Awake!, July 8, 1965
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How Real Is God to You?
PAGE 5
Christendom's Responsibility for Communism
PAGE 9
A Mother Talks to Her Daughters
PAGE 16
Drilling for Earth's Mineral Resources
PAGE 21
JULY 8, 1965
THE REASON FOR THIS MAGAZINE
News sources that are able to keep you awake to the vital issues of our times be unfettered by censorship and selfish interests. "Awakel" has no fetters. It recog facts, faces facts, is free to publish facts. It is not bound by political ties; it is un pered by traditional creeds. This magazine keeps itself free, that it may speak freely to you. But it does not abuse its freedom. It maintains integrity to truth.
The viewpoint of "Awakel" is not narrow, but is international. "Awakel" has its own correspondents in scares of nations. Its articles are read in many lands, in many languages, by millions of persons.
In every issue "Awake!" presents vital topics on which you should be informed. It features penetrating articles on social conditions and offers sound counsel for meeting the problems of everyday life. Current news from every continent passes in quick review. Attention is focused on activities in the fields of government and commerce about which you should know. Straightforward discussions of religious issues alert you to matters of vital concern. Customs and people in many lands, the marvels of creation, practical sciences and points of human interest are all embraced in its coverage. "Awake!" provides wholesome, instructive reading for every member of the family.
"Awakel" 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 God's righteous new order in this generation.
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CONTENTS
They Kept a Gun in the House 3
How Real Is God to You? 5
Symbolism of the Great Seal 8
Christendom's Responsibility for
Communism 9
They Were Following Too Close 13
Socrates' Spiritistic Guidance 14
Billions of Birds 15
A Mother Talks to Her Daughters 16
The Family Group—a Divine
Arrangement 19
Incense—a Sweet Odor of Antiquity 20
Drilling for Earth's Mineral Resources 21
The Marvel of Ice 25
Dedication Day in Amsterdam 26
"Your Word Is Truth"
The Bible and Ancient Writing
Watching the World
THEY KEPT A
GUN IN THE
HOUSE
WHEN a person sees reports of robbery, rape and assault every time he picks up a newspaper, it causes him to think: Would it be wise to keep a gun in the house? Not
just a few persons have reasoned that they might be safer with a weapon around. So in the glove compartment of their car, in a desk drawer or at their bedside they keep a gun handy. Gun dealers have reportedly been doing a thriving business.
Hundreds of thousands of cast-off weapons of foreign armies have been dumped on the United States market, and through magazine advertisements and other channels there has been a great deal of encouragement to purchase these firearms. It is argued that citizens should have a weapon for protection. In fact, one publication urged: "If you are EVER going to buy a gun BUY IT NOW."
Is this good encouragement? Should one obtain a gun for protection? Many persons are undecided. Others, who have kept a gun in the house, wish with all their heart that they had not.
For instance, a family in New York City. They kept a .22-caliber rifle in the bedroom closet. One day their four-year-old
boy found it, playfully pointed it at his five-year-old sister and pulled the trigger. In an instant the family was robbed of one of its beloved members. How they wish that they had not kept
a gun in the house?
Another family, in Culver, Indiana, kept a 16-gauge shotgun behind the television set. One day their four-year-old son picked it up and shot his six-month-old sister to death, almost decapitating her. A few weeks later a six-year-old girl in Little Silver, New Jersey, found an automatic pistol in her parents' bedroom. Her nine-year-old sister came in and took the gun away from her, but, while doing so, somehow the trigger was pulled and the six-year-old girl fell back on the bed, shot in the forehead.
In another instance, the children of a family living in a South American country were at home playing with toy guns. The ten-year-old daughter decided that it would be more fun to play with a real gun, so she climbed up and got her father's pistol. Playfully she aimed it and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened until she pointed it at a friend of the family who was baby-sitting. The bullet ripped through the woman's skull, killing her almost instantly.
What a tragedy! If only the parents had not kept the gun in the house!
In New York City two youngsters would probably still be alive today if guns had not been kept around. An eighteen-year-old Brooklyn youth was shot dead when the pistol his friend was holding discharged accidentally. And just two months later, an eleven-year-old boy on the lower East Side of New York was fatally wounded in the head when a .22-caliber pistol he was examining went off. In both instances the youths were visiting the homes of friends who illegally kept guns in the house. Although the deaths were accidental, both of these persons were booked by the police.
On May 23, 1965, a sixty-four-year-old man traveled from Baltimore to Brooklyn to visit his daughter and six grandchildren. He loved them all, but his favorite was alert, five-year-old George. While unpacking, grandpa teased George about the gift in his bag. But since the valise contained a loaded .38-caliber pistol kept for protection, grandpa first placed it in a dresser. Unknown to the laughing pair, George's elght-year-old sister picked up the weapon. Somehow it fired. The bullet hit George in the back of the head, killing him instantly—before he had even received grandpa's gift.
It must certainly be a horrible memory to live with—to know that one has killed a sister, a brother or some close friend. Even for one who did not finger the trigger, but only kept the gun available for use, the responsibility for the death of another must weigh heavily upon one's mind.
victims being less than fourteen years of age. In addition, more than 4,000 persons are murdered with firearms and 11,000 commit suicide with them. Unquestionably the increasing availability of guns is a factor in their taking 17,000 lives a year.
Not just a few persons find themselves with such feelings of remorse, for the above are not isolated cases. In the United States alone about 2,000 persons are killed in gun accidents annually, some 500 of the
Surely not all weapons are kept for use against fellow humans; many are used to hunt or to slaughter animals. While it is not wrong to keep a gun for these purposes, one should never forget that guns are dangerous.
But what about keeping a gun in the house for protection? Last fall a Life magazine writer considered the matter and wrote: "I am a lightweight 5-foot-3 and no good at self-defense, but then and now I would not have a gun in the house. My reason is simple: guns kill people, and none of us is quite so civilized as he or she might wish. . . . Human emotions are murky and indefinite. And a gun is a very definite instrument."
Should an armed thief break into your house, what would you do with a gun? Would you endeavor to shoot it out with someone who is probably more trained in the use of firearms than you? Are possessions more valuable than life? Is one really safer with a deadly weapon on such occasions? What is meant for protection can easily become an instrument of destruction. It has often happened. This should cause any person who is considering the purchase of a gun to think soberly.
In the case of a Christian, he will also want to ask himself, Is reliance upon a gun for protection in harmony with the Bible principle at Isaiah 2:4, which says: "They will have to beat their swords into plow-shares and their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war any more"? One who is really pursuing peace does not equip himself for war.
For example, for not a few persons God does not seem real because the Bible teaches that he is "the King of Eternity," that is, without beginning and without end. They simply cannot grasp how this could be. But it should not be difficult to accept this fact. Why not? Because there are other things we must accept without being able to comprehend them. Such as?—1 Tim. 1:17.
Such as the fact that time is infinite. Time never had a beginning and will never have an end. Can we comprehend how this can be? Experience would tell us that everything must have a beginning. But not time. Likewise with space. It has no end; yet we cannot fathom how this can be. So we must admit that our minds are finite, limited, and that there are things that are not so limited, that are infinite. If we can accept the fact that time and space are limitless, it should not be difficult to accept the fact that the great First Cause, the Supreme Being, the Original Source of life, Jehovah God, is limitless, infinite as to time. Well did the prophet Moses, in his old age, say: "O Jehovah, . . . before the mountains themselves were born, . . . even from time indefinite to time indefinite you are God."—Ps. 90:1, 2.
Doubts of Scientists
Another reason why God is not very real to many persons is that the doubts that many scientists have as to God and as to the Bible's being a divine revelation have been widely publicized. Those scientists who doubt God and the Bible are frequently more vocal and get much more publicity than do those who do believe. Their statements are viewed as more sensational, and so are more readily picked up as news. But a poll of British scientists taken in the 1930's revealed that the percentage of scientists that believed in God was about the same as for the population
of Britain in general. A poll about the same time regarding American scientists revealed a similar picture.
Interestingly a University of Pennsylvania professor once stated: "Most scientists do not accept miracles because they are not Christians. But the thoughtful scientist would not say that miracles are impossible, but only that they are improbable. Most scientists are not Christians, but not because they are scientists. Most businessmen or reporters are not Christians; in fact, most people are not Christians."* All of which might be said simply to underscore the Bible's statement that "faith is not a possession of all people."—2 Thess. 3:2.
Reason it out for yourself. Is it not far more logical to believe that there is a Creator that always existed and that brought everything into existence than to believe that the universe brought itself into existence from nothing and that, without any guiding intelligence, it produced the marvelous results visible all about us, not only to the naked eye but also by means of the great telescopes and the high-powered microscopes? Must not every effect have a competent cause? The material universe is an "effect," and therefore it must have a cause able to produce it. It therefore mutely testifies to God and his attributes, even as his Word reminds us: "His invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world's creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship, so that they are inexcusable" who would deny that God exists. If we reflect on these reasons, facts and scriptures, it will help to make God real to us.—Rom. 1:20.
That is why today in the United States there is a society of scientists whose very objective is to accord the facts of modern science with the literal contents of the Bible.
Its members subscribe to the statement: "I believe the whole Bible as originally given to be the inspired work of God, the unerring guide of faith and conduct. Since God is the Author of this Book, as well as the Creator and Sustainer of the physical world about us, I cannot conceive of discrepancies between statements in the Bible and the real facts of science. Accordingly, trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, my Savior, for strength, I pledge myself as a member of this organization to the furtherance of its task." This society is known as "The American Scientific Affiliation." And even critics of this organization grant that its membership includes "highly competent and sophisticated scientists."—Religious Beliefs of American Scientists, by Long (1951).
The Existence of Evil
Then again, God is not real to many persons because they cannot harmonize what the Bible tells about God's being almighty and love with the misery, the evil, the injustices they see in the world. This apparent contradiction is capitalized on by all who do not want to believe in God and the Bible. In fact, for millenniums it has been the favorite argument of the agnostic and other unbelievers: 'Either God is not interested in man and so does not care that man suffers or he cares but is unable to do anything about it. In either case he thereby deprives himself of his right to my worship.' The trouble with all such persons is that in their reasoning and in their search in the Bible they stop short of what is needed to arrive at the truth. For reason would indicate that there could be such a thing as this evil's being temporary, that God the Creator might have some compelling reasons for permitting this sorry state of affairs and that after his purpose had been served by permitting it he
would put an end to it. And had these men investigated further in God's Word, they would have learned not only that this is indeed the case but also that very soon now God will bring an end to evil upon earth.
Why has God permitted evil? Because of the challenge to his universal sovereignty issued by one of his creatures, which challenge involved man's integrity, namely, Could God have men on earth that would remain loyal to him regardless of all the pressure that could be brought upon them by way of suffering or temptation? Was Jehovah God the Universal Sovereign only because he bribed men to serve him, or did his creatures recognize that right in itself regardless of how they themselves might fare? This issue is made clear in the Bible book of Job, which also shows that God was able to have a man of faith upon the earth in spite of all that the Devil could do to turn him away from God, thereby proving the Devil's boast or challenge a lie.—See Job, chapters 1, 2 and 42.
The fulfillment of Bible prophecy further shows that soon God's time for permitting evil will be up and that he will bring an end to it. Thereafter the prophecy will be fulfilled: "He will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be any more. The former things have passed away." Then there will not be any agnostics questioning God's existence because, of evil, for there will be no evil. But even now God is very real to all who see these things by reason of faith.—Rev. 21:4; Heb. 11:27.
God versus Materialism
Perhaps as strong a reason as any other why God is not real to many is that they crowd spirituality out of their lives by their pursuit of materialism. Since your time, your strength and your means are limited, it must follow that if you set your heart on materialistic values your belief in God will suffer.
It is indeed of interest that this widespread tendency was recognized by the noted plane designer Igor Sikorsky. In fact, so much so that he wrote a book on the subject, The Invisible Encounter, which he subtitled "A Plea for Spiritual Rather than Material Power as the Great Need of Our Day." Yes, how can God be real to you if you crowd Him out of your thinking and your affections by the pursuit of material possessions, worldly honor and pleasures of the senses?
Well did Jesus, the Great Teacher, state, in quoting from the prophet Moses: "Man must live, not on bread alone, but on every utterance coming forth through Jehovah's mouth." And as Jesus further noted: "What benefit will it be to a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his soul? or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? or life? Human experience bears out the accuracy of the observation of the apostle Paul that "those who are determined to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many senseless and hurtful
desires, which plunge men into destruction and ruin. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of injurious things." Not that there is anything wrong with money or even with having much of it. What is wrong is the love of money, the greedy pursuit of money or the things money can buy. Just as two coins placed right in front of the eyes can hide the sun as well as all light from view, so keeping one's eyes greedily fixed on material things blinds one to the reality of God.—Matt. 4:4; 16:26; 1 Tim. 6:9, 10.
If you would have God be real to you, you must be willing to buy out time and energy ordinarily spent in materialistic pursuits to ascertain the reasons, facts and scriptures that tell about God, his purposes and his will for you, even as you have done in reading this article to its conclusion. By pursuing such a course you will be showing yourself to be truly wise. How so? Because it is written: "This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ."—John 17:3.
Symbolism of the Great Seal
On the back side of the United States one dollar bill there are shown both sides of the country's Great Seal. On the seal's front side is an American eagle holding in one talon an olive branch and in the other talon a bundle of thirteen arrows. This denotes the power of peace and war vested in Congress. In the eagle's beak is a scroll inscribed with a motto that also appears on United States' coins. E Pirusbus Unum, meaning "Out of Many, One." The seal's reverse side shows a pyramid with an eye at its zenith surrounded with a burst of light. The pyramid is intended to signify strength and duration, whereas the eye is intended to refer to the eternal eye of God. Above the eye is a Latin motto "Annuitt
Coepitis," which means "He [God] Has Prospered (or Smiled On) Our Undertakings." On the base of the pyramid is the date, in Roman numerals, 1776, and below the pyramid appears a scroll with the motto Novus Ordo Sectorum, meaning "A New Order of the Ages." Since that "New Order" was established in 1776, there have been many other political new orders set up by political leaders in other parts of the earth. But it is to God himself that men must look for a new system of things that will unite all mankind under the righteous rulership of Jesus Christ, the Son of God himself. That righteous government will not be one set up by men, because it is the "kingdom of God."
SPRINGING into world prominence in just a few decades, communism has become a world force that Western nations view with grave concern, fearing it as a threat to their freedom. Exceptional skill in the international game of power politics has been shown by Communist countries despite their comparatively short existence. How atheistic communism could spring to such prominence in this twentieth century, especially in nations that have professed Christianity, has been a cause for puzzlement by many Western observers. But this is not difficult to understand when the religious history of these nations is examined.
It was in the nineteenth century that Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels collaborated to produce the theoretical foundations for communism. Marx denounced religion as "the opium of the people" and singled it out as one of the major obstacles to the attainment of the revolutionary goal. Others built upon the foundations laid by these men, producing the forms of Communist ideology that exist today. But the seeds of communistic thought could never have grown to produce what we see today if the soil had not been made fertile for them well in advance.
Preparing for Communism
The preparation of Russia for communism began back in the tenth century when Vladimir I embraced the Eastern Catholic faith, which at that time had its headquarters in Constantinople. In the eleventh century the church was split into Eastern and Western churches, Russia staying with the
Eastern or Orthodox Church. At the command of Vladimir, the Russian people were compelled to be baptized as Catholics. For centuries thereafter the Russian Orthodox Church served the interests of the ruling class in Russia and oppressed the common people. The book The World's Great Religions, published by Life magazine, observed: "The Orthodox Church historically has been a tool of government. . . Peter the Great even abolished the Moscow patriarchate to make the czar head of the church."
Without hesitation the Orthodox Church used the armed might of the State to further its ends. Commenting on this, the late N. Berdyaev, an exiled Russian philosopher, wrote in the book The Origin of Russian Communism: "Can the hierarchs justify such anti-Christian 'politics'? Why do they resort to force rather than deeds of love? Why do they disbelieve the strength of God's truth, but believe in the governmental, outward strength? We observe with amazement the union of Church and State in this hateful work. It is this very subservience of the Church to the State that has resulted in the loss of faith on the part of so many people. Our hierarchy habitually trusts in outward force and compulsion, which are the very antithesis of Christianity."
Instead of building up the people's faith in Christianity, the Russian Orthodox Church contributed measurably to its destruction. Its love for the oppressive rich and ruling classes in Russia and its disregard for the needs of the common people made Russia fertile for the growth of atheistic communism.
The now Communist country of Poland was, in the tenth century, a subject of the Holy Roman Empire. Its ruler in 965 C. E., Duke Mieceslav, forced upon his pagan subjects the Roman Catholic religion. Anyone refusing to conform to it was punished severely. For example, those partaking of food during a religious fast were to have their teeth broken. One Roman bishop, in justifying such cruelties, argued "that none but the roughest modes of treatment were suitable to people who were only comparable to cattle. What they were too stubborn to accept graciously, and too dull to perceive spontaneously, must, it was clear, be beaten into them."—Conversion of the Slavs, by F. F. Maclear.
With regard to Hungary, the Magyar historian Verboczy observed: "Hungary became Catholic, not through apostolic teaching, nor through the invitation of the Holy See, but through the laws of King Stephen." That political head of the State followed the practice of the Russian czars by using the power of the State to force the Catholic religion upon the people. After quoting Verboczy, the book History of the Nations, Volume 17, goes on to say: "He was not always content to use persuasion alone to lead his subjects to the new faith; he hesitated not to use threats also."
They swore to break the will of heathens with the sword. The people in this area, consequently, could not regard Christianity as a religion of love, kindness and mercy, because the Church, which claimed to represent it, came to them with the drawn sword, forcing conversion upon them by means of violence.
In the thirteenth century the Roman Catholic religion was extended to the region south and east of the Baltic Sea by an order of knights known as Brothers of the Sword. The members of this order were religious zealots who recognized the Catholic "Virgin" as their special protectress.
In Bulgaria, now part of the Communist bloc of nations, the Orthodox Church was close to the political rulers but oppressive of the people. Conditions became so intolerable that a movement of revolt against the clergy was formed in 1860. Regarding this The Encyclopaedia Britannica, 9th edition, Volume IV, states: "The clergy, appointed by the heads of the church at Constantinople, are deplorably ignorant, and frequently know as little as their flocks of the meaning of the prayers which they read in Greek. Their arbitrary and oppressive dealings excited a strong movement of revolt about 1860, and the bishops were expelled from many towns."
The long and vicious rivalry between the Roman Catholic and Serbian Orthodox Churches in Yugoslavia was especially evident after the armies of Hitler took over that country. With the support of the Nazis, Ante Pavelic was installed as the puppet ruler of Croatia. The Ustasi parliament, which he headed, publicly announced as its official policy the extermination of the [Orthodox] Serbs that remained in Croatia. "Those who escaped murder," says The Encyclopedia Americana, 1956 edition, Volume 29, "were either forcibly evicted from Croatia or forced to embrace the Roman Catholic faith. The unofficial estimate by the government in exile of Serbs killed by the Ustasi reached the appalling figure of 600,000 men, women and children."
The common experience of these many peoples now under Communist rule has been one of suffering and oppression at the hands of the church and her political fa vorites.
Most of these people had been converted by force of arms or political decree, not by intellectual persuasion. This was not the example set by the apostles of Christ, who used the persuasive power of the truth to convert pagans to Christianity. The suffering and injustices endured by these peoples because of religious and political despotism over a period of several centuries made them fertile ground for communism.
Not only did the church fail to improve the lot of the common peoples, but it failed to extend to the masses the education that might have helped them to improve their lot in life. The British historian H. G. Wells points out this failure in his Outline of History. He states: "Though it is certain that the Catholic Church, through its propagandas, its popular appeals, its schools and universities, opened up the prospect of the modern educational state in Europe, it is equally certain that the Catholic Church never intended to do anything of the sort. It did not send out knowledge with its blessing; it let it loose inadvertently. It was not the Roman Republic whose heir the Church esteemed itself, but the Roman Emperor. Its conception of education was not release, not an invitation to participate, but the subjection of minds."
Compromise with Communism
As in the past, so today, the church seeks the favor of the political rulers despite the fact that these rulers in Communist lands are atheists representing an ideology that is antagonistic to it. In April 1950 the Roman Catholic Church in Poland signed an agreement with the Communist government of Poland whereby she would be granted certain concessions in return for her support of Communist national policies, and Cardinal Wyzanski encouraged Polish Catholics in 1956 to vote,
as reported in Time magazine of May 20, 1957, "a straight Communist ticket."
In Russia the church has given full support to the Communist rulers. With regard to this the book Russia Is No Riddle by Edmund Stevens points out: "The Church took care not to bite the hand that was now feeding it. It fully realized that in return for favors bestowed the State expected the Church to give its firm support to the system and to operate within certain limits. The tradition of centuries as official state religion was deeply rooted in the Orthodox Church, and it therefore slipped very naturally into its new role of close collaboration with the Soviet Government." Life magazine of September 14, 1959, pointed out: "Stalin gave some concessions to religion, and the church treated him like a czar. Orthodoxy's collaboration is ensured by a special government ministry and the Communists have utilized the church ever since as an arm of the Soviet State." In Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia the church permits the Communist State to control it. Unlike the early Christians who refused to compromise with the unbelieving political State of Rome, the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches have shown a willingness to compromise. This weakness is no example for the people to hold fast to Christian faith and integrity.
The history of the church in Eastern Europe shows her to be greatly responsible for the conditions that caused the people there to become fertile ground for the growth of communism. At the expense of the people she sought the favor of oppressive rulers in order to gain riches and power for herself. She did not hesitate to use violence and the power of the State to force people under her skirts. Her harsh and oppressive relationship with the people was a far cry from the loving example set by Christ.
Admissions of Guilt
Take note of some of the admissions made by clergymen of the church's responsibility for the growth of communism. Roman Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritaj pointed out: "What is the cause of this [atheism of communism]? It is, I hold, because it originates chiefly through the fault of the Christian world unfaithful to its own principles, in a profound sense of resentment, not only
ern nation to go Communist, Where were the bishops, where were the priests and nuns, and the well-heeled and well-scrubbed laity?" The paper went on to report: "The priest said that the Catholic Church's failure to raise a voice of protest against Batista—the Cuban dictator who preceded Castro—contributed to the rise of Communism in that country."
As communism continues in its determined drive against
resentment, not only against the Christian world, but—and here lies the tragedy—against Christianity itself."—Christianity and Communism, by J. C. Bennett.
ARTICLES IN THE NEXT ISSUE
*Do You Have Time for God?
*Surgery Without Blood Transfusions.
*A Visit with the Pygmies.
*Vietnam—a Dangerous Powder Keg.
Philosopher Berdyaev remarked: "Christians who condemn the Communists for their godlessness and antireligious persecutions, cannot lay the whole blame solely upon these godless Communists; they must assist part of the blame to themselves, and
military drive against religion the church increases its complaints about it. But her own record is stained with intolerance, injustice, oppression and human
blood shed by her political swords. At her order multitudes were massacred or thrown into dank dungeons to be tortured by sadistic inquisitors. Even in our twentieth century she has been unrelenting in her persecution of persons who point out the un
assess part of the blame to themselves, and that a considerable part. They must be not only accusers and judges; they must also be penitents. Have [professed] Christians done very much for the realization of Christian justice in social life? Have they striven to realize the brotherhood of man without that hatred and violence of which they accuse the Communists? The sins of Christians, the sins of historical churches, have been very great, and these sins bring with them their own punishments."—The Origin of Russian Communism.
The Toronto Daily Star of October 24
of persons who point out the scripturalness of her traditional teachings and conduct. In view of her terrible record, it should be evident that she is the agency that prepared the soil that has proved fertile for communism to flourish in Christendom. In a sense, communism is her child, the fruit of her past unchristian actions.
The church has brought Christianity into disrepute by her past actions. As the religious part of Christendom, she puts on an appearance of being Christian and claims to represent Christ, but her actions contradict her claim. Paul on aerosol of
The Toronto Daily Star of October 24, 1864, reports Jesuit Louis J. Twomey of New Orleans' Loyola University as saying: 'Roman Catholics must face the fact that communism has been more successful in so-called 'Catholic countries' than in Protestant nations because Roman Catholics in those countries do not practice the principles of their faith. . . Cuba, which is 95 per cent Catholic, was the first west-
contribute her claim. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, well describes her religious leaders: "Such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself keeps transforming himself into an angel of light. It is therefore nothing great if his ministers also keep transforming themselves into ministers of righteousness."—2 Cor. 11:13-15.
They Were Following
Following TOO CLOSE
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LAST fall headlines in the New York Times read: "Fog Crashes Kill 4 on JERSEY PIKE—2 Cars, 9 Tractor Trailers, and Van Pile Up, Halting Early Morning
Traffic." According to the account: "First an auto, two trailer trucks and a van collided. Moments later, five tractor-trailers telescoped when the driver of the first rig saw the wreckage ahead and applied his brakes too quickly for those following him to stop.
"Then, another private car that had been a short distance behind the tractors was stopped abruptly by its driver when he saw what lay ahead and two tractor-trailers smashed into the car and demolished it."
Such tragedies are becoming commonplace. The New York Times of last November 9 reported that accidents in New York state resulting "from drivers following too closely [were] up 13 per cent in the first six months of this year and the injury rate was running 10 per cent ahead of a year ago. In 1963, there were 91,054 accidents from tailgating, with 10 deaths. Injuries resulted in 56,234 of the crashes."
The paper went on to say that "tailgating accounts for about 25 per cent of all accidents," making it the largest single cause of accidents. The New York Thruway Authority considers it such a serious problem that a special section is devoted to tailgating in its "Safe Driving Tips" on the official map folder.
In other states the problem is as great, if not greater. The Pennsylvania Turnpike police label 'following too close' as by far the leading cause for trouble. And the New Jersey Turnpike has blamed it for 45 percent of the accidents on that highway. Also, it is relevant that one year the Ohio Turnpike authorities reported that 75 percent of all accidents involving two or more vehicles were rear-end collisions.
Highway officials blame drivers overconfidence in quickness to react and their misjudgment of stopping ability as important factors in these rear-end collisions. It takes, on the
average—including time for reacting and braking—88 feet to stop when traveling 30 m.p.h., 149 feet when moving 40 m.p.h., and 366 feet when going 60 m.p.h. Therefore, unless you are at least those distances behind when the car in front stops suddenly—say, in a head-on collision—you, too, may well be involved in the accident.
Thus it is apparent that the popular rule of one car length of space between vehicles for one ten miles an hour is not sufficient in an emergency. Safe drivers will allow more space, especially during bad weather and when traveling at high speeds. The New York Thruway, for instance, recommends staying thirteen car lengths behind at 60 m.p.h. under ideal conditions, and double that when the weather is bad.
Many drivers fail to keep sufficient distances between themselves and other cars during rain, fog, snow or sleet; apparently thinking that they can see as well and stop as quickly as when the roads are dry and the weather clear. But, obviously, this is not true. So when driving conditions are poor, reduce your speed and allow more space between cars. Do not worry if others pass you.
Another factor responsible for tailgating accidents is the failure to anticipate what other drivers might do. It is important to drive defensively, constantly studying the traffic picture and planning for anything that may happen. Watch not only the car just ahead of you, but also the cars in front of it. Adjust your driving to allow a space cushion around your car, always making certain that you have an "out" if the unexpected occurs. Rehearse in your imagination what you will do in an emergency, especially if the driver ahead stops suddenly.
But you not only want to avoid smashing into the car in front, you also want to keep the car behind from hitting your rear. So try to discourage "bumper chasers." If a driver hugs your tail, encourage him to pass, even pulling off the roadway if necessary. And whenever leaving a fast-moving stream of traffic, get off the roadway as quickly as possible.
Signaling your intentions will also help to keep drivers off your tail. Merely using the lowered-hand signal when stopping suddenly has prevented many rear-end collisions. If you signal properly and drive at safe distances, it is unlikely that you will be involved in any accidents due to following too close.
SOCRATES' SPIRITISTIC GUIDANCE
ONE of the charges made against the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates in 399 B.C.E. was that he was introducing new divinities. This was a reference to the daemonion, or mysterious voice that guided Socrates, to which he often referred. He called it his "divine voice."
According to Socrates' foremost disciple, Plato, Socrates had said: "You have often heard me speak of an oracle or sign which comes to me, and is the divinity which Meletus ridicules in the indictment. This sign I have had ever since I was a child. The sign is a voice which comes to me and always forbids me to do something which I am going to do, but never commands me to do anything. ... I am assured by oracles, visions, and in every sort of way in which the will of divine power was ever signified to anyone." (Apology as translated in The Harvard Classics [New York; 1909] edited by Charles W. Eliot, Vol. 2, pp. 18, 20) Plato's testimony is that Socrates heard the "voice" frequently and on the most trifling occasions.
In regard to this "voice," the book Noted Witnesses for Psychic Occurrences, by Walter F. Prince, says of Socrates: "When at last he was on trial for his life . . . , it surprised him that when he was about to prepare a speech in his defense he heard it [the voice] directing him not to do so. Throughout the trial, when he spoke out boldly and unconciliatingly, exasperating his judges, it was silent in approval." (P. 124, 1963 printing) Thus, because of this "voice," Socrates made no real effort to conciliate his judges.
In Socrates' last speech, after sentence had been passed, he said: "O my judges . . . I should like to tell you of a wonderful circumstance. Hitherto the familiar oracle within me has constantly been in the habit
of opposing me even about trifles, if I was going to make a slip or error about anything; and now as you see there has come upon me that which may be thought, and is generally believed to be, the last and worst evil. But the oracle made no sign of opposition, either as I was leaving my house and going out in the morning, or when I was going up into this court, or while I was speaking, at anything which I was going to say; and yet I have often been stopped in the middle of a speech; but now in nothing I either said or did touching this matter has the oracle opposed me. What do I take to be the explanation of this? I will tell you. I regard this as a proof that what has happened to me is a good, and that those of us who think that death is an evil are in error." —The Harvard Classics, Vol. 2, p. 27.
Upon the basis of this clairaudient voice Socrates believed that death was no evil and that the human soul was immortal. In his last speech, before drinking the poison cup in his prison cell, Socrates said:
"If death had only been the end of all, the wicked would have had a good bargain in dying, for they would have been happily quit not only of their body, but of their own evil together with their souls. But now, as the soul plainly appears to be immortal, there is no release or salvation from evil except the attainment of the highest virtue and wisdom." Socrates also said: "Are we to suppose that the soul . . . is blown away and perishes immediately on quitting the body as the many say? That can never be. . . The truth rather is that the soul which is pure . . . departs to the invisible world—to the divine and immortal and rational: thither arriving, she lives in bliss and is released from the error and folly of men . . . and forever dwells . . . in company with the gods."
That is how Plato quotes Socrates in his work Phaedo. —Ibid., Vol. 2, pp. 73, 103.
Socrates' view on immortality of the soul and his view of death's being no evil are not supported by the Holy Scriptures, which plainly show that death is man's enemy and that the human soul does indeed die. (1 Cor. 15:26; Ezek. 18:4, 20) Actually Socrates' "voice" that misled him came from wicked spirits or demons, and the doctrine of the immortality of the human soul is one of the many "teachings of demons" of which the Bible warns true Christians.—1 Tim. 4:1; Isa. 8:19, 20.
Where, then, did Christendom get its doctrine of the immortality of the soul? Not from the Holy Bible but, as the book The Evolution of Immortality (1901) by S. D. McConnell, then rector of All Souls Church, New York City, shows:
"Those who were Greeks brought to the new religion the Platonic idea that the individual soul is indestructible. . . The masterful Augustine . . . took Plato's doctrine of the inherent immortality of the soul, disengaged it from metempsychosis and transmigration [of soul], and gained for it a general credence which it has held to this day."
In another work, the book The Winning of Immortality (1910), Professor Frederick Palmer, A.B., D.D., then a member of the Harvard Divinity Faculty, says: "By the end of the second century Greek thought began to penetrate Christianity, and to bring with it that view of the soul which for five centuries had been current in it. . . . (In the Phaedo by Plato the phrase, 'the soul is immortal,' occurs twenty times). . . From this time onward
Christian opinion comes to be more and more influenced by Greek thought in this direction. Tertullian, in the early part of the third century, expressly declares that his view is that of Plato. 'I will use therefore the opinion of a Plato, when asserting that every soul is immortal.' (De Resur, Carn, iii) . . . In the beginning of the fifth century Augustine, who was an admirer of Plato, built his doctrine of the future punishment of sin on the premises that the soul is in itself immortal; and the moulding power which Augustinianism exercised over Christian theology for more than a thousand years carried deep into it a belief in the natural immortality of the soul and embedded it there.'
Little wonder that a former British prime minister, William Ewart Gladstone, once said: "The natural immortality of the soul is a doctrine wholly unknown to the Holy Scriptures and standing on no higher plane than that of an ingeniously sustained, but gravely and formidably contested, philosophical opinion. It crept into the Church by a back door—the back door of Greek philosophy"!—Heaven, Paradise, Spiritualism and Hell (1931), by W. Barrie Abbott, pp. 15, 16.
Yes, the truth of the matter is that Socrates' and Plato's philosophy is being taught by Christendom's churches. Since Socrates was spiritistically guided and since he became an exponent of the doctrine of the immortality of the soul largely because of the demon "voice" that misguided him, the fact is: Those religions that teach this doctrine today are misleading others by the foretold "teachings of demons." Does your religion teach such a philosophy?
BILLIONS OF BIRDS
Birddom teams with inhabitants. It has been estimated that there are some 100,000,000 birds. That is over 30 birds for each human.
A Mother
TALKS TO HER DAUGHTERS
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One of the privileges and responsibilities of mothers is to help their daughters get ready for the role of motherhood. And it is in her early teens that a young girl starts out on an active period of preparation or in How might I help my daughter to be a good article illustrates how a Christian mother can give the kind of counsel every young girl needs.
"HI, Mom," says eleven-year-old Jane, on arriving home from school.
"How did things go today?" asks mother.
"All right in the classrooms, but, my, Carol—the way she acted today. She's so irritable! I can't get along with her anymore. She never understands anything."
"Well, Jane, Carol isn't feeling so well today."
"She doesn't have the flu, does she?"
"No, but this is the time for Carol to have her menstrual period. You see, Carol is a young woman now, sixteen years old, and every month there are a few days when she may not be so easy to get along with. Also, remember that you are getting to be a big girl, and this will happen to you too."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you're being prepared for motherhood, just as any other young girl; that's the way Jehovah God made it. Let's sit over here and be comfortable and I'll tell you about the changes that take place in a girl's body when she gets about twelve to fifteen years old. We've discussed from
time to time how Jehovah God made it possible for women to be mothers and have babies. Menstruation is a
sign that a woman can have a child. It is a normal, natural thing, nothing to be ashamed of; it's the Creator's way of preparing you for your future role of being a mother. When a woman stops menstruating, she can no longer have a baby. You remember that the Bible tells us about Abraham's wife Sarah and why she could not naturally have a baby in her old age. Why not read it, Jane? You will find it at Genesis 18:11."
"It says: 'And Abraham and Sarah were old, being advanced in years. Sarah had stopped having menstruation.' I don't understand that word 'menstruation.'"
"It comes from a word meaning 'month,' because menstruation comes about once a month. It is a gentle flow of blood that comes from the womb, the place where a baby grows inside its mother."
"But does that mean something is wrong inside?"
"No, not at all. You'll recall we've already talked about a baby and the way it grows in a mother's womb. The womb is like an upturned little leather bag, pear-shaped, with an opening that is normally quite tightly closed, as if by a drawstring. The womb is hollow and moist inside. It is located in the lowest part of a woman's abdomen. Every month the womb receives, through its upper end, what we might call a mother cell or a tiny egg—an egg as tiny as the point of a sharp pin.
The egg is made in one of two small organs called ovaries, and it's trip from the ovary to the womb may take about a week. Now, to prepare for the egg that could grow into a baby, God arranged so that the womb would get ready a soft nesting place for the egg."
"How does it do that, Mom?"
"Well, the lining of the womb, which is much like the inside of your checks, gets thick and spongy. The womb's supply of blood increases because it is needed to help build this soft nest for the egg. But the egg cannot grow into a baby by itself. While it is still on its way to the womb, the egg has to be joined with what we might call a father cell or male sperm cell. This joining can come about as a result of sex relations between a husband and his wife. But when there is no joining of the egg with a father cell, as is the case with unmarried girls, the mother cell or egg cell soon dries up and the thickened lining of the womb that was intended as a nest for the fertilized egg is no longer needed. So the unneeded lining of the womb begins to fall off, somewhat the way your skin comes off after a sunburn. This cast-off lining, along with some blood, leaves the womb and passes out of the body through the vaginal canal, the channel that leads from the womb to the outside of the body. After a few days' bleeding the lining of the womb begins to repair itself. This is repeated each month. That is menstruation—as simple as that. So you don't need to be surprised, then, when this menstrual blood appears. You'll know that everything is happening just right."
she is leaving childhood and is becoming a woman."
"Do all girls have menstruation?"
"But when does it start? How will I know?"
"Yes, it is something that happens to every girl. The beginning of it is really a milestone in every girl's life-proof that
"Each girl is different, Jane. Some girls start to menstruate as early as ten or eleven years of age, but many start in their thirteenth year, and others may not start until they are fifteen. No two girls are alike. But there are certain signs that indicate when a girl is about to begin her menstrual periods."
"What are they?"
"Well, your breasts begin to develop and hair begins to grow on various parts of your body. For some months before the first period, young girls may have a whitish-colored discharge of mucus from the vaginal canal. It is a sign that the glands of the sex organs are becoming active. This is not menstruation, but any time after this sign a real menstrual flow can begin."
"I hope I know when it is going to come. What if I were playing at school?"
"It doesn't happen all at once. At the beginning a little blood may stain your clothing. For about three days a little blood keeps sceping; then gradually it decreases and stops completely. After a few times a girl knows when it will start by watching the calendar. She protects her clothing by wearing a sanitary napkin that absorbs the menstrual flow."
"Is that what sanitary napkins are? I wondered. I've seen them advertised in magazines."
"I'll show you when you go upstairs. In fact, I'll give you some, so you will have them when you need them."
"How long do I wear it?"
"You change it frequently, especially during the first two days, when the flow is heavier. This prevents any unpleasant odor and protects your clothes."
"Will it come every month?"
"When you first begin to menstruate, you may not have the second period until two or three months later. In fact, the first one or two might be separated by as long as six months. It takes the body some time to become regular. After the first year or so most girls menstruate on schedule. Usually it comes every 28 days. But don't expect it to be exactly 28 days. The normal cycle can be anywhere from 21 to 35 days. Even when you get a regular cycle, it may be thrown off schedule by a number of things."
"How is that, Mom?"
"Well, a sudden change of climate, a serious illness, fatigue, a long train or plane trip or emotional excitement might throw off your schedule a number of days. But it's only temporary and nothing to worry about. Generally it's pretty much of a 28-day cycle."
"Does menstruation hurt?"
"For the first couple of days most women don't feel quite as well as they usually do. You may get what girls call cramps, but most women try to live as normal a life as they possibly can. After all, menstruation is not an illness but a normal, natural function. Keep fresh and clean; take your daily bath or shower warm—not too hot or too cold. At the beginning of a period you may feel a little more sensitive or irritable or you will get tired easier. So get enough sleep, especially the first two days of a period. In fact, you'll welcome one or two nights of getting to bed earlier. And don't forget, Jane, to balance off any unpleasant aspects, there are the real satisfactions of maturity and womanhood."
"I think you have answered all my questions now, except one. Will I be able to have normal elimination during that time?"
"Yes, you will, dear, everything continues in the usual way during a menstrual period, including the passing of water and bowel movements. But sometimes before the period, when the womb swells and presses against the colon, this becomes sluggish and there may be constipation and cramplike pain. But some of this discomfort may be avoided by keeping elimination normal the week before the period. So you'll feel better if you take more water and eat fruits and vegetables at this time rather than cake, candies and sweets. You will probably have other questions when your period comes, but you know I will always be glad to help you with any worry or question."
"Thanks, Mom, I'm so glad you told me all about this. May I go to the store now and get the things you wanted?"
"Yes, dear, please do. You'll find the list and the money on the kitchen table."
As Jane leaves the house, her sister Carol says, "Mother, I heard you talking to Jane about menstruation; isn't it a little early to be telling her all about that?"
"No, Carol, not at all. You see, one of the kindest things a mother can do for her daughter is to prepare her for this milestone in growing up. Imagine how you would have felt if I had not prepared you."
"That's true. I'm glad you told me so I knew what to expect. I don't know what I would have thought was happening to me! Even now I sometimes wonder about myself a little. I get so edgy at times before my periods. I know you said not to worry about it, but today Jane and I quarreled; I don't know why I was mean to her. I just felt like taking it out on someone."
"Your feelings are nothing unusual, Carol. Many women feel a little irritable a few days before their period begins. We call it premenstrual tension. You see, in addition to the physical changes some women have at this time, such as tenderness of the breasts, temporary weight gain and the increased possibility of headaches, there are mental and emotional changes.
Some women feel quite depressed; others get irritable and short-tempered. Some find it hard to study or take on an extra work load. But don't let these things worry you. Just recognize that the body is undergoing some changes for the onset of menstruation."
"It's true, schoolwork was not as easy today as it usually is. But I'm glad there's nothing really wrong with me; I just don't like to be so irritable."
"That's where we as Christians have an extra responsibility. Worldly women often give in to their feelings and make it very difficult for their children and husbands to live with them. But at these times we should try harder than usual to apply Bible principles about being kind and patient. It's not easy. I myself have to be very careful to be loving and kind, and perhaps I don't always succeed, but we should try. So during those days of tension try to be careful to be kind to others. If you give in
to feelings of irritability and say unkind things, you'll regret it afterward, just as you already have. Besides, as you know, the tension quickly vanishes with the onset of the menstrual flow and you have a feeling of emotional relief and calmness. Soon you feel like a new person, with renewed energy. So try your best to show Christian qualities at this time."
"I'll do that, Mother."
"And there is still another aspect to this, Carol, a very important one. That's our attitude toward other girls who have premenstrual tension. Recognize it in them. If they get irritable and say something they usually wouldn't say, put up with it in love, as Christians should. Don't hold it against them or allow a grudge to develop. Then you won't ruin friendships. You know that they are going through an experience that you understand. Now, Carol, you have some homework to do; you had better get to it before supper."
"Thanks, Mother. I feel so much better now that we've talked together. It makes it easier to meet these problems when someone has told you what it's all about."
The Family Group-a Divine Arrangement
♦ The family group is God's arrangement of things and as such there is no substitute for parents. In his book Marriage Kenneth Walker writes: "It is argued that it would surely be far better for children to be brought up under the supervision of doctors and psychological experts than to be left in the hands of parents who may be ignorant and improvident. These enthusiasts for the State handling of children overlook the fact that no child can become a good citizen who in his earlier years has been emotionally starved, and that there is no reason to suppose that a State will ever be able to provide a child with the emotional substitute for parents. We have only to remember Nazi Germany and to look at Communist Russia to realise how great are the dangers to which children are exposed when the State
undertakes their upbringing. . . State officials can never act as satisfactory substitutes for parents.
"Nor is it the children alone that have to be considered when appraising the merits of the family group. It must be remembered that the family forms not only a natural biological but also a psychological unit, a small, closely knit group in which the children are as essential to the psychological welfare of the parents as the parents are necessary to the psychological welfare of the children. Why therefore should the parents be penalised by the removal of their children soon after they are born? They would suffer spiritually almost as much as the children from this forcible disruption of [this] masterpiece, the family group."
THAT sweet odor of antiquity is still around. Yes, even outside the Orient there are persons who believe that incense contributes to the pleasing atmosphere
very popular among the ancients as an incense as well as a medicine. A more popular name for it is frankincense. It is mentioned many times in the Bible and was regarded as a very valuable commodity in ancient times. Among the gifts that the astrologers brought to Jesus when he was still a young child at Bethlehem was frankincense. Matt. 2:11.
Frankincense appears to have been the chief of the aromatic gum resins. The tree from which the resin is obtained is related to those that yield balsam and myrrh, which also are aromatic substances. After a deep inclusion is
of a tastefully furnished home when it, like any perfume, is judiciously used. Although it is seldom used in some countries, there are others where the perfuming of rooms with incense is a common practice. Its use for this pleasurable purpose as well as for religious purposes can be traced to ancient times. In fact, one of the inspired proverbs of King Solomon says: "Oil and incense are what make the heart rejoice."—Prov. 27:19.
Since incense was used so extensively in the ancient world, it was an important item of trade. Caravans regularly crossed the deserts loaded with aromatic substances used for incense, such as frankincense and balsam.
Revealing that incense was a popular com-
made in the tree, the gum exudes as drops, which vary in color. Some of them are clear, others are yellow and still others have a green tinge. About three months after the incision is made, the gum has the right consistency to be gathered. This is done by scraping the globules of gum from the tree into baskets. The popularity of frankincense as an incense has not passed away, for it is still a prominent incense resin.
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