Awake!, January 22, 1974

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Awake! — January 22, 1974

Source: jw.org

Contents

Where Is Your Money Heading?

Looking into the World of Small Things

Hormones as Medicine

Do All Worship the Same God?

Serving the “Living and True God”

When Fuel for Heating Runs Short

Kisangani Comes Back to Life

Fornication—Why Not?

Watching the World

“Who Made the Pretty Flowers?”

Would You Remain Loyal?

Where Is Your Money Heading?

Where Is Your Money Heading?

IN ALL parts of the world, the prices of nearly everything keep going up. This is called inflation. While it is not new, the scope and pace of it are.

How serious a problem is it considered to be? The publication Money & Credit said recently: “Inflation is the number one problem, the problem that makes all others pale into insignificance. If allowed to rage on at its present pace it could easily destroy the fragile fabric of this and every other democratic society.”

What makes the situation so serious is that never before in history has the entire world been caught up in such inflation at the same time. And, in recent years, the rate of price increases in many nations has gained speed.

This means that your money buys less and less. And, for persons on relatively fixed or low incomes, it is a growing tragedy. They find themselves unable to increase their incomes enough to make up for inflation. Hence, their living standard drops.

Authorities Worried

Regarding the rate of inflation, U.S. News and World Report said: “Not in a quarter of a century . . . have prices gone up so fast for so long.” And the New York Times added:

“If American consumers are irritated over an 8 per cent inflationary rate, consider the Japanese. . . . current wholesale prices in Japan are up 16 per cent and consumer prices 13 per cent from last year’s levels. . . .

“The rate in South America has far exceeded 100 per cent in some countries. In relatively stable Peru prices have been rising about 12 per cent a year over the last two years.”

In August of 1973, prices in the United States jumped the fastest in twenty-six years. Since the United States is the main foundation for the Western world’s economic system, authorities all over the world were very much concerned about the consequences of such inflation.

The havoc that world inflation has caused prompted the head of the Bank of Zambia, Africa, to call the future of the world’s money systems “bleak.” Also, the Nigerian Daily, noting the chaos in the world economy, urged African nations ‘to establish their own monetary exchange system in order to eliminate losses resulting from the world monetary crisis.’

Why is there such worldwide inflation now? There are several reasons for this very complicated situation. But, as economist Milton Friedman wrote in Newsweek recently, some of the reasons are: “Too much creation of money, too much government spending,” and too much government intervention. Many nations are now spending more money than they make. To pay for such things as the huge cost of armaments and for fighting wars, for public services and other things they want to do, they have constantly gone into debt. To pay their bills, they have to borrow money or create it on their printing presses. In addition, the general public has engaged in vast borrowing themselves. But the effect of all this excess money chasing goods and services is that prices are pushed up.

What cure is there for the situation? It is of interest to examine what more and more authorities are now saying.

“Heading for Crash”

Late in 1973, the New York Times carried this headline: “Boom Economy in Europe Feared Heading for Crash.” At about the same time U.S. News & World Report stated: “Fears are widespread among bankers, economists and politicians all over Europe that governments are losing control over the wage-price spiral, and that runaway inflation is leading toward economic disaster.”

Whereas just a few years ago the number of economists making such dire predictions would have been few, now there are more and more. Nicholas L. Deak, president of a large foreign money exchange in North America, said that ‘inflation will lead to a world-wide depression that will make the 1930s look like a summer holiday.’ He also said: “Inflation creates a boom that ends in disaster. The trend can’t be reversed without a major depression.”

London’s Financial Times called the prospects for the near future “spine-chilling,” commenting:

“When Dr. Schaefer, the highly respected chairman of Switzerland’s largest bank, recently warned of the danger of the [world’s] entire economic system ‘meeting with a tragic end,’ he was not exaggerating.

“He was merely ringing round a worry that even the most sober observers of the international scene no longer find it easy to dismiss​—that . . . inflation has now reached the point at which nothing can stop it [from] completely destroying the world’s monetary base, with consequences too frightful to contemplate.

“Dr. Schultz, the international monetary chronicler, puts it bluntly when he says in his latest news letter that . . . ‘Money is dying.’”

A member of Britain’s parliament, Sir Henry d’Avigdor-Goldsmid, a banker whom the London Sunday Telegraph of July 22, 1973, described as “a very model of judicial caution,” warned:

“When [Mount] Vesuvius erupted the citizens of Pompeii were probably discussing plans for new public baths. No doubt that was a matter of great moment to them, but they were completely unconscious of the deluge of death and destruction that was about to descend upon them. . .

“We are facing what amounts to an eruption of Vesuvius. Price inflation all over the world in the last 18 months is something which will bring much of the Western world as we know it to an end.”

Can the Tide Be Turned?

If the unchecked tide of inflation will bring disaster, can it be halted? Is it realistic to hope that it will?

The record is not comforting for those who put too much trust in money. For instance, regarding the American inflation, the New York Times said:

“The present rapid rate of inflation in the American economy . . . is a mystery, at least in good part, to the experts . . .

“Hardly an economist, in or out of government, dreamed that the inflation rate of the last three or four months would be as great as it has proved to be.”

So the experts did not foresee what has taken place in recent times. And even more ominous is the fact that some of them do not think that much can be done about it at this late date. The Financial Times of London remarked:

“The fact that the so-called monetary managers are almost everywhere behaving as though they see the problem as having got far too big for them to tackle, either individually or collectively, inevitably adds weight to these spine-chilling [indications of coming disaster].”

In this same line of thought, U.S. News & World Report stated: “A feeling of helplessness and anxiety about the world monetary outlook seems to have gripped top bankers from the United States and Europe.” The Bank for International Settlements warned that no end was in sight for world inflation. And the Economic Education Bulletin, published in the United States, declared:

“No matter how strong and wealthy the nation where inflating occurs, this at first insidious process ultimately can wreck the nation’s economic system and deform the moral character of its people.

“Such has been the invariable experience of mankind in all the centuries of recorded history without a single exception to date.” (Italics ours)

Do you think our time, which is experiencing the first worldwide inflation of such magnitude, will be the exception to that rule?

Consider this too: In an editorial in the London Sunday Telegraph, P. Worsthorne said that inflation “represents instincts of human greed and selfishness so primitive and fundamental as to challenge the confines of common sense.” This observer went on to say:

“Could it be that inflation is also a form of mass madness, rooted in evil, no more curable and controllable by economic rationality and political common sense than Nazism was curable and controllable by the normal therapy of international diplomacy? . . .

“When one talks in private to people who know about such things, their description of the challenge of inflation is so dark and ominous, almost so apocalyptic, as to suggest that the cure of it must require truly painful remedies.”

Do you think that world leaders can change the selfish, greedy human nature that is so apparent today? Do you think they could do that on the worldwide scale needed? There is no evidence whatsoever that this is being done​—or will be done by today’s human leaders.

Grim Reminders

A large firm representing manufacturers wrote to its clients in late 1973 and reminded them that the present inflation “is unfortunately reminiscent of 1929. It is accompanied also by another condition that appeared in 1929, namely, the lack of faith in governments.”

Also of interest is the reminder that, for example, in the United States paper money has been pumped into the economy much faster than it was before the Great Depression. Other nations have done the same. As The Wall Street Journal noted: “The money supplies in dozens of nations are swelling by double digit annual rates these days, the International Monetary Fund’s figures show. Such speeds stand out as especially excessive.”

You need to understand that such concern over the collapse of money standards is not just an idle thought or opinion. It has happened over and over again, to many nations. At various times this has led to anarchy, radical changes in society, dictatorship, even war.

For example, in August of 1922, the money supply in Germany was 252 billion (252,000,000,000) marks. Just 15 months later it had soared to 497 quintillion marks (497 followed by 18 zeros)! That was about two thousand million times as much as 15 months earlier! This inflation destroyed the German money. The savings of people were annihilated, the economy wrecked. Anarchy resulted, paving the way for Hitler and Nazism.

Similar inflation in the late 1940’s helped to pave the way for the Communist takeover of mainland China.

Another Important Factor

As noted earlier, a basic reason why many countries have had rising inflation is that their governments have been spending more money than they have been making. But now there is another new element that makes the situation worse.

What is that? It is the arrival of worldwide shortages in some basic commodities, such as food, fibers, energy sources, minerals and other things. These shortages on a global scale mean that the increasing money supply will be purchasing relatively fewer of such goods. That will give already rising prices another boost upward. Of this, the New York Times commented:

“This runaway inflation of commodity prices is not wholly due to Administration policies; there has been an upsurge in world demand for food and other resources at a time of crop failures and feed shortages around the world. . . .

“In the case of food and other commodities, the big plungers are national governments​—the Soviet Union, China, Japan, Brazil, and many other countries. Fearful of shortages and outright hunger, nations are stockpiling food as fast as they can, trying desperately to outbid one another.”

Harvard economist Otto Eckstein called the resulting spectacular rise in world commodity prices, especially for food, “an economic disaster of historic proportions.”

True, in some periods, the production of basic commodities rises enough to ease shortages temporarily. For instance, in the autumn of 1973 good harvests helped the food situation in some lands.

However, world population is growing at the rate of 75,000,000 persons a year! That is the net increase of births over deaths. This “exploding” world population is why experts are so certain that, whatever relief may come at times in the production of basic commodities, it will be very temporary. Population pressures will eventually result in ever-increasing demands on all commodities.

Also, available good land that can be devoted to crops and production of other commodities is now decreasing. This is due to erosion, mismanagement of land, the growth of cities, the building of highways, houses, factories and other things that eat up land.

Too, the desire of developing nations to have a better standard of living, to enjoy a better diet, better clothing, and have more material things creates a huge increase in demand for basic commodities. So, even without a population increase, this ‘rising expectation’ in developing lands would strain supplies. But when added on top of a staggering population increase each year, it puts tremendous pressures on earth’s resources.

Of this growing problem, U.S. News & World Report says: “Current shortages of food, fuel, other items are only a hint of what’s coming. . . . Authorities warn that the whole world​—not just this nation—​is starting to press against the outer limits of earth’s resources.”

All these pressures, of course, mean that in the long run, prices are likely to continue in one direction​—up.

Where It Leads

Already, in the relatively wealthy United States, high prices and shortages have led to a marked increase in stealing. More elderly shoppers also are being caught stealing from food stores. As one woman of sixty-eight years said when caught pilfering a few tomatoes: “I just couldn’t afford it.”

When such behavior becomes more widespread at a time that is considered ‘peak prosperity,’ what may be expected when conditions become even more severe? In the London Sunday Telegraph article, P. Worsthorne said: “To be absolutely blunt, my fear is that this country [Britain], like the rest of the industrial world, is moving into a period of cruel political turbulence and strain, as the masses . . . begin to suffer, or think they suffer, a decline in their standard of living.”

Some indication of the way things may go can be seen in what has been happening in India. There, the conservative Times of India said of that country: “Everywhere there are signs of strife and unrest, among youth, among workers in factory and field, and most ominous of all among those who run the Government.” The Indian government admitted that the country faces its worst economic crisis since independence.

In the United States, the New York Times Magazine spoke of “a growing sense of frustration” among people because of inflation. It added: “All the ills, all the flash points, all the threats to social order and stability spring from the same source​—chronic inflation, which breeds social injustice with the speed of a fever virus. . . . the poor and the aged are the fever’s first victims, but not the last. Bitter social tension is the one certain result of inflation.”

Hence, throughout the world the economies of most nations are in deep trouble due to inflation. The fact that this is happening all over the world at the same time, with such persistence and severity, is indeed unique in history​—and also highly significant.

Warning Signals

What is taking place today throughout the world economy is a clear, advance warning signal that we are nearing the end of the present economic systems on earth. While temporary measures by some governments may halt, or even reverse, the trend for a short while, these will do no good in the long run. Why not? Because present world conditions, including the economic uncertainties, provide unmistakable evidence that the entire world system, not just the financial part of it, has entered its time of the end. The perilous economic situation is only one of the many problems that is filling people with dread. Truly, what Jesus Christ prophesied about the “last days” of the system of things is undergoing fulfillment: “On the earth anguish of nations, not knowing the way out . . . while men become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth.”​—Luke 21:25, 26.

The “last days” were foretold to culminate in a “great tribulation such as has not occurred since the world’s beginning until now, no, nor will occur again.” (Matt. 24:21) That tribulation will clear the earth of the economic factors that have brought and continue to bring hardships upon millions. In fact, all human governments and their monetary systems will be replaced by one government​—a righteous administration in the hands of the self-sacrificing Son of God, Jesus Christ.​—Isa. 9:6, 7; Dan. 2:44.

When the “great tribulation” strikes, even the most stable of the world’s monetary systems will be unable to buy protection. The situation will then parallel that of the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem in the seventh century B.C.E. Regarding them, the prophet Ezekiel foretold:

“Into the streets they will throw their very silver, and an abhorrent thing their own gold will become. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them in the day of Jehovah’s fury.”​—Ezek. 7:19.

So the danger in which we find ourselves today is far graver than the collapse of all national currencies. Bible prophecy clearly establishes that the generation now living faces an unequaled “great tribulation,” at which time only an approved standing with God will be of any real value. (Matt. 24:34) People everywhere should therefore think seriously about what they can do to survive that destruction. Are you endeavoring to build up a record of fine works with the Creator so that you may be among those hidden in the day of his fury?

Because of what is sure to come, those who put their trust in money now, who build their lives around it at the expense of doing God’s will, are only deluding themselves. God’s sure promise is: “The one trusting in his riches​—he himself will fall; but just like foliage the righteous ones will flourish.”​—Prov. 11:28.

[Blurb on page 5]

‘Nothing Can Stop Inflation’

Inflation has now reached the point at which nothing can stop it [from] completely destroying the world’s monetary base, with consequences too frightful to contemplate.​—London “Financial Times.”

[Graph on page 6]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

U.S.A. Stockpile of Strategic minerals (Tons)

1965 1972 Decrease

Aluminum 1,893,000 1,275,000 32 percent

Copper 1,002,000 259,000 74 percent

Nickel 211,000 39,000 81 percent

Tin 292,000 251,000 14 percent

Zinc 1,416,000 1,040,000 26 percent

Growing shortages of minerals contribute to pushing prices upward. In the United States, the world’s largest user, the strategic stockpile has been dropping

[Picture on page 4]

INFLATION LIKE VESUVIUS?

A member of Britain’s parliament warned about the danger of unconcern regarding inflation, likening it to the unconcern some people in Pompeii showed when Mount Vesuvius erupted

[Picture on page 7]

Many authorities say that whatever temporary relief the nations get from shortages and high prices would soon be nullified by a world population “exploding” at the rate of 75 million a year

Looking into the World of Small Things

Looking into the World of Small Things

IF YOU look at the very best of manufactured objects, such as a chair or a table, you see a fine, beautiful finish and appearance. But if you turn the furniture over and look on the underside, you will likely find it rough and unattractive, even crude. And if you examine any part of the fine finish with a strong magnifying glass, you see that even this actually appears very rough and irregular.

What would you say about a workman whose product was so fine that even when you turned it over and gave it magnified inspection it revealed only beauty, orderliness and symmetry? And what if you found that the closer the examination the more entrancing the beauty? You would undoubtedly remark that the work was done by a superior craftsman, with extraordinary ability and wisdom, and was carried out in detail with loving care.

Such is exactly what you see in the handiwork of the Creator. And more than beauty, there is also a marvelous functional value and a most intricate, close-knit interdependence in all that the Creator has made. How each living thing works in behalf of all the others becomes more and more evident as men are able to examine the world of small things with increasingly powerful microscopes.

Of God’s workmanship, Jesus Christ said: “Take a lesson from the lilies of the field, . . . I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these.” (Matt. 6:28, 29) It is easy to appreciate the delicate beauty of a flower, its unmatched color and fragrance. But when examining it closely under a microscope, down to the very cell structure, one marvels at the beauty of design and the engineering skill represented.

In our critical examination, then, let us go to the real “underside”​—the world of plants and animals that is not normally seen by human eyes, and which would never be seen were it not for the microscope. In this tiny realm we find just as glorious an array.

The Kingdom of Water Plants

Where do you find this glamorous world? Take a drop of brackish water or seawater and place it between two pieces of glass. Put this “slide” on the stage of the microscope. You will see small figures, some stationary, some moving slowly, others dashing about wildly. There are those that are spinning like a top; others take an irregular and apparently aimless course. Some are plants​—“‘algae”; others are animals​—“protozoans.”

Plant life actually produces all the food for human and animal life on earth. (Gen. 1:29, 30) Plants, by the process called “photosynthesis,” utilize the carbon dioxide in the air or that which is dissolved in earth’s waters, to convert inorganic material into food that animals can digest. Water algae produce untold thousands of millions of pounds of starches, sugars, proteins and oils each year. Scientists have not been able to unravel the mystery of their process​—photosynthesis. This complex chemical operation, on which all earthly life depends, gives testimony to the unsearchable wisdom of the Creator.

Now bring your microscope up to higher magnification. You will behold an array of exquisite jewels. These are diatoms. These glasslike plants have a hard case made of silicon in a great variety of intricate, symmetrical patterns.

Great deposits of diatom shells are found in thick layers, where they were laid down centuries ago when water covered what are now land areas. Such deposits are called “diatomaceous earth.” The shells of these plants are so small that there are more than fifty million of them in one cubic inch!

Does man receive any direct benefits from diatoms? Yes, he does. Diatomaceous earth is used in fine filters in several industries. It is employed in many non-glossy paints and in some types of insulation. Because of its abrasive qualities it is an ingredient in many scouring products. You have very likely used it when you brushed your teeth.

In observing the microscopic plants, you see a variety of color. You may also watch some of these plants reproduce in front of your eyes. A freshwater plant, Spirogyra, grows in long threads of single cells attached end to end. Each cell is like a tube. In one method of reproduction, two threads of cells lie side by side. As you watch, each cell grows a bump, the bumps continuing to grow until they join the other thread. At this point the two threads look like a ladder with many rungs. You observe the cell material move from each cell in one thread across into the other. This is a sexual process that leads to the forming of new cells and a new thread.

While watching this, you may also see a colony of Volvox, another plant, roll by like a ball. It may have hundreds or even thousands of individual cells making up this spherical “community,” yet it is no bigger than half the head of a pin.

Microscopic Animal Life

While some fish and other larger sea animals eat the algae, the greatest consumers of it are animals that are themselves microscopic. These, in turn, are eaten by the larger sea creatures. Among these minute animals many are one-celled, such as the foraminifera, found in the salt water of the oceans. Their shells form a major part of the sea floor. The chalk-white cliffs of Dover on the English Channel are formed of the shells of foraminifera. In your drop of water you may also see other one-celled animals, for example, the beautiful Radiolaria, also living in a shell. It would be impossible to mention them all, for there are more than thirty thousand types of one-celled animals living on earth today.

A remarkable fact is that these small sea animals, as well as the microscopic plant life, while so minute and delicate, have persisted in the billions in great variety for many centuries. And, what is more remarkable, they have not changed. The same characteristics are passed on from generation to generation, so that a fossil of ages ago is no different from the present living specimens. What stability! But when one realizes that all creation, with its interdependence, is the design of a supreme Intelligence, it is logically seen that such has to be the case if life is to continue on earth. This is because each creature fills its essential place in the network of life.

No description of one-celled animal life could afford to bypass the amoeba. We often hear of people becoming sick from drinking impure water containing amoebas. However, amoebas have their important role. Amoebas do not have a shell. They move about by a “flowing” action of their soft inner substance. They therefore constantly change shape. Whenever an amoeba encounters food​—bacteria, decaying matter or protozoans—​it stretches out pseudopodia or false “feet” to surround the object and bring it into the amoeba’s body, where it is digested. (The white blood cells in our bodies act like amoebas in flowing over and destroying bacteria and other enemies in our bloodstream.)

Going to a larger yet extremely small animal, we find in our drop of water the Daphnia, called “water fleas” because they appear to jump in the water much as a flea does on land. Actually, they swim by means of two large antennae. The water flea has five pairs of legs that serve primarily to circulate water containing food through its shell. Though it is little more than a speck, it has one eye, a “brain,” a digestive system and a heart that beats up to three hundred times a minute, pumping blood through its body, but there are no veins or arteries.

You might wonder what part these insignificant “fleas” play in behalf of man. Their lifespan is probably only about thirty-six to fifty days, but most never live out this span, because they are eaten by water bugs, certain worms and beetles and small fish. In their uncounted millions they are food factories for these somewhat larger animals. And, as yet larger sea creatures, in turn, eat these, man eventually has fish, shrimp, lobster and other seafood to delight his palate.

Also, the water flea becomes a real friend in solving one of man’s difficult engineering problems. City water reservoirs often are ideal breeding grounds for microscopic algae. When the algae multiply greatly they impart a bad taste and smell to the water. If screens are used to filter out these microscopic plants, they soon become clogged. The water flea here comes to the rescue. Engineers add water fleas to the water to “graze” on the algae. They are so efficient that they keep the algae cleared out. The water fleas are then filtered out by coarser screens, and the people of the city are happy with pure, fresh-tasting water to drink.

A Brief Story of the Microscope

Early investigators into the world of small things may have used pieces of quartz as natural lenses. Some used drops of water. But one of the first really effective microscopes had a glass bead as its lens. Things as small as diatoms could be seen through it.

The simple microscope today uses just one lens or one set of lenses. An improvement over the simple microscope is the compound microscope, in which two sets of lenses are used, one set multiplying the magnification of the other. If one set (the objective lens) multiplies the object being viewed eighty times and the other set (the eyepiece) multiplies that image ten times, the resultant image will be eight hundred times as large as the object viewed (80 x 10). At the present time the greatest highly detailed magnification obtainable with a compound microscope is in the neighborhood of a thousand times. Beyond this, images do not have good “resolution,” that is, they are not completely sharp and clear.

In the constant desire to peer deeper into the world of small things, microscope builders have turned from the visible portion of the light spectrum to ultraviolet, X ray and electron beams, which have much greater frequency of vibration and shorter wave lengths, thus affording better resolving power. This is because the wave lengths of ordinary light are longer than the dimensions of objects or the detail in them. They “jump” over the detail and therefore bring back no signal to the eye.

Constant improvement is being made. The transmission electron microscope can give clear enlargements of 100,000 to 200,000 times. Then, by employing a viewing telescope that further enlarges the image thus obtained, a good magnification of more than a million times can be reached. Things of dimensions of only a few Angstrom units can be seen in sharp detail. (An Angstrom unit is one hundred-millionth of a centimeter.)

A microscopic photograph is usually labeled as to the magnification (as, 800x). It is the linear magnification that is meant. In other words, the length and width of the picture are each 800 times the length and width of the object photographed. The area, then, is 800 x 800, or 640,000 times as large as the area of the object viewed. If the picture is one of a cell, you could lay 640,000 cells on the picture to cover it. The notation “2,000,000x” would mean an area magnification of 4,000,000,000,000 times!

A relatively new development is the scanning electron microscope. It uses a beam of electrons to scan the surface of an object in much the same way that the electron beam in a television tube scans the screen. With recent improvements it can achieve a resolution comparable to the earlier mentioned electron microscope, which produces an image of all the illuminated points at one time. Each microscope has its advantage and use, but the scanning electron microscope’s main advantage is that it gives great depth of focus, making its images have a three-dimensional appearance. Certain structures can be studied more accurately in this way.

There are endless things in earth’s waters and on the land that bring amazement to users of the microscope, and all these things confirm more solidly the Creator’s wisdom and purpose in all the things he has made.

It has been said that, while the universe is of unimaginable bigness, perhaps approaching infinity, the world of small things is likewise unfathomable. The limit has not nearly been reached. Think of the size of the earth, the billions of people living on it, and the time required to travel around it. Then look at a golf ball. The golf ball is as big to an atom as the earth is to the golf ball. Surely this beautiful universe has enough marvels to keep men’s minds employed in interesting research to all eternity.

[Picture on page 9]

Diatoms

[Picture on page 10]

Radiolarian

[Picture on page 11]

Daphnia

Hormones as Medicine

Hormones as Medicine

“DENVER Woman Gives Birth to Sextuplets.” So read a front-page headline of the New York Times, September 18, 1973. The article featured pictures of the father and mother, both smiling. What accounted for their having these sextuplets? Hormone injections!

The mother had been unable to conceive after giving birth to a son four years ago. Her doctor experimented with various hormones, and finally the injections of one derived from the urine of women who had passed their menopause caused the woman to conceive again. However, a side effect of the injections caused her weight to jump from 130 to 196 pounds just before the premature birth of the sextuplets.

Trying to help women who have been unable to conceive to become pregnant is just one of the many uses to which physicians put hormones today. And this is not at all surprising when we learn that all biological processes of the body are at least in part under hormonal control. Since you, or a relative or close friend, might be urged to accept hormones under medical supervision, it would be good to know something about them. In that way you will be in a better position to understand the factors involved and to make a wise decision.

What Are They?

Human hormones are chemicals naturally secreted by your body. In proper balance they exert important effects on the finely tuned human organism. For example, hormones play a particularly vital role in helping the body to adjust to changes in its environment, which adjustment is often necessary for survival. Thus the body temperature of 98.6° F. must be held with but slight variations, and yet the temperature outside may vary as much as from 90 degrees below zero to 130 degrees above. Then again, strenuous labor creates so much heat that if the body did not have the means for cooling itself our muscles would literally cook. This sustaining of the body’s internal balance in temperature despite changes in its environment is termed “homeostasis.”

Among the various activities of the body that make homeostasis possible are those of the hormones, literally meaning “exciters” or “arousers.” They are extremely powerful tiny bits of either simple or compound substances that accomplish their mission in quantities so small as to defy imagination. Just how small? Some hormone particles are so small that it would take three thousand million (3,000,000,000) of them to equal one ounce!

That hormones are produced by eight kinds of ductless glands in the human body is widely known. These are the pituitary, the thyroid, the parathyroids, the adrenals, the thymus, the pineal, the islands of Langerhans and the gonads or sex glands. But not so well known is the fact that many other organs and parts of the body also produce hormones. Thus the hypothalamus, a part of the brain, releases several hormones that trigger the release of hormones in the pituitary and other ductless glands, and also influences a wide variety of metabolic processes. The small intestines, the kidneys and especially the placenta of pregnant women likewise release hormones.

For the various organs of the body to function harmoniously they must be in touch with one another. A main means for transmitting messages from one organ to another is the nervous system. The other is the hormonal system. The nerves might be said to work like a telephone. It requires a hookup at each end and a line along which the message or impulse travels, and this is also true of nerves. Thus in the skin there are tiny receptors that pick up such sensations as heat, cold and pain and carry them to the brain.

On the other hand, hormones have been likened to radio. A radio station sends out its messages in all directions and it takes a receiver able to tune in on its wavelength and pick up the messages. So too with hormonal influences. The producing glands or organs send them out to all the cells of the body by means of the blood, but they affect only certain cells that have specific receptors for particular hormones. Recently, research indicates that the genes play a vital role in this response.

Another interesting characteristic of the way hormones work is the feedback principle. A gland will keep pouring its hormone into the blood until its target organ, which has the receptors for that particular hormone, has received a sufficient amount. Then that target organ will signal back to the gland to stop emitting its hormone for the time being.

Therapeutic Use of Hormones

The study and application of hormones is termed “endocrinology.” It is so called because it deals with the hormone products of the endocrine or ductless glands. In particular, today there is much interest in the therapeutic or healing use of hormones. Such hormones may be either natural or synthetic. The glands of cattle, hogs and sheep are the main sources of natural hormones. Other natural sources of certain hormones are the urine of pregnant mares and the Mexican yam or sweet potato. Synthetic hormones are produced from synthetic amino acids, from sodium salts and from other inorganic substances.

Do you know what is probably the most widespread use of hormones? It is in the birth-control pill, which contains two sex hormones, progestin (progesterone) and estrogen. The most commonly used oral contraceptives, the combination pill and the sequential pill, are thought to prevent conception by suppressing ovulation​—a woman consistently using them does not get pregnant because she does not release eggs that might become fertilized.a But even on this authorities disagree, for, as Natural History for August-September 1972 pointed out: “At the present time more is known of the reproductive functioning of the sow, for example, than of women.”

The hormones in these pills, though small in quantity, are powerful. So it is not surprising that a limited number of women taking them experience unpleasant side effects, such as temporary nausea and fluid retention. And other more serious side effects, such as blood-clot problems and high blood pressure, have been implicated. However, this is understandable, for a potential risk is associated with taking any drug preparation, even a thing as common as aspirin or penicillin. Whether the risk involved seems to be justified is something for each individual to decide.

And what is quite likely the next most widely used hormone? Insulin, prescribed by many physicians for patients suffering from diabetes. It is obtained from the pancreases of oxen, sheep and hogs, the pancreases containing the tiny “islands of Langerhans” that produce insulin. There was a time when it was thought that insulin solved all the diabetic’s problems. But now it is appreciated that equally important, if not more so, are the right kind of diet and physical exercise.

Are you a woman plagued with premenstrual tension or are you going through that difficult phase of womanhood known as the menopause? If so, it may be that your physician will prescribe hormones for your condition. The female hormone estrogen is, in particular, recommended by doctors. And in recent years it has been found that very small amounts of the male hormone androgen can also be helpful. However, there is recognition on the part of some in the medical profession that hormones can cause malignancy if a woman happens to be sensitive to such hormones. For this reason careful supervision of such treatment is advisable if this type of hormone treatment seems necessary.

Mention has been made of certain hormones used to keep women from conceiving. Others can and are being used to help women to bear children in cases in which they have been aborting their fetuses. And there are hormones from other humans that may help those who have been unable to conceive to become pregnant, as in the case of the Denver woman previously referred to. However, some women might object on principle to accepting a hormone derived from another human.

Among the more commonly known hormones is DES. It was being used on a wide scale to spur growth in farm animals. But when it was found that the residues of this hormone in meat caused cancer in experimental animals, it was banned by the United States Department of Agriculture.

However, now it has been released by the U.S. Drug Administration as an emergency “morning after” pill, as in treating rape victims. If pregnancy has occurred, it will prevent implantation of the fertilized ovum when taken within seventy-two hours after intercourse. However, The National Observer focused on an important ethical aspect of the matter, stating: “DES does not prevent pregnancy. Its popular designation as a contraceptive is misleading. DES causes abortion. . . . Just how effective it is constitutes part of the current debate over the validity of its use.” And another factor is that daughters born to women taking this synthetic hormone, upon their reaching adulthood, have been reported as having a higher than average risk of genital cancer. For this reason warnings have been issued as to its use.

Do you suffer from hay fever or some kindred illness? If so, it may be that your physician will prescribe cortisone, which in its natural state is produced by the adrenal glands. Some years ago cortisone was heralded as a “wonder” or “miracle” drug. Especially were high hopes held out for it in the treatment of arthritis. However, now it is recognized as being just one aspect of the treatment of arthritis, and there are some who hold that simple aspirin is just as effective, has fewer side effects and costs a great deal less.

A certain hormone called oxytocin contracts a mother’s uterus, helping her to give birth to her child and initiates the flow of milk in her breasts. It is now being produced synthetically, and some obstetricians are using it to induce labor so that mothers can have their babies on demand, anytime they want instead of having to wait until their bodies themselves initiate labor. But is that wise? There are authorities, such as Dr. E. De Costa, of the Northwestern University Medical School, who disapprove of resorting to induced labor merely as a matter of convenience; they contend that only when the life of the mother or the child is involved should it be employed.

And hormones are used medically to treat other illnesses or disorders. For instance, with diabetes insipidus the kidneys produce large quantities of water, causing the patient to suffer from intense thirst; often a hormone is used to treat this condition. And myxedema and simple goiter involve lack of the thyroid hormone; so the hormone obtained from the thyroid glands of hogs may be administered. Of course, in view of the potency of these and other hormones, it is recognized that their use should be carefully supervised by competent medical personnel.

From the foregoing it can be seen that hormones are more and more being administered to make up for a deficiency of natural hormones in a patient’s body. And hormone therapy is being increasingly used by doctors as a means to cope with special illnesses or to produce certain physical effects. But since hormones are so potent and their potential effects so numerous, they should not be taken casually or without due consideration to possible alternative treatments. And especially should the Christian give attention to the moral aspects that may be involved in certain cases. Such a thoughtful approach to hormones as medicine will put you in position to take a balanced view of their use.

[Footnotes]

A newly developed hormone pill is beginning to be used. It consists solely of a minute dosage of progesterone, and thus has been dubbed the “minipill.” Regarding it, Newsweek of January 15, 1973, reported: “The minipill is believed to confine its action to the lining of the uterus itself; it does not prevent ovulation, but apparently makes the uterine lining unsuitable for implantation of the fertilized egg,” which means that it evidently allows conception to occur. Thus, for Christians there is a definite moral aspect to consider, should a physician recommend the “minipill.”

Do All Worship the Same God?

Do All Worship the Same God?

“WHO can say that one religion is right and another is wrong?” a teacher asked one of Jehovah’s witnesses in West Africa. “Here in Africa we see people of many religions going to their church or temple, and you preaching as one of Jehovah’s witnesses. Really, are not all worshiping the same God?”

What do you think? Does Almighty God approve of all religions? Does all worship eventually go to the same God anyway? This view is widespread.

‘Same God’ View Widespread

For example, the Hindu “holy book,” the Bhagavad Gita, represents God as saying: “Even those who are devoted to other deities and worship them, filled with faith, they too really worship Me.” The Bahai World Faith considers all the world’s major faiths as part of the same evolving religion, with the same source of wisdom and spiritual power. A clergyman of Christendom said: “I believe God speaks through all religions.”

Those who hold this view often encourage interfaith. A Bahai leader stated: “All must abandon prejudices and must even go to each other’s churches and mosques.” Last year the All Africa Council of Churches expressed its desire that new converts might feel equally at ease in any church. The Roman Catholic Church, too, has become involved in interfaith. There are even hopes that one day all mankind will achieve unity of worship through interfaith.

Of course, many still feel that theirs is the most correct form of worship. Others say that ‘you should stick with the religion in which you were brought up,’ regardless of its teachings. Few who profess Christianity, for example, would feel comfortable worshiping at a Buddhist wat or a Hindu shrine. Yet what difference should it make, if all worship goes to the same God?

Clearly there is confusion when it comes to the type of worship that God accepts. Is there any source that really tells the truth on this matter?

Why Go to the Bible?

There are many religious books in the world. Some of them claim to be revelations from God. But there is one book of religion that truly inspires the confidence of its readers. That book is the Holy Bible. How is the Bible different from other “holy” writings?

The Bible is a book of facts. Its historical accounts have won the admiration of scholars because of their accuracy. The Bible is filled with names of persons and places and descriptions of events that have been verified by archaeological investigation. The Genesis account of creation contains none of the fanciful myths found in the literature of pagan nations but presents matters in a straightforward way that agrees with scientific facts. The Bible contains hundreds of predictions that have been fulfilled to the letter. Its counsel on human relations is unequaled. The Bible’s honest presentation of the shortcomings of its characters in addition to their virtues also recommends it as a book of truth. Then there is the marvelous internal harmony of the Bible’s sixty-six books, although recorded by some forty writers over a period of sixteen hundred years.

Does All Worship Go to the Same God?

Does the Bible teach that all worship goes to the same God? Consider what is written at 1 Corinthians 10:20: “The things which the nations sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, and not to God.”

How much of mankind’s religion is of this perverted type? Revelation 12:9 reveals that Satan the Devil “is misleading the entire inhabited earth.” Noteworthy, too, are the words of Jesus Christ: “Broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.” (Matt. 7:13, 14) That means that the majority of mankind, in spite of having some form of religion, are not worshiping God acceptably.

Interfaith or True Worship?

In view of this, does Jehovah God approve of interfaith? Jehovah’s law to ancient Israel strictly forbade religious fellowship with the surrounding nations. (Ex. 22:20; 23:32, 33) Is it the same for Christians? Consider what God’s Word says at 2 Corinthians 6:14, 16, 17: “Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers . . . what agreement does God’s temple have with idols? . . . ‘Therefore get out from among them, and separate yourselves,’ says Jehovah.”

One must go to the Bible to learn the distinctive marks of true worship. Let us take note of some of these.

To Moses, God said: “A prophet I shall raise up for [the Israelites] from the midst of their brothers, like you . . . And it must occur that the man who will not listen to my words that he will speak in my name, I shall myself require an account from him.” (Deut. 18:18, 19) Other Bible prophecies show that that “prophet” would come through the Israelite tribe of Judah in the family of King David and that he would be born in Bethlehem.​—Gen. 49:10; 2 Sam. 7:12-16; Mic. 5:2.

Jesus Christ fulfilled those requirements. (Heb. 7:14; Matt. 1:1; 2:1) By his miracles and teachings he proved that he was “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matt. 16:16) He himself said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) The true religion, therefore, must accept Jesus Christ as God’s chief spokesman in matters of worship.

As an example, Bahais accept Jesus but believe that later spokesmen of God would succeed him and that their teachings would outweigh those of Jesus. For the Bahais, the one succeeding Jesus is a certain Bahaullah of the nineteenth century; for other people, he is another religious leader. But such a succession of prophets after Jesus is not necessary according to what is written of Christ Jesus at Hebrews 7:24, 25:

“He because of continuing alive forever has his priesthood without any successors. Consequently he is able also to save completely those who are approaching God through him, because he is always alive to plead for them.”

But more is involved than simply professing belief in Jesus or belonging to a church that bears his name. Jesus said: “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.” (John 13:35) Jesus demonstrated outstanding love for mankind, even giving his life in their behalf. Do the members of your church display such genuine love for one another, even in times of war? Do they try to imitate the things Jesus did?

What did Jesus do for the benefit of others? In addition to his miracles, the Bible relates: “And Jesus set out on a tour of all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news of the kingdom.” (Matt. 9:35) He trained his followers to do this too. (Mark 1:35-39; Luke 8:1; 9:1-6; 10:1-11) Those who truly follow in Christ’s footsteps today likewise teach people publicly and privately that God’s kingdom, his heavenly government, is the only hope for solving the world’s problems. (1 Pet. 2:21) Is this true of your church? Does your minister regularly call attention to the heavenly kingdom of God?

Closely related to this is another identifying mark of true worship: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, . . . to keep [oneself] unspotted from the world.” (Jas. 1:27, Authorized Version) Because of their allegiance to God’s heavenly kingdom, those who practice “pure religion” from God’s standpoint do not involve themselves in the nationalism, wars and politics of this world. Do the churches of Christendom measure up to these requirements of true worship? What about the church to which you belong?​—See also John 15:19; 17:16.

Outstanding among Jesus’ activities was that he “made [God’s] name manifest” to people. (John 17:6) He helped them to get to know God as a person. Those who imitate Jesus also make God’s name known to others, helping them to develop a personal relationship with the Creator. Does your church publicize God’s name Jehovah? You can find that name 6,970 times in the Hebrew text of the “Old Testament.” When was the last time you heard your minister or priest mention it?

In spite of Christendom’s failure there are people on earth today who do live up to the Bible’s requirements for true worship. Because of their love for Jehovah God and their fellowman, these people refuse to engage in the world’s wars. By means of a worldwide public witnessing campaign they point people to God’s kingdom as the only solution to the world’s troubles. These people also make God’s name Jehovah manifest. In fact, in most parts of the earth, one can scarcely mention the name Jehovah without thinking of this group of people. Doubtless you know who they are.

Not all people worship the same God, nor are all religions acceptable to the true God. The Bible specifies that there is only “one faith” that God approves. That faith is the religion revealed by him in his own Word, the Holy Bible.​—Eph. 4:5.

Jehovah God desires people to study his Word carefully. When they learn what is acceptable worship to God, he expects them to conform their lives to it. This may require considerable adjustments in one’s life, even changing one’s religion if it does not measure up to the Bible’s standard for true worship. Would you be willing to do that in order to please God? That is the only right thing to do, for James 4:17 says: “If one knows how to do what is right and yet does not do it, it is a sin for him.”

Serving the “Living and True God”

Serving the “Living and True God”

BY THE hundreds of thousands, people from many nations, tribes and languages are abandoning false worship. They are making great changes in their lives and often put forth extraordinary efforts to gain an approved standing before the “living and true God.” (1 Thess. 1:9) Consider a few examples from widely scattered places.

India

Some people in India practice religious rites of such a revolting nature that the government has found it necessary to outlaw their rituals.

A case in point involves the Kasi tribe in eastern India. Most of the members of this tribe belong to a church of Christendom. Yet a considerable number of them are snake worshipers. Their snake cult calls for a human sacrifice once a year. Though this is prohibited by law, newspapers continue to report instances of such sacrifices.

People of the Kasi tribe also have a matriarchal system, that is, the wife is the head of the house. She owns the property and money. The children bear her name, not that of the father.

The churches of Christendom have failed to help these people to make a clean break from their detestable worship and from their way of family life that is contrary to the Scriptures. On the matter of headship, the Bible says: “The head of a woman is the man.” (1 Cor. 11:3) True, people who view things differently from the Bible’s standard may find it very difficult to change. But can they do so?

Yes, they can. Take the example of one woman of the Kasi tribe. After studying the Bible with Jehovah’s witnesses she came to see the need for making changes in order to be among God’s approved servants. She was living with a man to whom she was not legally married. Besides coming to recognize the need to straighten this out, she began to realize that she would have to give up the position of headship in the family. But when she spoke to the man about it, he turned down the position, telling her that he did not know how to fill it. Concerned about wanting to live in harmony with God’s will, she approached him yet another time, assuring him of her help in discharging his responsibilities as family head. He then reluctantly agreed. After this she got her marriage registered and became a baptized witness of Jehovah.

Panama

At times, in addition to cleaning up their lives, people have had to learn a new language to equip themselves to serve the “living and true God.” This has been the case among the Guaymi Indians of Panama.

About fifteen years ago a Guaymi man left his Indian village to work on a banana plantation. There he learned to read and write Spanish. Not long thereafter he came in touch with Jehovah’s witnesses, began to study the Bible with them and eventually progressed to the point of being baptized. Later, he returned to his native village, the inhabitants of which belonged to the Methodist Church.

The Witness made God’s requirements clear to his entire family, relatives and, in fact, to all the villagers. This stirred within them a real desire to gain accurate Bible knowledge. But Bible study aids were not available in their native tongue. How did they overcome the problem? They set themselves to the task of learning to read and write Spanish.

In time the entire village accepted the truth as proclaimed by Jehovah’s witnesses. As a result, the Methodist minister gave up his job and moved to another community. There he lived with two wives. His unscriptural conduct resulted in the members of his church in this new community returning to their Indian cult.

The Guaymi Witnesses, however, continue holding high the standards of God’s Word and putting forth diligent efforts to teach still others. To reach others with the Bible’s message, they make long and often dangerous trips through jungles and, along the coast, in canoes. Every weekend they have their meetings in the Guaymi language. Only the reading is done in Spanish, as there are no Bible study aids in their native tongue. Over one hundred persons attend these meetings regularly in the one village. Additionally, two smaller groups meet elsewhere. What a fine example they are of what people properly instructed in God’s Word can do!

Dahomey

Regardless of local customs, Jehovah’s Christian witnesses do not compromise on the lofty principles of the Bible. They insist on conformity to God’s Word. This is well illustrated in the case of a Catholic man in Dahomey, Africa.

This man was opposed to the work of Jehovah’s witnesses, mainly because a friend had told him that they were misleading people. So when Jehovah’s witnesses would call on him, he would refuse to listen to them.

While visiting his second wife in Nigeria, this man was called on by a Witness. Wanting to prove the Witness wrong, he asked what the difference was between Jehovah’s witnesses and Catholics. The Witness answered with a brief explanation of the unscripturalness of such things as the Trinity doctrine, the use of images in worship, and the teaching of the immortality of the human soul. Impressed with the Bible proofs presented, he accepted the Bible study aid “The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life.” That evening he read late into the night in order to finish this publication.

He was convinced that it was the truth, and upon returning to Dahomey, he searched for the Witnesses. Knowing that he had often seen the missionaries pass in front of his place of work, he watched for them. One morning he stopped a missionary on a bicycle and asked for a Bible study. Soon he was attending all the meetings of Jehovah’s witnesses. He began to see even more clearly the difference between Jehovah’s witnesses and Christendom’s churches. As a Catholic, he had been a good member of the church even though he had several wives and was not legally married to any of them. Eventually he straightened out his marital situation. He also saw to it that his former second and third wives were provided for materially, renting two apartments for them. Having cleaned up morally, he began sharing with Jehovah’s witnesses in teaching Bible truth to others.

Japan

Before some can take up the service of the true God they first have to recognize that he actually exists. That was the case with a young man in Tokyo, Japan.

When called on by a Witness, he stated that his studies in science proved to him that there is no God. But he was taken aback at the reply of the Witness that true science confirms God’s existence. “I have never heard such a thing,” he said, “but I shall be willing to listen to your side of it.” A return visit was arranged for the next morning. He was waiting. On a blackboard he had written “science’s view” on the left-hand side and the “Bible’s view” on the right, leaving a large gap in the middle. “Explain the gap to me,” he said, when the Witness called. A lively discussion followed. The information called to his attention kindled further interest, and he agreed to yet another discussion.

A few weeks later he was studying the Bible twice a week. He made startling progress, changing his appearance from that of a scraggly student to a well-dressed young man. He soon brought his younger brother to a meeting. This eighteen-year-old college freshman had shoulder-length hair and looked like a very tall girl. But by the next meeting he, too, had a neat, masculine appearance. Both young men are now zealously helping other people to find joy in serving the true God.

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