Awake!, May 22, 1971

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Awake! — May 22, 1971

Source: jw.org

Contents

Satan Worship—in Christendom’s Midst?

Can One Unknowingly Worship Satan?

Beware of Being Overreached

Some Baby!

Rio’s International Song Festival

Deltas

Two Sides to History

Most Helpless of Creatures

Community Life Among Plants

Berlin—Ten Years Later

What About Gallstones?

Should the Living Seek to Talk with the Dead?

Watching the World

Music and Songs That Delight the Ear

Are The Miracles of the Bible True?

Satan Worship—in Christendom’s Midst?

TODAY, right in the center of Christendom, there are many agnostics and even outright atheists. Why? Many feel repelled by the hypocrisy they see in the churches, while some are against the “establishment,” in which churches play a major role.

Yet most persons, even atheists, may find it hard to realize that in Christendom there are persons who openly worship Satan the Devil. Nonetheless, it is true.

The religion of Satanism has “churches” in Christendom, possesses a “bible” and has ministers and religious rites.

“The Satanic Bible,” written by the founder of the Church of Satan in San Francisco, is reported by the Miami Herald as saying: “Man is an animal that must serve himself. The so-called seven deadly sins are virtues because they lead to physical and mental gratification.”

“This is a religion of the flesh, not the spirit,” says one “high priest” of a Satanic sect.

Satan worship is patterned to a great extent on voodooism and similar forms of worship widely practiced in Africa and South America. These generally employ sorcery or witchcraft, involving Satan and also other spirits, demons. (1 Cor. 10:20) There are many differing “splinter sects” of Satanism. Nevertheless, all these sects hold to one thing in common: indulgence in fleshly desires.

Spiritistic Worship, a ‘Work of the Flesh’

It is easy to see, therefore, why some persons are attracted to Satanism, with its emphasis on fleshly gratification. But the question may arise: Since Satan the Devil and his demons are spirit persons, not flesh and blood, why are fleshly practices an outstanding feature of Satan worship?

It should be remembered that the demons were once righteous angels, ‘sons of God,’ who became perverted, and desired and engaged in fleshly connections. How?

Before the flood of Noah’s day, these angels left their heavenly locality and the position of service they had with Jehovah God. Materializing for themselves bodies in the form of men, they married good-looking human women. For spirit creatures, whom Jesus said do not marry, this was unnatural, a perversion. Though they dematerialized at the time of the Flood and returned to their spiritual abode, God debased them in disfavor, but let them live until his due time for their destruction. During Jesus Christ’s ministry on earth they were still expressing their perverted characteristics by possessing or inhabiting humans.—Gen. 6:1, 2; Mark 1:32-34; Luke 8:26-34; Jude 6, 7; 2 Pet. 2:4.

How could angels, intelligent creatures, be thus perverted, degrading themselves? This is not so hard to understand when we observe intelligent humans, not only engaging in illicit sex relations, but pervertedly reveling in homosexuality and even bestiality.—Lev. 18:22, 23.

Appropriately, the Bible calls the practice of spiritism a ‘work of the flesh.’ (Gal. 5:19, 20) It is no surprise, therefore, to read, in a report regarding one cult, that the celebration of their so-called “black mass” may be in the form of a “lust mass,” at which the priest may have sexual intercourse with the nude woman whose body serves as the altar. Then each male member of the congregation follows him in the act, after which the men and women of the congregation may participate in a sexual orgy.

Primarily Against God

Statements of Satanist leaders show the desire to do things as shocking as possible in order to make a mockery of the worship of God. This, of course, carries out the will of Satan and the demons. They certainly must delight in seeing God’s intelligent creatures thus degrade themselves. The “worshiper,” however, is certainly treading on perilous ground.

Satan worshipers not only engage in shocking violation of the commands of God’s Word the Bible. They also go contrary to their own human nature and conscience by their perversion. (Rom. 2:14, 15) And they violate the standards of decency of the society in which they live.

Here is how the Bible describes such persons, particularly those who previously claimed to serve God (as many Satanists did, having come from Christendom’s religions):

“Although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God nor did they thank him, but they became empty-headed in their reasonings and their unintelligent heart became darkened. Although asserting they were wise, they became foolish and turned the glory of the incorruptible God into something like the image of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed creatures and creeping things. Therefore God, in keeping with the desires of their hearts, gave them up to uncleanness, that their bodies might be dishonored among them, even those who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and venerated and rendered sacred service to the creation rather than the One who created, . . . That is why God gave them up to disgraceful sexual appetites, . . . working what is obscene and receiving in themselves the full recompense, which was due for their error. And just as they did not approve of holding God in accurate knowledge, God gave them up to a disapproved mental state, to do the things not fitting.”—Rom. 1:21-28.

A Deadly Danger

It is unwise, yes, deadly dangerous, for anyone to get drawn into contact with such demonic influence, even through curiosity. A person is risking the danger of being ensnared in contaminating fleshly practices. But even worse, he is deliberately associating with those who blaspheme Jehovah the true God, the Creator and Universal Sovereign. The Bible specifically warns that God’s anger will blaze against one thus sharing in such works of darkness.—Eph. 5:3-7.

God cleared out the Canaanites from the Promised Land because of these very same detestable practices, and he told Israel: “You must not walk after other gods, . . . (for Jehovah your God in your midst is a God exacting exclusive devotion,) for fear the anger of Jehovah your God may blaze against you and he must annihilate you from off the surface of the ground.” (Deut. 6:14, 15; Lev. 18:24, 25) Why should anyone want to put himself in such a position with the Almighty God?—1 Cor. 10:22.

On the other hand, a person may not be a Satanist and yet, due to not being informed by a study of the Bible, may unknowingly be rendering worship to Satan. How can this be?

Can One Unknowingly Worship Satan?

BESIDES those few “Satanists,” who openly worship Satan the Devil, are there others who give him worship without acknowledging or even knowing it?

If we turn to the Bible we can readily see the danger of doing so. The Bible says: “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one,” and, “The god of this system of things has blinded the minds of the unbelievers.” (1 John 5:19; 2 Cor. 4:4) It also tells us that one of Satan’s chief weapons is deception.—1 Tim. 2:14; Rev. 12:9.

Since Satan is described in the Bible as “the god of this system of things,” it logically follows that he exercises an overriding power in the political, commercial and social affairs of this world. In attempting to fight against God, then, his control must take in some men of influence, otherwise he could never maintain an organized opposition to the truth and the enlightenment of people to God’s purpose.

Would it then be in Satan’s interests to have everyone he controls wholly degraded to the animal level by debauchery, or insane with demon possession? Obviously not. After all, many persons are not inclined to such extremes. Neither would it fit Satan’s purpose for all such to admit, or even to know, that they worship the Devil. Being deceptive, he would certainly prefer to have many intelligent and capable men who, while having his selfish spirit, appear, at least, to be respectable, principled persons. Why so? Because such persons may more readily influence and sway others associated with them.

How does a person, although thinking he may be serving God, come under Satan’s control and actually render worship to Satan?

The Spirit of Independence

A person may be religious. At the same time that person may consider the Bible to be “out of date” or even ignore it. He may reject the Bible’s standards and set up his own standards as to what is good and what is bad.

An illustration of this attitude is found in the argument by a “homosexual militant,” writing in the New York Times. He said: “‘Moral’ and ‘immoral’ are judgmental terms relative to time, place, and the needs of the majority. For example, various societies and eras have defined anti-semitism and anti-black programs as moral while others have not.”

Granted, even a murderer might call himself moral. But this “homosexual militant’s” argument simply expresses the spirit of self-determination described earlier. He rejects God’s law against homosexuality. (1 Cor. 6:9, 10; Lev. 18:22) Instead of proving that such course of self-determination is right, this argument actually illustrates why individuals or even entire societies really are not qualified to determine the standards by which men shall live.

Who, then, can determine this? Only God, who fully knows man’s makeup and needs. He alone is qualified to tell his creatures how they must comport themselves.

The spirit of self-determination abounds today, with factions and individuals demanding unrestricted independence. They may not know it, but this was the very basis on which Adam and Eve rebelled against God. This spirit caused their rebellion and alienation from God and brought death upon the human race. The sin they committed in eating the fruit forbidden by God may seem like so small an act. Small in itself, yes, but enormous in its significance and consequences.

In this connection, note what The Jerusalem Bible, in its footnote on Genesis 2:17, comments concerning the tree of knowledge of good and evil, whose fruit the human pair were not to eat:

“This knowledge is a privilege which God reserves to himself and which man, by sinning, is to lay hands on, 3:5, 22. Hence it does not mean omniscience, which fallen man does not possess; nor is it moral discrimination, for unfallen man already had it and God could not refuse it to a rational being. It is the power of deciding for himself what is good and what is evil and of acting accordingly, a claim to complete moral independence by which man refuses to recognise his status as a created being. The first sin was an attack on God’s sovereignty, a sin of pride. . . .”

By the action they took in attacking God’s sovereignty, whom were Adam and Eve following and serving? To whom were they, in fact, looking as wise and more worthy of obeying than God, and, therefore, worshiping? Was it not Satan the Devil, who deceptively seduced Eve into her bad course?—John 8:44; 2 Cor. 11:3.

In reality, a person who strikes out for complete independence, setting up his own standards, is refusing to recognize that he is a created being, a creature of the Creator. And yet, he can never escape the fact that he is subject to many things, including both physical and moral laws. If he tries to ignore these laws, he soon comes into a clash with natural forces, resulting in sickness or calamity. Or he encroaches upon the rights of others, and meets with trouble.

Man-made Wisdom Exalted

It is a mistake, then, to think that the small groups who carry on wild, licentious rites in the name of Satan are the only ones worshiping Satan. The Satan worshipers say that their religion is a ‘religion of the flesh.’ Others may not engage in such fleshly debauchery. But such persons may be focusing on their own will, exalting their own mentality. Or they may look to the wisdom of other men and follow it without consideration of God’s will and standards as set forth in the Bible. Anyone doing this makes himself, or man’s wisdom, a sort of god. Perhaps without realizing it, he actually denies God’s sovereignty over him and may prove a more useful tool of the Devil than the outright ‘Satan worshiper.’

As Romans 6:16 plainly states: “Do you not know that if you keep presenting yourselves to anyone as slaves to obey him, you are slaves of him because you obey him, either of sin with death in view or of obedience with righteousness in view?” Licentious or not, a person who disregards God’s Word is doing the will of God’s adversary the Devil.

What are some of the snares that can entrap one trusting in human wisdom? Well, a person, ignoring what the Bible says about the kingdom of God as the remedy for injustice, may be induced to become involved in some “equality” group, political conflict, or like product of man-made thinking. Or, rejecting as impractical the Bible counsel to love one’s neighbor, he might adopt the attitude that ‘it’s every man for himself’ and follow a completely selfish, materialistic way of life.

Becoming involved in such things leads a person away from God and from acceptance of the good news of God’s kingdom.—Jas. 4:4.

Then there is the theory of evolution. It is another human philosophy that finds no support in the Bible, A person adopting such philosophy may be sincere. But he should ask himself, To what may it lead me? The theory denies an intelligent Creator and as a consequence denies responsibility to his righteous standards. Such a belief puts one at odds with God.

Where Christendom’s Religions Stand

In view of the above evidence, it can be seen that a person may be a member of one of Christendom’s many religious sects, claiming to be a worshiper of God and a follower of Jesus Christ, and yet unwittingly be giving his actual devotion and worship to the Devil. This fact was noted in an article by the religious editor of the Miami Herald of July 11, 1970, who reported:

“Some readers who responded to the story [published earlier] on the Church of Satan were shocked at the view on sexual activity and the expression of those views. Yet in the last three months such ‘orthodox’ Christian denominations as the United Presbyterian Church, the Lutheran Church in America, and the United Church of Christ have published reports giving varying degrees of approval to intercourse outside of marriage and homosexual activity.

“Two of these denominations are joint publishers of a magazine for church youth workers in which in a recent issue a graphic account of a ‘petting party’ is given and the action approved as a healthy attitude toward teen-aged sexual development.”

“. . . Nearly all denominations have begun to put more stress on giving all men enough food, clothing, shelter and health to enjoy life [thereby slighting spirituality and the education of the people in God’s Word].

“Some people view this as the inroads of Satan worship since, according to the Satanic Bible, ‘Man, the animal, is the godhead to the Satanist’ and the aim of religion is to make man happy through gratifying all his physical desires.”

With these facts in view, the writer concludes: “We all may be more pagan than we like to think!”

Real Freedom Found in Service of God

If we truly want to serve God, we must believe what he says about the way that peace, health and enjoyment of life will come about. We need to realize, too, that what the wise writer of Ecclesiastes said is true of this present system of things in which we live, namely, “that which is made crooked cannot be made straight.” (Eccl. 1:15) Yes, this system of things is too shot through with selfishness to be reformed or redeemed. As evidence, consider the ever-increasing problems of crime, poverty, pollution and drugs.

Therefore, those who accept the truth from God’s Word recognize that only the wisdom from God can guide mankind in the right way, not the wisdom that is “earthly, animal,” and guided by the demons, therefore “demonic.” (Jas. 3:15, 16) They look to the Messianic kingdom of God to destroy Satan and those who manifest his spirit. They trust in it to set straight the affairs of mankind.

The apostle Paul pointed forward to the time when “the creation itself also will be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Rom. 8:21) Independence from God does not bring true freedom or happiness. For is it not true that the things that really make life worth living are “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control”? Against such things, the apostle says, “there is no law.” These things are the fruitage of God’s spirit and can be practiced without restriction. That is real freedom, and it can be enjoyed even now.—Gal. 5:22, 23.

Is that not the freedom that would fulfill your heart’s desire? By learning from God’s Word and practicing these good things now, under the guidance of God’s spirit, we can put ourselves in line for life in God’s new order, when these fine qualities will dominate in the affairs of all mankind. Yes, we can thus come in line to enjoy the “glorious freedom of the children of God.” What greater honor and freedom could there be than that of being the children of the Creator and Owner of the universe!—Ps. 19:7-11.

But, even after having accepted wholeheartedly God’s Word as our guide in life, is there still danger of being used by God’s adversary?

Beware of Being Overreached

THOSE who become true Christians are said to have been ‘delivered from the authority of the darkness.’ (Col. 1:13) The ruler over this darkness is identified by the Bible’s words at Ephesians 2:2. There the apostle Paul says that, before becoming Christians, the members of the Ephesian congregation had “walked according to the system of things of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit that now operates in the sons of disobedience.”

The apostle specifically named this powerful ruler when counseling these Christians to “put on the complete suit of armor from God that you may be able to stand firm against the machinations of the Devil.”—Eph. 6:11, 12.

The Christian, therefore, needs to exercise the greatest watchfulness and caution. He may be carrying out God’s requirements in many respects. Yet, if he relaxes his vigilance, he, too, may suddenly and inadvertently be brought into doing Satan’s will. The apostle Peter admonished: “Keep your senses, be watchful. Your adversary, the Devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour someone.”—1 Pet. 5:8.

Some Christians in the congregation at Ephesus evidently had not been watchful. They were being deflected from the truth. Paul wrote Timothy to instruct and help such ones, that “they may come back to their proper senses out from the snare of the Devil.” (2 Tim. 2:24-26) Now, a snare is not something that its victim walks into with open eyes. It is well hidden. Suddenly, without warning, the trap is sprung, and the unsuspecting victim is then too far into it to escape without help. So with Satan’s snare, the individual is caught unawares. More seriously, however, he may actually be caught in the snare and still not be aware of it. He may even unwittingly serve Satan’s purposes, being deceived into thinking he is doing right.

Some of Satan’s Snares

A case in point is an incident involving the apostle Peter. Jesus had told his disciples that he was going to suffer at the hands of the Jewish religious leaders and be put to death. This was the course his Father had set out for him. Jesus knew that for him even to entertain a thought of avoiding this sacrificial death would be a sin. But Peter, doubtless with good intent, drew Jesus aside, saying: “Be kind to yourself, Lord; you will not have this destiny at all.” Turning his back on Peter, Jesus replied: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you think, not God’s thoughts, but those of men.”—Matt. 16:21-23.

Here Peter fell into the snare of Satan, and was unwittingly himself a “satan” or “resister” of Jesus. His case emphasizes our need to listen to what God’s Word says, to have accurate knowledge of it, following it, not human sentimentality, emotion or reasoning.

Again, the Bible gives warning when it counsels married couples about giving each other the marriage due: “Do not be depriving each other of it, except by mutual consent for an. appointed time, that you may devote time to prayer and may come together again, that Satan may not keep tempting you for your lack of self-regulation.” (1 Cor. 7:5) Balance, good sense, must be observed, even when devoting time to some special service of God. Otherwise, as in the case of a married couple, their abstinence from giving the sexual due could give the Devil an opportunity to tempt one or both parties, through passion, to wrong thoughts or actions toward someone of the opposite sex.—Matt. 5:28; 1 Cor. 6:9, 18.

Snares for the Congregation

That an entire congregation, and particularly those responsible for its oversight, must guard against being overreached by Satan is illustrated in the case of the early Christian congregation in Corinth. One of its members had fallen into gross immorality. Instead of clearing out this wickedness, the congregation was falling into Satan’s snare, being puffed up rather than feeling sad about the case. The apostle Paul instructed the congregation to expel the wicked man.—1 Cor. 5:1-5, 13.

Later, the man repented and changed his course, after a period of being disfellowshiped. Now Paul wrote the congregation, exhorting them to forgive the man and receive him back, in order that, as he said, “we may not be overreached by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his designs.” Yes, Christians must not forget what Satan’s designs are. In the first instance, the congregation had been lax, not careful to maintain cleanness in the congregation. But now there was danger of swinging to the other extreme—becoming hard, harsh and unforgiving to the truly repentant one. This would have suited the Devil’s purpose equally well and cost them God’s favor.—2 Cor. 2:5-11; Matt. 6:14, 15; Jas. 2:13.

Wrong Desire and Pride

Wrong desire can be an insidious snare of Satan. Judas Iscariot is an example. When first chosen as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, he manifested the qualifications for the office. But Judas became covetous, greedy. He began to steal from the fund that Christ and his apostles used for expenses. With this start, Satan was able to lead him farther and farther into the development of a wicked heart, until finally he betrayed the Lord. He lost everything, becoming “the son of destruction.”—John 12:3-6; 13:18-27; 17:12; 18:2-5.

Pride is also one of Satan’s most powerful instruments. It can ensnare even the righteous man into stumbling, and worse, can bring trouble upon others. Because he recognized pride as one of Satan’s devices, the apostle Paul specifically ruled out the appointment of a newly converted man to the position of overseer in a congregation, “for fear that he might get puffed up with pride [at being so suddenly elevated to an office of prominence and responsibility] and fall into the judgment passed upon the Devil.”—1 Tim. 3:2, 6.

The Devil’s unrelenting determination is to defame God’s name. Because the conduct of any man appointed to oversight in a congregation reflects on the entire congregation and upon Jehovah God himself, he is required to be a man having “a fine testimony from people on the outside.” He should be one who really lives up to the name of a Christian in morals, in business dealings, in family, in neighborliness, in hospitality and in loving-kindness. Otherwise, if appointed to office, he might “fall into reproach and a snare of the Devil.”—1 Tim. 3:7.

Yes, if a man open to accusation of unrighteous practices by persons outside the congregation should be placed prominently in the Christian congregation as a shepherd and teacher, what an opportunity this would give opposers to revile! (Compare 1 Timothy 5:14, 15.) Satan would delight in seeing such a snare succeed, to Jehovah’s reproach.

Therefore, let those serving Jehovah God put on the complete suit of armor from God. “Keep on the watch and praying, in order that you do not come into temptation.” Use “every form of prayer,” that is, supplication, thanksgiving and intercession. Also “keep awake with all constancy and with supplication in behalf of all the holy ones.” Depend on Jehovah and his ruling king Jesus Christ. Have genuine concern for one another, thus avoiding any extremes or the creeping in of wrong desire. This true Christians must continue to do, knowing that, because they stand for Jehovah’s name, they are Satan’s chief target. They are not ignorant of his ways, but they must keep alert so that they are not subtly overreached by that one who is the greatest enemy of God and of man.—Mark 14:38; Eph. 6:11, 13, 18; Luke 22:31; Rev. 12:9, 17.

Some Baby!

● Human young are carried inside the mother nine months before birth and usually weigh less than ten pounds when born. However, elephant mothers carry their young from twenty to twenty-two months before giving birth, the record for any animal. And what a baby! A newborn elephant weighs about 200 pounds and is about three feet tall!

Rio’s International Song Festival

BY “AWAKE!” CORRESPONDENT IN BRAZIL

LOTS of sunshine, beautiful, inviting beaches, a spectacular bay with background of lofty mountains—here is something that would inspire many persons to sing! Whether the climate and scenery have anything to do with it or not, a world music festival has come into existence in Rio de Janeiro. Its purpose? To promote a better understanding among peoples of all nations through music. What is it like?

The International Popular Song Festival, founded some five years ago, follows the general lines of other selected festivals, such as San Remo’s, in Italy. However, the idea was to make it, not a “closed-in” festival, but one with as many people present as would be feasible—people who would be not just observers but sharers, singing freely the songs they liked best.

But, where to hold the Fifth Festival? An ideal place was the Maracanãzinho Gymnasium, under the shadow of its colossal namesake, the Maracanã Stadium, the world’s largest. The gymnasium can comfortably seat over 30,000 persons. And all seats would be needed, as the popularity of this festival has increased with each passing year. To hold it last year, though, the festival had to face the problem of the diminishing quality of music throughout the world. Was the festival able to cope with this challenge?

The festival has two parts, the national and the international. The national part was held October 15-18, 1970, and in it a song was chosen to represent Brazil in the international part, which took place a few days later, October 22-25. Some thirty-five nations were represented last year, covering a large spectrum, from the Argentine to Yugoslavia, including Hungary, Japan, Sweden, the United States and so forth.

Last year the festival was telecast in color directly to several countries by satellite. It was supposed to reach some 350 million persons. But, would that many people really want to see it? David Raskin, president of the American Association of Composers and Lyricists, expressed his viewpoint, saying: “Possibly, the highest commendation of Rio’s Song Festival that one could make is to say that a large number of American composers would like to have seen it in the United States.”

Selecting the Best Songs

For Rio’s Song Festival there is a previous selection of music. Then on two different nights, a group of some twenty songs is presented, one for each country represented. Among the thirty-five songs presented in 1970, twenty were chosen for the final presentation. Of these, ten are selected as being the best. Prizes in money and trophies are given, the main trophy being a “Golden Rooster,” the symbol of the festival. Before, in between and after the presentation of the songs there is a show, presenting in general beautiful music by invited singers and conductors who are often judges in the contest.

The selection of the best songs is entrusted to an international jury that includes conductors, musicians, singers, music critics and so forth. The jury’s choice, however, does not always coincide with the people’s choice. So another jury was organized last year by lot, a “popular” jury that chooses songs according to the people’s general liking.

In 1970 the two juries came quite close in their selection, although the opinion of the official jury is the prevailing one. As desired by many, the winning songs were of the romantic type. A ballad from Argentina about a poor peasant unexpectedly won the “Golden Rooster,” followed by a romantic melody from Yugoslavia. Brazil was third, with a ‘soul’ waltz, a piece full of contrasts and much screaming. Trophies were also given for the best singer, composer, lyricist, conductor, orchestrator and combo.

Coping with the Music Downtrend

There is no doubt that music has a deep hold on people, especially young people. The tendency now is to prefer loud, ‘hot’ music with a heavy beat. Provided they like the sound or rhythm, some youths are not likely to be concerned with whether the lyrics express their own ideas and beliefs. Christian youths, however, should remember that popular music has its dangers. First, there is danger of “hero worship.” Singers and players are not heroes, but inexperienced youths tend to make them so. Thus, when famous singers Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin recently died, allegedly from drug abuse, the suggestion was made to name two festival trophies after them. However, several judges in charge of minors, meeting in a symposium at festival time, called this “the glorification of deplorable examples.”

Second, what do the lyrics say? Do they express lascivious, immoral thoughts? Do they have any connection with false religion, like some “bossa nova” and other Brazilian music? “Aquarius,” a very popular song some time ago, glorified astrology, a form of divination rooted in pagan Babylonian religion and a practice condemned in the Bible. (Isa. 47:13, 14; Rev. 18:21-23) Thus, songs of this kind are not fitting for a true Christian.

Youths should also remember that music is not the most important thing in life. So, what about the time and money spent in swapping records, listening to all the “newest and hottest releases”? A true Christian needs to be balanced in this matter of music also.

The Fifth International Popular Song Festival itself did not escape the general downtrend in music. Thus, Wilson Simonal, a very popular Brazilian singer who presided over the former festival, said: “The Fifth Song Festival is so bad, so bad, that I don’t believe the Sixth will be held.”

Many persons thought he had overstated the matter, but he was obviously referring to some songs presented both in the national and in the international part. Despite the downtrend in music, we as individuals can be selective and still enjoy beautiful music.

Deltas

◆ A delta is an area of land, usually triangular shaped, built up at the mouth of a river by the mud and sand it carries there. Its shape accounts for its name, since delta, the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet, is shaped like a triangle (Δ). The Nile delta covers an area of about 10,000 square miles. The Mississippi River delta includes about 15,000 square miles of area, and the river’s slow current builds onto the delta and extends it into the Gulf of Mexico at the rate of about one mile every sixteen years.

Two Sides to History

THERE is an old saying that goes something like this: “It makes a difference whose ox is being gored.”

The point of this saying is that the same event can look different to different people. It depends upon each one’s background and interest in the matter.

It is usually easier for a person to be generous and unprejudiced about a problem as long as he is not too closely involved. But what happens if the problem moves into his own backyard, as it were? Then he may be prone to view it in a different light.

Nations are like people in this respect, except that their attitudes affect millions of persons and the course of world history. As long as a problem does not touch a nation directly, it can be very noble and generous in its outlook. But as soon as the national interest is directly involved, it may quickly change its stance.

So it is that two countries can take completely opposite views of the same problem or point of history. However, this does not mean that one (or both) is deliberately lying, though that could be the case. Indeed, they may not even be aware that they are presenting almost totally different interpretations of the same events.

A look at a few historical situations will reveal that this is true. It will help us to appreciate that misunderstandings between nations are almost unavoidable under today’s political systems. It also emphasizes how badly all mankind needs a better system of government.

Always Friends?

The average citizen of the United States is aware of certain “facts” about Canada, the vast country that lies to his north. But his information may not go much beyond knowing that there are descendants of the British, French and Americans living there, that they see the northern lights, and that the Mounted Police ‘always get their man.’ If he is old enough he may have heard about the Dionne quintuplets.

One of such “facts” the average American assumes is that for the past two centuries Canadians as a whole have loved Americans. Indeed, he may feel that Canadians would no doubt have been willing to become a part of the United States if the British or Canadian governments would have permitted it. But is this the way it really was?

A consideration of history from Canada’s viewpoint reveals many things generally unknown or ignored by most Americans. For instance, Americans would find it difficult to believe that Canadians do not always think so kindly of their neighbors to the south. This is because most Americans fail to remember, if they ever knew, that the first English-speaking Canadians were ‘Loyalists.’

These ‘Loyalists’ were people who chose to remain loyal to British rule when the thirteen American colonies rebelled against England in the 1770’s. While the colonists regarded their action as a rebellion against tyranny, the ‘Loyalists’ regarded it as a rebellion against the established ‘law and order.’ Again, it depended upon whose ‘ox’ you were considering.

Anti-British mobs tarred, feathered and sometimes even murdered the ‘Loyalists,’ who were forced to flee, literally for their lives. They went to Canada. In most cases they lost their personal property and lands, which were confiscated and never paid for.

The approximately 50,000 or more Americans who chose to support the government of England understandably did not like or trust the country from which they had to flee. And the events of the next one hundred years did little to change their minds. Americans twice invaded Canada, and on at least two other occasions it was the victim of attacks based in the United States. The people who fled, who resented, and remembered are the forefathers of many present-day Canadians. While they no longer have the same fears, some resentment still remains.

America Invades Canada

In the early years of the American War for Independence, it seemed only logical to the rebelling colonists that the French in the north would gladly join them in ousting the British from North America. So colonial forces invaded Canada. But despite some early success the invasion was a failure.

The major obstacle was that the inhabitants of Canada, whether French or ‘Loyalist,’ did not want to become part of the new American setup. The Americans considered this an example of people who did not know what was good for them. Why, a chance to throw off the British yoke and join the free Americans! How could the Canadians refuse? But they did, and the invasion began a long era of bitter feeling between the two countries.

Only a few years later, as part of a worldwide conflict between England and France, the United States and Canada again came to blows. Americans are taught that the War of 1812 was fought to preserve the rights of neutrals and maintain the freedom of the seas. But many Canadians viewed the matter in a different light. They believed that the War of 1812 was begun as a pretext for the conquest of their country.

The Canadians based their conclusions on such remarks as those made by the Americans Henry Clay and Andrew Jackson. Clay, a statesman and orator, is quoted as saying: “It is absurd to suppose that we shall not succeed. I am not for stopping at Quebec or anywhere else but I would take the whole continent from her [England] and ask no favor.” Jackson, a military man, thought that such an expedition would meet no resistance and would be, in his words, “a military promenade.”

They were in for a rude shock. The ‘Loyalists’ again were willing to take up arms and defend Canada for England. In the war that ensued, the Americans invaded Canada and burned the capitol buildings at York (now Toronto). However, they were unable to gain any real foothold. Toward the close of the war, partly in retaliation for the burning of York, the United States capitol at Washington was burned by the British. But very few Americans today know about the American invasion of Canada or what was done to York. Instead, the burning of Washington, the defense of Baltimore at Fort McHenry, and the writing of the national anthem are given much space in American history books.

More Troubles

Another quarter of a century passed. Then the American presidential election campaign of 1844 led to a further confrontation. During this time the phrase “Manifest Destiny” came into use. This term described the American belief in the inevitable territorial expansion of the United States, and its right to do so.

It was maintained by some that the destiny of the United States was to rule all of North America. This led to a boundary dispute involving a large section of Canada. Although it was finally settled by compromise, it appeared to Canadians as another in the list of attempts by Americans to gain the whole of Canada.

After the discovery of gold in Alaska years later, the United States and Canada engaged in a bitter dispute over the boundary of the Alaskan panhandle. President Theodore Roosevelt stated that Canadian claims were “an outrage, pure and simple.” On the other side, Canadian Sir Wilfrid said in parliament: “I have often regretted, and never more than on the present occasion, that we are living beside a great neighbor who, I believe, I can say without being unfriendly to them, are very grasping in their national actions.”

Why do Americans know and understand so little of this background? The answer lies primarily in the textbooks used to instruct pupils. These usually gloss over or ignore the Canadian side and concentrate on pride of country at the expense of historical objectivity. But then, Canadian textbooks usually do the same from their viewpoint.

Thus, although both sides report the part of the truth that suits them, in the long run they both suffer from ignorance, which can and has led to trouble. Yes, “it makes a difference whose ox is being gored.”

Relations with Mexico

In past generations the United States has also had difficulty with its southern neighbor, Mexico. Both sides have felt that their position was not only justifiable, but right.

The foremost thing to keep in mind from the Mexican viewpoint is that Mexico, like Canada, is not and does not want to become an American appendage. Yet, until recently the course of history since Mexico’s independence from Spain in the early 1800’s has been one of continued American interference in Mexican affairs.

Since Mexico’s independence, about half of her territory has been seized by the United States. First the area of Texas was annexed and made a state in 1845. Then the whole of what is now the southwestern United States was demanded. The Mexican War of 1846-48 resulted, in which United States forces invaded Mexico and occupied the capital, Mexico City. Of this war, World Book Encyclopedia states: “Many historians believe the war was an unnecessary attack on a weaker nation.”

The United States thus forcibly took from Mexico the regions of California, Nevada and Utah, most of Arizona and New Mexico, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming. These were added to her acquisition of Texas. All of this was a direct result of the American idea of “Manifest Destiny” so prevalent at the time.

Many Americans “remember the Alamo” at San Antonio. There the entire garrison of Americans was killed by Mexican troops under General Santa Ana. But most Americans forget, or never did know, that San Antonio had been part of Mexico. Mexico regarded the battle as the putting down of rebellion in her territory. America used it as a rallying cry in its campaign against Mexico, seeming to justify its intervention in Mexican affairs.

In the early 1900’s Mexico underwent a series of political upheavals. American business interests seemed to be endangered, so in 1914 United States marines landed at Vera Cruz and occupied the city. This was in direct violation of a treaty forbidding such acts. Many Americans were surprised to find how much Mexicans resented this. Two years later President Woodrow Wilson sent an army under General Pershing into Mexico in chase of the chieftain “Pancho” Villa, who had raided a town in New Mexico. While Americans were indignant at Villa’s raid, Mexicans bitterly resented another American invasion of their country.

The last few decades have been less hectic, but Mexicans in general still feel the pressure of their big neighbor to the north. They no doubt wish that Americans could see themselves as Mexicans see them. Yes, history looks different to people in different countries, for “it makes a difference whose ox is being gored.”

Indian Affairs

Most Americans have been raised in an atmosphere depicting American Indians as “savages” that needed to be crushed to protect early settlers. With few exceptions, in motion pictures, books and magazines the Indians were ‘the bad guys.’

But centuries before any white settlers came, the Indians had inhabited the American continent. Only in comparatively recent history, in the 1600’s, did white settlers come from Europe, particularly England. They began pushing inland, westward, from the Atlantic seaboard. And whose property were they taking? It was all Indian land. So from the Indians’ viewpoint, the settlers’ movement west was no more than an invasion and stealing of Indian territory.

The ensuing destruction and ‘resettlement’ of Indian tribes is one of the darkest pages in American history. In Newsweek, Geoffrey Wolff, reviewing the book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, calls it a “damning case against our national roots in greed, perfidy, ignorance and malice. The motive force for our theft of land and identity from the Indians was Manifest Destiny, the belief that white men were ordained to rule this continent.” Wolff adds: “The books I review, week upon week, report the destruction of the land or the air; they detail the perversion of justice; they reveal national stupidities. None of them—not one—has saddened me and shamed me as this book has.”

Yet, before the European settlers came, were all the Indian tribes peaceful, cooperative, free from bloodshed and plunder among themselves? Not at all, for many of them were in constant conflict with each other.

Thus, the events that have taken place on the North American continent have been viewed quite differently, according to who was doing the viewing. But, then, is it any other way elsewhere? Is it not true that every nation interprets history according to its own interests? Almost always the view is similar to the one declared by a famous American: “My country, may she always be right; but my country, right or wrong.”

Such attitudes in all nations have been responsible for much hostility and bloodshed. Indeed, history is filled with the sickening reminders of such misunderstanding and blunders under man’s rule. How obvious it is that human government, however well intentioned, is simply incapable of providing a system that brings true liberty, justice and equality for all.

Most Helpless of Creatures

● Human infants are perhaps the most helpless of all living creatures. They must be fed, washed and dressed. They cannot move far by themselves. If it were not for parents, infants would not live long after birth.

Community Life Among Plants

IF YOU have ever visited Germany, you may have noticed, in the suburbs of cities, large plots of land subdivided into many small gardens. The entire plot of land may have from fifty to two hundred gardens. Much of this land is owned by associations, and only those belonging to an association may rent a garden. Others are privately owned. Much can be learned about gardening here, so we want to take you along as we visit Hans. He is a member of the board of directors of the local “Kleingarten” (small garden) association and serves as adviser for the individual gardeners.

Lately the gardeners experienced some trouble. It seems that they had heard a talk on “mixed culture.” Full of enthusiasm, they went to the garden to try out the suggestions. And the result? Well, it was a little disappointing to say the least.

“Hello, Hans!” He was suddenly interrupted in his thoughts. “Good morning, Werner!” he answered. “How is it you are out so early this morning?”

“Oh, you know how I enjoy working in the garden. But you’re not getting away from me today. I’ve several questions for you to answer. You know about my fiasco with this ‘mixed culture’ gardening. What I’d like to know is just what went wrong and what I failed to consider.”

“Ja, Werner, that is not so easily explained. This is because there are many things that have to be considered. Let’s start with the nature of the soil and the influence that plants have upon one another.

What Part Does Soil Quality Play?

“Did you know that you aren’t the only one working in your garden? Caterpillars, earthworms, yes, and an army of microorganisms in the form of algae, bacteria and fungi are very helpful to you. All of your efforts would often be useless if these microorganisms weren’t busy. What good would it do if you wore yourself out trying to keep the soil loose, and then along came the next rainstorm and the tiny granules would all fall back together so that the ground was once again hard and impenetrable?”

“But what part do these organisms play in keeping the soil loose, and how did they get there in the first place?”

“Don’t you always try to enrich the soil by mixing mature compost into it? A luxuriant fungus growth results, consisting of an extensive network of fungus threads. These small threads with a very short life-span secure the tiny particles of soil so that they cannot fall back together. Later bacteria take over the work, but they are not the last of their kind to work on the soil.

“There is an unbroken chain of life in many forms prevailing in the soil. These see to it that the soil is kept in good tilth, which means that the particles of earth are preserved so that warmth and water can get into the ground. At the same time these microorganisms decompose the material in the ground so that the nutritive value that is in the soil can be released and made available for the plants.”

“But what does all that have to do with ‘mixed plant culture’?”

“Your question is a good one, and I hope I can give you a satisfying answer. Perhaps you remember that during the talk it was shown that much research was carried out. Time and again the natural community life of plants was compared with growing one type of plant. Professor Sekera made an interesting discovery. He found out that there was a much smaller population of various microorganisms in the cultivated field. A mixed plant community, on the other hand, lives with a high microorganic population in the soil.

“Take a look at the natural forests—oak, beech, shrubs and that trailing myrtle or periwinkle that even grows over the luxuriant moss carpet. Every nook and cranny is utilized, and yet not one hinders the others. To the contrary! Each helps the other. And consider that each tree, yes, each plant has its own escort of microorganisms. The result of this is that the soil never gets to the point where it could become ‘tired’ or unproductive. It remains in good tilth and healthy.

“The leafy ‘ceiling’ and the falling leaves serve as a helper for the soil. They protect it from the sun’s scorching rays; they keep it from drying out in the wind and getting muddy in downpours. This too is a provision of the forest for keeping the soil in good tilth.

“Now, you can further such a condition in a miniature way in your garden. For example, let’s say you planted a bed of European broad beans. Soon you would see the individual plants standing rather lonely side by side. The reason is that they cannot tolerate hot weather and have very few branches. There would be no protective leaf foliage to prevent the scorching sun from drying out the soil. Gradually the soil would form a hard crust. The last drops of moisture would escape from the soil through the cracks. Carbonic acid, which the soil has to release for the leaves, would build up in the ground due to the hard crust. And soon the remaining microorganisms, which had not taken refuge in deeper layers of earth because of the lack of moisture, would be poisoned by the carbonic acid. Yes, even the roots would be doomed to suffocate.

“However, if you plant spinach between the rows you would get altogether different results. Spinach grows fast and protects the soil with its wide leaves. Under this protective ceiling the soil stays moist. The result will be just the opposite of the former example. And why? Because of mixed plant culture.”

“That makes sense. But you see what little I’ve accomplished with my mixed plant culture.”

The Influence of One Plant upon Another

“Ja, Werner, you’ve forgotten that plants are also living things. Plants, the same as humans and animals, produce secretions in the process of metabolism, and these can influence other plants beneficially or adversely.

“In this matter Dr. Madaus-Dresen speaks of three different kinds of secretions: smell, root and leaf. Smell and root secretions are in the form of gases. Leaf secretions are of organic and inorganic material found especially on the wet leaves after dew, rain or fog. These materials go back into the soil to fulfill their purpose once again.

“Did you ever smell skunk cabbage? Some plants cannot stand others because of the smell they give off. No one could blame the fennel plant for not wanting wormwood as a close neighbor. This can be easily understood when we consider the results of experiments made by Professor D. Koegel. He found that the smell secretion of wormwood is so strong that fennel 70 centimeters away grew only to a height of 5.7 centimeters. But at a distance of 1.30 meters, the fennel reached its normal height of 39 centimeters. Here the smell secretion had a retarding effect on the growth of the partner plant. Taking this into consideration would be wise when planting your garden.

“With root secretions other interesting things were discovered. It was noticed that the root secretion from one plant had bad effects on plants of the same kind that were in its neighborhood. It seems as though plant secretions from the same kind of plant are not compatible for the neighbor plant. In mixed plant culture, however, the exact opposite was true.”

“Say, Hans, that reminds me of an example in the animal kingdom. A farmer took his cattle to the same pasture year after year. With time, due to the dung of the cattle, there were some especially green spots. The animals refused to eat this grass. One day he came upon the idea of pasturing his horse and sheep in this meadow, and, lo and behold! they ate with gusto the grass that the cattle had refused to eat.”

“When I take a look at your bush beans, I have the feeling that they are just about as unhappy as the cattle that were always pastured on the same meadow.

“Try the same thing the farmer did. Give your bush beans a partner that will ‘eat’ up their metabolic secretions so they can develop in peace. For them the most welcome counterpart is savoy. It takes in their secretions and makes them innocuous, whereas the secretions from savoy are nutritious for the beans. Also in taking nutriments from the soil the two complement each other nicely.

“Do you remember the young apple tree that withered a short time after you had planted it?”

“Ja, that’s right! But I can’t understand how that was possible. Take a look at that young cherry tree; it’s standing in exactly the same spot and is growing like a weed!”

“Think about it for just a bit, Werner. You planted that young apple tree on the very same spot where the old apple tree that was blown down in the storm had stood. In this case it wasn’t only the secretion from the roots but also the remains of the leaf secretions that worked poisonously on the young tree. For the young cherry tree, though, it’s welcome nutrition.”

“Then how was it possible that the old apple tree grew so well?”

“What the young tree wasn’t able to do, the old one succeeded in doing. The old one sent its fine root hairs out far enough so as to be out of the range of its secretions. It found nutrition in the neighborhood of compatible kinds of plants, and in this way built a life companionship that kept it healthy. Naturally you couldn’t see that.”

“How’s that possible?”

“We really know very little about all this. Humble scientists admit that man has a long way to go before he has discovered all the relationships within the plant’s community life. The things already learned, however, are so informative and useful that it pays to discuss and apply them.

How Does Community Life Affect Insects?

“I was thinking here of a special effect that one can produce by gardening with mixed plant culture. How do you explain the recent discovery that insect pests can’t spread as easily in mixed timber?”

“Does that have anything to do with mixed plant culture?”

“By all means! It has been found that the smell secretions of one plant are a good defense against insects for its neighbor plant. A very good example—confirmed by many biologists and horticulturists—is the companionship between the short-leafed early carrot and leeks.

“The enemy of the carrot is the carrot fly, whereas the leek suffers from the onion fly and leek moth. If they live together in companionship, then the strong and strangely different smell of the partner plant repels the insects so much that they do not even attempt to lay their eggs on the neighbor plant. They take off as fast as they can to get away from the smell.

“It’s similar with kohlrabi and radishes in their community life with lettuce. Kohlrabi and radishes are greatly afflicted by earth flies, but when the flies get the smell of lettuce in their nose they take to flight. When plants are affected by diseases, one can usually alleviate the situation by mixed plant culture.

Community Life in Fruit Plantations

“Now that I’ve given you a few tips for your vegetable garden, I‘d like to tell you a little about an entirely different type of community life. You know how much enjoyment I have with my fruit trees. A few ‘Williams Christ’ (Bartlett) pear trees were my pride and joy. But despite the fact that they bloomed year after year, they bore no fruit. It wasn’t due to any lack of bees. One neighbor of mine who had planted the same kind began to take them all out. I waited awhile longer and tried to find the cause.

“Just by chance I happened to get ahold of a pollinization table. Pollen, you know, is the dust from blossoms that is needed to make the plant fruitful. I made an interesting discovery. Pears are noted for self-sterility; that is, the pollen of certain varieties will not pollinate the same variety and so are dependent on the pollen from a different variety of the same kind of fruit. My ‘Williams Christ’ (Bartlett) needed pollen from the ‘Gellerts Butter pear.’ Since neither I nor my neighbor had any of these trees in our garden, the ‘Williams Christ’ couldn’t be pollinated.

“For that reason I got a shoot from the ‘Gellerts Butter pear’ and grafted it into the crown of the ‘Williams Christ.’ The following year this shoot bloomed with the others. The bees took over their share of the work; pears are one kind of fruit that can be pollinated only by insects. What a surprise! A short time later the trees were hanging full of pears. I had grown a little wiser.”

“I’ve found out time and again that there is much to learn!”

“Ja, Werner, it’s just the same as with the universe. The deeper we penetrate, the greater and more unfathomable it becomes. Everything testifies to the unchangeable power of the great, all-wise Creator, to whose laws we have to submit, because they are everywhere, even in the community life of plants.”

[Picture on page 17]

BUSH BEAN

SAVOY CABBAGE

WORMWOOD

FENNEL

Berlin—Ten Years Later

By “Awake!” correspondent in Germany

AS OUR jet tilted to give us a panoramic view of a maze of lights, Karin pressed her face against the window and exclaimed: “There it is; there’s Berlin!”

We began to descend, and Karin fixed her attention on a single row of bright floodlights, snaking its way through the metropolis. “That must be the wall!” She made no effort to hide her emotion.

The plane was about to touch down at Tempelhof Central Airport, the only European airport located in the middle of a city. I was excited too. This was my first visit to this divided city, one that has made headlines for more than twenty-five years. And Karin looked forward to comparing today’s Berlin with what she knew ten years ago.

Four Sectors—Four Airports

“It hasn’t changed much at all,” explained Karin, as we arrived at the airport, “and look! There’s where we waited for our names to be called out.” Ten years ago, Karin was one of the million and a half refugees who fled from East Germany into West Berlin. Most of them were subsequently flown out to West Germany on a “place available” basis.

Tempelhof, Berlin’s busiest airport, handles the shuttle service through the three twenty-mile-wide air corridors: northwest to Hamburg, westward to Hannover and southwest to Frankfurt.

Tegel Airport, located in the French sector in the north of the city, was built in ninety-two days during the Berlin Blockade. It is located on a site originally used by Wernher von Braun for the first rocket experiments. Currently being enlarged, Tegel is geared for international travel, as well as for many all-inclusive vacation flights that speed Berliners into the sunny south.

Gatow Airport in the British sector is used exclusively for military purposes. In the Russian sector, Schönefeld offers flights to Eastern European and Asian centers, generally featuring lower prices than those on Western airlines.

“Let’s go outside and see the Air Lift Memorial,” Karin suggested. This is a huge stone monument in front of the airport. It was erected on May 12, 1959, in memory of the seventy-eight persons who lost their lives during the Berlin Blockade from June 24, 1948, to May 12, 1949. During those eleven months more than 200,000 flights delivered over two million tons of foodstuffs, coal and other necessities to the West Berliners. On the 300th day of the blockade, there were no less than 927 takeoffs and landings.

Karin, who came from a little town just outside of Berlin, recalled: “At that time, there wasn’t much to eat anywhere, in or outside of Berlin.” What a contrast we noted now as we sat in a sidewalk café for an evening snack, while planning our next day’s tour of the city!

…

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Awake!, May 22, 1971