But God will preserve “a great crowd” of people through that coming destruction into a new world of his making.—Revelation 7:9-17.

Then, God will direct the joyful task that his human subjects will have of transforming the entire earth into a paradise home for mankind. The Bible promises: “The wilderness and the waterless region will exult, and the desert plain will be joyful and blossom as the saffron. . . . For in the wilderness waters will have burst out, and torrents in the desert plain.”—Isaiah 35:1, 6.

In that expanding Paradise, there will be no more hunger, poverty, slums, homeless people, or crime-infested areas. “There will come to be plenty of grain on the earth.” (Psalm 72:16) “The tree of the field must give its fruitage, and the land itself will give its yield.” (Ezekiel 34:27) “They will certainly build houses and have occupancy; and they will certainly plant vineyards and eat their fruitage. They will not build and someone else have occupancy; they will not plant and someone else do the eating.” (Isaiah 65:21, 22) “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.

Why Some Go to Heaven

Most people will probably acknowledge that they have a yearning for an earthly paradise. That is natural, for God never implanted in them a yearning for heaven; they cannot even conceive of what life in heaven is like. For example, in conversation with her Church of England minister, Pat, though a devoted church member, said: “I’ve never had any thoughts about going to heaven. I don’t want to go, and what would I do there anyway?”—Compare Psalm 115:16.

True, the Bible teaches that a limited number of humans, 144,000, do go to heaven. (Revelation 14:1, 4) It also explains why: “You made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth.” (Revelation 5:9, 10) Along with their King, Jesus Christ, these make up the “kingdom,” earth’s new heavenly government, for which Christians pray. This government will supervise the total rehabilitation of the earth and mankind.—Daniel 2:44; 2 Peter 3:13.

However, since the desire to live in heaven is not naturally present in humans, a unique operation of God’s spirit “bears witness” to the 144,000 so that they sense this special “upward call.” (Romans 8:16, 17; Philippians 3:14) Obviously, though, no such operation by holy spirit is needed for mankind in general because their eternal home is to be on a paradise earth.

A Spiritual Paradise Prepares the Way

How does one qualify for eternal life in Paradise on earth? “This means everlasting life,” Jesus said, “their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.” (John 17:3) Linking peaceful human relations with a knowledge of God, Isaiah 11:9 states: “They will not do any harm or cause any ruin in all my holy mountain; because the earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters are covering the very sea.”—Compare Isaiah 48:18.

This knowledge, of course, is not just head knowledge. It influences one’s personality and nurtures godly qualities, such as “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22, 23) Jehovah’s Witnesses strive to cultivate these qualities, and thus, even now, they are blessed with a wholesome spiritual paradise.—Isaiah 65:13, 14.

What a contrast their spiritual condition is to that of the world, which plunges into more and more ungodliness and corruption! Soon, however, this wicked world will be destroyed by God. In the meantime, Jehovah’s Witnesses invite you to visit—yes, inspect—the spiritual paradise they enjoy. See for yourself that right now Jesus, the invisible heavenly King, is quietly leading future residents of that new world along the narrow way to the earthly Paradise and eternal life!—Matthew 7:13, 14; Revelation 7:17; 21:3, 4.

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Survivors of this world’s end will enjoy taking part in transforming the earth into a paradise

Sexual Exploitation of Children—A Worldwide Problem

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN SWEDEN

Human society is being shaken by a shocking form of child abuse that is of a scope and nature not widely known until recent years. To see what could be done about it, representatives of 130 nations met in Stockholm, Sweden, at the first World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. An Awake! correspondent in Sweden was also there.

WHEN Magdalen was 14, she was lured into a job as a “hostess” in a beer house in Manila, the Philippines. Actually, her work involved taking male customers to a small room and baring her body for their sexual exploitation—an average of 15 men a night and 30 on Saturdays. Sometimes, when she said that she could not cope with it anymore, her manager would force her to continue. She often ended her day at four in the morning, feeling exhausted, depressed, and miserable.

Sareoun was a young orphaned street boy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He had syphilis and was known to have ‘gone out’ with foreigners. He was given living quarters in a pagoda, where he was to be ‘looked after’ by an ex-monk. This man, however, sexually abused the boy and procured him for sex with foreigners. When Sareoun’s living quarters in the pagoda were demolished, he began living with his aunt but was still forced to work on the street.

These are but two examples of the terrible problem dealt with late last year at the World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. How widespread is this practice? Hundreds of thousands of children are involved—indeed, some say millions. One delegate summarized the problem: “Children are bought and sold as sexual and economic commodities. They are trafficked within and across borders like contraband, imprisoned in brothels and forced to submit to large numbers of sex exploiters.”

In his opening statement to the gathering, Sweden’s prime minister, Göran Persson, stamped this exploitation as “the most brutal, the most savage and disgusting category of crime.” A United Nations representative said it “is an assault on children on all fronts . . . , is totally vile and is the most contemptible violation of human rights imaginable.” Many similar expressions of outrage at the sexual exploitation of children were voiced from the rostrum throughout the congress as the scope, nature, causes, and effects of it were considered.

“Its scope is transnational, its impact transgenerational,” one source put it. Another stated: “An estimated 1 million children are believed to enter the multibillion-dollar illegal sex market each year.” With what effect? “Children’s sense of dignity, identity and self-esteem is undermined and their capacity for trust dulled. Their physical and emotional health is put at risk, their rights violated and their futures jeopardized.”

Some Causes

What are some causes of the explosive growth of this problem? It was stated that some children are “pushed into prostitution by circumstances, as a way of surviving on the streets, helping to support their families, or to pay for clothes and goods. Others are seduced by the bombardment of consumer images in the advertising media.” Still others are kidnapped and forced into prostitution. The rapid erosion of moral values everywhere, as well as a general sense of hopelessness, were mentioned among the causes.

Many girls and boys become involved in the sex trade because of family abuse—violence and incest at home drive them out onto the street. There, they are at risk of abuse by pedophiles and others, even, it appears, by some policemen. A report on the problem entitled Kids for Hire tells about six-year-old Katia, in Brazil. When she was caught by a policeman, he forced her to perform indecent acts and threatened to kill her family if she told his chief. The next day he came back with five other men, all of whom wanted her to perform the same sexual service for them.

The Children’s Ombudsman, a Swedish institution, told the delegates: “When studies have been done on what causes child prostitution, there is no doubt that [sex] tourism is one of the major causes.” A report said: “The incredible escalation of child prostitution over the last ten years is directly caused by the tourism trade. Child prostitution is the newest tourist attraction offered by developing countries.” “Sex tours” from Europe, the United States, Japan, and elsewhere create a great demand for child prostitutes throughout the world. A European airline used a cartoon drawing of a child in a sexually explicit pose to sell sex tours. Travel agencies arrange sex tours for thousands every year.

Also on the long list of causes is the international promotion of the child-sex industry through new technology. The Internet, combined with other related computer technologies, is reported to be the single largest source of pornography. Low-priced video equipment has likewise facilitated the production of child pornography.

Who Are They?

Many of the adults who sexually abuse children are pedophiles. A pedophile has a perverted sexual attraction to children. According to the Children’s Ombudsman of Sweden, “they are not necessarily aging, slovenly men in raincoats or violent macho types. A typical pedophile is a well educated middle-aged man, often working with children as a teacher, doctor, social-worker or a priest.”

The Swedish group brought up the example of Rosario, a 12-year-old Filipino girl who was sexually abused by a sex tourist, a doctor from Austria. His abuse resulted in her death.

Carol Bellamy, executive director of UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) at Geneva, stated the following regarding the 12-year-old Filipino girl: “It is often the very adults entrusted with the care and protection of the children who permit and perpetuate this intolerable practice. There are teachers, health professionals, police officers, politicians, and members of the clergy who use their prestige and authority to sexually exploit children.”

Religion Involved

A delegate of the Roman Catholic Church at the Stockholm congress declared that exploitation of children is the “most heinous of crimes” and a “result of profound distortion and the breakdowns of values.” Yet, the Catholic Church has been severely affected by such practices among its own clergy.

In the August 16, 1993, issue of Newsweek, an article entitled “Priests and Abuse” reported on “the worst clerical scandal in the modern history of the U.S. Catholic Church.” It stated: “While allegations have been lodged against an estimated 400 priests since 1982, some churchmen extrapolate that as many as 2,500 priests have molested children or teenagers. . . . More than money, the scandal has cost the church severe embarrassment—and some of its moral authority.” Other religions throughout the world are in the same situation.

Ray Wyre, a sex-crime consultant from the United Kingdom, told the Stockholm congress about two boys who had been sadistically abused by a priest. One of the boys is now running an agency for victims of child abuse by priests, and the other is himself an abuser.

Mettanando Bhikkhu, a Buddhist scholar from Thailand, reported that “certain types of Buddhist practice share a responsibility for the commercial sexual exploitation of children in Thailand on several levels. In local villages in Thailand, monks have sometimes benefited from the money returned to the community by children who have been forced into prostitution.”

What Can Be Done?

Dr. Julia O’Connell Davidson, of Leicester University in the United Kingdom, called on the congress to challenge the exploiters’ justification of their behavior. Abusers often focus on the supposed sexual looseness and immorality of the child, arguing that the child is already dirty and spoiled. Other exploiters use the twisted and false claim that no harm will result from their acts and that the child benefited.

A panel dealing with sex tourism recommended combating it through education in school curricula. In addition, information against sexual exploitation of children should reach travelers throughout the whole trip—before departure, during travel, and at the destination.

Regarding the new communication technologies, a panel suggested that nations should be provided with guidelines for the elimination of material that exploits children. The establishment of a single international agency to coordinate activity in this field was considered. Another panel recommended that computer-generated child pornography and the possession of child pornography in general should be made criminal offenses in all countries, with punishment prescribed by law.

What can parents do? A panel dealing with the role of the media suggested that parents take responsibility for protecting their children. It stated: “Parents can not only guide children as they develop as media consumers but provide additional context, explanation and diversity of sources of information to balance the impact of media and help the child to grow in understanding.”

A Swedish TV program reporting on the congress stressed the need for parents to keep better watch over their children and to alert them to the dangers. However, it advised: “Don’t just warn children against ‘dirty old men,’ because children . . . thus think they should watch out for only elderly, slovenly men, while a person who commits such crimes could very well be dressed in a uniform or a neat suit. Thus, warn them against strangers who take unusual interest in them.” Of course, children should also be warned about—and urged to report to authorities—any person making improper advances toward them, including people they know.

The Only Solution

What the Stockholm congress could not suggest was how to overcome the causes of sexual exploitation of children. These include rapidly eroding moral values everywhere; increasing selfishness and craving for material things; growing disrespect for laws made to protect people from injustice; increasing disregard for the well-being, dignity, and life of others; rapid breakdown of the family arrangement; widespread poverty due to overpopulation, unemployment, urbanization, and migration; growing racism against foreigners and refugees; ever-growing production of and trafficking in drugs; and depraved religious views, practices, and traditions.

Although sexual exploitation of children is shocking, such badness is not surprising to careful Bible readers. Why so? Because we are now living in what the Bible calls “the last days” and, according to God’s Word, “critical times hard to deal with” are here. (2 Timothy 3:1-5, 13) So is it any wonder that morals have gone from bad to worse?

However, the Bible points forward to the only solution to the world’s huge problems—a total cleanup by Almighty God. Soon he will manifest his power and remove all those on earth who do not abide by his righteous principles and laws: “The upright are the ones that will reside in the earth, and the blameless are the ones that will be left over in it. As regards the wicked, they will be cut off from the very earth.”—Proverbs 2:21, 22; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9.

Those “cut off” will include all who make prostitutes of children and corrupt people who misuse children. God’s Word states: “Neither fornicators . . . nor adulterers . . . nor men who lie with men [or boys] . . . will inherit God’s kingdom.” (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10) It adds that “those who are disgusting in their filth . . . and fornicators” will be consigned to “the second death”—eternal destruction.—Revelation 21:8.

God will cleanse the earth and usher in a completely new and just system of things, “new heavens and a new earth.” (2 Peter 3:13) Then, in that new world of his making, corrupt, perverted people will never again take advantage of innocent ones. And never again will the innocent have to fear being victimized, for “there will be no one making them tremble.”—Micah 4:4.

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“The most savage and disgusting category of crime.”—Sweden’s prime minister

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“Every week, 10 million to 12 million men visit young prostitutes.”—The Economist, London

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Sex tourism is a major cause of child exploitation in developing countries

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Sex Tourism—Why?

(Some reasons why tourists engage in sex with children)

(1) The anonymity that the tourist enjoys releases him from the social constraints of home

(2) Because of little or no understanding of the local language, tourists can easily be misled into believing that paying for sex with a child is accepted or is a way to help children out of poverty

(3) Racist attitudes make visitors exploit others whom they consider inferior

(4) Tourists feel rich when they see that sexual services are easily affordable in developing countries

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The Worldwide Scope of the Problem

(The following are estimates by various government authorities and other organizations)

Brazil: At least 250,000 child prostitutes

Canada: Thousands of teenage girls are being prostituted by organized pimp rings

China: From 200,000 to 500,000 prostituted children. In recent years about 5,000 Chinese girls have been lured across the border and sold as prostitutes in Myanmar

Colombia: The number of children sexually exploited on the streets of Bogotá has quintupled in the last seven years

Eastern Europe: 100,000 street children. Many are sent to brothels in Western Europe

India: 400,000 children involved in the sex industry

Mozambique: Aid agencies accused UN peacekeeping troops of sexually exploiting children

Myanmar: 10,000 girls and women are transported to brothels in Thailand each year

Philippines: 40,000 children involved

Sri Lanka: 10,000 children ages 6 to 14 enslaved in brothels and 5,000 ages 10 to 18 working independently in tourist resorts

Taiwan: 30,000 children involved

Thailand: 300,000 children involved

United States: Official sources speak of more than 100,000 children involved

Tiny Light-Bearers of New Zealand

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN NEW ZEALAND

THE night was intensely dark—moonless and clear. When the camp lights went out, we seemed to be in a universe of bright stars. We made our way down a steep path to a thermal pool at the bottom of a narrow gorge. Plants were growing on either side of the steaming water. We sank into the water and relaxed after a long day of travel. This pool, with hot water bubbling out of the ground naturally, was at our overnight accommodations at a motor camp.

I watched as a star moved rapidly across the sky. I turned to tell my wife about it, and as I did, I stumbled and splashed loudly. To my amazement, several stars suddenly went out—vanished! And when I spoke in surprise, a whole cluster disappeared. I seemed to have caused a hole in the universe!

As I tried to figure out what had happened, the stars reappeared, one by one, and I now saw that one cluster was much closer to me than the main body of stars. In fact, some were close enough to touch. We had met New Zealand glowworms for the first time. They were suspended from the invisible walls of greenery above us, and their soft lights blended into the starry background.

The New Zealand glowworm is not a worm but an insect. It is different from glowworms and fireflies in other parts of the world. Its name Arachnocampa luminosa might give you the idea that it is a kind of luminous spider. But that is not true either.

Not long after our first encounter, we met glowworms again, at the Waitomo Caves on the North Island of New Zealand. Let me describe our journey to the glowworm grotto, where a boat took us to see these tiny creatures.

Waitomo Grotto

The Glowworm Cave is a wonder, beautifully lit to show the magnificent artistry of stalactite and stalagmite formations, which have built up over many thousands of years. Our guide turned on lights as we approached each area, and we were amazed at the fascinating formations and tunnels—an unexpected and strange world of marvels under the ground. Our footsteps echoed eerily when we gathered at the top of stairs that descended into blackness. As our eyes became accustomed to the dark, we began to see tiny glimmers of greenish light high up. The glowworms!

We reached a jetty and got into a boat. Moving away from the jetty, we sailed into darkness. Then, as we rounded a corner, what I can only describe as a compressed version of the entire Milky Way appeared just above us—the roof of the cave was completely covered with glowworms. Author George Bernard Shaw called this place “the eighth wonder of the world.”

The Fascinating Glowworm

When the tour ended, our wonder over the glowworm encouraged us to learn more about it. And what we learned was as fascinating as what we had seen. Starting life as a tiny larva, with tail light already switched on, the New Zealand glowworm builds a hammock of mucus and silk from separate glands in its mouth and attaches it to the ceiling of a grotto. The hammock is actually a tunnel in which the larva can move back and forth.

The glowworm needs food to live, so for six to nine months, it takes up fishing. But its catch is in the air, though it comes via the water. The essential stream brings in a supply of midges, mosquitoes, stone flies, and mayflies, which are attracted to light. To catch them, the glowworm lets down a series of silken lines (sometimes as many as 70) from its hammock. Spaced evenly down each line is a series of sticky droplets of mucus, so the lines resemble tiny pearl necklaces hanging straight down.

The most fascinating part of the glowworm is the light with which it illuminates the fishing lines. The New Zealand glowworm is one of a group of insects whose glow is not connected to the nervous system. Yet, it is able to turn the light off at will. The light organ is housed at the end of its excretory tubes, and part of the larva’s breathing system acts as a reflector, sending the light downward. It turns the light off by restricting the oxygen or the chemicals needed to produce the light.

However, the light at the end of the glowworm tunnel is not the hopeful sign an insect expects. It flies into the deadly curtain where a chemical may, it has been suggested, gradually anesthetize it. Sensing the vibrations of the struggling victim, the larva hangs precariously out of the hammock and hauls up the line in its mouth, using contractions of its body.

Having fished and fed for six to nine months, the larva pupates and then enjoys life as an adult. Whether the adult fly actually enjoys life much is doubtful. It will last only two or three days, for the adult fly has no mouth and so cannot eat. Its remaining time is devoted to reproduction. Adult male flies fertilize females the moment they break out of their cocoons. The female may take an entire day to lay her eggs, one by one, after which she dies. Having contributed to a sparkling galaxy that gives immense pleasure to humans, the 10- to 11-month life cycle of the tiny New Zealand light-bearer is over.

[Picture on page 16]

Opposite page: Entering the glowworm grotto

[Picture on page 17]

Top: The grotto roof with light show by glowworms

[Picture on page 17]

Right: Glowworm fishing lines

[Picture Credit Line on page 16]

Pictures on pages 16-17: Waitomo Caves Museum Society Inc.

Crossword Puzzle

Clues Across

1. A color of dye used extensively in the temple accessories and the garments worn by the high priest [2 words] (Exodus 36:35)

8. One of seven princes of Persia closest to King Ahasuerus, all of whom concurred in the judgment against Queen Vashti (Esther 1:13-15)

9. Ancient city where Melchizedek was king and priest (Genesis 14:18)

10. Latin word used for the stake upon which Jesus was hung (Matthew 10:38, footnote)

11. Moses’ father-in-law (Numbers 10:29)

12. Jesus stated that no Jew could claim he does this regarding the Law of Moses (John 7:19)

14. What man is, metaphorically speaking, in the hands of the Great Potter (Isaiah 64:8)

15. One of the lands Saul passed through while looking for his father’s lost she-asses (1 Samuel 9:4)

17. Span of time that elapsed between visits of the high priest to the Most Holy (Hebrews 9:7)

18. It is God who should get the credit when things planted do this (1 Corinthians 3:7)

20. After killing his brother Amnon, Absalom sought refuge with Talmai, the son of this king of Geshur (2 Samuel 13:37)

24. Jesus stated that the doing of his Father’s will was this for him (John 4:32, 34)

26. The Pharisees would wash their hands up to this point before eating, thinking it had religious merit (Mark 7:3)

27. Jesus said that for one to achieve this position, he “must be the slave of all” (Mark 10:44)

28. Paul said that if it is seen, it is not this (Romans 8:24)

29. A group of animals moving in a body (Genesis 32:16)

31. This disciple asked Jesus: “Are you dwelling as an alien by yourself in Jerusalem?” (Luke 24:18)

32. We must be “babes as to badness” but “full-grown” in this (1 Corinthians 14:20)

Clues Down

2. The Jewish month in which Nehemiah completed the reconstruction of Jerusalem’s walls (Nehemiah 6:15)

3. Capital of the northern kingdom of Israel (2 Kings 3:1)

4. Father of the prophet Joel (Joel 1:1)

5. The tree Isaiah mentions that is used by a person to cook his food, warm himself, and make a god (Isaiah 44:14-17)

6. This record follows the account of the tower of Babel [3 words] (Genesis 11:10)

7. Prophetic time period immediately prior to the Messiah’s appearance [2 words] (Daniel 9:25)

8. To collect for oneself (Daniel 11:2)

13. Father of Shimei, one of Solomon’s 12 deputies who provided him with food (1 Kings 4:18)

16. The mother of good King Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:2)

19. One expressing “abhorrence of the idols” would not be expected to do this to temples (Romans 2:22)

21. Things that cause wonder or astonishment (Exodus 15:11)

22. Ancestor of a family of Nethinim temple slaves (Ezra 2:54)

23. The resurrected dead will be judged individually according to these (Revelation 20:12, 13)

25. Consideration for someone who is an — is an identifying mark of true worship (James 1:27)

30. Something viewed as giving an indication about the future (1 Kings 20:33)

Crossword Solutions Page 25

Solutions Across

1. REDDISH PURPLE

8. ADMATHA

9. SALEM

10. CRUX

11. REUEL

12. OBEYS

14. CLAY

15. SHAALIM

17. YEAR

18. GROW

20. AMMIHUD

24. FOOD

26. ELBOW

27. FIRST

28. HOPE

29. DROVE

31. CLEOPAS

32. UNDERSTANDING

Solutions Down

2. ELUL

3. SAMARIA

4. PETHUEL

5. LAUREL

6. HISTORY OF SHEM

7. SIXTY-TWO WEEKS

8. AMASS

13. ELA

16. ABI

19. ROB

21. MARVELS

22. HATIPHA

23. DEEDS

25. ORPHAN

30. OMEN

I Finally Found the Truth

Toward the end of August 1939, I stopped in Moscow on my way home to Budapest, Hungary. The German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact had been signed several days before, on August 23, and the Kremlin walls were adorned with Nazi swastika flags. Why was I in Russia, and what awaited me at home?

FIRST, let me go back to the small Hungarian town of Veszprém, where I was born on January 15, 1918. I was the oldest of four children, and our parents saw to it that we attended church regularly. By the time I was five, I was helping at Mass in a Roman Catholic convent. At home, I would pretend to conduct Mass for my siblings, wearing a paper garment I had made for the service.

When I was eight, Dad abandoned the family, and Mother took care of us with the help of her mother. The year after that, Mother died of cancer. In the years that followed, we children were separated and put in various orphanages and foster homes. The last orphanage I lived in was near Budapest. It was run by the Frères Maristes (Brothers of Mary), a French Catholic teachers’ order. I had a real love for God, so when I turned 13, I accepted the offer of an education by their religious order.

Extensive Religious Training

The following year I was sent to Greece, where I attended a Frères Maristes school conducted in French, which prepared me to be a teacher. Four years later, in 1936, I graduated with a certificate that qualified me to teach elementary school. After graduation I became a brother in the religious order, taking the threefold vow of poverty, obedience, and chastity. Although we brothers wore religious garb and taught catechism, we never studied the Bible.

That summer I applied to teach school in China and was accepted. On October 31, 1936, I left by ocean liner from Marseilles, France. On December 3, 1936, I arrived in Shanghai. From there I continued by train to Beijing, the capital, in northern China.

In a mountainous region about 15 miles [25 km] from Beijing, the Frères Maristes religious order had a large school, dormitories, and farm buildings. The location was near the emperor’s summer residence and included lovely cultivated gardens and fruit trees. There I became involved in intensive study of both the Chinese and English languages. But we never studied the Bible.

Amid Turmoil

In the early 1930’s, Japan seized Manchuria, a part of China. In July 1937, Japanese and Chinese troops clashed near Beijing. The victorious Japanese set up a new government with Chinese of their choosing. This led to fighting by Chinese guerrillas against the new government.

Since our monastery outside of Beijing was recognized as French territory, it was spared direct fighting. Yet, we were hit by stray cannonballs and gunfire that wounded some of the more than 5,000 Chinese who had sought refuge at our monastery. In the meantime, Chinese guerrillas ruled the countryside.

In September 1937 about 300 armed Chinese guerrillas attacked our buildings, looking for arms, money, and food. I was one of ten Europeans taken hostage. After being held for six days, I was among the first of the hostages released. I had become ill from eating contaminated food, so I spent a month in the hospital.

Following my release from the hospital, I was transferred to another school operated by the religious order, in a more secure area in Beijing. In January 1938, I was sent to Shanghai to teach but in September returned to Beijing to teach there. However, after the school year, I did not renew my religious vows. For seven years I had pursued a religious life and education but had failed to find satisfaction in my search for truth. So I left the religious order to return home to Budapest.

By then the storm clouds of World War II were gathering. My French superiors encouraged me to take the Trans-Siberian Railroad, which went through parts of the Soviet Union. It was on this journey that I reached Moscow on August 27, 1939, and saw the Kremlin walls adorned with Nazi flags.

A World at War

I arrived home in Budapest on August 31, 1939. The next day Germany invaded Poland, beginning World War II. Later, Germany broke its nonaggression pact with the Soviet Union, and on June 22, 1941, Hitler’s armies invaded the Soviet Union. They penetrated all the way to Moscow’s suburbs but failed to capture the city.

The governor of Hungary signed a peace agreement with Germany, and German armies were granted the freedom to pass through Hungary. I married in 1942, and in 1943, I was drafted into the Hungarian Army. In March 1944, Germany invaded Hungary because Hitler was not satisfied with Hungary’s support of his war effort. That year our son was born. To avoid the heavy bombardment of Budapest, my wife and son moved to the countryside to live with her parents.

The tide of the war changed, and the Soviet Army advanced on Budapest, arriving on December 24, 1944. I was captured by the Russians and became a prisoner of war. Thousands of us prisoners were forced to march about a hundred miles [160 km] to Baja, Hungary. There, we were crowded into cattle wagons and transferred to Timisoara and put in a large camp. At least 20,000 of the 45,000 prisoners died early in 1945 during a typhoid fever epidemic.

In August the 25,000 camp survivors were taken to the Black Sea. From there about 20,000 were deported to the Soviet Union. However, some 5,000 others, who were sick, including me, were returned to Hungary and released. Thus, eight terrible months of captivity ended. A few weeks later, I was reunited with my wife and son, and we returned to Budapest to live.

Following the war, suffering continued for many. Food was scarce, and inflation was devastating. What one Hungarian pengö would buy in 1938 took more than one nonillion (1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000) pengös to purchase in 1946! In time, life improved for us when I obtained office work for the railroad.

Finding the Truth

In 1955 one of Jehovah’s Witnesses living in our Budapest apartment building began talking to my wife, Anna, about the Bible. My interest was aroused when Anna told me that the Bible does not teach that hell is a place of torment. (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10; Acts 2:31) As a Catholic, I had never studied the Bible, not even while receiving special training in church schools. I simply accepted the unscriptural Catholic teachings, such as hellfire. Now I came to love Bible truths, especially those regarding God’s Kingdom and how it will fulfill God’s purpose to make the earth a paradise. (Matthew 6:9, 10; Luke 23:42, 43; Revelation 21:3, 4) I felt a wonderful happiness that I had never experienced before.

At that time, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Hungary were hunted down and imprisoned because they courageously taught the truths about God’s Kingdom. I read all the Witness literature I could find in Hungarian and was able to obtain their English and French publications that had not been translated into Hungarian. How thankful I was that I had learned these other languages!

In October 1956, Hungarians revolted against Russian-imposed Communist rule. The fighting in Budapest was intense. Many in prison were freed, including Jehovah’s Witnesses. During this time my wife and I were baptized to symbolize our dedication to Jehovah God. A week later, Russian troops suppressed the revolution. The Witnesses who had been freed were returned to prison.

A Precious Privilege

Since most of the Witnesses responsible for the preaching work were in prison, I was approached by a fellow Christian and asked whether I could do some translating of our Bible literature. At first I was given private letters from Switzerland that contained Watchtower articles typed in French. I translated these into Hungarian, and then copies of the translated articles were made available to the congregations.

When the Hungarian branch servant, János Konrád, was released in 1959 after being in prison for 12 years because of Christian neutrality, I was appointed as a translator. Then I received English material to translate. It was usually provided by a female courier whose name was unknown to me. Thus, if I was ever caught and tortured, I could not divulge her name.

After I translated The Watchtower, Brother Konrád would check it for accuracy. Then sisters would type the translated articles on very thin paper, using carbon paper to make up to 12 copies. Thus, at times, everyone attending the Watchtower Study had their own typed copy of the lesson. Afterward, they passed their copies on to another study group. Often, however, we were able to produce only one copy of The Watchtower for each study group. Then all present had to be especially attentive and take notes to benefit fully from the Bible discussion.

From the time I began translating in 1956 until 1978, The Watchtower was distributed in the Hungarian language in typewritten form only. From 1978 to 1990, mimeographed copies of The Watchtower were provided. And what a blessing it has been since January 1990 to have both the Watchtower and Awake! magazines printed in the Hungarian language in beautiful full-color!

Under Communist rule everyone had to have a secular job. So for 22 years, until my retirement from secular work in 1978, I did translating during hours when I was not working secularly. That was usually early in the morning and late into the night. After my retirement, I served full-time as a translator. At the time, each translator worked at home, and because of the ban, it was difficult for us to communicate with each other. In 1964 the police simultaneously raided the translators’ homes and confiscated our materials. For years afterward, we were subjected to police visitations often.

Marvelous Blessings

In 1969 my application for a passport was accepted, so János Konrád and I were able to travel from Hungary to Paris to attend the “Peace on Earth” International Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses there. What a blessing it was to meet fellow Witnesses from other lands and to spend some days at the branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Bern, Switzerland! In the 1970’s many Witnesses from Hungary were able to go to Austria and Switzerland for conventions.

After years of government restrictions, in 1986 we had our first State-approved convention, at Kamaraerdő Youth Park, Budapest. The more than 4,000 present had tears of joy in their eyes as they greeted their brothers and sisters and read the welcome to our meeting that was emblazoned above the entrance to the park.

Finally, on June 27, 1989, the government granted legal recognition to Jehovah’s Witnesses. The news was announced on Hungarian television and radio to the joy of our brothers and sisters. That year we held, without any restrictions, our first district conventions since the ban had been placed on our work nearly 40 years earlier. More than 10,000 attended the gathering in Budapest, and thousands more were present at four other conventions in the country. How delighted I was to see my youngest brother, László, and his wife baptized in Budapest!

Then, in July of 1991, we experienced a blessing beyond our fondest dreams—a convention at Budapest’s huge Népstadion, attended by more than 40,000 delegates. There I had the privilege of interpreting talks by members of the headquarters staff in Brooklyn.

Today Anna and I, as well as over 50 of our dear brothers and sisters, work at the beautiful branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in a Budapest suburb. Here, I serve in our Translation Department, alongside a fine team of younger ones, and Anna shares in domestic work around the facilities.

Despite our efforts to impart Bible truth to our son, when he grew up, he did not accept it. However, he is now favorable toward the truth, and we hope that in time he will serve Jehovah.

My wife and I are truly grateful that we have found the truth about our loving God, Jehovah, and have been able to serve him for more than 40 years now.—As told by Endre Szanyi.

[Picture on page 21]

With my wife

The Bible’s Viewpoint

Can a Marriage Be Saved After Infidelity?

“I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except on the ground of fornication, and marries another commits adultery.”—MATTHEW 19:9.

WITH those words Jesus Christ made allowance for a Christian to choose to divorce an unfaithful mate.a However, what if the innocent mate chooses to preserve the marriage and the couple resolve to rebuild their relationship? What challenges lie ahead for the couple, and how can they meet those challenges successfully? Let us see how the Bible helps to answer these questions.

A House Demolished

We must first understand the magnitude of the damage caused by infidelity. As Jesus Christ explained, the Originator of marriage purposed that a husband and wife be “no longer two, but one flesh.” He added: “Therefore, what God has yoked together let no man put apart.” Yes, marriage is designed to link humans inseparably. When a person breaks the marriage vow by committing adultery, agonizing consequences ensue.—Matthew 19:6; Galatians 6:7.

Testifying to this is the distress experienced by the innocent mate. The effects of adultery can be likened to those of a hurricane that shatters homes. Dr. Shirley P. Glass observed: “Several patients I’ve worked with have told me that it would have been easier for them if their spouse had died.” Granted, some who have lost their mates in death may disagree. However, it is clear that adultery causes excruciating pain. Some people never completely get over the betrayal.

In view of such anguish, one might ask, ‘Must adultery end a marriage?’ Not necessarily. Jesus’ statement regarding adultery shows that the faithful mate has the Scriptural option to divorce but is not obligated to do so. Some couples decide to rebuild and strengthen what was crushed, by making needed changes—although nothing excuses adultery.

Of course, it is better to make necessary changes in a marital relationship when both partners are faithful to each other. However, even when infidelity has occurred, some innocent mates choose to preserve the marriage. Rather than base such a decision on wishful thinking, the innocent mate should weigh the consequences. She will likely give thought to the needs of her children as well as to her own spiritual, emotional, physical, and financial needs.b She will be wise also to consider whether her marriage is salvageable.

Is the Marriage Salvageable?

Before attempting to rebuild a house wrecked by a hurricane, a builder must determine whether it can be restored. Likewise, before endeavoring to rebuild a relationship that has been shattered by infidelity, a couple—especially the faithful mate—will want to make a realistic assessment of the potential for restored intimacy and trust in the marriage.

One factor to be considered is whether the guilty mate shows sincere repentance or is, instead, still committing adultery “in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27, 28) Although he promises to change, is he hesitant to abruptly end his immoral relationship? (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 5:18) Does he still have a roving eye? Does he blame his wife for his adultery? If so, efforts to restore trust to the marriage are unlikely to succeed. On the other hand, if he ends the illicit affair, accepts responsibility for his wrongdoing, and shows that he is wholly committed to rebuilding the marriage, his wife might see a basis for hoping that genuine trust can one day be restored.—Matthew 5:29.

Also, can the faithful mate bring herself to forgive? This does not mean that she is not to voice her feelings of deep hurt regarding what happened or that she is to pretend that nothing has changed. It does mean that she will endeavor, in due time, not to continue holding deep resentment. Such forgiveness takes time but can help to establish a solid basis on which to rebuild the marriage.

Clearing Away the “Debris”

After the faithful mate has decided to save their marriage, what steps might a couple next take? Just as the debris around a home badly damaged by a hurricane must be removed, the “debris” surrounding the marriage must be cleared away. This can be accomplished to an extent if the couple express their feelings to each other. Proverbs 15:22 says: “There is a frustrating of plans where there is no confidential talk.” The Hebrew word translated “confidential talk” implies intimacy and is rendered “intimate group” at Psalm 89:7. It would therefore involve, not mere surface dialogue, but honest and fervent communication in which both parties reveal their deepest feelings.—Proverbs 13:10.

For example, in some cases the faithful mate might have further questions to ask her husband. How did the affair get started? How long did it go on? Who else knows about it? Granted, it will be painful for the couple to discuss these particulars. However, the faithful mate might find such knowledge necessary to the restoration of trust. If so, it is best that the unfaithful mate answer honestly and considerately. He should explain matters in a loving and kindly manner, bearing in mind that the purpose of the interchange is to heal, not to hurt. (Proverbs 12:18; Ephesians 4:25, 26) Both will need to employ discretion, self-control, and empathetic listening as they express their feelings about what happened.c—Proverbs 18:13; 1 Corinthians 9:25; 2 Peter 1:6.

Those who are Jehovah’s Witnesses may want to request assistance from the congregation elders. Of course, for Christians, serious sins such as adultery must immediately be confessed to the elders, who are concerned with the spiritual welfare of the couple and the congregation. It may be that when he met with the elders, the adulterer showed genuine repentance and was thus allowed to remain in the congregation. In such a case, the elders can give continued assistance to both mates.—James 5:14, 15.

Rebuilding

After the couple have stabilized their feelings to the extent possible, they are in a good position to rebuild vital aspects of their marriage. Earnest communication continues to be needed. Where weaknesses are discovered, appropriate changes must be made.

The need to make changes will fall primarily on the guilty mate. However, the faithful mate must do her part in strengthening weak areas in the marriage. This does not mean that the adultery was her fault or that it can be excused—there is no valid excuse for committing such a sin. (Compare Genesis 3:12; 1 John 5:3.) It simply means that there may have been problems in the marriage that needed resolving. Rebuilding is a joint project. Is there a need to strengthen mutual values and goals? Have spiritual activities been neglected? This process of discovering significant weaknesses and making needed changes is at the very heart of rebuilding a badly damaged marriage.

Maintenance

Even a well-built house requires regular maintenance. How important it is, then, to maintain a rebuilt relationship. The couple must not allow the passing of time to erode their determination to hold to their new resolves. Rather than become disheartened if they experience minor setbacks, such as relapsing into poor communication habits, they should take immediate steps to get back on track and continue moving forward.—Proverbs 24:16; Galatians 6:9.

Above all, husband and wife should give their spiritual routine the greatest priority, never allowing it, or their marriage, to take a backseat to some other activity. Psalm 127:1 says: “Unless Jehovah himself builds the house, it is to no avail that its builders have worked hard on it.” Also, Jesus warned: “Everyone hearing these sayings of mine and not doing them will be likened to a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain poured down and the floods came and the winds blew and struck against that house and it caved in, and its collapse was great.”—Matthew 7:24-27.

Yes, if Bible principles are ignored because they are difficult to apply, the marriage will remain vulnerable to the next stormy test of fidelity. However, if husband and wife hold to Bible standards in all matters, their marriage will have divine blessing. They will also have the most powerful incentive to marital faithfulness—the desire to please the Originator of marriage, Jehovah God.—Matthew 22:36-40; Ecclesiastes 4:12.

[Footnotes]

The Deaf Praise Jehovah

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN NIGERIA

FOR many years it was difficult for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Nigeria to teach the Bible to deaf people. This was due to the shortage of Witnesses who knew sign language. But that is changing. More and more Witnesses have learned sign language and are reaching the deaf population. A major step in this development was a district convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses held in Nigeria over a year ago.

“You could feel the excitement in the air,” said a delegate to that convention, in Ota, Nigeria. “There was a sense of awe, a feeling of wonder,” said another. What prompted such sentiments? For the first time in Nigeria, the entire program was interpreted into sign language. This was the only convention out of the 96 held throughout the country during the year where this was done.

Among the thousands attending were 43 deaf delegates, who sat to the left of the platform, in the front section. Above them hung a large white board with red lettering that read, “Sign Language.” The deaf delegates were thrilled to be there. One of them wrote: “It is with immense joy and teary eyes that I write. Only ‘yesterday’ we were biting our lips as we learned of the spiritual provisions made for our deaf fellow Christians in other lands. Little did we know that the same blessings would come to us here.”

Who Attended?

Deaf people came from all parts of Nigeria. One deaf Witness brought three of her deaf Bible students. Another group of deaf ones, who traveled 430 miles [700 km] each way, had been saving transportation money for seven months. However, when the time came to travel, they could not charter a vehicle from the state transport company because it was the holiday season. When the state government learned of their difficulty, it gave them 13,000 naira ($152, U.S.) to help with alternative transport!

Families with deaf children traveled to attend this unique convention. One woman from a rural area heard about the convention and came with her deaf son. Neither she nor her son knew much about sign language. Moved to tears by what they saw, they are now determined to learn sign language.

Of the thousands in attendance, some had come from hundreds of miles away just to see how the deaf would “hear” the program. The attendance on Sunday was 13,936—the highest number at any of the 96 district conventions in Nigeria. The deaf delegates were delighted to be part of that multitude.

Onlookers Impressed

Many of the deaf were “hearing” the good news in sign language for the first time. And those who could hear were seeing sign language for the first time. One delegate said that he was astonished to see everything on the program interpreted—songs, prayers, announcements, and even the drama! “It has been overwhelming,” said another.

The joy of the deaf delegates was reflected in their singing. Enthusiastically, they used their hands to praise Jehovah. For hearing ones, watching the deaf “sing” was a most touching experience. It brought tears to many eyes. A delegate was heard exclaiming, “O Jehovah!” in appreciative awe. Once, when a song ended, those seated near the sign-language section broke out in spontaneous applause.

After the baptism talk, as baptismal candidates stood up, a young man in the sign-language section also stood up. Murmurs of appreciation rippled through the audience when he signed “yes” in answer to the two questions asked by the speaker.

What a joy it was for the deaf delegates to meet their spiritual brothers and sisters from other parts of the country! Arms and fingers moved excitedly as the deaf got to know one another. There was much shaking of hands and exchanging of addresses.

Nine interpreters (signers) came from various parts of the country. It was beautiful to watch as their hands and arms gracefully signed all the talks and songs. For their efforts they were rewarded with hugs, handshakes, and commendation. They were besieged with questions too: How did you learn? How can I learn? Are there books that teach sign language?

A New Field Opens

For the deaf, a highlight of the convention was the release on videotape of a sign-language version of the book Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life. More were urged to learn sign language and, with the help of this teaching aid, to reach out to deaf ones throughout Nigeria. The convention made many determined to do just that.

“In the past when we met a deaf person in the field ministry, we just went on to the next house,” said a sister. “Now, we know what to do.” With an estimated five million hearing-impaired Nigerians, there is certainly vast potential. A brother said: “This is a beginning. Now we need to cultivate this unique new field.”

In the months since the convention, that is just what has taken place. Concerted efforts are being made to teach the truths of God’s Word to the millions in Nigeria who are hearing-impaired. These too need to learn about the good news of the incoming new world under God’s Kingdom, for there miraculous healing will occur and “the very ears of the deaf ones will be unstopped.”—Isaiah 35:5.

Watching the World

Unitarians Endorse Homosexual Marriage

The Unitarian Church has become the first U.S. denomination to officially endorse same-sex marriages, reports the Christian Century. Delegates attending the religious group’s annual convention voted overwhelmingly to “proclaim the worth of marriage between any two committed persons.” The religious magazine says that “under church rules, each of the church’s 1,040 congregations can decide for itself whether it will endorse the marriage of gay and lesbian couples and whether it will host such weddings.”

Predetermining a Baby’s Sex

According to Popular Science magazine, “it’s now possible to predetermine a baby’s sex by sorting the father’s sperm, since sperm type determines gender.” First, sperm is stained with a fluorescent dye. Then, a laser beam is used to identify X (female) sperm from Y (male) sperm. A computer notes the difference, and a laboratory tool that is generally ‘used for blood work gives a positive electric charge to the X sperm and a negative charge to the Y sperm. Sperm are then sorted using terminals of the opposite electric charge to attract them.’ According to the scientist who originally developed the technique for the livestock industry, the sorting is about 90 percent accurate. Thereafter, the selected sperm are used to fertilize egg cells, and “embryos of the desired sex are then implanted in the womb.” Thus far, however, only one human birth has resulted from this process.

Harmful Baby Talk

Children’s early efforts at speaking are often considered cute, and many parents respond affectionately with baby talk of their own. This, however, may put children’s speech development at risk, writes Brazilian speech specialist Eliane Regina Carrasco in Veja magazine. When parents repeat a child’s wrong pronunciations, it “reinforces a pattern that is not correct,” says Carrasco. She says that this may cause speech problems. It can also affect a child’s social relations, she adds. “Often, such children become isolated, timid, and insecure, avoiding situations in which they have to expose themselves [to ridicule].” It is normal for small children to mispronounce words, and it is not necessary to correct them constantly, Carrasco points out. But it is important to talk to them correctly and to remember that “they are intelligent and have the capacity to learn.”

China to Reduce Water Pollution

“Water pollution is an enormous problem in China, and reducing water pollution is an urgent task,” says a spokesperson for China’s National Environmental Protection Agency. The Chinese government is therefore taking steps to reduce water pollution in China’s most polluted rivers and lakes, reports China Today magazine. For example, to control waste entering one of the country’s most seriously polluted rivers, the Huaihe, the government has “closed down 999 small paper-making factories in the Huaihe valley.” Approximately 154 million people live in the Huaihe Valley, which is one of China’s major grain- and energy-producing regions.

“Holy” Terrorists

In an effort to “re-establish itself as the national church,” the Romanian Orthodox Church has “launched an insidious campaign of denigration against other denominations,” reports the journal Compass Direct in an article by Willy Fautré. Fautré adds: “Top leaders and local priests of the Orthodox church in Romania” have set up a number of groups to “terrorize religious minority groups and deny them basic religious rights.” Calling evangelical radio broadcasters “defilers of our forefathers’ faith,” the archbishop of Suceava and Rădăuţi wrote to the president of the body that supervises radio and television broadcasts in Romania, saying: “We beg you to stop them or to set a limit, because they are utterly shameless and they have openly set out to make proselytes in our very homeland.”

Mammals More Endangered Than Birds

“Mammals are at even greater risk of extinction than birds,” reports New Scientist magazine. These findings, based on figures released by World Conservation Union’s Red List, reveal that while 11 percent of bird species face global extinction, 25 percent of all mammal species are now threatened. Primates are the most endangered group, with 46 percent of the species threatened with extinction. Next come insectivores with 36 percent, followed by pigs and antelopes with 33 percent. The most threatened group of birds is the crane, with 26 percent of the species facing extinction. One reason for the mammals’ higher rate of decline is that, unlike birds, they cannot easily move to a different area when their habitat disappears.

Reading Program Helps Reduce Crime

In Bradford, England, a government-funded program designed to improve schoolchildren’s reading ability is having dramatic results, reports the British newspaper The Independent. Not only has the reading program helped to improve reading skills but it has also received credit for helping to reduce crime! “We have related the number of young people breaking into houses directly to the truancy rate,” says John Watson, head of the Better Reading Partnership. “If the children are able to read they are more likely to be interested in what goes on at school and less likely to play truant. Because they are not on the streets they are less likely to be breaking into houses.”

The Olympics and Poverty

“The number of medals won by some countries at the Olympics and the amount of money invested on facilities and corporate sponsorship at the games raise questions about the world’s commitment to ending poverty,” reports the ENI Bulletin, of Switzerland. “This is not to say we shouldn’t celebrate excellence or applaud extraordinary feats of human skill and endurance,” says Greg Foot, from the World Vision agency of Australia. “But,” he adds, “we do have to ask whether we are quite getting the balance right when we spend so much on perfecting the diet of our elite athletes when millions of our neighbours have barely enough food to be able to walk.” It is estimated that during the two weeks the Olympics were held in Atlanta, 490,000 children died of hunger and preventable diseases worldwide.

Extended Coffee Breaks

Some employees really go out of their way for a mid-morning cup of coffee. In fact, many are leaving the workplace entirely. With coffee bars offering gourmet coffees, workers are dashing out of the office to get their favorite blend. As a result, “the coffee break is becoming the coffee escape,” says The Wall Street Journal. But employers are concerned about the length of trips to local coffee houses. In an effort to stem the tide of disappearing coffee aficionados, the Journal says, some businesses are fighting back by installing their own cappuccino machines.

Heat-Producing Plants

Two Australian researchers have found that lotus flowers have the amazing ability to regulate their own temperature. Previously, only warm-blooded animals were thought to possess this ability. Working in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, Dr. Roger Seymour and Dr. Paul Schultze-Motel attached sensors to blooming lotus flowers to record their temperature and other physical characteristics. What did they find? Even when the air temperature dropped to 50 degrees, the lotus blossoms’ temperature remained between 86 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Researchers have not yet found an explanation for this phenomenon. However, according to The New York Times, Dr. Hanna Skubatz, a plant biochemist at the University of Washington, U.S.A., said that “heat-production [among plants] might, in fact, be widespread, just difficult to detect.”

Evangelicals Admit Shortcomings

“The evangelical world today is losing its biblical fidelity, moral compass and missionary zeal,” states the “Cambridge Declaration of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals.” Where did this harsh criticism come from? A rival church group perhaps? No, it came from the evangelicals themselves. The document was issued by more than 100 evangelical leaders who met recently in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The writers of the document acknowledged that they and the religious leaders needed to “repent for their willingness to be dominated by the norms of popular culture.” The document also admitted that “therapeutic technique, marketing strategies, and the beat of the entertainment world often have far more to say about what the church wants, how it functions and what it offers, than does the Word of God.”

From Our Readers

Differences That Divide We want to express our thanks for the series “Must Differences Divide Us?” (July 8, 1996) We have been working as part of a team of international volunteers here in Mexico for about a year. Even after several months, we continued to experience difficulties adjusting, but we did not understand why. The articles helped us identify the problem as culture shock. We have taken to heart the statement that “an appreciation of other cultures can enrich our lives” and are already finding more joy in our assignment.

C. H. and J. H., Mexico

I was moved by the way this striking subject was presented and developed. Differences have indeed stirred up a lot of hatred in human history. This series will now help me to view other cultures with greater understanding. I wish everyone in the world could read these articles and change their negative views of others!

G. O., Nigeria

The articles moved me to tears. I have a friend with whom I get along most of the time. But I have always felt that there was an invisible barrier between us. I realize now that we come from very different cultures. This information will make a big difference in how I deal with her in the future.

A. F., United States

While doing research for my college thesis on anthropology, I spent several weeks in an African country. I was able to get to know many of the local Jehovah’s Witnesses and attend their meetings. It was an electrifying experience! As the article said, acquaintance with people of other cultures is enriching. I was able to forge new and meaningful friendships.

S. B., Italy

Habu I was very much impressed by the article “Habu—A Snake to Be Respected.” (July 8, 1996) It was written in such a lively manner, and the photographs were wonderful!

E. P., Ukraine

The article was informative and humorous. But one point conflicts with what I have been taught. You quoted a book that recommended sucking out the venom at the site of the bite marks. Is this really safe?

C. D., Nigeria

It appears that most medical authorities disagree with the source we quoted in our article. Indeed, some doctors feel that attempting to suck out the venom could be dangerous for the one administering aid and of little value to the snakebite victim. Doctors agree that the most important first aid is to get the bite victim to a hospital as soon as possible.—ED.

UFO’s Thank you for the article “The Bible’s Viewpoint: UFO’s—Messengers From God?” (July 8, 1996) In our area some people believe reports about extraterrestrials. Thinking that the Bible does not discuss this matter, they have doubts about the Bible. The article helped us see that Satan and the demons are trying to mislead people and that it would be unwise to believe groundless reports about extraterrestrials.

A. W., Taiwan

Tulips Thank you for the wonderful article entitled “The Tulip—A Flower With a Stormy Past.” (July 8, 1996) I found the information about its origin as well as the tips for growing tulips to be most interesting.

D. G., United States

Women Living Longer but Not Necessarily Better

AROUND the world women are marrying later, having fewer children, and living longer. “Women’s lives are changing,” reports the magazine UNESCO Sources. Between 1970 and 1990, women’s life expectancy at birth increased by four years in the developed world and by nearly nine years in developing countries. “This means that in the developed regions today, women live an average 6.5 years longer than men. In the developing regions the difference is five years in Latin America and the Caribbean, 3.5 years in Africa and three years in Asia and the Pacific.”

Nevertheless, for many women, living longer does not mean living better. Our Planet, a magazine of the United Nations, notes that for a majority of the world’s women, basic human rights are still “the icing on the cake they have never tasted. They still seek plain ordinary bread and water.” Yet, even basics, says the UN, are beyond the grasp of millions because still the overwhelming majority of all the world’s illiterates, refugees, and poor people are women. Despite some advances, concludes UNESCO Sources, “the big picture for women . . . looks bleak.”

An Educational Aid for Living

A schoolteacher in Zimbabwe, Africa, noted that at Nyatsime College, where he teaches, the subject “Education for Living” is offered. He described the family problems he had experienced and acknowledged that he had needed help in solving them.

Explaining what happened after his own marriage, he said: “Problems started almost immediately and led to our deciding to separate in November 1989.” There were also other problems. He wrote: “I am the eldest son of my mother, who was the first wife of my father. When I was in the second year of my teachers’ training program, my father died, leaving me in charge of 16 younger brothers and sisters.”

Study of the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses helped this schoolteacher solve his family problems. He and his wife are reunited and happy. He wrote: “My wife and I have learned through our hard experience that man’s efforts to solve his problems independent of God are futile.” What, though, about helping his students with their problems?

“I recommended the book Questions Young People Ask—Answers That Work to our school’s headmaster and other teachers as a suitable textbook,” he wrote. “They all agreed, and the school gave me an order for 56 books, which I have since delivered to the school.”

We believe that you too will benefit greatly from this attractively illustrated, 320-page educational aid. If you would like to receive a copy of it or would like to have a free home Bible study, please write to Watchtower, 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11201-2483, or to the appropriate address on page 5.