February 22

Page Two

A World Without Crime—When? 3-9

Millions today are convinced that a world without crime is possible. How may you live to see it?

Motivated by My Family’s Loyalty to God 12

Young Horst’s father and sister died in German prisons during World War II. How was his life affected?

Russian Press Praises Jehovah’s Witnesses 18

Read what newspaper reports said about the dedication of the Russia branch facilities of Jehovah’s Witnesses last summer.

When There Was No Crime

CAN you imagine a world without crime? Probably not if you have read news reports like the one that appeared in the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung: “Crime experts are talking about a new dimension to crime. Their language is full of for[e]boding and the picture they paint is apocalyptic.”

According to a 1995 survey of thousands of Europeans, almost everyone worries about being victimized by crime. In Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and the United Kingdom, crime is at the top of the list of what people fear most. Fear of crime was rated second in Denmark, Finland, and Switzerland and third in France, Greece, and Italy. Of the 12 nations surveyed, only Spain did not list crime among the top three reasons for fear.

The crime rate has risen dramatically in Eastern Europe in the past seven years. In a number of these countries, the increase has been between 50 and 100 percent, whereas in the other countries, it even ranges from 193 to 401 percent!

Yet, at one time, there was a crime-free world. When was that, and how was that world ruined?

Where Did Crime Originate?

Crime, defined as “a gross violation of law,” had its origin in the spirit realm. The first humans, Adam and Eve, were not created with criminal tendencies, nor were they wholly responsible for the introduction of crime into human society. A perfect spirit son of God allowed wrong thoughts to take root in his heart, which, when nourished, gave birth to crime. That one was responsible for corrupting the original crime-free world. By breaking God’s law, he made himself a criminal, and he is identified in the Bible as Satan the Devil.—James 1:13-15; Revelation 12:9.

Having embarked upon a course of opposition to God in the invisible heavens, Satan was determined to spread his criminal ways to humans on earth. The Bible account of how the Devil did this is short and simple, but factual. (Genesis, chapters 2-4) Adam and Eve, misguided by this wily, superhuman criminal, refused to abide by God’s standards. They became criminals by disobeying God. Later, they no doubt recoiled in horror when their firstborn son, Cain, went so far as to rob his brother Abel of his most precious possession, life itself!

Thus, of the first four people to inhabit the earth, three turned out to be criminals. Adam, Eve, and Cain thereby forfeited their opportunity to live in a crime-free world. Why, after all this time, can we be sure such a world is now at hand?

The Losing Battle Against Crime

“CRIME could be controlled overnight if everyone was prepared to make the effort,” a former head of the Metropolitan Police was quoted as saying in England’s Liverpool Daily Post. Indeed, if everyone obeyed the law, crime would disappear.

Yet, in most places crime is on the increase. Words uttered thousands of years ago apply to our time: “The earth came to be ruined in the sight of the true God and the earth became filled with violence.” (Genesis 6:11)—See box on opposite page.

Crime Starts Small

By breaking the law in little things, one can be conditioned to breaking it in larger things. To impress this fact upon her students, a teacher explained: “Bank robbers start out by stealing pencils at school.”

Later, what often happens in the workplace? People stay home from work because of alleged sickness and then accept benefits to which they are not entitled. This dishonest practice is more common than one might think. In Germany, for example, 6 percent of sick days reported by workers fall on Wednesdays, 10 percent on Tuesdays, and 16 percent on Thursdays, but a whopping 31 percent fall on Mondays, topped by 37 percent on Fridays! Are people really sick more often on Mondays and Fridays, or is this just another form of theft?

Who Are the Criminals?

Of course, criminal acts committed by ordinary people do not usually have the same repercussions as those committed by people in positions of power. In the early 1970’s, the United States was rocked by a political crime of such gravity that the name connected with it even became part of the English language.

“Watergate,” according to the Barnhart Dictionary of New English, is a “scandal, especially one that involves an attempt to conceal damaging information or illegal activities.”a It then adds: “The Watergate affair left a strong imprint on the language of the 1970’s. The word spawned various coinages and the combining form -gate, used to denote scandal or corruption.”

Since that time any number of Watergates have demonstrated that crime is widespread, even among those who should be exemplary in upholding the law. In Japan political corruption became so widespread that new laws had to be passed in the early 1990’s to combat it. In 1992 the president of Brazil was brought down on corruption charges.

Isn’t it obvious that the wrongdoing of those in positions of authority, including parents, schoolteachers, and law-enforcement officials, contributes to the criminal activity of the masses?

Good Intentions Not Enough

Most people would agree that governments want to eradicate crime. Yet, a retired official noted about his country: “The government has done too little toward making the machinery of justice work speedily and efficiently. There are not enough judges, so the few we have are overworked. The police force is understaffed and underequipped. Policemen are sometimes not paid their salaries on time, making it very tempting for them to take bribes.”

The Italian magazine La Civiltà Cattolica bemoans “the State’s impotence in the face of organized crime” and then notes: “Commitment on the part of law-enforcement agencies and the judiciary in fighting crime is recognized, but it is apparent that organized crime is not influenced in the least; on the contrary, its strength and power grows.”

Governments’ good intentions to combat crime are clearly not enough. Anita Gradin, European commissioner for immigration and judicial affairs, rightly observed: “We need better, more effective working methods for co-operation in the battle against drug smuggling and trafficking, the smuggling of human beings and illegal immigration, organised crime, fraud and corruption.”

How Committed Are Law Officials?

Some question the extent to which authorities are really committed to fighting crime. The former inspector general of police in one country notes that everybody, at least publicly, “condemns corruption and economic crimes.” Yet, he says, there is not a genuine desire by all to eradicate crime and corruption. A growing number of people—including law officials—apparently view bribery, fraud, and stealing as acceptable ways of getting ahead.

The fact that many “who commit crimes go scot-free,” as a customs officer expressed it, is doubtless one reason for the rise in crime. For example, a Russian publication speaks of “the ease with which criminals get away unpunished.” This, the publication adds, “seems to inspire ordinary citizens to commit the most brutal of crimes.” This is just as the Bible writer stated some 3,000 years ago: “Because sentence against a bad work has not been executed speedily, that is why the heart of the sons of men has become fully set in them to do bad.”—Ecclesiastes 8:11.

It is no exaggeration to say that governments are fighting a losing battle against crime. The German newspaper Rheinischer Merkur comments: “Public fear of the increase in crimes of violence is deep-seated and can be put to rest neither by the usual party-political bickering nor by statistics suggesting that the situation is not as bad as it might seem.”

Rather than crime not being as bad as it might seem, the reverse is more likely to be the case. Yet, there is room for optimism. A crime-free world is drawing ever nearer, and you may live to see it. The next article will show why we say that.

[Footnote]

[Blurb on page 6]

Many people view crime as an acceptable way of getting ahead

[Box on page 5]

An Earth Filled With Violence

BRAZIL: “In reaction to a mounting wave of violence, hundreds of thousands of people filled the downtown streets [of Rio de Janeiro], expressing fear and anger over crime that has made a captive of their city.”—International Herald Tribune.

CHINA: “Gangsters are staging a comeback in China and major crime seems out of control. . . . Chinese experts say the number of gangs and ‘secret societies’ are growing faster than the police can count them.”—The New York Times.

GERMANY: “The gap between readiness to resort to violence and the occasion that prompts one to do so has grown steadily narrower. So it is hardly surprising that violence has become an everyday occurrence.”—Rheinischer Merkur.

GREAT BRITAIN: “The threshold of violence has gone up and there’s an increasing likelihood the offender will use violence as a first resort.”—The Independent.

IRELAND: “Mafia-style criminal families have taken root in inner Dublin and in its poorer western suburbs. The gangs are increasingly well-armed.”—The Economist.

MEXICO: “Crime has risen so fast in such a short period of time that it is alarming.”—The Wall Street Journal.

NIGERIA: “The family unit, churches, mosques, schools and clubs have failed in their duty of preventing youths from crime, according to police spokesman, Mr. Frank Odita.”—Daily Champion.

PHILIPPINES: “Six of every ten families in the Philippines say they don’t feel safe in their homes or on the streets.”—Asiaweek.

RUSSIA: “Mafia-like gangs have transformed a city that in Soviet days was one of the safest in the world into a virtual criminopolis. . . . ‘In my 17 years on patrol,’ says police lieutenant Gennadi Groshikov, ‘I have never seen so much crime in Moscow, nor have I seen anything as vicious.’”—Time.

SOUTH AFRICA: “Unbridled and virtually uncontrolled violence is threatening every one of us, and everything we do—and something radical must be done.”—The Star.

TAIWAN: “In Taiwan . . .  rising rates of robbery, assault and murder have trickled into society . . . Indeed, crime rates are creeping up and in some cases surpassing those in Western countries.”—The New York Times.

UNITED STATES: “The U.S. is the most violent nation in the industrialized world. . . . No other industrialized nation comes close.”—Time.

A Crime-free World Coming Soon!

WHEN we look at the world situation today, it becomes obvious that it is very difficult to avoid being influenced to do what is bad. Actually, all of us are born imperfect, prone to do bad things. (1 Kings 8:46; Job 14:4; Psalm 51:5) And since Satan the Devil has been ousted from heaven, he is making greater efforts than ever to cause trouble.—Revelation 12:7-12.

The consequences have been terrible. A survey of 4,000 children in Scotland revealed, for example, that two thirds of those between the ages of 11 and 15 had already committed crimes. A survey throughout Britain indicated that nearly every third teenager had no qualms about shoplifting. And over half admitted that if they were given too much money in change, they would keep it.

The Italian book Lʹoccasione e lʹuomo ladro (The Opportunity and the Thief) offers insight into why people steal. The book says that thieves have “a low level of self-control” and that they are “unable to defer gratification.” The book adds that most thieves are not professionals but simply “opportunists who are willing to exploit situations.”

Interestingly, the book also observes why many people “refrain from breaking laws.” It concludes that the reason is not because they “fear legal sanctions but because they have moral values that impede them from doing so.” Where can people learn such proper moral values?

Education That Is Needed

Well, consider what is learned from many channels of communication. For instance, the message generally conveyed by movies and television is that violence, adultery, and abusive behavior are acceptable. It is no wonder, therefore, that people have such a low level of self-control. The Bible, on the other hand, wisely teaches: “He that is slow to anger is better than a mighty man, and he that is controlling his spirit than the one capturing a city.”—Proverbs 16:32.

Considering today’s propaganda, it should not be surprising that many are “unable to defer gratification.” Over and over again, people hear: “Buy now and pay later.” “Be good to yourself.” “You deserve the best.” “Take care of number one.” Self-gratification is presented as both normal and proper. But such a self-centered view is contrary to the Bible teaching about “keeping an eye, not in personal interest upon just your own matters, but also in personal interest upon those of the others.”—Philippians 2:4.

Would you not agree that most who are dishonest are opportunists? Unfortunately, there are increasing numbers of people who are willing to exploit situations for their own advantage. They do not ask whether a certain act is morally right. Their only concern is, ‘Can I get away with it?’

What is needed? As noted above, moral values are needed. These will deter people from committing criminal acts, from disregarding the sanctity of life, from violating the sacredness of marriage, from overstepping the bounds of proper behavior, and from otherwise infringing upon the rights of others. Those who do not learn such values, as the Bible says, “come to be past all moral sense.” (Ephesians 4:19) The criminal behavior of such ungodly ones is what prevents us from enjoying a crime-free world.

How a New World Will Come

Of course, many people try their best to be honest, to treat their fellowman with respect and consideration, and to refrain from unlawful acts. But it would be naive to think that everyone in the world will make this effort. Many will not, even as most who lived in the days of the righteous man Noah were unwilling to do what was right. In that world filled with violence, only Noah and his family refrained from ungodly conduct, thereby gaining God’s approval. By eliminating the ungodly in the global Deluge, our Creator brought into existence a world that was temporarily free of crime.

It is important to remember that the Bible account of the Flood and of the destruction of the ungodly is more than just an interesting story. Jesus Christ explained: “Just as it occurred in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of man.” (Luke 17:26; 2 Peter 2:5; 3:5-7) Just as God destroyed that violent world before the Flood, he will also destroy this crime-filled world.

We have the following fact on good authority, as expressed by Jesus’ beloved apostle John: “The world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.” (1 John 2:17) The end of this world will make way for a new world in which, the Bible says, “[God] will reside with [mankind], and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.”—Revelation 21:3, 4.

Describing how that new world will come about, the Bible also says: “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.” (Proverbs 2:22) With only the upright left on earth, this Bible prophecy will be fulfilled: “The meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.”—Psalm 37:11.

In God’s new world, even the animals will become nonviolent. The Bible foretells: “The wolf will actually reside for a while with the male lamb, and with the kid the leopard itself will lie down, and the calf and the maned young lion and the well-fed animal all together; and a mere little boy will be leader over them. . . . 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.”—Isaiah 11:6-9; 65:17; 2 Peter 3:13.

God’s New World Is Near

The good news is that such peaceful conditions will soon be realized earth wide. Why can we be so sure? Because of what Jesus prophesied would occur immediately prior to the world’s end. Among other things, he foretold: “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another.” He added: “Because of the increasing of lawlessness the love of the greater number will cool off.”—Matthew 24:7, 12.

An apostle of Jesus also foretold: “In the last days [of this world] critical times hard to deal with will be here. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, . . . without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, . . . lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5) Surely, we are living in “the last days” of this world! Soon, therefore, it will be replaced by God’s righteous new world!

A study of the Bible has convinced millions that a world without crime is possible, and they are acting upon the invitation to be instructed in the ways of our Creator, Jehovah God. (Isaiah 2:3) Would you like to join them? Are you prepared to make the effort to gain life in a crime-free new world?

Jesus showed what is necessary first of all. He explained: “This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.” Thus, your everlasting welfare depends on your studying God’s Word and acting upon what you learn.—John 17:3.

[Picture on page 8, 9]

The Bible describes a crime-free new world and tells how we may enjoy it

Lighthouse Keepers—A Fading Profession

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN CANADA

“THERE is absolutely nothing else I’d rather do,” lighthouse keepers have said time and time again. A man who left behind his managerial position in a plastics plant in Toronto, Canada, to become the keeper of a 106-year-old lighthouse said that the job made him feel “10 years younger.”

The primary responsibility of a lighthouse keeper is to maintain a good light for mariners. He is also required to operate and maintain foghorns as well as to supply weather information by radio to fishermen and passing vessels.

In years gone by, lighthouse keepers had to keep the oil reservoirs full, the wicks lit, and the glass panes of the lamps free of smoke. It was not unusual for keepers to spend the entire night rotating a beacon by hand to guide ships to safety when lights could not be readily repaired or to spend the night banging a fog bell with a hammer when the foghorn failed!

Weathering the Storms

Severe storms are a major concern. Once, a light keeper saw what he believed was an “immense white cloud,” but it turned out to be a single crashing wave! The wave ascended the 50-foot cliff and reached the keeper’s living quarters. This one wave did as much damage as an entire storm.

On another occasion, all night long a howling windstorm hurled waves against the lighthouse at Pubnico Harbour, Nova Scotia. All the keeper and his family could do was wait and hope. By morning the storm had subsided. But when the keeper went outside, he was amazed to see that the land around the lighthouse was gone. They were no longer attached to the mainland!

Loneliness and Monotony

When asked about loneliness, one lighthouse keeper chuckled and said: “People say to us, ‘Man, how can you stand all the loneliness?’ And we look back and ask, ‘Well, how can you stand living in the city with all that noise and hassle?’”

In times past, small collections of books were made available to the more isolated light stations in the United States. Thus, by the year 1885, there were 420 libraries in circulation. Evidently, lighthouse keepers became good readers.

A Fading Profession

In recent years manned masonry lighthouses have given way to unmanned steel-lattice towers with powerful flashing lights. No longer do seafarers peer into the dark, seeking a hazy beacon or a misty flame. Today, powerful tungsten halogen lamps and blaring, penetrating fog signals alert the mariner to the dangers of the sea.

Vessels equipped to receive signals from light stations now know their position no matter how dense the fog. Modern technology allows the navigator to travel the seas from shore to shore, confident that he can avoid hazardous sandbars, perilous reefs, and treacherous rocks near the shore.

As a consequence of modern technology, lighthouse keepers are rapidly fading from the world scene. Feeling that a part of his life is gone forever, one light keeper reflected with sadness on leaving his island home of 25 years: “We had a good life here. We never really wanted to leave.”

Still, revolving lights, subsidiary lights, emergency lights, sound signals, and radar beacons all require servicing, and stations still need upkeep. Light towers are now serviced by traveling technicians.

Those who appreciate the many years of service rendered by lighthouse keepers share the sentiments of a man in Augusta, Maine, who lamented: “It’s just not going to be the same looking out at the lighthouse and knowing the light is being operated by a computer, knowing the people are gone.”

[Box on page 11]

The First Lighthouse

The first lighthouse in recorded history was completed during the reign of Ptolemy II of Egypt. It was constructed around 300 B.C.E., and it stood on Pharos Island, just off the entrance to what is now the harbor of Alexandria. It took 20 years to build at a cost of $2.5 million.

Historical writings indicate that it was over 300 feet [90 m] high. Its upper chamber had windows facing seaward, behind which were wood fires or perhaps torches that, according to Josephus, could be seen more than 30 miles [50 km] away.

The huge stone structure was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Its blazing fire served as a warning light for 1,600 years, only to be destroyed, in all probability, by an earthquake.

As the centuries passed, thousands of lighthouses of various sizes and descriptions were built at ports throughout the world. Old masonry lighthouses survive today as museums and tourist attractions in national, state, county, and city parks and are viewed by millions.

[Picture on page 10]

Cape Spear Lighthouse, Newfoundland, Canada

Motivated by My Family’s Loyalty to God

AS TOLD BY HORST HENSCHEL

“Be glad if you receive this letter, because I have endured to the end. In two hours I will be executed.” Those were the opening words of Father’s last letter to me. On May 10, 1944, he was executed because he refused to serve in Hitler’s army. His loyalty to God, as well as that of my mother and my sister Elfriede, has deeply affected my life.

IN 1932, about the time I was born, Father began reading the publications of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Among other things, he saw the hypocrisy of the clergy. As a result, he had no further interest in the churches.

Shortly after World War II began in 1939, Father was drafted into the German army. “According to the Bible, I shouldn’t go,” he told Mother. “This killing is not right.”

“They’ll kill you if you don’t go,” Mother replied. “Then what will happen to your family?” So Father became a soldier.

Later Mother, who until then had not studied the Bible, tried to contact Jehovah’s Witnesses, a very dangerous endeavor at the time. She found Dora, whose husband was in a concentration camp because of his faith. Dora gave her a copy of The Watchtower, but she told Mother pointedly: “Keep in mind that I may be killed if the Gestapo (secret police) find out that I gave this to you.”

Eventually, Mother received more publications of Jehovah’s Witnesses and began to appreciate the Bible truths they contained. In time, Max Ruebsam, from nearby Dresden, began to visit us at our home in Meissen. He studied the Bible with us at great risk to his own safety. In fact, not long afterward he was arrested.

As a result of Mother’s Bible study, she came to have faith in Jehovah and dedicated her life to him, symbolizing this by water baptism in May of 1943. Father and I were baptized a few months later. My 20-year-old sister, Elfriede, who worked in Dresden, was also baptized about the same time. Thus, right in the middle of World War II, all four of us dedicated our lives to Jehovah. In 1943, Mother gave birth to our baby sister, Renate.

Persecuted for Our Faith

Before I was baptized, I withdrew from the Hitler Youth movement. When I refused to give the Hitler greeting, which was required daily at school, I was struck by my teachers. However, I rejoiced to know that strengthened by my parents, I had remained faithful.

But there were times when, either because of physical punishment or out of fear, I would say “Heil Hitler!” I would then go home with my eyes full of tears, and my parents would pray with me that I might take courage and resist the enemy’s attacks the next time. More than once, out of fear I shrank from doing what was right, but Jehovah never abandoned me.

One day the Gestapo came and searched our house. “Are you one of Jehovah’s Witnesses?” a Gestapo agent asked Mother. I can still see her leaning against the doorjamb, saying firmly, “Yes”—although she knew this meant that she would eventually be arrested.

Two weeks later Mother was busy taking care of Renate, who was not yet a year old, when the Gestapo came to arrest her. Mother protested: “I am just feeding my child!” However, the woman that had come with the policeman took the baby from her arms and ordered: “Get ready! You have to leave.” It certainly was not easy for Mother.

Since Father had not yet been arrested, my baby sister and I remained under his care. One morning about two weeks after Mother was taken away, I hugged Father tightly before I left for school. That day Father was arrested because he refused to return to serve in the military. So when I came home that afternoon, he was gone, and I never saw him again.

My grandparents and our other relatives—all of whom were opposed to Jehovah’s Witnesses and some of whom were members of the Nazi party—gained custody of my baby sister and me. They did not allow me to read the Bible. But after secretly obtaining one from a neighbor lady, I would read it. I would also kneel down before my little sister’s bed and pray.

In the meantime, my sister Elfriede had endured tests of her faith. She refused to work any longer in a factory in Dresden that manufactured munitions, but she succeeded in obtaining employment caring for parks and gardens in Meissen. When she went to the office to collect her pay, she would refuse to use the greeting “Heil Hitler!” In time, she was arrested and put in prison.

Tragically, Elfriede came down with diphtheria and scarlet fever and died a few weeks after being imprisoned. She was only 21. In one of her last letters, she quoted Luke 17:10: “When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” Her loyalty to God has remained a strengthening aid to me.—Colossians 4:11.

Father’s Test

During Father’s imprisonment, my grandfather—my mother’s father—visited him to try to get him to change his mind. Chained hand and foot, Father was led before him. Father firmly turned down the suggestion that he take up military service for the sake of his children. One of the prison guards told Grandfather: “If this man had ten children, he would not act differently.”

Grandfather returned home terribly angry. “This criminal!” he yelled. “This good-for-nothing! How can he desert his own children?” Though Grandfather was upset, I was happy to learn that Father was remaining steadfast.

Eventually, Father was sentenced to death and beheaded. Sometime afterward, I received that last letter from him. Since he didn’t know where Mother was imprisoned, he had written to me. I went up to my bedroom in the attic and read those opening words cited in the introduction of this article. I was sad and I cried, but I was glad to know that he had remained faithful to Jehovah.

Mother’s Grief

Mother had been sent to a prison in southern Germany to await her trial. One day a guard came to her cell, saying in a friendly manner that she should remain seated. But Mother stood up and said: “I know that my husband has been killed.” Later, they sent her his bloodstained clothing, silent testimony to the torture that he had suffered before his death.

On another occasion Mother was called to the prison office and abruptly told: “Your daughter died in prison. How do you want her to be buried?” The announcement was so sudden and unexpected that Mother at first did not know what to say. But her strong faith in Jehovah sustained her.

My relatives generally cared well for my sister and me. They treated us very kindly. In fact, one of them approached my teachers and asked that they be patient with me. So the teachers also became very friendly and would not punish me when I failed to greet them with “Heil Hitler!” But all this kindness was shown for the purpose of turning me from my Bible-based convictions. And, sadly, it had some success.

Only a few months before the war ended in May 1945, I voluntarily attended some services of the Nazi Youth organization. I wrote Mother about this, and she got the impression from my letters that I had abandoned my goal of serving Jehovah. Later, she said that she was more devastated by these letters than by hearing about the deaths of Father and Elfriede.

Soon afterward, the war ended, and Mother returned from prison. With her help I regained my spiritual balance.

Beginning Full-Time Ministry

Late in 1949, four years after World War II ended, a traveling overseer discussed the Bible text at Malachi 3:10: “‘Bring all the tenth parts into the storehouse, that there may come to be food in my house; and test me out, please, in this respect,’ Jehovah of armies has said.” I was moved to fill out an application for the full-time preaching work. Thus, on January 1, 1950, I became a pioneer, as full-time ministers are called. Later, I moved to Spremberg, where there was a greater need for pioneers.

In August of that year, I received an invitation to serve at the branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses at Magdeburg, in East Germany. However, only two days after my arrival, on August 31, policemen came running onto our property, claiming that criminals were hiding there. Most of the Witnesses were arrested and taken to prison, but I managed to get away and travel to West Berlin, where the Watch Tower Society had an office. There, I related what had happened at Magdeburg. At the same time, I was told that many Witnesses were being arrested throughout East Germany. In fact, I learned that the police were looking for me back at Spremberg!

Arrest and Imprisonment

I was assigned to the pioneer work in East Berlin. A few months later, while serving as a courier to take Bible literature from West Berlin to East Germany, I was arrested and taken to the city of Cottbus, where I was put on trial and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Among other things, I was accused of warmongering. At my trial, I said in my final statement: “How can I, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, be condemned as a warmonger when my father refused to participate in the war because he was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and for that was beheaded?” But, of course, those people were not interested in the truth.

At age 19 it was not easy for me to think about being imprisoned for 12 years. Yet, I knew that many others had received similar sentences. At times, the authorities separated the Witnesses from one another; but then we would discuss Bible truths with other inmates, and some became Witnesses.

At other times, we Witnesses were kept in the same cellblock. Then we would concentrate on learning our Bibles better. We learned whole chapters of the Bible by heart and even tried to memorize entire Bible books. We set certain goals for ourselves as to what to do and to learn each day. Sometimes we were so busy that we said to each other, “We have no time,” even though we were spending the entire day in our cells without any kind of work assignment!

Interrogations by the secret police could be grueling. They might go on day and night, accompanied by all kinds of threats. Once, I became terribly tired and discouraged, making it hard for me even to pray. After two or three days, for no reason in particular, I removed from my cell wall a piece of cardboard that had the prison house rules written on it. Turning it over, I saw writing. Holding it up to the little available light, I saw the words: “Fear not those who kill the body,” and “I will keep all who are faithful as the apple of my eye.” These are now part of song number 27 in the songbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses!

Obviously, another brother in a similar situation had been in this cell, and Jehovah God had strengthened him. I immediately regained spiritual strength and thanked Jehovah for this encouragement. I never want to forget this lesson, for it taught me that though I cannot succeed in my own strength, with the help of Jehovah God, nothing is impossible.

Mother had since moved to West Germany, so she had no contact with me at the time. However, there was Hanna, who had grown up in the same congregation as I had and who was very close to our family. She visited me during all those years I was in prison, and also wrote me encouraging letters and sent me valuable food parcels. I married her when I was released from prison in 1957, after serving 6 years of my 12-year sentence.

As my dear wife, Hanna has faithfully served at my side in our various assignments and has always been most supportive of me. What she has done in my behalf throughout our full-time service together is something for which only Jehovah God is able to repay her.

Postprison Ministry

Hanna and I began our full-time ministry together at the office then maintained by the Watch Tower Society in West Berlin. I was assigned to do construction work there as a carpenter. Later, we began pioneering together in West Berlin.

Willi Pohl, who then had oversight of our work in West Berlin, encouraged me to continue to learn English. “I don’t have time,” I replied. Yet, how happy I am that I obediently kept up my study of English! As a result, in 1962, I was invited to the ten-month course of the 37th class of Gilead School, in Brooklyn, New York. After my return to Germany on December 2, 1962, Hanna and I spent 16 years in the traveling work, visiting congregations all over Germany. Then, in 1978, we were invited to serve at the branch office in Wiesbaden. When branch operations were moved to large new facilities at Selters in the mid-1980’s, we served at that beautiful facility for a number of years.

A Treasured Privilege of Service

In 1989 something totally unexpected occurred—the Berlin Wall fell, and the Witnesses in Eastern European countries began to enjoy freedom of worship. In 1992, Hanna and I were invited to Lviv, in Ukraine, to provide support for the rapidly growing number of Kingdom proclaimers in that area.

The following year, we were asked to go to Russia to help with the organization of the Kingdom work there. At Solnechnoye, a village about 25 miles [40 km] outside St. Petersburg, an office was then set up to care for the preaching work throughout Russia and most of the other republics of the former Soviet Union. When we arrived, construction had already begun on residence buildings as well as on a large office and storage complex.

Our joy was unbounded at the dedication of our new branch facilities on June 21, 1997. A total of 1,492 from 42 countries gathered at Solnechnoye for the special program. The following day a crowd of over 8,400 gathered at St. Petersburg’s Petrovsky Stadium for a review of the dedication program as well as encouraging reports by visitors from other countries.

What marvelous increases we have been enjoying in the 15 republics of the former Soviet Union! In 1946, about 4,800 Kingdom proclaimers were preaching in this territory. Nearly 40 years later, in 1985, the number had increased to 26,905. Today, there are more than 125,000 Kingdom proclaimers in the ten republics of the former Soviet Union being cared for by our branch office here in Solnechnoye, and over 100,000 are preaching in the five other former Soviet republics! How thrilled we were to learn that in the 15 former Soviet republics, more than 600,000 attended the Memorial of Christ’s death last March!

I marvel when I see how grandly Jehovah God has directed the gathering and organizing of his people in these “last days.” (2 Timothy 3:1) As the Bible psalmist says, Jehovah gives his servants insight, instructs them in the way they should go, and gives advice with his eye upon them. (Psalm 32:8) I count it a privilege to belong to Jehovah’s international organization of people!

[Picture on page 13]

With my two sisters, in 1943

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Father was beheaded

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Mother helped me regain spiritual balance

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With my wife, Hanna

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During dedication talk in Kingdom Hall at Russia branch

[Pictures on page 17]

Courtyard and windows of the dining room in our new branch in Russia

Russian Press Praises Jehovah’s Witnesses

THE Russia branch facilities of Jehovah’s Witnesses were dedicated on June 21, 1997. The complex includes seven residences, a large Kingdom Hall, a dining room, and a huge building for offices and storage. It is located about 25 miles [40 km] northwest of St. Petersburg, in the village of Solnechnoye.

The dedication received wide publicity through journalists who were invited to the program. One of them wrote in Moscow’s Literaturnaya gazeta, a journal with a circulation of more than a quarter of a million: “The first impression when one sees it is, Now that’s the way you do it!”—See pictures on pages 16 and 17.

The writer, Sergey Sergiyenko, explained: “Everything here was done by believers with their own hands: The construction work was done mainly by Finns, Swedes, Danes, Norwegians, and Germans. Clean brick roads; mowed lawns; complexes with toylike tiled roofs, huge windows, and glass doors—this is the administrative center for the Russian regional religious organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

Journalists from Moscow, more than 400 miles [650 km] southeast of the branch, were invited to the dedication and were provided with transportation. They were given a guided tour of the facilities, and afterward, a question-and-answer period was held, during which refreshments were served. Based on his observations, Mr. Sergiyenko wrote:

“The Witnesses are, as the saying goes, modest and unpretentious . . . To rephrase a famous Russian saying, ‘The Witnesses live at [their home] as if at Jehovah’s bosom.’ . . . Consistently kind to all people, the Witnesses, of course, show special care for their own brothers.”

An article written by S. Dmitriyev appeared in the Moskovskaya Pravda, a daily with a circulation of nearly 400,000. In his article entitled “You Can Build Your Own World Only With Your Own Hands,” the writer explained:

“After the religious organization of the Witnesses was legally recognized in Russia [in 1991], the question arose regarding the construction of their own headquarters. They were searching for a place near Moscow when the unexpected report came that the territory of a former youth camp near St. Pete[rsburg] was being sold. The land was purchased, and they began to build. . . .

“A year and a half ago, on January 1, 1996, the center in the village of Solnechnoye became an official branch of the religious organization. In the middle of June, a group of Moscow journalists were able, by spending some time in St. Pete[rsburg], to try to figure out, Who are these Jehovah’s Witnesses?”

What was Mr. Dmitriyev’s answer? “People, like any other people.” Yet, they are different, as he noted in the conclusion of his article: “At peace with themselves, peace all around. Is it a dream? Yes. And yet it exists.”

Another Moscow journalist, Maksim Yerofeyev, writing for Sobesednik, a newspaper with a circulation of over 300,000, observed: “All relationships in this small community are built on the following principle: No one is forced to work, yet everybody works.”

After describing the living quarters of the Branch Committee coordinator, Vasily Kalin, Mr. Yerofeyev noted: “Our distrustful reporters’ fraternity wanted to visit some other apartments of their own choosing. The size and furnishings of the other residents’ quarters essentially did not differ from the modest arrangement in Vasily Kalin’s apartment.”

Another reporter, Anastasiya Nemets, wrote the article “To Live at Peace With Oneself.” The subheading to that title in Vechernyaya Moskva was “This Is What People Are Learning in an Unusual Village Outside St. Pete[rsburg].”

Describing the location and appearance of the branch facilities, she wrote: “All around, there are forests and meadows. The Gulf of Finland is not far away. Here there are tidy cottages built in the European style, clean swept roads paved with bricks, and colorful flower beds.

“Commercial firms build such minicities for the ‘new Russians.’ However, people of very modest means live in this village . . . They live well, and what is most important, they live as friends. There are only about 350 people here, from all corners of the earth; one can hear various languages being spoken—from Spanish and Portuguese to Finnish and Swedish.

“In essence, this is an enclosed microcosm: The village has its own manufacturing and repair shops, where it is possible to prepare anything that the large multilingual family needs; they even have their own clinic.”

Truly, the dedication was a joyous occasion for the 1,492 from 42 countries in attendance at Solnechnoye. Many there were older ones who had served for decades when the preaching work was banned. Can you imagine the utter amazement and joy of these old-timers as they toured the beautiful facilities located in this gardenlike, 17-acre [6.9 ha] setting? They could be forgiven for thinking that they were dreaming.

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Journalists touring branch facilities

Question-and-answer session

Surgery Without a Scalpel

AT FIRST, Christine’s headache, although severe, was thought to be no cause for alarm; after all, it disappeared within a day. But then Christine developed a stiff neck. Next, her headache returned, and she became disoriented—unusual symptoms for anyone, much less an eight-year-old child.

At the hospital a computed tomography (CT) scan revealed that Christine had an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in her brain—a condition in which arteries are entangled with veins.a Without treatment, Christine could eventually have suffered a lethal stroke.

Until recent years such AVMs could be treated only with invasive brain surgery. In this procedure the surgeon pulls back the scalp and cuts through the skull. Then, he must weave through a delicate maze of nerves and brain tissue to reach the lesion. Clinical reviews reveal that during 1995, there were complications in about 12 percent of AVM operations.

Christine’s parents opted for the Gamma Knife rather than the surgical knife. The name is somewhat deceiving, for the Gamma Knife is not really a knife. Rather, it is a device that fires 201 finely focused beams of radiation through the intact skull. Each beam on its own is too weak to damage the tissue it penetrates. But all 201 beams are carefully aimed to intersect and deliver a high dose of radiation at the precise location of the lesion.

The Gamma Knife has in some studies proved cost-effective, and there are significantly fewer cases of postoperation infection than with conventional neurosurgery. But how is the procedure performed?

The Four Steps of Radiosurgery

Gamma Knife radiosurgery is performed in four basic steps. First, the patient’s head is fitted with a lightweight frame, which will hold the patient still during treatment. Second, a “map” of the patient’s brain is made, by means of either a CT scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or an angiogram. Next, images of the brain are transferred to a computerized treatment-planning system, which isolates the target and determines its coordinates.

Finally, it is time for the treatment phase, during which the patient’s head is positioned in a helmet with 201 portals through which the gamma rays are emitted. The duration of treatment? Only 15 to 45 minutes, during which the patient is mildly sedated and feels no pain.

When treatment is completed, the patient remains in the hospital for observation and is usually discharged by the following morning. This was so in the case of Christine, mentioned at the outset. She was treated on Thursday, released on Friday, and back in school the following Monday.

What Happens to the AVM?

Radiosurgery does not literally destroy the arteriovenous malformation. Instead, it causes cells in the lining of the vessels to multiply, thus sealing off blood flow to the problem area. As a result, in perhaps a year or two, the defective vessels are completely blocked off. Then the arteriovenous malformation shrinks and eventually is dissolved by the body.

The Gamma Knife has also been used to treat small malignant tumors that have well-defined borders as well as some metastatic tumors, which are spread to the brain from cancer in other parts of the body. In addition, it has shown promising results with trigeminal neuralgia (a painful condition that affects the facial nerve), epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and some cases of intractable pain.

Of course, there are still some brain tumors and conditions that defy the Gamma Knife. Whether advances in neurosurgery will lead to even more effective treatments remains to be seen. In the meantime, Gamma Knife radiosurgery offers hope to many tumor patients.

[Footnote]

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The Development of Radiosurgery

The Gamma Knife was developed almost 50 years ago by neurosurgeon Lars Leksell and biophysicist Börje Larsson. Leksell discovered that a single, intense dose of irradiation could demolish deep-seated brain lesions without an incision—hence, without bleeding or risk of infection.

Leksell called his new procedure stereotactic radiosurgery. Finally, doctors had a means of treating previously inaccessible parts of the brain, without having to use a scalpel to weave crudely through a maze of delicate nerves and brain tissue. However, the application of this new procedure had to wait many years for the development of modern imaging techniques, such as the CT scan and MRI, which can tell surgeons precisely where to aim the radiation. The first Gamma Knife unit was installed in Stockholm in 1968.

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The Four Steps of Gamma Knife Radiosurgery

1. Fitting the frame

2. Making images of the brain

3. Computerized images help with treatment planning

4. Treatment phase

[Credit Line]

Images courtesy of Elekta Instruments, Inc., manufacturers of the Gamma Knife®

The Amazing Neem

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN NIGERIA

“THE village pharmacy”—that is what people call the neem tree in India. For centuries people in that country have looked to the neem to provide relief from pain, fever, and infections. Believing that the neem can help purify their blood, many Hindus begin each year by eating a few neem leaves. People also clean their teeth with neem twigs, apply neem-leaf juice to skin disorders, and drink neem tea as a tonic.

In recent years scientists have shown a growing interest in the neem. However, a scientific report entitled Neem—A Tree for Solving Global Problems cautions: “Although the possibilities seem almost endless, nothing about neem is yet definite. The scientists who are most enthusiastic over the plant and its potential admit that at this stage the evidence to support their expectations is tentative.” Nevertheless, the report also states: “Two decades of research have revealed promising results in so many disciplines that this obscure species may be of enormous benefit to countries both poor and rich. Even some of the most cautious researchers are saying that ‘neem deserves to be called a wonder plant.’”

Its Role as a Tree

Found in tropical regions, the neem is a member of the mahogany family of trees. It grows up to 100 feet tall [30 m] and can achieve a girth of over 8 feet [2.5 m]. Since it is seldom leafless, it provides shade year-round. It grows quickly, requires little maintenance, and fares well in poor soil.

It was introduced to West Africa early in this century to provide shade and to halt the southward spread of the Sahara Desert. Foresters have also established the tree in Fiji, Mauritius, Saudi Arabia, Central and South America, and islands of the Caribbean. In the United States, there are experimental plots in southern areas of Arizona, California, and Florida.

In addition to providing year-round shade in hot climates, the neem can be used as firewood. Moreover, its termite-resistant wood is useful in construction and carpentry. So, judging solely on the basis of its usefulness as a tree, the neem does very well. But that is just the beginning.

Bugs Hate It

Because the people of India have long known that neem leaves repel troublesome insects, they place leaves in beds, books, bins, cupboards, and closets. In 1959 a German entomologist and his students became involved in neem research after witnessing a massive locust plague in the Sudan during which billions of locusts devoured the leaves of every tree except the neem.

Since then, scientists have learned that the neem’s complex chemical arsenal is effective against more than 200 insect species as well as various mites, nematodes, fungi, bacteria, and even several viruses. In one experiment, researchers placed soybean leaves in a container with Japanese beetles. Half of each leaf had been sprayed with neem extracts. The beetles devoured the untreated halves of each leaf but didn’t touch the treated portions. In fact, they died of starvation rather than eat even tiny portions of the treated leaves.

Such experiments suggest the possibility of developing an inexpensive, nontoxic, and easily prepared alternative to certain synthetic pesticides. In Nicaragua, for example, farmers mix pounded neem seed with water—80 grams of seed per liter of water. They soak the pounded seed for 12 hours, strain out the seeds, and then spray the water on the crops.

Neem products do not kill most insects outright. Neem sprays alter an insect’s life processes, so that eventually, it can no longer feed, breed, or metamorphose. But while neem products act against bugs, they do not appear to be harmful to birds, warm-blooded animals, or humans.

“The Village Pharmacy”

Then, there are other benefits to humans. The seeds and leaves contain compounds that demonstrate antiseptic, antiviral, and antifungal activity. There are suggestions that neem may be able to fight inflammation, hypertension, and ulcers. Medicines from neem extracts are said to battle diabetes and malaria. Other potential benefits include the following:

Insect repellents. One neem component, called salannin, powerfully repels certain biting insects. A fly and mosquito repellent made from neem oil is already on the market.

Dental hygiene. Millions of Indians break off a neem twig each morning, chew the end to soften it, and then use it to scrub their teeth and gums. Research has shown this to be beneficial, since compounds in the bark are strongly antiseptic.

Contraceptive properties. Neem oil is a strong spermicide and has proved effective in reducing the birth rate in laboratory animals. Experiments with monkeys hint that neem compounds might also make possible an oral birth-control pill for men.

Clearly, the neem is not the average tree. Although the evidence is not all in, the neem shows great promise—of improving pest control, promoting health, assisting reforestation, and, perhaps, checking overpopulation. Little wonder that people have called the amazing neem “God’s gift to mankind”!

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The neem, with inset of neem leaf

A Unique Reconciliation

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN BRITAIN

BRUCE was two years old in 1945 when Marie, his mother, last saw him. Following Marie’s divorce, Bruce’s father was given legal custody of him. Suppressing her natural feelings, Marie decided that it would be in her son’s best interests for him to be raised by his father and his father’s new wife, without any emotional pull from her. Subsequently, she lost touch with Bruce completely.

Some years later Marie remarried and had another son, but still her thoughts turned to Bruce. Where was he? What had become of him?

When Bruce’s father died in 1976, Marie attended his funeral. Bruce, now a fine young man in his 30’s, was there with his stepmother. Since Marie still believed that Bruce thought his stepmother was his natural mother, she felt it would be unkind to make herself known to him, especially at such a time. Marie would have acted differently had she known that Bruce had been rejected by his father as soon as he remarried and had been raised by his grandmother.

About this time Marie met Sue, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and readily agreed to have a home Bible study. At the same time, by coincidence, Bruce and his wife started to study the Bible with Sue’s husband, Alan. Soon, however, on account of health problems, Marie stopped her study and moved away.

Marie was again contacted by Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1995. She resumed her Bible study and made rapid progress. As she approached baptism, Marie confided in a Christian elder about Bruce. The elder made inquiries and discovered not only that Bruce and his family were Jehovah’s Witnesses but that Bruce was an elder in a congregation in Marie’s hometown!

The other elders in Bruce’s congregation were apprehensive. If they told Bruce that his mother was going to be baptized at the next special assembly day, how would he react? Did he even know she existed? As soon as Bruce learned the facts, however, he rushed with his family to meet Marie. “The past doesn’t matter; it’s the future that counts in the truth!” were Bruce’s comforting words as he embraced his mother.

In March 1996, Marie, then 78 years old, was baptized at England’s East Pennine Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses—by Bruce. How thrilled Bruce was to gain his mother as a spiritual sister!

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Bruce, with his mother

Young People Ask . . .

What About Racial Pride?

“One of my schoolmates always talks about the race and the color of other people,” sighs 17-year-old Tanya. “In many of his conversations, he claims he is superior to them.”

IT IS only natural to take pride in one’s family, culture, language, or place of origin. “I’m Vietnamese,” says a 15-year-old girl named Phung, “and I’m proud of my culture.”

All too often, though, racial pride goes hand in hand with racism. This pride can thus be a cancer that subtly eats away at relationships, even when it is camouflaged behind a mask of politeness. Jesus Christ said: “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34) And deep-seated feelings of superiority—or of disdain—often break through to the surface, causing hurt and pain.

Sometimes racial pride even turns violent. In recent years it has been the fuel for wars, riots, and bloody “ethnic cleansings.” However, you do not have to be a witness to bloodshed to encounter the ugly side of racial pride. For example, do you see evidence of it at school, at work, or in your neighborhood? “Yes, definitely,” explains a Christian youth named Melissa. “Some of my schoolmates make fun of children who speak with an accent, and they say they are better than them.” Tanya similarly reports: “In school I have heard children plainly say to others: ‘I am better than you.’” In one U.S. survey, nearly half the respondents said they had personally experienced some form of racial prejudice during the previous year. “The racial tension at my school is pretty bad,” said a youth named Natasha.

Now suppose you live in a land or an area where there has been a great influx of immigrants, dramatically changing the complexion of your school, neighborhood, or Christian congregation. Do you feel a bit uncomfortable about this? Then perhaps racial pride is more of a factor in your thinking than you may have realized.

Proper Versus Improper Pride

Does this mean that pride is inherently bad? Not necessarily. The Bible shows that there is a place for the proper kind of pride. When the apostle Paul wrote to Christians in Thessalonica, he said: “We ourselves take pride in you among the congregations of God.” (2 Thessalonians 1:4) Similarly, having at least a measure of self-worth is healthy and normal. (Romans 12:3) So it is not wrong in itself to take some pride in one’s race, family, language, color, or place of origin. Certainly God would not require that we be ashamed of such things. When the apostle Paul was confused with an Egyptian criminal, he did not hesitate to say: “I am, in fact, a Jew, of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city.”—Acts 21:39.

However, racial pride turns ugly when it nurtures an exaggerated sense of self-esteem or when it causes one to look down on others. The Bible says: “The fear of Jehovah means the hating of bad. Self-exaltation and pride and the bad way and the perverse mouth I have hated.” (Proverbs 8:13) And Proverbs 16:18 states: “Pride is before a crash, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.” Boasting that one belongs to a superior race is therefore repugnant to God.—Compare James 4:16.

The Origins of Racial Pride

What causes people to take an exaggerated pride in their race? The book Black, White, Other, by Lise Funderburg, says: “For many people, their first (and longest-lasting) impressions of race come from parents and family.” Sad to say, all too often the impressions passed on by some parents are unbalanced or distorted. Some youths may directly be told that people of their race are superior and that people of other races are different or inferior. More often, though, young people simply observe that their parents have little to do with people of other races. This too can have a powerful influence on their thinking. Surveys reveal that while teenagers and parents may fail to see eye to eye when it comes to clothing or music, the majority of youths do share their parents’ views on race.

Unbalanced attitudes regarding race can also develop in response to oppression and mistreatment. (Ecclesiastes 7:7) Educators have noted, for example, that children of so-called minority groups are often lacking in self-respect. In an attempt to correct matters, some educators have developed school curricula that teach children the history of their race. Interestingly, critics argue that this emphasis on racial pride simply breeds racism.

Personal experience can also play a role in the development of unhealthy racial attitudes. An unpleasant encounter with a person of a different race may lead one to conclude that all members of that race are obnoxious or bigoted. Negative feelings may likewise be aroused when the media spotlight racial conflicts, police brutality, and protest rallies or when they portray ethnic groups in a negative light.

The Myth of Racial Superiority

What about the claim by some that their race has the right to feel superior to others? The idea that people can really be divided into distinct races is questionable to begin with. An article in Newsweek reported: “To scientists who have looked into the question, race is a notoriously slippery concept that eludes any serious attempt at definition.” True, there may be “observable differences in skin color, hair texture and the shape of one’s eyes or nose.” However, Newsweek said that “these differences are at best superficial—and try as they will, scientists have been broadly unable to come up with any significant set of differences that distinguishes one racial group from another. . . . The bottom line, to most scientists working in these fields, is that race is a mere ‘social construct’—a [corrupt] mixture of prejudice, superstition and myth.”

Even if scientific distinctions between races could be made, the idea of a “pure” race is fiction. The New Encyclopædia Britannica observes: “There are no pure races; all racial groups currently existing are thoroughly mixed.” Whatever the case, the Bible teaches that God “made out of one man every nation of men.” (Acts 17:26) Regardless of skin color, hair texture, or facial features, there is really just one race—the human race. All humans are related through our forefather Adam.

The ancient Jews were well aware of the common origin of all races. Yet, even after becoming Christians, some clung to the belief that they were superior to non-Jews—including their non-Jewish fellow believers! The apostle Paul crushed the notion of racial superiority by stating, as recorded at Romans 3:9: “Jews as well as Greeks are all under sin.” No racial group can therefore boast of any special standing with God. Indeed, it is only by faith in Jesus Christ that individuals can have a relationship with God. (John 17:3) And it is God’s will that “all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.”—1 Timothy 2:4.

Your recognizing that all races are equal in the eyes of God can have a dramatic effect on the way you view yourself and others. It can move you to treat others with dignity and respect, to appreciate and admire their differences. For example, young Melissa, mentioned earlier, does not join her schoolmates in laughing at youths who speak with a foreign accent. She says: “I view those who speak two languages as intelligent. Although I would like to speak another language, I can only speak one.”

Remember, too, that while the people of your race and culture no doubt have much to be proud of, so do people of other races. And though it may be reasonable to have some pride in your culture and in the accomplishments of your ancestors, it is far more satisfying to take pride in what you have accomplished personally through effort and hard work! (Ecclesiastes 2:24) In fact, there is one accomplishment in which the Bible urges you to take pride. As stated at Jeremiah 9:24, God himself says: “Let the one bragging about himself brag about himself because of this very thing, the having of insight and the having of knowledge of me, that I am Jehovah.” Can you make that boast?

[Picture on page 26]

Knowing God’s view of race helps us enjoy the company of people of other races

Watching the World

Early Breast-Cancer Detection

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among Brazilian women, affecting an estimated 1 out of every 12, reports the Brazilian journal Medicina Conselho Federal. The journal encourages regular breast self-examination for all women over the age of 25. Medicina also recommends that women have an initial mammogram between the ages of 35 and 40, a mammogram every two years between 40 and 50, and yearly mammograms thereafter. Although women who have a diet high in saturated fats and those with a family history of the disease are at greater risk, 70 percent of breast-cancer patients do not fit into any high-risk category. This fact, notes Medicina, “clearly demonstrates the importance of a policy of early detection.”—See Awake! of April 8, 1994.

Over-the-Counter Addicts

Addiction to over-the-counter medicines is on the increase in Northern Ireland, reports The Irish Times. In Northern Ireland, as in many other countries, products such as painkillers and cough medicines containing codeine or other potentially addictive drugs can be obtained without a prescription. Some who unintentionally become addicted struggle to maintain their habit, since withdrawal can be agonizing and include nausea and depression. One addict spent his inheritance, sold his home, and ran up a debt of £18,000 ($29,000) to feed his 70-bottle-a-week addiction. Frank McGoldrick, of Belfast’s Research on Chemical Dependency Group, says that most over-the-counter medicine abusers are loath to admit dependency and casually dismiss the notion that they are doing damage to themselves. “They are not breaking the law,” McGoldrick notes. “Most don’t even realise they are abusers.”

Schoolgirl Power

High-school girls are the consumer trendsetters in Japan, says a report published in The Daily Yomiuri. Fads spread quickly through their word-of-mouth network, which can exceed 1,000 acquaintances. Their influence also extends to other age groups through parents and siblings. The “girls are blessed with ideal consumer attributes: money, a curiosity about the new and the time to indulge it.” About 68 percent of Japanese teens get allowances, averaging $220 a month, and many also receive funds from doting grandparents and from part-time jobs. Sociologists are concerned about the girls’ genzai shiko, or live-for-the-moment attitude, and about their general lack of deeper personal goals. A recent study concluded that today’s high-school girls “suffer from the boredom of acquiring whatever they want without having to sweat for it.”

World’s Oldest Person Dies

Jeanne Louise Calment, the world’s oldest person according to the Guinness Book of World Records, died on August 4, 1997, at the age of 122, reports the French newspaper Le Figaro. Jeanne was born on February 21, 1875, in Arles, southeast France—before the invention of the light bulb, the phonograph, and the automobile. Married in 1896, she had one daughter whom she outlived by 63 years, and one grandson, who died in 1963. She recalled meeting the painter Vincent van Gogh in 1888, when she was a teenager, and she was a friend of the poet Frédéric Mistral, who won the Nobel prize in 1904. Jeanne made many quips about the secrets of longevity, mentioning such factors as laughter, activity, and “a stomach like an ostrich’s.”

Bilingual Children

As a baby learns its native tongue, much of its ability to execute speech is fixed in a region of the brain known as Broca’s area. Recently, researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York used functional magnetic resonance imaging to determine what part of the brain is active when bilingual subjects use one language or the other. They discovered that when a person learns two languages simultaneously as a young child, both are stored in the same part of Broca’s area. However, when a second language is learned during adolescence or later, it appears to be located alongside the first, rather than intermingled with it. The Times newspaper of London comments: “It is as if learning the first language has set the circuits in Broca’s area, and so the second language must be accommodated elsewhere.” The researchers feel that this may help explain why it is harder to learn a second language later in life.

Chinese Child-Rearing Concerns

A large-scale study of parent-child relationships was recently carried out under the auspices of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, reports China Today. The research revealed concern on the part of many parents about raising today’s children. According to China Today, “some feel totally lost at what their children should be taught—traditional Chinese morality such as honesty, modesty, forbearance and caring, or the modern ethos of competition?” Nearly 60 percent of parents worried about the negative effects of TV on children. News researcher Bu Wei advised parents to regulate the programs a child watches according to his or her age and personality, to watch and discuss the programs with the child, and not to allow TV to take up too much of the child’s time.

The Shark’s Worst Enemy?

Sharks generally arouse fear in humans. But it would seem that there is greater reason for sharks to fear man. “A few dozen” humans die each year as a result of shark attacks, while an estimated 100,000,000 sharks are killed annually by fishermen, reports the French newspaper Le Monde. This fact worries many marine biologists, who fear that the natural balance of the oceans could be disturbed if the destruction continues. Sharks play a vital role in controlling marine populations. Since sharks are slow to reach sexual maturity and have only a few pups after a long gestation period, overfishing threatens to drive some shark species to extinction. One practice that marine experts particularly deplore is “finning”—cutting off the fins for food and throwing the shark back into the sea to die.

Roundup From the Sky

Slow-flying airplanes called ultralights are now being used by some Australian ranchers for roundups on their vast cattle and sheep stations, reports The Sunday Mail newspaper of Brisbane, Australia. One Queensland rancher says that his ultralight saved him two weeks’ wages for several men every time he rounded up his sheep. “The motorcycle took over from the horse, and now the ultralight is taking over from the motorcycle,” he said. The lightweight planes are fitted with powerful tape players that broadcast recordings of dogs barking. On hearing this, “startled cattle and sheep break into a gallop and head for the nearest yards,” states the article.

Busy Canadians

Canadians are working longer hours, and many are suffering from the effects of it, says The Globe and Mail newspaper. Economic fears have put men and women, including the parents of young children, under pressure to work harder and longer. Nearly 2,000,000 Canadians average more than nine hours of overtime a week, and 700,000 are moonlighting, working at least one extra job. Some researchers say that anxiety levels have skyrocketed, especially among white-collar workers. Experts are concerned about the effects of the trend on the children, who see little of their parents. Dr. Kerry Daly of the family studies department at the University of Guelph, Ontario, observes: “People have a sense of their lives really spinning out of control. They’re not sure how to jump off.”

The Stress of Unemployment

The emotional and social stresses of unemployment can affect a person’s health, according to studies mentioned in the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. The body’s immune system is said to be weakened by such stress. Unemployed people are also more likely to have high blood pressure and heart attacks than those who are employed. “The stress the long-term unemployed have to put up with is worse and fraught with more consequences than that of the employed,” states Professor Thomas Kieselbach, of Hannover University, Germany. “Almost all of the unemployed suffer in one way or another from depressive disorders.” The number of unemployed in the European Union is said to be approximately equal to the combined populations of Denmark, Finland, and Sweden.

From Our Readers

Accident or Design? I just finished reading the series “How Did We Get Here? By Accident or by Design?” (May 8, 1997) It interested me for a number of reasons: (1) The simplicity with which you presented such a profound, complex subject as evolution, as well as the conviction with which you defended the Bible’s viewpoint of our origin. (2) The illustrations that you used to attain your praiseworthy objective. I am a researcher and student in a large communications school. Such articles prove that you ALWAYS do meticulous research before you publish. That is no doubt the reason why my companion journalists, editors, and researchers all regularly read and enjoy Awake!

D. S. T., Cameroon

Why So Sick? I experience all the emotions expressed by Jason in the article “Young People Ask . . . Why Do I Have to Be So Sick?” (April 22, 1997) Each time I read the article, I feel like I am chatting with someone who understands, appreciates, and cares for my condition. Thank you so much for lessening my burden. I know that Jehovah cares and that in his due time, he will do away with all diseases.

O. A., Ghana

I was diagnosed with seizures two weeks before this article came out. I just turned 18, and being sick has drastically reduced all the freedoms I just recently acquired. There are so many precautions to take and pills to remember. It has also taken a major toll on my parents, who have lost two other children in death. The article truly touched me in a way that moved me to tears. It addressed the very thoughts I have been suppressing, and I felt somewhat normal again. I could see that there are others with similar problems and concerns. Through his organization, Jehovah put in print the information I need to have to stay strong.

D. S., United States

When I read the article, I realized that my sickness causes more suffering to my parents than to anyone else. They tell me that my illness is inherited, and this depresses them. When I see them like that, I feel so very sorry for them.

Y. H., Japan

During childhood I enjoyed good health. However, in my adolescence I have had one illness after another. I took up the full-time ministry, and for the first two months, I could not reach my goals because of ill health. I was greatly depressed, thinking (wrongly) that I had done something bad against Jehovah and was being punished with sickness. The article has helped me to get properly adjusted to my situation and to take heart.

C. K., Ghana

My nine-year-old daughter has a learning disability and cerebral palsy. She is very bright and is aware that her disabilities limit normal activity. In spite of her usually cheerful, happy disposition, from time to time, this slightly depresses her. This article was very encouraging to her, along with the nightly discussions she has with her dad about the future Paradise where she will be like other children.

Y. P., United States

For about ten years, I have been struggling with an ‘invisible illness,’ one that affects my digestive system. Because of it, I’ve had to leave the full-time ministry. Reading this article, I feel, for the first time, as though someone understands my struggle. It’s a relief to know that I’m not alone. It’s as if I’ve had a huge burden lifted off me. I could never thank you enough. These encouraging and timely articles keep us going in this old system.

L. C., Canada

His Heart Was Touched

“We were a family of 13 children,” Gloria Adame writes, “4 boys and 9 girls. It was 1984. Father returned home to Mexico and learned that while he was away working in the United States, our family had begun to study the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. He was not at all pleased, and he began to oppose us. It seemed that with each passing day, his heart became harder.

“We loved our father very much, and we wanted him to benefit from the life-giving knowledge we were receiving. Day after day, we prayed fervently to Jehovah, imploring him to open the way for us to speak with Father about Jehovah’s purposes. Jehovah heard our plea because he gave us the courage to gather each evening in the living room, where Father spent every night watching television. There, my mother and we girls would meet to read the daily Bible text.

“Mother conducted the discussion, and after reading the comments, we would take turns praying. When our youngest sister Marie, who was only five, prayed, she would petition fervently: ‘Jehovah, please soften Daddy’s heart so he will also become your Witness.’ It appeared that Father was not listening, for he would turn up the volume on the TV. However, as time went on, he began to lower the volume, until one night he shut it off altogether.

“That evening, as was our custom, Mother asked whose turn it was to read the text. To our great surprise, Father said: ‘It’s my turn.’ We were amazed but said nothing. Mother did not resist or ask questions but handed him the booklet Examining the Scriptures Daily. After he led the discussion of the Bible text, Mother asked whose turn it was to pray. ‘It’s my turn,’ Father said.

“We were dumbfounded. In the middle of the prayer, we could no longer control our tears. Father too began to cry, and he asked Jehovah to forgive him for having blasphemed Him. He also asked Mother to forgive him for having opposed us.

“So in 1986 opposition from our father ceased. In 1990 our family moved to Texas in the United States. In time, Father dedicated his life to Jehovah and symbolized it by water baptism, as did seven of us sisters. In April 1997, Father was appointed a Christian elder. To this day, considering the daily Bible text as a family is extremely important to us, and prayer to Jehovah is a foundation of our family life.”

[Picture on page 31]

1. Four daughters who pioneer in Mexico. Marie is in front

2. Juanita and Isaac Adame, with some of their children. Gloria is on the far right

It Helped Them Stop Fighting

An 11-year-old boy from California, U.S.A., wrote to Jehovah’s Witnesses in Brooklyn, New York:

“I love your books, especially The Secret of Family Happiness. Before we got that book, my sister and I could never stop fighting. One day we decided to study that book, and we came to realize that we were not doing what God wanted us to do.

“This book helped us a great deal. I am grateful for it, and I encourage other families to read this book because it is great. It is also helping my family to find peace and happiness in our home.”

The Secret of Family Happiness is a 192-page book that features such helpful subjects as “Protect Your Family From Destructive Influences,” “Maintain Peace in Your Household,” and “You Can Overcome Problems That Damage a Family.”

If you would like to have someone conduct a free home Bible study with you, write to Watchtower, 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11201-2483, or to the appropriate address listed on page 5.