Awake!, May 22, 1963
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Freedom with Which to Serve God
Angry Students on the March
If You Were Going Around the World
Life Patterns and Crime Prevention
THE MISSION OF THIS JOURNAL
News sources that are able to keep you awake to the vital issues ot our times must be unfettered by censorship and selfish interests. "Awake!" has no fetters. It recognizes facts, faces facts, is free to publish facts. It is not bound by political ambitions or obligations; it is unhampered by advertisers whose toes must not be trodden on; it is unprejudiced by traditional creeds. This journo! keeps itself free that It may speak freely to you. But it does not abuse its freedom. It maintains integrity to truth.
"Awake!" uses the regular news channels, but is not dependent on them. Its own correspondents are an all continents, in scores of nations. From the four corners of the earth their uncensored, on-the-scenes reports come to you through these columns. This journal's viewpoint rs not narrow, but is international1. it is redd in many nations, in many languages, by persons of all ages. Through its pages many fields of knowledge pass in review—government, commerce, religion, history, geography, science, social conditions, natural wonders—why, its coverage is as broad as the earth and as high as the heavens.
"Awake!" pledges itself to righteous principles, to exposing hidden foes and subtle dangers, to championing freedom for all, to comforting mourners and strengthening those disheartened by the failures of a delinquent world, reflecting sure hope for the establishment of a righteous New World.
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CONTENTS
Are You Making Progress?
Freedom with Which to Serve God
Angry Students on the March
If You Were Going Around the World 12 Life Patterns and Crime Prevention
Proverbs of Diplomats
Bitumen—It’s Everywhere!
Rice—the Bread of Life
Lightweights
Telling the Good News to an Old Friend 26 “Your Word Is Truth”
Resurrection—for Whom?
Watching the World
Volume XLIV London, England, May 22, 1983 Number 10
A FEW decades ago there was a manager of a large printing plant who had a favorite slogan, “Better and more books!” He also was fond of pointing out that “better” came first, and only then “more” books. Obviously he was interested in progress on the part of his men.
The ability to make progress is one of the qualities that sets man far above the brute creation. As William George, of “Single Tax” fame, so well observes: “Between the lowest savages of whom we know and the highest animals there is an irreconcilable difference—a. difference not merely of degree, but of kind. . . . Man, no matter how low on the scale of humanity, has never yet been found destitute of one thing of which no animal shows the slightest trace, a clearly recognizable something, which gives him the power of improvement—which makes him the progressive animal. . . . The dog of civilization is not a whit more accomplished or intelligent than the dog of the wandering savage,” and that in spite of “all the ages he has been the associate of improving man.” —Progress and Poverty.
Not only is man endowed with the ability to make progress, but upon him rests a threefold obligation as a steward to make progress: He owes this to himself, he owes it to his fellowman and, above all, he owes it to his Maker, Jehovah God. Life and its gifts are a trust. For man to carry out his very first mandate, given him in Eden, to become many and fill the earth, to subdue it and to exercise dominion over the lower animals, required of him that he make progress, did it not?—Gen. 1:28; Luke 12:48.
Grownups take for granted that children keep on making progress until they mature physically, mentally and, it is hoped, emotionally (the question of religious maturity entering into the minds of comparatively few). As the apostle Paul observed: “When I was a babe, I used to speak as a babe, to think as a babe, to reason as a babe; but now that I have become a man, I have done away with the traits of a babe.” —1 Cor. 13:11.
But what about you grownups? Are you making progress in your vocation? Do you take a i^al interest in your work? Are you observant? Does it ever occur to you that some improvement might be made in the way things are being done, and do you know how to go about getting your points across? Or have you gotten into a rut? Especially if yours is a profession, such as doctor, nurse, schoolteacher, lawyer or librarian, it is imperative that you keep making progress—of course, not doing so at the expense of your spirituality. For you to stand stiff would be to go backward, for your profession is always progressing.
What about you fathers and husbands? Are you making progress as family heads? Are you meeting the challenge that your role presents by letting imagination, consideration and understanding make you ever better husbands and fathers? Do you keep in touch with your teen-age children, or are they rapidly becoming strangers to you? Are you becoming ever more skilled in balancing firmness with love, discipline with kindness and understanding?—Eph. 5:28;6:4.
What about you housewives and mothers? Are you content to serve the same dishes the same way year in, year out? Why not be awake to opportunities to improve or at least vary the taste or flavor of foods by spices, herbs or aromatics and furnish your family with a pleasant surprise? This can make for better digestion, did you know that? And what about giving thought to making dishes ever more nourishing, more wholesome? What about your relations with your husband and children? As the years go by, do you become, in addition to a more prudent housekeeper, a more tactful and sympathetic wife, a more understanding mother?—Prov. 31:10-31.
How about the field of religion, in which field all, old and young alike, should be concerned with making progress? Are you content with just going to church on Sundays? Is that the extent of your religious instruction and activity? Remember, Jesus said that “man must live, not on bread alone, but on every utterance coming forth through Jehovah’s mouth.” To make progress you must feed on God’s Word regularly, yes, daily.—Matt. 4:4.
Have you ever given thought to whether your own religious organization is making progress? While God’s Word, the Bible, is complete, infallible and not subject to improvement, there is room for progress in man’s understanding of it. That is why it is written: “The path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established.”—Prov, 4:18.
There is progress to be made, not only in knowledge and understanding of the truths found in the Bible, but also in cultivating Christian qualities. Are you making progress in obeying the two great commandments: “You must love Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your vital force,” and, “You must love your fellow as yourself”? Is your appreciation of your Creator growing? Are you manifesting ever more empathy in dealing with your neighbor? Are you making progress in controlling yourself under stress and in manifesting forgiveness to those who may irritate, offend or even sin against you?—Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18.
Nor may it be overlooked that each dedicated Christian minister preaching the good news of God’s kingdom should be making progress in his ministry. There is progress to be made in acquiring accurate knowledge, in study habits, in ability to give a reason for one’s hope to anyone that demands it and in overcoming objections. Have you progressed to where you are no longer merely thinking of your own ministry but are concerned with helping others?—! Pet. 3:15; 1 Cor. 10:24.
Yes, regardless of who you are or what you may be doing, by all means seek to make progress. Take an interest in your work. Then, instead of your tasks becoming boring, they will be full of interest, satisfying, happifying. So accept the challenge and make progress, for your own well-being and that of those about you
It is not only in Communist lands that freedom of worship is restricted. Consider other factors that restrain people from serving God.
MAN’S age-long fight for freedom has not broken the shackles that bind him. The same restraints that enslaved men of past generations unduly restrict the freedom of many people today. Especially is this true with respect to man’s service to God.
Behind the Iron Curtain and in other dictatorial lands freedom of worship is often restricted by unjust laws that are enforced by a police state. For example, under the pressure of religious persecution a party belonging to a Protestant religious sect traveled to Moscow earlier this year and sought asylum at the United States embassy. When they were turned away, and the Russians came to take them, one cried: “I do not want to go back! They will arrest me and shoot me! . . . We ask all brothers and sisters who believe in God: Help us! Help us!”1 The Christian activity of Jehovah’s witnesses, too, is banned in Russia.
Such treatment is reminiscent of Hitler’s efforts to stamp out the uncompromising worship of Jehovah’s witnesses when he rose to power thirty years ago. On October 7, 1934, he swore: “This brood will be
exterminated Germany.”! Yet, despite his concentration camps and brutal persecution,
Jehovah's witnesses survived, while Hitler and his party were exterminated.
None of their efforts could stop Jehovah’s witnesses from serving God. They continued to preach in spite of prison bonds and remained steadfast, faithful to Scriptural principles.
But it is not only in dictatorial lands that there is a danger of having one’s freedom to serve God restricted. Many persons are not free to serve God today because they do not have an accurate knowledge of the Bible and, therefore, are blinded by false religious teachings. Such ones need to study to learn the truth, as Jesus said: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”—John 8:32.
Superstition, and Fear
Because of these false religious ideas millions of persons need to be set free from superstition and fear. For instance, many fear the spirits or souls of the departed dead. They believe the dead are immortal, and will harm the living if they are not appeased. So afraid are they of the deceased that certain natives in the South Pacific reportedly tie the hands of the dead
f Taken from a sworn account by Karl R. A. Wittig, who, tn 1934, was a German government worker who was present when Hitler made ttjts statement. On November 13, 1947, this account was signed before a notary public in Frankfort on the Main.
“together and pull out their nails; this is for fear that the corpse may scratch its way out of the grave and become a vampire.”2 In South American countries people will regularly set out food and drink upon the graves to appease the souls of the departed dead.
Many similar practices are carried on by people throughout the world. Their beliefs regarding the dead cause them to live in constant fear of doing anything that will bring upon themselves the displeasure of the departed souls. Similarly, in some places in Africa the witch doctor is believed to have supernatural powers, and people are afraid to do anything contrary to his wish. As a result, they are afraid to examine the truths in the Bible that can set them free from their fears and superstitions.
Since it is believed that the soul is immortal, in many countries people are gripped by the fear that performing or falling to perform certain activities will mean eternal torment of their souls after death. For example, The Encyclopedia Americana reports that in Turkey some view it as an unpardonable sin to step on a piece of bread or to leave it lying on the ground. Such a crime “dooms the offender to the third hell, where he is perpetually gored by an ox that has but a single horn, and that in the center of his forehead.”!
Fear of torment after death terrorizes millions of people and restricts their freedom to serve God. This is true even in supposedly enlightened societies where the religions of Christendom have adopted the immortality of the soul and hell of torment doctrines. Due to these enslaving teachings many are as fearful of displeasing their priests as people in other societies are of being cursed by the witch doctor. Believing the priest has special powers to help the souls of the deceased, they regularly pay over money to have prayers said in behalf of the departed dead. And when the priest discourages them from learning the truth contained in the Bible, they are afraid to disobey him.
But from where do these teachings that sponsor such superstitious fears come? Certainly not from the Bible, for nowhere does it teach that man has an immortal soul, but it plainly says: “The soul that is sinning—it itself will die.” (Ezek. 18:4) Rather than teach conscious torment for the dead, the Bible says of them: “But as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all.” (Eccl. 9:5) Only those who listen to the Bible and make their minds over in harmony with its teachings can gain the freedom from superstitious falsehood that is needed in order to serve God acceptably.
Materialistic Entanglements
Not only do false religious teachings enslave people, but also various materialistic interests often entangle them so that they are not free to serve God. As Jesus warned would happen to some, they are led astray by “the deceptive power of riches,” and are weighed down by “anxieties over livelihood.”—Matt. 13:22; Luke 21:34, NW footnote, 1950 Edition.
Whenever such ones are invited to discuss the precious truths contained in God’s Word or to go out and share these with others, they are too busy. They may have a beautiful home and many of the other conveniences of modern living, but these absorb all their time. They become so wrapped up in enjoying these material things and working to pay for them, they lose sight of their dependence upon God and the need to take time to study his Word and to serve him. The “pleasures of this life” crowd out the hope of life in God’s new world.—Luke 8:14; 2 Pet. 3:13.
These entangling materialistic desires often take root before one realizes it. One may simply wish to raise his standard of living a little to correspond with that of an acquaintance. But the acquiring of a few modern comforts whets the appetite for more. Soon more and more time is spent working to pay for a more comfortable way of life, and less and less time is found to spend with the family and to consider spiritual matters. Eventually, due to overwork and anxiety over meeting rising expenses, one is so entangled he is no longer free to serve God. He is weighed down by “anxieties over livelihood.”
Do you find that happening to you? If so, it is not a situation to consider lightly. Freedom to serve God is a treasure to be guarded closely. It is a dangerous thing to allow oneself to sink into debt or in some other way become obligated so that one’s freedom to serve God is unduly restricted. It is a situation demanding immediate action so as to extricate oneself from such restrictive obligations. The need to make speed in freeing oneself from such circumstances is emphasized in Proverbs chapter six. There God shows how dangerous it is for anyone to bind himself as a security for someone else, particularly for a stranger.
“My son, if you have gone surety for your fellow man, if you have given your handshake even to the stranger, if you have been ensnared by the sayings of your mouth, if you have been caught by the sayings of your mouth, take this action then, my son, and deliver yourself, for you have come into the palm of your fellow man: Go humble yourself and storm your fellow man with importunities. Do not give any sleep to your eyes, nor any slumber to your beaming eyes. Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand and like a bird from the hand of the birdcatcher.”—Prov. 6:1-5.
Thus God’s Word emphasizes the dangerous position of one who has allowed himself to be cajoled into going security for another when it is not in behalf of the interests of God’s service. By agreeing to be responsible for the conduct, debts or obligations of another, a person is taking the risk of endangering his own freedom to serve. God, as well as jeopardizing the use of his financial resources in behalf of Jehovah’s service. One who has made such a mutual agreement, as represented by the handshake, should make all speed possible to extricate himself from this entangling snare. He should try to have the arrangement canceled, even if it means pleading with the one for whom he became surety. With all jealousy one should guard his freedom to serve God.
Free to Serve God
Almighty God opened the way for all men to gain freedom from sin and death by providing his Son Jesus as a ransom sacrifice. However, the only way to avail oneself of this merciful provision for salvation is to break free from the entangling restrictions of this present system of things and to devote oneself to God’s service. But how can one make this break for freedom?
Jesus said that “the truth will set you free.” Thus if anyone really wants to be free he must diligently study the Bible in order to gain an accurate knowledge of the truths it contains. But one must also live the truth, putting God’s service first and everything else secondary. A person who does this will never be enslaved to superstition and fear, nor will he be entangled by materialistic interests. He will be free to serve God.
MAMHi
WHEN two thousand Burmese students staged a wild demonstration in July, 1962, during which they wrecked college and dormitory property and burned cars, Burmese troops had to be called to restore order. The painful result was the death of fifteen persons and the wounding of twentyseven. Two months later in neighboring India students sparked a riot in Calcutta. The crowds swelled to thousands and they burned thirteen streetcars. A few days later students clashed with police in East Pakistan in a mass demonstration to protest educational reforms made by the government. During 1962 there were also student riots in Portugal, Spain, Egypt and the United States. The one in the United States was so bad that government troops had to be called to preserve peace in the university town of Oxford, Mississippi.
Why is it that students the world over often march through city streets instead of peacefully studying in their classrooms? What do they hope to gain by creating an uproar? Are their actions planned or are they spontaneous? What should the individual student consider when he sees such demonstrations building up? What is the viewpoint of the Christian student on these matters?
Korean students felt that the govem-ment under Syngman Rhee had become exceedingly corrupt, oppressive, and had
flagrantly rigged the 1960 elections. By the thousands they marched through Korean cities demanding fair elections. A number of police stations were destroyed. Fire hoses were turned on the students, clouds of tear gas swept over them and police guns were fired at them. Casualties were high, with 183 dead and 6,259 injured.
Support from the army finally helped the students to win their objectives. The National Assembly unanimously passed a resolution that called for new elections, a new constitution and Rhee’s resignation. Until order could be reestablished the students ran the police stations and directed traffic. It appeared that their demonstration had been spontaneous, a popular expression of resentment against injustice and corruption in government.
Inspired by the success of the Korean students, Turkish students demonstrated against what they felt was oppressive rule by the Menderes government. For a month they rioted in Istanbul, Ankara and Ismir, despite shootings by the police that wounded and killed a number of them. As the students of Korea demanded the resignalion of Rhee, so Turkish students shouted for Menderes to resign.
The student protests failed to sweep the general public into the demonstrations, but they did pave the way for a take-over of the government by the Turkish armed forces. With lightning swiftness navy, army and air units took possession of all key points without the shedding of blood. The Menderes government was finished.
In Latin-American countries as well, students take a keen interest in political affairs and are quick to make their views public by demonstrations that often become violent. In Colombia in 1957 they contributed to forcing President Pinilla to flee the country.
In recent years a great number of students have been killed in Venezuela because of their violent political activity. When Dictator Marcos Jimenes was overthrown in 1958, students contributed to it. By the thousands they marched through the streets of Caracas. During the ensuing revolt more than three hundred persons were killed and one thousand wounded. In 1960 leftist students put on a five-day antigovernment riot in which fifteen persons were killed.
There have been other apparent reasons aside from politics that have caused students to demonstrate their anger. Latin-American students have gone on strike against professors they disliked, against particular examinations, and against specific policies relating to the universities. Students in Chile rioted in 1957 because bus fares were raised. They attacked government buildings and burned automobiles. Forty to seventy persons were killed and hundreds were wounded. In the same year Brazilian students rioted for several days in Rio de Janeiro to protest an increase in streetcar fares.
The reason given fra the 1962 riots in Burma was that the students considered dormitory regulations to be oppressive. Ih India the student riot was started after fe college student was turned over to the police when he was discovered in the wrong section of a train with a third-class ticket. The riot that occurred at Oxford, Mississippi, in the United States, erupted when efforts were made to enroll a colored man in the white university there. In Portugal the student demonstrations were touched off by a ban placed on student celebrations.
Japanese students put on a wild demonstration in 1960 to protest against Japan and the United States renewing a mutual defense treaty. They fought the police with sticks and stones and set fire to seventeen police trucks. Tokyo’s hospitals treated 270 students and 600 policemen for injuries.
Points to Ponder
Without doubt in many instances there have been gross injustices that have motivated students to riot. Their actions appeared to be justified. However, it would be dangerous to conclude that all student uprisings are of such a nature. There are other elements involved that the student would do well to consider before getting enmeshed in the mobs.
Where the demonstration is spontaneous, as many seem to be, does the average student who finds himself involved know all the facts concerning the issue? How many who are spectators, or merely curious, and get swept along with the crowd have had time to make a calm analysis of the situation? Would there be time to ask one of those participating about the background and intentions of the group? There is little likelihood of getting all the answers to these questions when a mob is already on the move. While the demonstration may appear justified on the surface, it might be otherwise if all the facts were known. Where emotion has begun to run riot, it is difficult to obtain rational answers to one’s inquiries.
Another very serious danger is that Of getting swept up into a student demonstration that seems innocent enough on the surface, whose motives appear to be honest and justified, but which demonstration is being manipulated and used by radical, Communist or other elements whose motives are not at all pure. By succumbing to the mob fever, which is so easily aroused in any mass demonstration, students can unwittingly become the tools of right-wing or left-wing radicals who do not embrace their ideals. Unknowingly, these sincere students will actually assist such radical elements to destroy an established government and to pave the way for a government that is fashioned according to the warped views of those extremists. In the Japanese riots a left-wing student organization, called Zengakuren, was the core of the demonstration that soon involved many more people than just this leftist element.
Another very serious aspect for the student to consider is that frequently these demonstrations lead to something the student had not anticipated when he first went along with the group. What was intended to be a peaceful demonstration can quickly turn into a disaster. Harsh words can turn into shoves, followed by fists, which could lead to retaliation by bullets. Ail of a sudden a student can find himself in a street where blood is being spilled, when that may have been the farthest thing from his mind when he started.
Consider, too, the results. While it is true that student demonstrations have, at times, stimulated military men to overthrow oppressive rulers, they have often failed to achieve student objectives. This was the case in Hungary, where over two thousand persons lost their lives in what reportedly started out to be a peaceful demonstration by students. Even when a bad government is overthrown, the students cannot be certain that the new government will be an improvement. The injustices and oppressions to which they objected can, in time, return and even intensify. Did the Bosnian student who lit the fuse to World War I improve the situation for his cause? To the contrary, it eventually resulted in the loss of millions of the flower of humankind.
Consider Youthful Immaturity
The immaturity of the students must be considered also. This immaturity is clearly evident in their readiness to demonstrate wildly against such things as a raise in bus fares, new dormitory regulations, examinations, governmental decisions, and so forth. Resorting to public disorder as a way to make known their displeasure or their opinions is not the course of mature thinking. Such impetuousness causes needless injuries, property damage and deaths. The death of just one student is a very expensive price to pay for protesting a raise in bus fares. When students want to make known their views on a matter that concerns them, they can do it in a peaceful and mature manner rather than resorting to the emotional display of an unreasoning mob.
Mob action is the path of anarchy and not the path of law and order. It is not the way for students to learn how to be law-abiding citizens who have respect for the property and rights of others. When they surge through a city as an emotional mob, setting streetcars ablaze, overturning police cars and destroying public buildings, they are injuring the common people, whose tax money paid for such things. When they destroy private property, they harm innocent people. Such vandalism puts them in the class of undisciplined delinquents.
Hiis latter point is to be taken into consideration. Not all student mobs have as their foundation a righteous or just cause. Some of these riots are only expressions of youthful rebellion against any established authority. It is part of youth’s rebellion in many parts of the world against parent, school and government. This can be seen in the fact that the greatest increase in the crime rates of most countries is among those under the age of twenty-one. Yes, many riots find their roots in unrighteous hatred for minorities, disrespect for established authorities and a youthful rebellious spirit against the world.
The Christian Student's View
The hazards of indulging with others in student riots are, therefore, far greater than any immediate benefits to be derived. Many students, after participating in such riots, have apologized and expressed their dismay at having been caught up and used in something they had not anticipated. How, then, will the Christian student view these matters?
The Christian student will acknowledge that there are many injustices in the world. However, he will also acknowledge that it is impossible for him to make a wrong world right. He will realize, as the Bible writer John said, that "the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19) He knows, as the apostle Paul showed, that Satan is the “god of this system of things.” (2 Cor. 4:4) He also knows that this system of things will not change for the better, for “wicked men and impostors will advance from bad to worse, misleading and being misled.”—2 Tim. 3: 13.
The Christian student will appreciate, therefore, that not riots, but God’s kingdom will bring about the permanent remedy for unjust conditions that arouse the indignation of the student. God promises that “the world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.” (1 John 2:17) So the Christian student will look forward eagerly to God’s new world, where the causes for such riots will be a thing of the past, never to be experienced again.
No, demonstrations are not for students that profess to be Christians. Lawless rioting is not the way of Christianity. It is not the way to “seek peace and pursue it,” as the Scriptures instruct. It is just as wrong for students to try to force their will upon their superiors by acts of violence as it is for children to try to force their will upon their parents by flying into tantrums. As Christian children obediently subject themselves to their parents, so Christian students should subject themselves to worldly authorities who exercise rule over them. When the Christian student sees a mob developing, he will get off the street as quickly as possible, avoiding the temptation to see what is happening, as he may quickly be sucked into the demonstration.—1 Pet. 3:11; 2:13, 14; Rom. 13:1, 2; Prov. 26:17.
With firm faith in God’s promises to bring justice, peace and righteous rule to mankind by means of his kingdom, Christians need never be numbered among the angry students who go on the march.
IN THE 1870’s French novelist Jules
Verne sent Phileas Fogg around the world in eighty hectic days, that fictional traveler pushing on by steamship, train, elephant and sled. In 1963 you can travel around the world by jet aircraft and see a great deal in far less than eighty days. Many travelers take five or six weeks. But sixty or eighty days does afford one a better opportunity to benefit from a costly around* the-world trip. If you were making such a trip, what countries would you visit?
Much would depend on the time you had available; in any event you would need to be very selective, both as to countries and as to what you would see in the countries. You would need to consider your special interests. Do you prefer scenery? Are you interested in works of art? Are you interested in historic sites? Or is your interest religion and the Bible?
Supposing you are specially interested in religion and the Bible, what would you see as you go around the world and what would you learn as you talk with people?
If we start our tour from New York city, we will learn about the so-called religious revival in the United States; and we can see many fashionable churches that are likely to be overflowing on Sunday morning. At many New York hotels we can see on display a variety of church programs, resembling theater programs, outlining the church events of the week. The Sunday program itself may require a page and a half; there will be notes as to what time and day the “Business and Professional Women’s Club” meets, as well as the youth group and other clubs. The program may give you the impression that churches in America are more like social clubs than places to learn about the Bible. Despite overflowing churches, you will likely hear comments, many from the clergy themselves, about the shallowness of the religious revival and the grip materialism has on the people.
Religion in Europe
From New York you can jet your way to London, England. After beholding overflowing churches in the United States, you may be surprised at the churches in England, because of the virtual emptiness of most of them. Though every inhabitant of England, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, is assumed to be a member of the Church of England, members will tell you that less than 13 percent of adults go to church. Some say it is less than 10 percent. You will notice, then, a general apathy in the field of religion, despite imposing cathedrals, such as St. Paul’s.
Before leaving England you will likely go to the British Museum, where you can see the famed Alexandrine and Sinaitic Bible manuscripts. You can also see a clay cylinder mentioning Belshazzar, a king that critics of the Bible for many years said was a myth. (Dan. 5:1) There is also part of one of the sculptured pillars that once belonged to the ancient wonder of the world, the temple of Artemis, mentioned in the Bible. (Acts 19:23-28) Many oth-
er uungs nere will also interest Bible students.3
From England we will go to Paris, France. Here you will note that the Catholic church is dominant and is represented by such cathedrals as Notre Dame. Here, as in other Catholic churches, you do not notice worshipers with Bible in hands; jn fact, if you talk with the people of France you will get the view that the Bible is a Protestant book, something of which to beware; hence most of the French people do not accept the Bible as the Authority for Christians. You will learn also that the great majority of people are nominally Catholic, but that in the big cities only about one-tenth of the population go to church.
Taking a side trip to Scandinavia, we could go to Denmark. Here you may be shocked to observe that, though 97 percent of the people are affiliated with the Church of Denmark (Lutheran), less than 3 percent attend church, and these are not regular. Talking with Danes, you will realize that in general they do not regard the Bible seriously. Going on to Stockholm, Sweden, you will find a similar situation. You will notice that the vast masses of people have forsaken the Lutheran State Church, attending only during great festivals. The Swedes, too, are not very religious, the church having failed to meet the challenge of materialism and to turn the people to God.
Traveling south to West Germany, we find two large religious systems, the Evangelical (Protestant) and the Catholic, over 96 percent of the people belonging to one or the other group. In Bavaria there is a larger Catholic population; Munich, for instance, is 80 percent Catholic, that Bavarian city being named for the monks who founded it during the Middle Ages. Munich may remind you of Hitler’s beer hall putsch and that the Nazi party was formed in Germany’s most Catholic state, Bavaria.
Realizing that it was in Germany that the Reformation got its start when Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five points of protest to the door of the Palace Church in Wittenberg, you may wonder, Where is the spirit of the Reformation today? For you will note that thousands of Protestants are virtually atheists, that people say fewer are attending church now than in the days of Hitler. You will learn that only about 5 percent of the people are regular churchgoers. If you ask why, you may be told that it is not just Germany—in Europe generally this is not an “age of faith.”
From Germany we will travel to Rome, Italy. Here we can visit some of the catacombs, the Colosseum where Christians were thrown to the lions, the Roman Forum and the Arch of Titus. On this arch is a large panel depicting a triumphal procession of Roman soldiers. carrying, off the table of showbread, trumpets and the seven-branched lampstand from the temple in Jerusalem—especially interesting to us because it is the earliest representation in existence and the most authentic example of the seven-branched lampstand.
Also of interest is a visit to the Vatican, St. Peter’s Square and the Basilica. At the Vatican Museum one can see a page of the famous Vatican Manuscript No. 1209, as well as a copy of the famed Gutenberg Bible.
Looking at religion today in Italy, you wifi find this land, though overwhelmingly Catholic, in a state of general religious apathy. You will learn that few support the Church wholeheartedly; the vast majority go to church only occasionally. You will observe many priests and nuns, sometimes seeing them go from house to house, not with Bible in hand, to teach it, but to collect money. You may be surprised to learn that many Italians have never seen the inside of a Bible, and that more than one-third of Italian voters have sided with anti-Catholic communistic elements, despite threats of excommunication by priests.
As you are ready to board the plane to Greece, you will probably leave Italy with the conviction that, whether in northern or Latin-European countries, regular churchgoing does not appeal to the majority.
Arriving in Athens, you will soon see the Greek Orthodox priests, with bushy beards, long black robes with flowing sleeves and cloth hats with brim on top. Looking at the churches, the worshipers, the way they cross themselves and use images, you will probably And it difficult to tell much difference between Greek Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism. Few houses, you will note, are without icons or religious images; and the buses of Athens are not without their protective “holy" medal.
While in Athens, you will be interested in the place where the apostle Paul gave his speech before the Athenian Supreme Court about the futility of worshiping images, “something sculptured by the art and contrivance of man.” (Acts 17:29) So we will visit the Areopagus (Mars Hill), the little hill at the foot of the great Acropolis. Crowning the Acropolis are the remains of the Parthenon, temple to the goddess Athena, the tutelary deity of the ancient city of Athens—just one of many pagan temples Paul saw at Athens.
But if the apostle Paul were to preach in Athens today, the Greek Orthodox clergy would have him thrown into prison or put out of the country, because they do not tolerate any “proselytism.” The Greek Orthodox Church rules, and clergy and police suppress any “proselyting.” Jehovah’s witnesses in Greece will tell you how often they have been imprisoned merely for preaching the good news of God’s kingdom.
The Holy Land
We will make our next stop in Jordan, for it is in Jordan that the larger portion of the old city of Jerusalem is located. Here we will see the city’s most conspicuous landmark, the Mount of Olives, where Jesus spent many hours with his apostles and from where he ascended to heaven. From the top of the Mount of Olives we have a fine view of the Jordan valley and part of the Dead Sea, and quite close, you will notice, is the village of Bethany, where Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived. The Mount of Olives is separated from the plateau of Jerusalem by the deep, narrow cleft of the three-mile-long Kidron Valley, which bounds the east slope of the city. Surrounding Jerusalem on the west and south is the Valley of Hinnom or Gehenna.
Prominent in Jerusalem is the Dome of the Rock, a Moslem shrine, believed to be standing on the site where Abraham was to sacrifice his son and where Solomon built the glorious temple to Jehovah. Yes, you will note that Jordan is predominantly Moslem, about 80 percent of the population professing Mohammedanism or Islam, The Moslem mosques are houses of prayer in which no images are allowed. You may be reminded of Mohammed, who started Islam because he was disturbed by the idolatrous practices of the people about him. You may also be reminded how each Moslem has the duty to make at least one pilgrimage to the sacred city of Mecca, to do religious acts toward the Kaaba stone, including kissing it seven times. You will also learn that Moslem worshipers use a rosary of ninety-nine beads.
Situated by nearly every location of Bible fame are shrines and monasteries, and priests, nuns and monks of many orders are seen almost as frequently as the white-turbaned sheiks of the Moslems. Many persons lament the commercialized atmosphere.
The Christian does well to keep in mind that, according to the findings of archeologists, traditional sites of Calvary and the tomb of Christ’s burial and resurrection, now included inside the "Church of the Holy Sepulcher" deep within the city, were outside the city in Jesus’ day, and hence those generally shown to tourists could not be the true locations. Though Calvary cannot be identified with certainty today, a more likely location is the so-called “Gordon’s Calvary.”* As to any claims that Jesus walked this or that street, and so forth, it is also well to keep in mind that Jerusalem was razed by the Romans A.D. 70. It was largely in ruins even in 130 (A.D.), when the Roman emperor Hadrian visited the city and began its reconstruction.
From Jordan we will stop next at Lebanon, the famed mountain land where King Solomon got the cedars for his temple. Here one can visit the remaining cedars of Lebanon and see the mountains so often mentioned in the Bible, as well as the snowcapped Mount Hermon.
Lebanon is unusual to the visitor because it is an Arab state without Islam as its state religion. About half the people profess Christianity; the other half, Islam. Both the professed Christians and Moslems are divided into many sects; in fact, perhaps few other places are so divided religiously as Lebanon.
Land of Hinduism
On now to India. Those used to seeing cows in a pasture or in a barn may be surprised to see cows walking about the main streets, even sidewalks, of a city in India. You will need to realize that the reason for this is religious, the cow being a sacred animal to the Hindus; and India is about 85 percent Hindu. You will find it interesting to visit one of the Hindu temples.
• The Watchtower, August I, 1948, pp. 236-238.
Stopping at New Delhi, we can visit Birla Temple, where the gods of the Hindus are on display, including the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. You will note on the right side of the main entrance to the temple words written in Sanscrit, Hindi and English: “He who is known as Vishwi [Preserver] is verily Rudra [Destroyer], and he who is Rudra is Brahma [Creator], one entity functioning as three gods.” The visitor will probably reflect how amazingly like the trinity creed of Christendom this is, even in regard to the expressions used in trying to define it. You will also note that this temple is adorned with the swastika, made the symbol of Hitler’s Nazism. If you pick up the temple guidebook you will read under “Swastika”:
“This (Swastika) symbol is most sacred and ancient At least for more than the last 8,000 years, it has been the mark of Aryan (Hindu) civilisation and culture. This symbol signifies ait implied prayer for success, accomplishment and perfection, in every walk of life, under the guidance of the Almighty. It is found not only in India, but in the Buddhist and other foreign countries."
At the Hindu temple you will see temple worshipers fold their hands in prayer and bow to images just as Roman Catholics do before their images in their churches.
The Buddhist Lands
Our next stop is Rangoon, Burma. Here you behold the huge Golden Pagoda that rises above the city, reminding you that Buddhism is the religion of about 85 percent of Burma’s people. The temple’s huge golden spire rises 326 feet into the air, the glittering crown being studded with precious stones valued at a half million dollars or more. It is the highest Buddhist shrine in the world, and it is visited annually by thousands of pilgrims.
In Bangkok, Thailand, we also note that Buddhism permeates almost every phase of activity in the country. Here you see many huge walled enclosures called wats, which contain the Buddhist temples and dormitories of the student priests. Families will make journeys requiring several days' travel to pray at the famed wats, such as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Just as hundreds of Buddhist temples dominate Bangkok’s skyline, so do hundreds of saffron-robed Buddhist priests dominate its streets.
We stop next at Hong Kong, where Buddhism is the religion of the majority of the vast Chinese population. We hear now and then the banging of ceremonial firecrackers, for this is the method the Chinese have long used to placate their gods. At the door of most homes incense sticks are burning; but if you talk with these Buddhists it is most unlikely that they will be able to explain the teachings of their religion.
In South Korea and in Japan we see more of Buddhism, but in Japan we also find Shinto. You will observe that many Japanese adhere to more than one religion. Many pray before their household Shinto shrine and also before their family Buddhist altar. Services at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, many Japanese admit, are, regarded as routine functions rather than as expressions of real faith.
At Nara, Japan, we visit a Buddhist temple with a colossal image of Buddha. Its right hand is raised in an attitude of blessing, much as the Catholic pope raises his hand in blessing his flock. Visiting Kyoto, we come to the chief seat of Buddhism in Japan. In the hall of Kwannon, you see the “goddess of mercy,” with 1,001 images of the same goddess; there are also huge replicas of the 108-bead rosary used by the Buddhists (who borrowed the rosary from the Hindus). As you board the plane for Hawaii and then back to the mainland United States, where this world tour started, you may well reflect that Buddhist temples and shrines bear a great resemblance to Roman Catholic places of worship. They are equipped with altar, sacred images, candles, bells, rosaries and incense.
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE Religion in the Modern World, The Population “Explosion/* Uncle Sam’s Skyrocketing Budget. Marvel of the Living Cell,
Your trip around the world will have impressed you, then, with the many similarities between religion in both Christendom and in heathendom—there being widespread apathy, ignorance of one’s religion, lack of faith and use of images and idols. You will understand better why it is written of the apostle Paul, when he visited ancient Athens, that “his spirit within him came to be irritated at beholding that the city was full of idols.”—Acts 17:16.
Not many, of course, can make such an enlightening world trip; but during 1963 several hundred Christians will go around the world, doing so as delegates to the around-the-world convention of Jehovah’s witnesses. They will make this trip with their main interests always in mind, God's Word, the Bible, and the true religion based upon it. The delegates on this world convention tour will benefit not just themselves, but they will also make time to call on the homes of local people, to tell them, whether Hindu, Buddhist, Shinto or nominally Christian, of God’s kingdom. This series of conventions begins in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 3Q~July 7, then to Yankee Stadium, New York, and on around the world, ending in Pasadena, California, September 1-8.
A visit to many countries, thus viewed from one’s special interest, can be a rewarding experience, a source of lasting benefit for the traveler and to all who hear about his trip around the world.
iitriHE menace 1 of crime has grown so critical, increasing as it does, year after year, , . . that experi
CRIME PREVENTION
By Awake Correspondent
States, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation said: “The massive avalanche of crime sweeping
enced law-enforcement officers in the say that, unless something occurs to arrest this process, the .
day will come when we will Bnuippine have to resort to some means
outside the normal instruments of the law to protect ourselves.”
This startling observation, made by a prominent lawyer, was not of some primitive, savage, uncultured society, but of one of the most advanced countries in the world!
True, crime is not a new contribution to the tragic history of fallen men. But that the criminal inclination of men’s minds has become so prevalent in this period of time is cause for serious reflection. From all continents and nations the story is the same—a shocking increase in lawlessness and a sickening disregard for established authority.
A report in Science News Letter states: “Crime has increased beyond expected proportions in the underdeveloped countries of the Middle East, the Far East, Asia, South Africa and parts of Latin America.” An earlier issue of the same publication said: “Soviet Russia’s crime rate has been ri^ng f'mce World War II.” Of the United
our nation is a shocking disgrace and a broad indictment , of the American people.” US, Islands News and World Report declared: “It requires no great effort to establish that disrespect for law is widespread, is alarming, and is steadily growing worse. Crime is up, all over the nation ... It is increasing five times the rate of increase in the population.” In Canada the Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police stated: “Crime has been with us since Cain and Abel, but today we are seeing its expression in forms of violence and seemingly wanton cruelty that are shocking even to policemen like myself.”
In almost every country persons below twenty-one years of age make up an unusually large proportion of those committing crimes. The Scottish Daily Express recently stated: “Of all the boys in England and Wales who are now 14 years, no less than one in five will be convicted before they are 21 of one or more of the crimes of theft, sex offences, disorder, violence, and drink.” In all countries mature observers are becoming increasingly alarmed at this accelerating rate of criminal activity among the young.
It has been said that the main reason for the rise in crime is the existence of economic insecurity and outright poverty. But that does not appear to be the entire answer. Bearing this out are the lower crime rates found in some rural areas of the Philippine Islands, where many families are compelled to subsist on two meals a day, eating rice and fish. Yet, the incidence of criminal acts is much lower than in other areas of the Philippines where there is an abundance. At best, poverty is only a contributing factor.
Why is it that crime is comparatively low in some of these rural Philippine areas? Are there more police forces there? On the contrary, there are fewer. Are there bigger and better social agencies in these less developed areas? On the contrary, there are none. What, then, is the advantage?
Life Patterns Significant
With the end of World War II life in the Philippine barrio, or village community, resumed old patterns. Close family ties were reestablished. The father once again took his young sons in tow and began teaching them the family occupation. The father takes time to explain things to the boys, telling them stories of his own childhood, stories related to the work at hand, the community in which they live, stories about relatives living in other provinces or lands. Christian fathers never fail to include Bible accounts of creation, Noah and the flood, David, Jesus and the activities of Christians past, present and future.
The mother does her share in keeping the family unit solid and happy. She teaches her daughters cooking, sewing, weaving, gardening, housecleaning and how to take care of the younger children. In a land where the average family numbers six children, respect for parents and older brothers and sisters is essential for orderliness and is inculcated early in life.
One factor that is a significant part of peaceable rural family life is that material rewards for work done by the children are few and far between. Children are taught to do things for the sake of the work itself and for what is accomplished and not because they will be paid for it. Most often the reward is a kind word of appreciation, a commendation for a job well done, or a warm, affectionate hug.
In the evenings the father and his sons return from the fields or the workshop, the schoolchildren are home and the family enjoys its evening reunion. There are no television sets with banging guns, slamming bodies and twisted minds, but there is wholesome family association.
This does not mean that the barrio is free of problems. It has its share. But crime does not usually reach the proportions of other areas. However, in the last few years a certain uneasiness has begun to settle over the provinces. Visiting friends and relatives from the cities display the material comforts they possess and create the impression that their barrio cousins are missing out on life. This has caused some frustration and drinking in excess.
It is true that there are greater job opportunities in the city. But here the close family unity of the provinces is frequently broken when mother, father, sister and brother all have jobs in different fields of work at different places. In the place of the spirit of cooperation prevalent in the provinces, the spirit of competition comes to the fore. The desire to make a name for oneself often becomes an obsession and gives birth to corrupt activities and vio-fence. The same has been found true In Africa, the Middle East, South America and other parts of Asia. Natives who migrate to newly industrialized areas become rootless and confused without the security of the close-knit family arrangement.
Parental Responsibility
While parents cannot bear all the responsibility for the delinquency of young ones, it is agreed by almost all authorities in the field that parental control is at the root of the problem. Not that the parents are necessarily criminals themselves, but it is their attitude toward their young that permits the growth of tendencies that explode in criminal acts later on.
An example of this was seen recently when a score of American youngsters wrecked the interior of an apartment in a lodging house during the course of an allnight party. The owner of the property sent fetters to twenty et the yreaents involved asking them to come and see for themselves the extent of the damage. Only three parents responded! A newspaper reporting the incident said: “The other 17 just did not care what their sons or daughters had done. . . ; The most shocking thing uncovered by this shameful incident is not the senseless damage done to the apartment or the larceny for which two boys were convicted; it is the evidence of a lack of concern and responsibility on the part of such a large group of parents. Is there any doubt about where some of the kids learn their contempt for authority and for the rights of others?”
Where parental control is properly exercised, delinquency is effectively checked. The experience of the Philippine barrio is one example. Another is the absence of juvenile crime in many Chinese communities in the Western world, where children of Chinese parents are taught respect for their elders.
No Substitute for Right Example
In ancient Israel juvenile delinquency was kept to a minimum, and never did it appear as a major social problem. There must be a reason for this. Bible history shows that close family life and fellowship between parents and children were major factors in keeping delinquency down. Children were taught their parents’ occupations and were in the company of the parents as they learned. In this way David learned the art of shepherding and was skilled at it when only ten years old.
Close, constant fellowship is implied when the Israelites were told: “These words I am commanding you today must prove to be on your heart; and you must inculcate them in your son and speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deut. 6:6, 7) Here it is seen that parents were to teach vV'A\4^TiiW'eicfer¥rsieri'tniti1jVca-n. No limitation as to time or place was put on this instruction. Respect for God and for the sanctity of the home was instilled early with love and discipline.—Prov. 13: 24;29:15.
In the days of ancient Israel, parents were governed by righteous laws of God. Their love and appreciation for God and his laws transcended even the closest family ties. Their first loyalty was to God, and they strongly felt the responsibility for maintaining the peace and orderliness of the community in which they lived. Parents did not try to cover over the sins of their children and thus encourage delinquency. Instead, if the children were incorrigible, the parents reported them to the city elders and suitable justice was administered.
Of course, this system depended on the parents’ living wholesome, upright and unspotted lives themselves. The very fact that parents reported their own offspring to the authorities underscores their sense of righteousness, responsibility and indignation at lawlessness.
It is noteworthy, however, that when the Israelites left off serving God and began practicing what God condemned, their children followed right along and even surpassed their own parents in wickedness. “They acted worse than their forefathers!” —Jer. 7:26.
What Is Needed
Love, discipline and a sense of responsibility are the missing ingredients. Mutual family interests should dominate the lives of both parents and children, if not at secular work, then in periods when work and school are over for the day or week.
Honest parents will examine themselves and their own course of conduct. It does no good for father to speak in abusive and foul language and tell Junior not to use abusive and foul language. Neither will it mean anything to shout at the child when instructing it about mildness of temper. What will the young one think when you tell him never to lie after he heard the whopper you told the neighbor that morning? “Smoking is not good for you,” said one father to his twelve-year-old son, as a cigarette dangled from father’s lips’ What is needed is love and discipline of the young, true. But what must precede it is self-discipline and a sense of responsibility on the part of the parent.
…