Awake!, April 22, 1992

Awake! — April 22, 1992

Source: jw.org

Contents

Page Two

Does Life Have a Purpose?

The Search for a Purpose

The Real Purpose of Life

Dowsing—Scientific or Occult?

Was Moses a Water Dowser?

Hormones—The Body’s Marvelous Messengers

My Fight to Live

How the Quiver Tree Got Its Name

Why Stay a Virgin?

Watching the World

From Our Readers

Religious Freedom in Bulgaria

A Lawyer’s View of Life

Page Two

Life—What Is Its Purpose? 3-11

People search for a purpose in life. They often ask, ‘Why are we here? Is this life all there is?’ Learn what gives life purpose and what our real purpose in life should be.

Dowsing—Scientific or Occult? 12

How is it that a hand-held dowsing rod can direct a person to water? Why are results not always consistent? Should a Christian dabble in dowsing?

Hormones—The Body’s Marvelous Messengers 17

What are hormones? Where are they produced? How do they serve as the body’s messengers? And what lesson do we learn from examining them?

[Picture Credit Line on page 2]

Woodcut of dowser from Georgius Agricola’s De Re Metallica

Does Life Have a Purpose?

“‘Why are we here?’ is the most important question a human being has to face. . . . I believe that life has meaning in spite of the meaningless death I have seen. Death has no meaning, life has.”

THESE words were written by Elie Wiesel, well-known writer and survivor of Nazi concentration camps. He was one of many who answered a question posed by Life magazine: “Why are we here?” He had seen life at its very worst, yet he was convinced that life has meaning.

Not everyone, however, agreed. A taxi driver named José Martínez answered the same question in this way: “We’re here to die, just live and die. I drive a cab. I do some fishing, take my girl out, pay taxes, do a little reading, then get ready to drop dead . . . Life is a big fake.” To José, life evidently has no meaning, no purpose.

Surprisingly, a number of educated people appeared to agree with the taxi driver rather than with the writer. Evolutionists Richard E. Leakey and Roger Lewin, in their book Origins, suggest: “Perhaps the human species is just a ghastly biological blunder, having evolved beyond a point at which it can thrive in harmony with itself and the world around it.” At least to them, human life is meaningless.

Similarly, evolutionist Stephen Jay Gould wrote: “We are here because one odd group of fishes had a peculiar fin anatomy that could transform into legs for terrestrial creatures; . . . because a small and tenuous species, arising in Africa a quarter of a million years ago, has managed, so far, to survive by hook and by crook. We may yearn for a ‘higher’ answer—but none exists.” To Gould, human life is a meaningless accident.

Gould is correct in at least one respect. Many do yearn for a “higher” answer than the one he proposes. In times of tragedy, many think like 11-year-old Jason. This young boy wrote of the death of a young friend: “When my friend Kim died from her cancer I asked my Mom if God was going to make Kim die when she was only 6, why did he make her born at all?” Jason instinctively felt that life should have a purpose, and the sad death of his young friend seemed to frustrate that purpose.

The Importance of the Question

Is it important to know whether life has a purpose or not? Is this just a philosophical question, or one that should concern you? Many have lived out their lives without giving the matter much thought. And if José Martínez is correct, theirs might have been a wise course to follow.

If, though, Elie Wiesel is correct and life does have meaning, surely we should try to discover what it is. Otherwise, we could miss out on the whole point of the wonderful adventure of living. It would be like walking through an art gallery without looking at the pictures or sitting in a restaurant without ordering a meal.

How can we find out whether life has a purpose or not? In the next article, we will discuss some facts that help to solve this problem.

The Search for a Purpose

SINCE the time of Charles Darwin, there has been enormous pressure from biologists to accept the theory that life, as a result of evolution, is basically purposeless. However, many instinctively reject this. A young married couple, looking at their beautiful newborn baby, would have difficulty believing that this new life is purposeless. To them, it is a miracle, a life-enriching wonder.

Even some scientists do not agree that life is a meaningless accident. Why not? Because of what The Encyclopedia Americana calls “the extraordinary degree of complexity and of organization in living creatures.” The Americana goes on to say: “A close examination of flowers, insects, or mammals shows an almost incredibly precise arrangement of parts.”

Considering such complexity and beautiful organization—which is seen in even the simplest of living creatures—South African scientist Dr. Louw Alberts was quoted in the Cape Times as saying: “I get more intellectual satisfaction in accepting there is a God than merely accepting that it [life] happened by chance.” Speaking of the chemical composition of living organisms, British astronomer Sir Bernard Lovell wrote: “The probability of . . . a chance occurrence leading to the formation of one of the smallest protein molecules is unimaginably small. . . . It is effectively zero.”

In a similar vein, astronomer Fred Hoyle wrote: “The entire structure of orthodox biology still holds that life arose at random. Yet as biochemists discover more and more about the awesome complexity of life, it is apparent that the chances of it originating by accident are so minute that they can be completely ruled out. Life cannot have arisen by chance.”

What does this mean? If life did not come about by accident, it must have come by design. And if so, it must have had a Designer. And what a Designer! The psalmist rightly said: “In a fear-inspiring way I am wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:14) But what does this tell us about whether life has a purpose or not?

Well, humans also design and make things. They make jet airplanes. They make oil refineries. They make electric power plants. And they make a myriad of other things of greater or lesser complexity. But humans do not design and build such complicated things without a reason. Everything is made with a purpose in mind.

Since nothing that humans have made even comes close to matching the awesome complexity of living things, surely the Designer of life would not have created life without having some purpose for it. It is the height of unreason to believe that we were “wonderfully made” and then left rudderless and without purpose.

The Search for Purpose

That the Creator created humans to fulfill a purpose is also strongly supported by the fact that we humans instinctively seek a purpose in our lives. Gilbert Brim, a psychologist, spoke about man’s instinctive need for purpose when he said: “Many people find growth and challenge in the workplace. But those who cannot will search for special challenges and achievement elsewhere: losing weight, mastering the six-iron shot on a downhill lie, making the perfect omelet or seeking adventures—whether it’s hang gliding or experimenting with new foods.” Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl even claimed: “The striving to find a meaning in one’s life is the primary motivational force in man.”

Let us examine some of the goals that people set for themselves in life.

What Gives Life Purpose?

One young teenager, when asked about her purpose in life, said: “My dream is just to have a nice condo, a nice car, and a nice guy for the car. I’m out for myself. I’m a me person. I want what’s going to make me happy, not what’s going to make the whole society happy.” If you think that sounds selfish, you are right. It is. Unhappily, though, it is not an uncommon attitude.

Yet, does simply pursuing material things and pleasures satisfy the need to have meaning in one’s life? No. When pleasure is our only objective, pleasure is unsatisfying. Individuals who make it their main goal in life usually end up echoing in their hearts the sentiment of a wealthy king of ancient times who used his power and wealth to explore various aspects of pleasure available back then. Listen to the conclusion he came to:

“I accumulated also silver and gold for myself, and property peculiar to kings and the jurisdictional districts. I made male singers and female singers for myself and the exquisite delights of the sons of mankind, a lady, even ladies. . . . And, look! everything was vanity and a striving after wind.”—Ecclesiastes 2:8, 11.

Many find satisfaction in a career or in using their mental or physical strength to achieve what seem to be worthwhile objectives. After a while, though, a career does not entirely satisfy the need to have a purpose in life. Peter Lynch, described as an “investment superstar,” gave up his lucrative career when he realized that something was seriously missing in his life. What? His relationship with his family. He confessed: “I loved what I was doing, but I came to a conclusion, and so did some others: What . . . are we doing this for? I don’t know anyone who wished on his deathbed that he had spent more time at the office.”

Hence, a teenage girl showed a measure of balance when she considered her goals in life and said: “One of my dreams is to have a career. But I think my main dream is to have a happy family.” Yes, our family can give meaning and purpose to life. A young married woman said: “Very early in my life I saw being a parent as one of the things that one was born to do, one of the purposes of life, and I never questioned it.”

Others look for a purpose in life in other pursuits. Some—likely including those scientists who claim that life is a meaningless accident—find a purpose in the pursuit of knowledge. Evolutionist Michael Ruse wrote: “We have a thirst to know, and this raises us above the brutes. . . . Among our greatest needs and duties is that of passing on, to our children, the accumulated wisdom of the past, together with our zest and our achievements. . . . The quest for knowledge, and the successes, make for one of the great marks of the human spirit.”

Some find that serving a cause gives purpose to their lives. They work for the preservation of rare animal species. Or they fight pollution and the destruction of the environment. Caring people champion the rights of children or work for the homeless or the poor. Or they labor to prevent the spread of drug addiction. Such individuals sometimes accomplish much good, and what they do enriches their lives with purpose.

Frustrations and Disappointments

We have to acknowledge, though, that humans are often frustrated in their pursuit of goals even if the goals are worthy ones. Parents who put much love and effort into raising their children sometimes lose them to accidents, crime, sickness, or drug addiction. Or when the children grow up, they may get infected by the selfish spirit of this world and fail to return their parents’ love.

Those who work selflessly to improve the environment are often frustrated by commercial interests or by the fact that others just do not care. Those working for the betterment of the poor are overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. An individual who finds his career fulfilling is frustrated when he is forcibly retired. A researcher who finds the pursuit of knowledge completely satisfying is frustrated when his life draws near its end and there are still so many unanswered questions. A man who has spent his life building a fortune finds that, eventually, he has to leave it to others.

The ancient king who was quoted earlier described some of these frustrations when he wrote: “I came to hate all my labour and toil here under the sun, since I should have to leave its fruits to my successor. What sort of a man will he be who succeeds me, who inherits what others have acquired? Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be master of all the fruits of my labour and skill.”—Ecclesiastes 2:18, 19, The New English Bible.

Is life ultimately without purpose, then, as these oh-so-true words seem to imply? Are the various goals that humans pursue merely a help to get them through the 70, 80, or 90 years of life that many are granted? Beyond that, are these goals basically meaningless? No. In fact, they indicate something very profound about the way we were made, and they provide evidence that life does, indeed, have a very wonderful purpose. But how can we find this purpose?

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Some find that the pursuit of knowledge gives meaning and purpose to their lives

Humans do not build complicated things without having a purpose in mind

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NASA photo

The Real Purpose of Life

IMAGINE that you are visiting a friend’s workshop. He has just finished a project, and you are fascinated by it. The object is beautifully made and intriguingly shaped. But try as you may, you cannot determine what it is for. How do you find out? Why, you simply ask your friend, and he will likely be happy to tell you.

So how can we find out the purpose of life? Well, why not ask God, “the source of life”? (Psalm 36:9) How can you do that? Happily, he has spoken to us through the Bible. He has had individuals of faith write down his thoughts in a way that we can understand. Actually, the purpose of life can be expressed in just a few words: We are here to learn about God and to do his will. The Bible says: “The conclusion of the matter, everything having been heard, is: Fear the true God and keep his commandments. For this is the whole obligation of man.”—Ecclesiastes 12:13.

Does that seem too simple? Well, it is not. Our being here to learn about God and to do his will has wonderful and profound implications.

God’s Original Purpose

Learning what God originally intended for mankind will help you better understand the purpose of life. It will also explain why some of the things mentioned in the previous article bring a measure of meaning and purpose to the lives of many today.

The Bible account of man’s creation says: “God went on to say: ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness.’” (Genesis 1:26) Thus, humans were made with the potential for being like God, possessing the outstanding qualities he has, including wisdom, power, righteousness, and love. Is it surprising, then, that some find it fulfilling to seek new knowledge or to engage in activities that challenge their mental or physical powers? And is it unexpected that helping others provides a satisfying purpose in the lives of many? Not at all. This is, in part, what we were created to do.

The Bible record goes on to say that humans were given oversight of all other life on earth—“the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens . . . and every moving animal that is moving upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:26) No wonder, therefore, that even today many find satisfaction in having animals around and in playing with them. Some feel their responsibility toward the animals to such an extent that they work hard for the preservation of threatened species, or they campaign against the exposing of animals to needless suffering.

Humans were also commanded to ‘subdue the earth.’ (Genesis 1:28) What did this imply? Certainly not that people should selfishly and irresponsibly exploit the earth until its riches were exhausted, its atmosphere polluted, and its seas and land areas strewed with garbage. Rather, God set the pattern for subduing the earth when he “planted a garden in Eden, toward the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.” (Genesis 2:8) This garden of Eden was the model showing what the earth would become. It reflected God’s purpose for our planet.

The Bible account explains: “Further, God blessed [the first man and woman] and God said to them: ‘Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it.’” (Genesis 1:28) God wanted humans to have children and populate the earth. He brought the first man and woman together and, in effect, performed the very first wedding. (Genesis 2:22-24) No wonder that marriage and family add meaning and purpose to the lives of so many!

What Life Could Have Been

As we study the Bible, it is evident that God intended for Adam’s family to grow and for him and his children to extend the boundaries of the garden of Eden until humans filled the entire earth. And the subdued earth would be a paradise. True, man would use the riches of the earth for his own benefit. But this would be done in a responsible way. Man was to be a steward of the earth, not a despoiler of it. The destruction of the earth that we witness today is against God’s will, and those who share in it are going contrary to the purpose of life.—Revelation 11:18.

We learn something else from the early Bible record, and that is that it was not God’s purpose for people to die. Our first parents died only because they disobeyed God. (Genesis 2:16, 17) When they disobeyed, they were no longer fulfilling the purpose of life—they were no longer doing God’s will. So not only did they die but all their offspring have also been subjected to death because of inheriting imperfection from them. (Romans 5:12) Humans were, however, originally intended to live forever, not to die. This is likely why many find it frustrating to contemplate the cutting short of their life’s work by death.

Fulfilling God’s Purpose

God’s original purpose for humankind and this earth has not changed. He still intends to have a paradise earth peopled by a perfect human race. Yet, he has had to make arrangements to overcome the sad effects of the failure of our first parents. Doing God’s will today involves acting in harmony with all these arrangements of God. Happily, the Bible provides a description of the progressive fulfillment of his purpose.

We read in the first book of the Bible that God spoke of a “seed” who would come to undo all the harm wreaked by Adam and Eve’s failure to do His will. (Genesis 3:15) In the Christian Greek Scriptures (“New Testament”), we read of the appearance of Jesus Christ as that “seed,” of his sinless life, and of his death at the hands of his enemies. Jesus’ death was, effectively, a sacrifice in our behalf, opening the way for us to regain the eternal life that Adam and Eve lost. (Hebrews 7:26; 9:28) Yes, the Bible says: “Everyone exercising faith in him [will] not be destroyed but have everlasting life.”—John 3:16.

And there is more. After his death, Jesus was resurrected as an immortal spirit creature and is now ruling as King of God’s heavenly Kingdom. Soon that Kingdom will act to replace the present earthly governments with a new world society that will take over the management of human affairs. A Bible prophecy promises: “The kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite.”—Daniel 2:44.

Afterward, this Kingdom will oversee the delightful activity of restoring Paradise to the earth and raising humankind to perfection. The Bible even speaks of a resurrection of the dead, so that they too can have the opportunity to share in the fulfillment of God’s grand purpose for mankind. (Acts 24:15) Then will be fulfilled the beautiful promise: “The meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace. The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.”—Psalm 37:11, 29.

Benefiting Personally

To benefit personally from the fulfillment of God’s grand purpose for the earth, we must first get to know God. Jesus Christ said: “This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.” (John 17:3) How can we do that? We learn some things about God by observing the world around us, the creation, including the starry heavens. (Psalm 19:1) Especially, though, do we learn about God—as well as about his Son, Jesus Christ—through the Bible. We learn his name and his qualities, and we find out in detail what God has done for mankind. Such knowledge makes us love him and draws us very close to him and to his Son.

Getting to know God makes us want to do his will. Perhaps we have prayed as Jesus instructed: “Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.” (Matthew 6:10) The real purpose of life—the one that brings true satisfaction—is living our lives in harmony with that will of God.

What is involved, though, in doing God’s will? For Adam and Eve, it involved overseeing the animal kingdom and subduing the earth and filling it with perfect offspring. If we would do God’s will today, we must learn about and exercise faith in Jesus’ ransom sacrifice. And we must follow Jesus’ example by telling others about ‘the good news of God’s kingdom.’—Matthew 24:14.

Doing God’s will also includes developing a godly personality. So we identify the things God hates—such as lying, theft, harmful gossip, uncontrolled anger—and we reject them. We also study the qualities that God loves—such as love, joy, peace, kindness, and goodness—and we cultivate them with the help of God’s holy spirit. (Galatians 5:19-24) If we are to gain eternal life, we need to be the kind of people that God will want to have around for all eternity. Indeed, learning about God and doing his will gives purpose and meaning to our lives as nothing else can!

The Difference It Makes

The lives of millions of people around the world testify that finding the real purpose of life truly makes a difference. Consider the example of Wayne, who was devastated by the death of his first wife. His local clergyman was unable to comfort him, so Wayne became busy in volunteer work. He served as a commander in the American Legion and was active in political groups. Then he married again, but the marriage was stormy. He and his wife had no direction in their lives.

One day, however, Wayne picked up a Bible and started reading. In three months he finished it, and he says: “Now I knew that there was a purpose for our being here and a hope of a life after death.” He told his wife: “We should find people to associate with who adhere to the Bible.” Soon they met Jehovah’s Witnesses, and their discussions with them intensified their desire to do God’s will. Both Wayne and his wife dedicated their lives to God, and their family life was greatly benefited.

Susan, a daughter of Presbyterian missionaries, wanted to do something with her life that would really help the world. A lecture on the dangers of nuclear power convinced her that this was of the utmost importance. So she left college in order to spend all her time educating people about the problem. When she was 21, she served as a coordinator for a big antinuclear rally. Later she was visited by Jehovah’s Witnesses and shown what the Bible says and, in time, found the real purpose of life. While doubtless still concerned about mankind’s ruining of the earth, she realizes that God will solve these problems through his Kingdom. Hence, she helps people put faith in that.

Marielle made it her purpose in life to enjoy the things the world offers. She pursued a career. She enjoyed all the ‘in things’ of Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., including parties and drugs. But when she began to study the Bible, got to know and serve God, she saw how empty all those things were. She says her life is much richer now that it harmonizes with God’s purposes.

The number of those whose lives have been enriched by learning the real purpose of life is increasing by the hundreds every day. Living in harmony with that true purpose of life by doing the will of our loving, heavenly Father truly makes a difference. It is something that can change your whole life for the better. We invite you to look into the matter for yourself. Your life will be more fulfilling if you do.

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The Giver of life had a purpose in creating mankind

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God has not abandoned his purpose to have a paradise earth filled with a perfect human race

Dowsing—Scientific or Occult?

“AMAZING!” exclaimed a dairy farmer in the Midwestern United States. A slender peach limb was jerking and twisting violently in his hands. He dug his fingernails into the bark to hold the branch steady, but the downward force was strong. “It even left pieces of bark in my hands,” he gasped, awestruck. He was still more amazed later when he found water by digging in the exact spot that the limb had pointed out. What was going on here?

The farmer was practicing what is often called dowsing, water witching, or water divining. Often, the dowser holds a forked branch in his hands and paces about, concentrating on his search for water. Suddenly, his dowsing rod may behave erratically. Some rods jerk toward the ground, others snap upward, even striking the dowser’s face or chest, while still others just barely move. In any such case, the dowser feels that there is water below. Dowsing is practiced around the world. According to one estimate, some 25,000 dowsers ply their trade in the United States alone.

Is It Scientific?

Is there some scientific principle that makes dowsing work? The question has long been controversial. Over 70 years ago, the Watchtower magazine reasoned this way: “We would not wish to be in an attitude of disregarding any of nature’s laws, but it seems passing strange that a small trickle of water fifteen or twenty feet [5 or 6 m] below the surface of the earth would have magnetic power enough to bend a willow withe when a whole creek full of water will in no wise affect the same stick. . . . There must therefore be something other than the operation of natural laws.”

Still, many dowsers insist that dowsing is a science. In fact, The American Society of Dowsers calls itself “a non-profit, educational and scientific Society.” Over the years, more than a few scientists have emerged to call upon some new branch of science to explain dowsing. In the 1700’s it was “emanations” from atomic particles that made dowsing work. In the 1800’s it was electricity. In our century it has been everything from radioactivity to electromagnetism to human psychology.

More recently, in 1979, the reputable New Scientist magazine published seemingly plausible theories on dowsing. An energy consultant and a geologist speculated that the human body itself might be supersensitive to subtle changes in electric, magnetic, or electromagnetic fields caused by underground water or ore.a

But such theories have failed to win wide acceptance among scientists. In fact, in The Encyclopedia Americana, Harvard University scientists E. Z. Vogt and L. K. Barrett dismiss dowsing this way: “Controlled field and laboratory tests have failed to establish the validity of dowsing, and judged by scientific standards the practice has little basis in fact.” In November 1990, dowsers submitted to 720 experiments in Kassel, Germany. Although they were pleased with the conditions of the tests and were confident of success, the dowsers failed; they had only fluky successes in detecting underground water and metals. The monthly magazine Naturwissenschaftliche Rundschau concluded that when judged scientifically, dowsing is “as reliable as flipping a coin.” Other such experiments have ended similarly.

Dowsers explain such failures in strange terms. Some complain, for instance, that the tests make them doubt their abilities or lead them to dowse for motives that are not right or serious enough. Such factors, they claim, make them lose their powers temporarily. In fact, a number of dowsers have found that after a lifetime of successful dowsing, it is the one time when they really need to prove themselves that their powers suddenly vanish—or mislead them. Some therefore conclude that the force behind dowsing has a perverse sense of humor.

Does this sound like science to you? After all, natural forces (those measurable by methods known to science) do not have a sense of humor, perverse or otherwise; nor are they whimsical. They are constant. They do not fluctuate according to the mood, mind-set, or motives of those who test or measure them. Thus, to most scientists dowsing is a superstition—nothing more. In fact, even prominent dowsers have agreed that no force known to science can account for dowsing.

Is It Fake?

But does this absence of a scientific explanation mean that all reported cases of successful dowsing are either remarkable coincidences or outright fakes? What about the farmer’s experience mentioned at the outset—was it just a fluke, an isolated case?

Actually, the field of dowsing has produced innumerable well-attested stories. For instance, a woman in Vermont called a dowser when the water supply to her house was cut off. Apparently a long pipe running from a distant spring to the house had developed a leak. The woman did not even know where the pipe was—it had been buried 30 years previously—let alone where the cracked section might be. But the dowser mentally asked his rod, and it bobbed over a certain spot. Six inches [15 cm] from there, the leaking piece of pipe was found.

Probably the most famous story concerns the noted American dowser Henry Gross. Geologists were convinced that fresh water could not be found underground in Bermuda. The Saturday Evening Post reported: “Gross spread out a map of Bermuda in [novelist Kenneth] Roberts’s home in Kennebunkport, Maine, and passing his divining rod over it, marked three places where fresh water was to be found . . . To check his findings, Gross and Roberts flew to Bermuda, persuaded the government to provide drilling equipment, and went to work. A few months later, in April 1950, all three wells had come in as Gross had said they would.”

Dowsers claim to have found water for wells by the thousands. Reporters have accompanied dowsers, have seen the rods jerk so violently that the dowser’s hands blistered, and have heard dowsers predict even the depth of the water below. They have seen the wells drilled and the predictions verified. While science may not supply viable reasons why this phenomenon works, it clearly does work—at least for some people, sometimes. Why?

A Revealing History

The history of dowsing is quite revealing in this regard. The practice may well have been around for thousands of years. But it was in 1556, when physician Georgius Agricola wrote his landmark work on mining, De Re Metallica, that the first detailed description of dowsing was recorded. German miners were using the practice to find veins of metal ore. But even then there was controversy over whether dowsing was a natural or an occult phenomenon. Agricola noted that some objected to the practice, since “the twigs [dowsing rods] will not move for everybody, but only for those who employ incantations and craft.” As dowsing spread across Europe, the controversy spread with it. Martin Luther condemned it, and other church leaders later followed suit. To appease such clergymen, some dowsers had their rods baptized, and they invoked their Trinitarian God when dowsing.

For many dowsers, looking for water and mineral deposits was not enough. They found more and more uses for the rod. In 17th-century France, Jacques Aymar began dowsing to find criminals! Reportedly, he was dowsing for water one day when his rod jerked violently at the grave of a murdered woman. The rod then lurched toward the woman’s husband, who promptly fled. Aymar—and many imitators—used the dowsing rod to flush out criminals all over Europe. Catholic zealots even enlisted Aymar and his dowsing rod to help them hunt down Protestants to slaughter.

The Occult Connection

Not surprisingly, even in Aymar’s day there were “experts” who thought they could explain such feats scientifically. They theorized that Aymar’s dowsing rod was picking up mysterious “emanations” unique to murderers, which they dubbed “murderous matter.” Clearly, though, Aymar’s feats had little to do with science. The force behind what Aymar did was intelligent. It could pick out criminals, differentiate between Protestant and Catholic, and find water and minerals as well.

Similarly, how could anything but an intelligent force be behind map dowsing, where the rod points out water sources on a mere map of a distant location? Some dowsers have found lost wallets, passports, jewelry, and even people by dowsing with a pendulum over a map. Some watch for the dowsing instrument’s response to yes or no questions. In the 1960’s some U.S. Marines used dowsing rods to locate tunnels, land mines, and booby traps in Vietnam. Today, the dowsing rod is increasingly popular as a tool of the paranormal. It is used to predict the future, to look for ‘ghosts,’ and to investigate ‘past lives.’

Author Ben G. Hester was originally convinced that dowsing was simply a “not-yet-understood physical phenomenon.” But after eight years of investigating the subject, he wrote the book Dowsing—an Exposé of Hidden Occult Forces. In it he equates the dowsing rod with such devices as Ouija boards. He found that some dowsers claim the ability to heal people—or make them sick—with a dowsing rod! Similarly, dowser Robert H. Leftwich wrote in his book Dowsing—The Ancient Art of Rhabdomancy: “The energies being tapped probably belong to powers that . . . are closely allied to those practised in witchcraft. Careless experimentation can therefore be dangerous.”

To true Christians, the foregoing has an unpleasant ring to it. Whether real or fake, dowsing in such cases as noted above is clearly not science; it seems to be the occult. As scientists Evon Z. Vogt and Ray Hyman summed up in Water Witching U.S.A.: “We therefore conclude that water witching is a clear-cut case of magical divination.”

Should a Christian Dabble in Dowsing?

Of course, if dowsing is really an act of divination, a true Christian would want nothing to do with it. God’s people were commanded, as we read in the Bible at Deuteronomy 18:10: “There should not be found in you . . . anyone who employs divination, a practicer of magic or anyone who looks for omens or a sorcerer.” The prophet Hosea bemoaned the Israelites’ failure to heed this command, writing: “My people consult their block of wood, a rod answers their questions.”—Hosea 4:12, The Jerusalem Bible.

Some might object, though, that they only indulge in the simplest form of dowsing: locating water. But is water dowsing clean of all association with the occult? It is interesting to note that dowsing instructors commonly teach students to tell the rod directly what they are looking for, as if it were an intelligent entity. One dowsing instructor even tells his students to name the rod and address it by name! Dowsers often ask their dowsing rods how far down the water source lies. The rod begins to bob, and the dowser counts the number of times it does so. The final tally equals the depth, in feet [meters], of the water source! Does this not suggest that a hidden intelligence is at work?

Furthermore, water dowsing is associated with another practice that Jehovah’s Witnesses have long been careful to avoid—ESP (extrasensory perception). The Watchtower noted that connection back in 1962. Shortly thereafter, the American Society of Dowsers responded with a letter: “We agree with the theory that dowsing is a form of ESP and that engaging in any form of ESP can lead to ‘possession’ or the involvement with ‘wicked spirit forces’ unless proper precautions are taken. We must take exception, however, to your dogmatic advice of total abstinence.”b

What do you think? If even the most ardent proponents of water dowsing admit that it carries a risk of involvement with wicked spirit forces or even of possession, should not a Christian want to abstain from such a practice?

‘But doesn’t dowsing do a lot of good?’ some might ask. ‘Is that not proof that the force behind dowsing is benevolent?’ Sadly, no. Remember, “Satan himself keeps transforming himself into an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14) Even in Bible times demons occasionally tried to gain favor and influence by uttering truths.—Acts 16:16-18.

Granted, we cannot assert dogmatically that each and every case of dowsing (and ESP as well) is scientifically unexplainable and must be caused by demons. Without a doubt, there is much about the human mind and the forces of nature that still eludes the grasp of science. And no doubt there are a great many dowsing and ESP feats that can be explained away as plain, old-fashioned fakery. But since the history and current practice of dowsing is so inextricably intertwined with the occult, ESP, and spiritism, it is clearly too dangerous to be dismissed as a harmless trick.

No, when it comes to dowsing, “quit touching the unclean thing” still seems appropriate counsel.—2 Corinthians 6:17.

[Footnotes]

One such theory was reported on in the June 22, 1979, issue of Awake!

In 1989 an extensive report on dowsing in The New Yorker magazine noted that today even the more conservative of American dowsers agree—tacitly—that ESP is the force behind dowsing.

[Box on page 15]

Is It a Dowsing Rod?

DOWSING rods today take many forms besides the forked branch. Some dowsers use a pair of metal rods that form a cross when “detecting” the desired material. Others use a stick held bowed in their hands. Others use metal coat hangers. And some use no tool at all; they simply wait for a feeling of nausea or a tingly feeling in their hands. There are also many high-tech dowsing rods on the market, with handles and a chamber in which to place a sample of the material being sought. Of course, there are also legitimate metal detectors. They need a power source, such as batteries, and are therefore easily distinguished from dowsing rods.

[Picture Credit Line on page 12]

Woodcut of dowser from Georgius Agricola’s De Re Metallica

Was Moses a Water Dowser?

“MOSES, who brought forth water by striking a rock with a rod (Numbers 20:9-11), has been called the first water dowser.” (The Encyclopedia Americana) This is a notion that crops up frequently when the subject of dowsing is discussed. Recently, National Wildlife magazine matter-of-factly called Moses’ staff “a divining rod.” And some dowsers believe that their power comes from Moses.

Quite to the contrary, though, Moses was the one who wrote down the command against divining! (Deuteronomy 18:10) And the miracle at Meribah was a far cry from water dowsing. Many dowsers rely on a rod to search for hidden water; they follow it along, waiting for it to bob or jerk. But Moses never followed his staff around waiting for it to bob; in fact, he never actually searched for the water at all. Jehovah, the Creator of the earth and its hidden springs of water, told Moses exactly where and how to get the water: “You must speak to the crag,” God commanded, “that it may indeed give its water.”—Numbers 20:8.

Moreover, dowsers usually only tell people where to dig. When Moses’ staff hit the rock, a torrent of water burst forth—enough to quench the thirst of an entire nation. Moses incurred God’s wrath when he took some of the credit for this miracle. How much worse to give the credit to his staff—a senseless piece of wood!

Hormones—The Body’s Marvelous Messengers

YOU are crossing a street. “Look out!” somebody yells. You turn your head and see that a truck has run a red light and is thundering toward you at high speed.

Your body instantly equips you for emergency action. Your brain flashes an urgent message to your adrenal glands, which respond by pouring adrenaline and noradrenaline into your bloodstream. These hormones shut down the blood supply to parts of the body whose services are not immediately needed for escape, and they rush it to reinforce your brain, heart, and muscles.

Adrenaline and noradrenaline force your heart to beat hard and fast. They widen the airways of your lungs; your breathing quickens. They boost your blood sugar to supply maximum energy. In a twinkling, hormones have helped to equip you to perform feats of strength and endurance far beyond your normal ability.

The truck roars nearer, the ground shakes. There’s not a second to spare! You make a mighty leap to the safety of the sidewalk. You gasp for breath, your heart pounds, your stomach churns, your hands tremble—but you are alive!

In such situations hormones help save lives. But they do far more than that. They help us grow and develop into healthy men and women. They make possible our sexuality and reproduction. If we are cold or hot or hungry or thirsty or bleeding or sick, they assist us. And they are on the job 24 hours a day!

But how is all this work organized in our bodies? To help us understand that, let us consider what hormones are and how they function.

Communications Within

Hormones are chemical substances that are manufactured by our endocrine glands. The word “endocrine,” which means “secreting directly into,” describes these glands well, since they secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream. As the heart pumps the blood through the body, the hormones speed to various destinations, where they accomplish their work.

In order for the hormones to perform their functions, good communication is needed among our many body parts. All of us have complex communications systems that transmit information to keep us alive and operating smoothly—the endocrine system and the nervous system.

To illustrate how the two work together, let us take a look at Venice, Italy, a city famous for its network of canals. In Venice, people use the telephone system to send messages to other parts of the city. Similarly, the body sends its messages by means of the nervous system, a high-speed communications network that uses electrochemical signals. Like a telephone call, a nerve transmission is delivered virtually instantaneously.

Of course, a message could also be delivered by gondola, a long boat that travels through the maze of city canals. In the body, chemical messengers (hormones) travel through the bloodstream or other body fluids.

If we liken the bloodstream to the Venetian canals, then the hormones are like fleets of gondolas carrying messages hither and thither from many sources to many destinations. These hormones travel to muscles, organs, or glands far from their point of origin. Once they reach their destination, they set in motion a series of complex chemical reactions to accomplish their purpose.

But how is all this activity directed and coordinated? To answer that question, let us look at the headquarters of the endocrine system and see what work is done there.

Pituitary—The Master Gland

The overseer of the endocrine system is the pituitary, a small, reddish-gray organ that is attached to the brain by a slender stalk and that lies in a bony pocket just behind and above the nose.

The pituitary is not impressive to look at. It is only the size of a pea, and it weighs a mere 0.02 ounce [0.6 gm]. But even though the pituitary is small, its responsibility is immense. It has been called the master gland, the conductor of the endocrine orchestra. It is like a business executive whose office is a flurry of activity, with messages coming from and going to many departments.

Some jobs the pituitary delegates to other endocrine glands. For example, the pituitary launches a hormonal message into the bloodstream ordering the thyroid gland to produce and release three other hormones. These control metabolism, body heat, and bone maintenance. The pituitary likewise commands the sex glands to produce the hormones that will bring about the physical changes of puberty. The master gland can also instruct the adrenals to manufacture hormones that maintain blood pressure and salt balance in the body.

At times, though, the pituitary cares for matters directly, sending out hormonal messages that influence the growth of our bones and muscles. Its hormones even control how tall we will be.

The pituitary further plays a big role in delivering babies. To assist a woman in labor, the pituitary sends out oxytocin, a hormone that stimulates contractions of the womb. When the baby’s head reaches the birth canal, the brain sends a message to the pituitary requesting an extra supply of oxytocin to help with the final phase of delivery. All along, hormones from the pituitary have been stimulating the production of milk in the mother’s breasts. When baby is born, mother is equipped to feed it.

The Master Gland’s Master

While the pituitary is the overseer of other glands, it has its own overseer—the hypothalamus. This is a cluster of nerve cells no larger than the tip of your thumb. It is located at the base of the brain and is connected to the pituitary. Its job is not only to supervise the work of the endocrine system but also to coordinate the work of the autonomic nervous system.

Part of its work is to test the makeup and temperature of the blood. More blood gushes through the hypothalamus than any other part of the brain. Into this blood flow, the hypothalamus pokes wrinkled fingerlike sensors, much as a bather uses his finger to test the temperature of the water in his tub. If the blood is too cool, the hypothalamus sends instructions (via the pituitary and the thyroid) for more thyroxine, a hormone that boosts metabolism to produce heat to warm the blood.

Since the hypothalamus does its work automatically, we are usually unaware of its labors. Yet, it has a day-to-day effect on our lives. Are you hungry? Your hypothalamus has detected too little glucose in your blood, so it is telling you to eat. Are you thirsty? Your hypothalamus has decided that the salt level in your blood is a little too high. “Drink some water,” it tells you.

The hypothalamus also monitors levels of calcium in the blood. Without calcium our brain, muscles, and nerves would not work properly. When the level of blood calcium is too low, the hypothalamus withdraws calcium from the bones, much as a person withdraws money from a bank. How is the calcium withdrawal made? The hypothalamus sends a hormonal message to the pituitary. The pituitary launches its own command to the parathyroids, located in the neck. The parathyroids, in turn, secrete parathormone, which goes to the bones to request calcium for the bloodstream. Once the hypothalamus sees that the calcium level is correct, it cancels orders for further withdrawals.

But what if the hypothalamus learns that there is too much calcium in the blood? Once again messengers are sent to the ‘bone bank,’ but instead of making a withdrawal, they make a deposit. This is the procedure: The hypothalamus sends a message to its chief executive, the pituitary. The pituitary now issues a command to the thyroid. The thyroid, in turn, sends out the hormone calcitonin, which acts to transfer excess calcium from the blood to the bones.

Intelligent Design

What a masterpiece of organization! The hypothalamus controls the pituitary, the pituitary directs the glands, and the glands regulate the body. And all of this is done by more than 30 different kinds of hormones that flow silently through our body to care for our most basic physical needs. Yet, despite the complexity of all of this, the endocrine system operates with stunning efficiency.

The Bible states that “God has set the members in the body, each one of them, just as he pleased.” How fitting the psalmist’s expression to God: “I shall laud you because in a fear-inspiring way I am wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, as my soul is very well aware”!—1 Corinthians 12:18; Psalm 139:14.

[Box/Diagrams on page 18]

ENDOCRINE GLANDS SECRETE HORMONES INTO THE BLOODSTREAM

THE HORMONES TRAVEL TO OTHER PARTS OF THE BODY TO ACCOMPLISH VARIOUS TASKS

Pineal Gland

This small gland, situated within the base of the brain, secretes melatonin, which is thought to affect wakefulness and various biorhythms in the body. The exact function of melatonin is not yet known.

Gonads, or Sex Glands

The two ovaries (in females) are found in the pelvic girdle, on each side of the womb. The hormones estrogen and progesterone are produced here. These control the menstrual cycle and affect the development of adult female physical characteristics.

The testes (in males), located in the scrotum, produce hormones that control the development of the body features of an adult male at puberty and stimulate sperm production.

Pituitary Gland

This pea-sized organ is attached to the brain by a slender stalk and lies just above and behind the nose. The pituitary is supervisor of the other glands, sending out chemical messages to the thyroid, adrenal, and sex glands, as well as to other glands having endocrine functions. It is the main controller of height and influences the growth of bones and muscles. It also stimulates the production of milk by the breasts of a nursing mother.

Thyroid and Parathyroid Glands

These glands are situated in the neck. The parathyroid secretes hormones that regulate calcium levels to maintain healthy bones. The thyroid produces other hormones that control the speed at which oxygen and food are used to produce energy.

The Adrenal Glands

Located just above each kidney, the two adrenal glands produce adrenaline and noradrenaline, which equip the body for fight or flight in emergencies. Additional hormones manufactured here affect the metabolism of carbohydrates and proteins, regulate water handled by the kidneys, and activate the body’s food stores when there is little to eat.

Pancreas

Located underneath the stomach, this gland turns out glucagon and insulin, which regulate the level of sugar in the blood.

[Diagrams]

(For fully formatted text, see publication.)

Pineal gland

Pituitary gland

Thyroid gland

Adrenal glands

Pancreas

Testes

[Diagram]

Womb

Ovaries

My Fight to Live

TWENTY years ago my wife, Ingrid, and I were raising two young boys in Lima, Peru, and enjoying a full, busy life. Although my secular work involved traveling to other countries of South America, we nevertheless scheduled time each week for the congregation meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses and for sharing Bible truths with others in the public ministry.

Then, in 1973, while I was still in my late 20’s, I began suffering headaches and rounds of depression. Both the headaches and the depression worsened during the next two years and became more frequent. It required constant effort to keep up with daily activities.

Well do I remember a business trip to Quito, Ecuador, high up in the Andes Mountains. As I stepped from the plane onto the landing strip, my head was pierced through with a headache so unbearable that all I could think to do was board the next plane back to Lima.

I immediately went to my doctor. He had been treating me for tension, believing that this was the cause of my headaches. But when he examined the back of my eyes, he noticed ruptured blood vessels. So I was put in the hospital.

Tests confirmed a tumor on the brain. But even more devastating was the news that the tumor was so large and apparently so entangled with the brain that it was inoperable. Within a month, the doctor said, I would be blind. Then I would become paralyzed and die in about three months.

The news was an incredible shock to Ingrid, who was first to receive the prognosis. She immediately contacted my sister, Heidi, in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., and asked her to look for a surgeon who would consent to operate on me without administering blood transfusions—a prime requisite for us because of our firm determination to obey the Scriptural injunction to refrain from blood.—Acts 15:28, 29.

Just three frenetic days later, we were on our way to Los Angeles. When we were flying over the Caribbean, Ingrid said to me: “Look, how beautiful the islands are, with their white, sandy beaches!” I looked out but could see nothing. My vision was already going!

The First Battle

Arriving in Los Angeles, I was immediately put in the UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles) Medical Center. On October 6, 1975, Dr. Walter Stern operated on me. Upon my awakening, not even Ingrid’s radiant face could prepare me for the good news—they had removed the entire tumor! It was the size of a baseball, situated on the right frontal lobe of the brain. But it was enclosed in its own membrane and came out complete.

Swift treatment evidently saved my life. “Just a few more days, and you would no longer have been with us,” the doctor said. But I was alive and with my mental faculties intact! We were euphoric!

However, the period of recuperation brought its own worries. First, blood clots formed in one leg, presenting a dilemma. For although I needed anticoagulants to dissolve the clots before they broke loose and reached a vital organ, I also needed coagulants to keep the bleeding in the brain to a minimum. What a relief when the doctors successfully worked out a balance between the two contrasting medicaments!

The trauma of 12 hours of surgery on the right frontal lobe—associated with emotions—was apparently responsible for a period of euphoria, an accelerating of emotions, that medication would not control. For six months after returning to Lima, I was irrational in my evaluation of what I could do, as if I were on a continual high. In a few months, this passed, and a terrible depression set in, so severe that I almost continually thought of suicide. Happily, after a year I was back to normal and able to renew all my activities.

I was appointed an elder in the Christian congregation, and the challenge now became to balance congregation, family, and business responsibilities. Whenever I wasn’t traveling for business, I arranged for time to be with the boys. Our favorite pastime was riding our motorbikes over the sandy, rocky hills on the outskirts of Lima. The next nine years seemed to fly by with our scarcely sensing their passing. I began to take my renewed health for granted.

Then, in May 1985, Ingrid began to notice that I was somewhat pale and had an uncharacteristic lack of bounce. We didn’t suspect that there was another brain tumor until one night when I wanted to turn in bed and couldn’t. The left side of my body had become paralyzed. This time the doctors submitted me to an advanced form of X ray, the CAT scan, and the results again had us on our way to Los Angeles.

The Fight Resumes

On June 24, 1985, Dr. Stern and his team operated on me once more. The tumor had grown again, this time extending back toward the parietal lobe—the zone that controls movements of the extremities. As a result, my left arm and leg were paralyzed. The operation was terminated after eight hours, leaving 25 percent of the tumor deep inside.

My arm and leg remained partially paralyzed after the operation. Cobalt radiation treatments were given me for a few weeks in an effort to stop the growing of the tumor. But then two months after the operation, I began to have convulsions. Although these were somewhat controlled with medication, in time they became more frequent and uncontrollable. My public life was reduced to a minimum. I was able to care for some secular work from home, but the threat of convulsions always hovered like a dark cloud. Being dominated by something insidious inside me was a constant source of frustration.

Not knowing when the attacks would come, I no longer dared preside over meetings at the Kingdom Hall. But with Jehovah’s help, I was able to share Bible knowledge with people who wished to study in their homes. Doing this regularly kept my mind on our Source of strength, Jehovah God, and seemed to lessen distress over my unstable physical condition.

Finally, in May 1988, I had a strong convulsion that left me paralyzed along my entire left side. Yet, CAT scans each time indicated that everything was normal, that the tumor had not grown. The conclusion was that the convulsions were somehow a part of the healing process. However, we decided to return to Los Angeles for more extensive tests.

Dr. Stern, who had performed the first two operations without the use of blood, had now retired. But he kindly referred us to Dr. Donald Becker, head of the UCLA Department of Neurosurgery. Dr. Becker agreed to operate if this was deemed necessary and, at the same time, honor our Bible-based respect for blood by not giving me blood transfusions.

The now familiar tests began. But this time besides CAT-scan pictures and an angiogram of the brain, a new, unfamiliar technique called MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) was included. It was established that, yes, there were tumors—three of them!

Before the day scheduled for the operation, something frightening was discovered—my blood would not coagulate! The medication that I had been taking to control the convulsions was destroying the platelets in the blood. So for the next two and a half weeks, this medication was little by little replaced with another that did not have this adverse side effect. The changeover was traumatic because by the time it was completed, I had suffered a series of strong convulsions.

The Third Operation

Finally the day for the operation arrived, August 1, 1988. At 6:00 a.m., Ingrid and I said emotional good-byes. Minutes later I found myself in the operating room. It was a long 12 hours later when Dr. Becker came out to share the news with Ingrid that they had removed all the tumors—even the part that had remained from the second operation three years before—and that I had lost only a little more than a cup [240 cc] of blood!

“But something was still worrying me,” explains Ingrid. “What would Hans’ mental condition be when he woke up? Would he recognize me as his wife?” Early the next morning, the doctors let Ingrid in to see me. As I opened my eyes, I said, “Schatzi,” a term of endearment I always used. And, as she said, “It was the beginning of a new day!”

The Fight Continues

Yet, my period of rehabilitation seemed never to end. Two years later, new tumors were found to be interfering with my recovery. So on November 26, 1990, I had a fourth brain operation. Two more tumors were removed. Again I was back in a wheelchair, and once more my days were filled with painful leg exercises to stimulate the brain into remembering how to get me walking again.

However, the tumors were soon back, and this time there was the diagnosis of malignancy. My most recent operation took place July 16, 1991; yet several tumors were inoperable. I was subjected to a special radiation treatment in an effort to shrink and dissolve them. We hope that this can be achieved, but my rehabilitation therapy has become ever more difficult.

Considering future prospects on the basis of what I am physically can only lead to frustration. The only wise course is to focus on spiritual values. As if written to me personally, the Bible says: “Bodily training is beneficial for a little; but godly devotion is beneficial for all things, as it holds promise of the life now and that which is to come.”—1 Timothy 4:8.

The life that is to come is eternal life in God’s new world. Evidence shows that it is near, yes, that soon I will be running and jumping like a deer. (Isaiah 35:6) And if I die before that new world arrives, then the resurrection is assured for those faithful to Jehovah. Not by any mightiness on our part will everlasting life be attained, but by our faithfully serving our God, Jehovah.—As told by Hans Augustin.

[Picture on page 23]

With my wife, Ingrid

How the Quiver Tree Got Its Name

FEW travelers in the arid wilderness regions of southern Africa have failed to be impressed by the sight of a quiver tree. “With its grey bark streaked with white . . . , it stands erect on the ribs of the mountains, stark and dignified. . . . They are like the centurions of a forgotten legion, inured to wind, sun, thirst, and freezing nights.” That is how Jon Manchip White describes quiver trees in his book The Land God Made in Anger.

Actually, the quiver tree is one of 150 species of aloe that grow in southern Africa. Though it has spiky, succulent leaves, it grows in regions that receive little or no rain. It survives by storing water in its trunk. Every June and July, the quiver tree is thus able to treat the local birds, bees, and baboons to a copious feast of nectar from its bright yellow flowers.

…

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Awake!, April 22, 1992