is religion a force for peace

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!"#2J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

Is Religion a Force

for Peace?


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!"#2AVERAGE PRINTING 39,913,000PUBLISHED IN 83 LANGUAGES

Is Religion a Forcefor Peace?

3 Is Religion a Force for

Peace?

4 Is Religion to Blame?

6 The Problem With Religion

7 Will Religion Ever Be a Force

for Peace?

10 A Book You Can Trust

Part 3Babylon in Bible History

14 Watching the World

15 Was It Designed?

The Inverted Retina

16 The Amazing Process ofChildbirth

18 The Miniature Mansions ofIstanbul

19 In Grandfathers Time

20 SleepHow Important Is It?

21 MigraineWhat Can You Do

About It?

24 Young People Ask

Am I Addicted to Electronic

Media?

28 The Bibles Viewpoint

Are Faith and ReasonIncompatible?

30 For Family Review

32 I Cried When I Read It


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ACCLAIMED by some as the holiest churchin Christendom, the Church of the HolySepulchre in Jerusalem has also become asymbol of religious strife and hostility. Ac-cording to tradition, the church marks theplace where Christ is supposed to havebeen buried and to have risen from thedead. However, this revered site has alsobeen the stage for many violent confronta-tions. Monks and priests from six different

Christian denominations have attackedone another over issues of church-usagerights. The rivalry has intensified in recentyears. Riot police armed with assault rifleshave had to intervene and take temporarycontrol of the church.

A History of Violence

The events at the Church of the Holy Sep-ulchre are part of a long history of blood-shed and carnage linked to religious fervor.

In a review of recent conflicts in differentparts of the world, the book Violence inGods Name says: From Indonesia to North-ern Ireland, the Middle East to Kashmir, In-dia to Nigeria, the Balkans to Sri Lanka,Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Hindus, Mus-lims and Sikhs justify the use of violence onthe grounds that they are protecting their re-ligious identity and interests.

Yet, most religions embrace peace and

harmony as central tenets. Through theages, altruistic principles such as love ofneighbor and the sanctity of human lifehave been ardently promoted by religion.Should not religion, then, exercise its formi-dable powers in behalf of peace? Sincereworshippers do well to examine this ques-tion.

Is Religion aForce for Peace?

Awake! January 2011 3


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4 Awake! January 2011

THIS JOURNAL IS PUBLISHED for the enlightenment of theentire family. It shows how to cope with todays problems. It reportsthe news, tells about people in many lands, examines religionand science. But it does more. It probes beneath the surface andpoints to the real meaning behind current events, yet it alwaysstays politically neutral and does not exalt one race above another.Most important, this magazine builds confidence in the Creatorspromise of a peaceful and secure new world that is about toreplace the present wicked, lawless system of things.

!"#$ This publication is not for sale. It is provided as part of a worldwideBible educational work supported by voluntary donations. Unless oth-erwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the modern-languageNew World Translation of the Holy ScripturesWith References.

Awake! (ISSN 0005-237X) is published monthly by WatchtowerBible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.; M. H. Larson, President;G. F. Simonis, Secretary-Treasurer; 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY11201-2483, and by Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society ofCanada, PO Box 4100, Georgetown, ON L7G 4Y4. PeriodicalsPostage Paid at Brooklyn, N.Y., and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Awake!, 1000 Red MillsRoad, Wallkill, NY 12589-3299. 5 2011 Watch Tower Bibleand Tract Society of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. Printed in

Canada.

Vol. 92, No. 1 Monthly ENGLISH

EARLY 18th-century cleric and author Jon-athan Swift wrote: We have just enoughreligion to make us hate, but not enough tomake us love one-another. Many have arguedthat religion is in fact a force for division rath-er than unity. But not everyone agrees.

For example, consider the conclusion thatwas reached by a group of researchers at theDepartment of Peace Studies at Bradford

University in the United Kingdom. The groupwas commissioned by the British Broadcast-ing Corporation to provide a sound answer tothe question of whether religion is a force forpeace or for war.

In a published report, the researchers said:After reviewing historical analyses by a di-verse array of specialists, we concluded thatthere have been few genuinely religious warsin the last 100 years. The investigative team

explained that some wars often painted inthe media and other places as wars over re-ligion, or wars arising from religious differ-ences, have in fact been wars of nationalism,liberation of territory or self-defense.

However, many others argue that the cler-gy, by their actions or by their silence,have condoned and actively supported many

armed conflicts, as indicated by the followingquotes:

Religion seems to be connected with violence virtually everywhere. . . . In recent years, religious violence has erupted amongright-wing Christians in the United States, an-gry Muslims and Jews in the Middle East,quarrelling Hindus and Muslims in SouthAsia, and indigenous religious communities

in Africa and Indonesia. . . . The individualsinvolved in these cases have relied on religionto provide political identities and give licenseto vengeful ideologies.Terror in the Mind ofGodThe Global Rise of Religious Violence.

Ironically, nations with fervent religionoften have the worst social evils. . . . The sat-uration of religion has failed to prevent thesevere crime level. . . . The evidence seemsclear: To find living conditions that are safe,decent, orderly, and civilized, avoid places

with intense religion.Holy Hatred. Baptists are much better known for

fighting than for peacemaking. . . . When the[American] slavery issue and other develop-ments divided the denominations and thenthe nation in the nineteenth century, Bap-tists North and South supported the war ef-fort as a righteous crusade and assumed that

Is Religion to Blame?


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Would you welcome more information or a free home

Bible study? Please send your request to Jehovahs Witnesses, us-ing one of the addresses below. For a complete list of addresses, seewww.watchtower.org/address. America, United States of: 25 Columbia Heights,

Brooklyn, NY 11201-2483. Australia: PO Box 280, Ingleburn, NSW 1890. Bahamas: PO

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Curepe.


God was on their side. Baptists also identifiedwith the national effort in wars with England(1812), Mexico (1845), and Spain (1898), jus-tifying the last two mainly on the groundsof bringing religious liberty to oppressedpeoples and opening new areas for missionwork. The point is not that Baptists desiredwar rather than peace, but that, for the mostpart, when war became a reality Baptists sup-ported and participated in the effort.Re-view and ExpositorA Baptist Theological Jour-nal.

Religious motivation to combat hasbeen located by historians in most eras andamong virtually all the worlds diverse peo-ples and cultures, and usually on both sides in

any given war. The hoary cry that the godsare on our side was among the earliest andmost potent of incitements to battle.TheAge of Wars of Religion, 1000-1650An Encyclo-pedia of Global Warfare and Civilization.

Religious leaders . . . need to reflectmore critically on their own failure to providemore effective leadership and witness to thetrue fundamental values of their respectivefaiths. . . . It is true that all religions aspire topeace but it is questionable whether religion

has ever fulfilled that role.Violence in GodsNameReligion in an Age of Conflict.

Throughout history, the clergy of all themajor religions of Christendom (Catholic,Orthodox, and Protestant) have provided anendless supply of priests and chaplains toraise the morale of the troops and pray forthe dead and dyingon both sides of any con-flict. By this support they have condoned thebloodshed and given their blessing to all the

military forces.Some might still argue that religion cannot

be blamed for warfare. But the question is,Has religion succeeded in any of its efforts tounite mankind?

The Rev. Dr. Charles A. Eaton, pas-

tor of Madison Avenue Baptist Church,

announced from his pulpit yesterdaythat the parish house of the church

was to be turned into a recruiting sta-

tion for men desiring to enlist in either

the army or navy.

He was one of a dozen clergymen in

the city who preached war sermons at

their regular Sunday morning services,and who urged the men and women

to attest their loyalty to the nation and

democracy by offering their services in

the war at the earliest opportunity. Flags

decorated many churches.The New

York Times, April 16, 1917.


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TO SAY that religion is the principal causeof all conflict implies that there would befew wars if religion did not exist. Is that ar-gument feasible? Could we eliminate war bymerely eliminating religion? However you an-swer, one fact is undeniable: Religion has notunited mankind. Consider some of the rea-sons why this is true.

Divided by ReligionThe human family is divided by religion,

with several major religious powers lockedin perpetual rivalry. Is there any reason tobelieve that Buddhists, Christians, Hindus,Jews, and Muslims will ever exist togetherpeacefully?

Another sad reality is the fragmentationthat exists within each of those principal re-ligious blocks. For instance, according toone estimate, Christendom is broken up into

more than 30,000 denominations. Islam isalso divided by conflicting beliefs. Accord-ing to a Middle East news agency, a Mus-lim scholar, Mohsen Hojjat, recently ac-knowledged that disunity among Muslimsis the root cause of problems in the Islam-ic world. Other influential religions, such asBuddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism, are like-wise fractured into many conflicting sects.

Religion in Politics

Religion seems to influence nearly everyaspect of secular life. The news magazineThe Economistobserves that religious peopleare getting more vocal in all sorts of fields,including business. Religion is also crop-ping up in economics. This results in divid-ing people rather than uniting them. But amore damaging influence has to do with the

long-standing history of religion meddling inpolitics.

In a recent report referred to in the pre-ceding article, a group of historians notedthat religion is more likely to be a cause ofwar when religion and the state authoritiesbecome closely allied or intertwined. Andtherein lies another undeniable reality: Reli-

gion has been, and is to this day, tightly inter-locked with political and military entities.

An Explosive Mix

In many lands, predominant religions havebecome symbols of patriotic and racial iden-tities. As a result, the lines between nationalis-tic hatred, racial prejudice, ethnic rivalry, andreligious enmity are virtually indistinguish-able. This explosive cocktail has the neces-sary ingredients to tear our world apart.

The perplexing paradox in all of this is thatmuch of religion claims to represent the Godof the Bible, the Creator. Does it make anysense that an almighty, all-wise, loving Cre-ator would have anything to do with divisiveand bloodguilty religions?

The Problem WithReligion

Thousands ofJehovahsWitnesses havebeen imprisonedfor choosingthe course ofneutrality


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LETS make the world a better place. Letsget rid of religion. That is what Dutchphilosopher Floris van den Berg recom-mends in his published lecture entitled Howto Get Rid of Religion, and Why. Around theworld experts in various fields of knowledgeare likewise promoting the abolition of reli-gion.

The world needs to wake up from its longnightmare of religious belief, declares No-bel laureate and physicist Steven Weinberg.The idea that the evils of this world could begreatly minimized by eliminating religion hasbeen loudly articulated in recent years. Booksagainst religion proliferate and are quite pop-ular.

Leading scientists have gathered to discusswhat they consider to be the urgent needto eradicate religion. An emerging wave ofatheists is flooding the media with their un-apologetic hatred of religion. Are these well-respected thinkers on the right track?

True Religion?

If all religions were false and there was noGod, then it might seem reasonable to elim-inate religion. But what if there is a God?What if there is a group of people on earthwho rightfully represent Goda true religion?

A careful study of the history of religionpoints to one form of worship that stands outas very different from all other religions. It isa form of worship practiced by relatively fewpeople today. This religion was established byJesus Christ and his apostles. But it is not rep-resented by what Christendom has practicedfor many centuries.

How do Christendom and the true religionestablished by Jesus Christ differ? In manyways. Let us consider one of them.

No Part of This World

The first Christians did not take sides inpolitical issues. This is in harmony with theneutral stand that Jesus himself took. The Bi-ble reports that on at least two occasions, Je-

sus firmly refused offers to become a politicalruler. (Matthew 4:8-10; John 6:15) Jesus evenrebuked his disciples for wanting to use vi-olent means to prevent his arrest.Matthew26:51, 52; Luke 22:49-51; John 18:10, 11.

When the Roman governor of Judea askedspecific questions about Jesus alleged politi-cal ambitions, Jesus set the record straight bysaying: My kingdom is no part of this world.If my kingdom were part of this world, myattendants would have fought that I shouldnot be delivered up to the Jews. But, as it is,my kingdom is not from this source. (John18:36) Clearly, Jesus would not get involvedwith the political and military structures ofhis day.

Jesus disciples followed the same pattern. A study on the role of religion in war com-piled by the team of researchers referred toearlier in this series explains: Early Chris-tians believed in nonviolence. . . . Most Chris-

tians refused to join the army and fight.The teachings of Jesus and his apostles em-phasized love of neighbor, including strang-ers and those of different ethnic backgroundsand races. (Acts 10:34, 35; James 3:17) Thisreligion was indeed a force for peace.

Eventually the original concepts of Chris-tianity became contaminated by the divisive

Will Religion Ever Bea Force for Peace?


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forces of philosophy, tradition, and nation-alism. The previously mentioned histori-cal review of the role religion plays in armed

conflicts states: [Roman Emperor] Constan-tines conversion led to the militarizationof the Christian movementno longer guid-ed by the compassionate teachings of Christ,but rather spearheaded by the Emperorsgoals of political and geographical conquest.Christians, including the Emperor were com-pelled to find religious justifications for war. A counterfeit version of Christianity wasborn.

A Distinctive Group

Is original Christianity lost forever? By nomeans. There is one group today that de-serves special consideration. Jehovahs Wit-nesses emulate the first Christians like no oth-er religious people. They are not linked to anyreligion in Christendom. The Encyclopedia ofReligion describes them as distinctive, be-cause they base all their beliefs on the au-thority of the Bible, which entirely supplantstradition.

Like the first Christians, Jehovahs Wit-nesses do not take sides in political conflicts. A paper published by the National Acade-my of Sciences of Ukraine states that Jeho-vahs Witnesses aim to overcome racial, na-tional, religious, social, and economicaldifferences. The study explains that Jeho-vahs Witnesses do not engage in anti-state

activity and are law-abiding citizens of theircountry.

Professor Wojciech Modzelewski, from the

Warsaw University in Poland, wrote in hisbook Pacifism and Vicinity: Jehovahs Wit-nesses make up the largest community in theworld today that objects to wars. Becausethey closely follow the pattern of first-centuryChristians, it could be said that JehovahsWitnesses have successfully reinstated theform of worship that was established byChrist and his apostles. That is the kind ofChristianity that is indeed a force for peace.See the box on the next page.

A Bright Future

Granted, many sincere worshippersandeven a number of religious leadersare ap-palled by the hypocrisy of their own religions.Due acknowledgment must be given to themany religious people who are devoted tothe promotion of peace and harmony in theworld.

Still, as sincere as they may be, humans arelimited in their power to fix the worlds prob-

lems. The ancient prophet Jeremiah wrote:To earthling man his way does not belong. Itdoes not belong to man who is walking evento direct his step.Jeremiah 10:23.

But there is a bright future. Gods Wordteaches that a peaceful new human society willbe established on earth. This new society willbe a veritable brotherhood. All races will live

JehovahsWitnesses

are unitedby love

A Serb, a Bosnian,and a Croatian


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in harmony, and mankind will not be dividedby territorial borders, ethnic hatreds, or reli-gious ideologies. The one uniting element willbe the pure worship of Jehovah God.

The Bible also foretells the demise of reli-gion that dishonors God. Jesus said: Everykingdom divided against itself comes to deso-lation, and every city or house divided againstitself will not stand. (Matthew 12:25) Intime, God will make sure that those wordscome true regarding all false religion.

The Bible long ago foretold that Godwould certainly render judgment among thenations and set matters straight. This proph-ecy also says that people will beat theirswords into plowshares and their spearsinto pruning shears. Nation will not lift up

sword against nation, neither will they learnwar anymore. (Isaiah 2:4) This prophecy isundergoing fulfillment today. True religion, aspracticed by Jehovahs Witnesses, is already aforce for peace.

Jehovahs Witnesses believe that theyhave successfully reestablished first-centuryChristianity, the form of Christianity thatJesus apostles practiced.

How Are Jehovahs Witnesses Different?Many people are amazed when they learn how different Jehovahs Witnessesare from all the other religions that claim to follow Christ. The following aresome of the things that make Jehovahs Witnesses unique:

STRUCTURE

They have no clergy class.

Their elders, teachers, and missionaries

are unsalaried. They neither tithe nor take up money

collections at their places of worship,known as Kingdom Halls.

All their activities are supported byanonymous donations.

They remain neutral with regard topolitics.

They advocate peace and do not partici-pate in warfare.

They are globally united in their faithand Bible-based beliefs.

They are fully integrated, with no social,ethnic, racial, or class divisions.

They are not affiliated with any otherreligion, whether Catholic, Orthodox, orProtestant.

DOCTRINE

They believe that there is only one trueGod, whose name is Jehovah.

They do not believe that Jesus Christ isAlmighty God, nor do they believe in theTrinity doctrine.

They follow the teachings of Jesus andhonor him as the Son of God.

They do not venerate the cross, nor dothey use idols in their worship.

They do not believe in a fiery hell whereall bad people go after death.

They believe that God will bless obe-dient mankind with perfect everlastinglife in an earthly paradise.


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SITUATED on a fertile plain some50 miles (80 km) south of modern-dayBaghdad, the ancient city of Babylon was tru-ly magnificent. With massive double wallsand a surrounding moat, Babylon seemedimpregnable. The city was renowned for itsmajestic temples, hanging gardens, and tem-ple towers. As one of the greatest cities of

the ancient world, Babylon has recently beendubbed the city of wonders.

In the Bible, it was named Mistress ofKingdoms and was the capital of the third

world power of Bible history. (Isaiah 47:5)Like the Egyptian and the Assyrian empiresbefore it, the Babylonian Empire played aprominent role in Bible history, enabling usto compare what the Bible says about it withwhat secular sources say.

Trustworthy History

The Bible book of Daniel tells us that aman by the name of Belshazzar once ruled asking in Babylon. (Daniel 5:1) However, somesecular sources have stated in the past that

A BOOK YOU CAN TRUST

Part 3

Babylon in Bible HistoryThis is the third in a series of seven articles in consecutive issues of Awake! that

discuss the seven world powers of Bible history. The objective is to show that the

Bible is trustworthy and inspired of God and that its message is one of hope for

an end to the suffering caused by mans cruel domination of his fellow man.

gp

yy

;

Persianwallrelief:Musee

duLouvre,Paris

Artists rendition of theancient city of Babylon

10


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Belshazzar, though power-ful, was never king. Was theBible wrong? Archaeologistshave uncovered a number ofclay cylinders in the ruins ofUr in Mesopotamia. The cu-

neiform inscription on onecylinder included a prayerby Babylonian King Nabo-nidus for Bel-sar-ussur, myeldest son. Later findingsconfirmed that Belshazzarhad acted as regent for morethan half his fathers reign,states the New Bible Dictio-nary, during which time he was

to all intents and purposes king.History also shows that ancient Babylonwas an extremely religious city, rife with as-trology and divination. For example, at Eze-kiel 21:21, we read that the king of Babylonresorted to divination in order to deter-mine whether to attack Jerusalem. The kinglooked into the liver, the Bible says. Whythe liver? The Babylonians used this or-gan in quest of omens. The book Mesopota-mian Astrology tells us that at just one site

in ancient Babylon, archaeologists found32 [clay] liver models, all inscribed withomens.

Noted archaeologist Nelson Glueck oncesaid: I have excavated for thirty years with aBible in one hand and a trowel in the other,and in matters of historical perspective I havenever found the Bible to be in error.

Trustworthy Prophecy

How would you respond if someone told you that a major capitalsuch as Beijing,Moscow, or Washington, D.C.would be-come an uninhabited ruin? You would right-ly be skeptical. Yet, that is what happenedwith ancient Babylon. Some 200 years in advance, about the year 732 B.C.E., JehovahGod inspired the Hebrew prophet Isaiah toput in writing a prophecy about the demiseof mighty Babylon. He wrote: Babylon, thedecoration of kingdoms, . . . must become as

when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.She will never be inhabited, nor will she re-side for generation after generation.Isaiah13:19, 20.

But why would God foretell Babylons de-struction? In 607 B.C.E., Babylonian armiesdestroyed Jerusalem and took the survivorsoff to Babylon, where they were treated cruel-ly. (Psalm 137:8, 9) God foretold that his peo-ple would have to endure this bitter treat-

ment for 70 years because of their own wickeddeeds. Then God would deliver them and letthem return to their homeland.Jeremiah 25:11; 29:10.

Tr ue t o G od s p rophe ti c Word , i n539 B.C.E.just as Judahs 70-year exile wasabout to endthe seemingly invincible cityof Babylon was overthrown by Medo-Persian

I have excavated for thirty years. . . , and in matters of historicalperspective I have never foundthe Bible to be in error.Nelson Glueck

Clay cylinder containingthe name Belshazzar

PhotographtakenbycourtesyoftheBritishMuseum


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armies. In time, the city became a heap of ru-insjust as predicted. No human could fore-tell such a striking achievement. Without adoubt, the act of prophesying, or foretellingevents in advance, sets the Author of the Bi-blethe true God, Jehovahapart from anyother god.Isaiah 46:9, 10.

A Hope You Can Trust

Yet another prophecy is having a remark-able fulfillment in our day. The prophecyinvolves King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonand a dream that he had about an immenseimage. The body was divided into five parts

the head, the breasts and arms, the belly

and thighs, the legs, and the feeteach onewith a different metal composition. (Daniel2:31-33) These metal parts stood for a suc-cession of governments, or kingdoms, thatstarted with Babylon and continues down tothe Anglo-American World Power, the sev-

enth of Bible history.Daniel 2:36-41.Daniel discloses that in the feet and toes

of the image, there was a noteworthy changeof materials. How so? Pure metal was re-placed with a mixture of iron and moistclay. By way of explanation, Daniel toldNebuchadnezzar: Whereas you beheld ironmixed with moist clay, they will come to bemixed with the offspring of mankind; but

One of the most remarkable propheciesregarding the downfall of Babylon involvedits conqueror, King Cyrus of Persia. Nearlytwo centuries before Cyrus rose to power,Jehovah God mentioned him by name andforetold that he would be the one to conquerBabylon.

Pointing forward to Cyrus conquest,Isaiah was inspired to write: This is whatJehovah has said to his anointed one, toCyrus, whose right hand I have taken holdof, to subdue before him nations, . . . toopen before him the two-leaved doors, sothat even the gates will not be shut. Godalso foretold that the Euphrates River would,in effect, dry up.Isaiah 45:1-3; Jeremiah50:38.

Greek historians Herodotus and Xeno-

phon confirm the fulfillment of this amaz-ing prophecy. They reveal that Cyrus divert-ed the Euphrates River, causing its waters torecede. Cyrus armies thus gained accessto the city through its gates, which had beenleft open. As foretold, mighty Babylon fellsuddenly, in one night.Jeremiah 51:8.

FORETOLD BY NAMEThe Bible book of Revelation

mentions a symbolic harlot namedBabylon the Great. (Revelation 17:5)What does this harlot represent?The evidence points to its being areligious entity.

Ancient Babylon was an extremely

religious city, having over 50 templesdedicated to various deities. The Bab-ylonians believed in trinities of godsand an immortal soul that at deathwould descend to a dark nether-world. There, human existence be-yond the grave is at best only a dis-mal, wretched reflection of life onearth, says Funk & Wagnalls NewEncyclopedia.

In time, those teachings spreadthroughout the world. Today they,or modified versions of them, can befound in the religions of Christendom.Together, these religions make up amajor part of the global religious enti-ty Babylon the Great!

BABYLON THE GREAT


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they will not prove to be sticking together,this one to that one, just as iron is not mix-ing with molded clay. (Daniel 2:43) Yes,mixing iron and clay results in a fragileunion; there is no sticking together. Howaccurately this describes the politically di-

vided world in which we live today!Daniel also reveals another significant de-

velopment. In his dream, King Nebuchad-nezzar saw a stone that was cut out of a largemountain. This stone was lifted up, and itstruck the image on its feet of iron and ofmolded clay and crushed them. (Daniel 2:34) What does that mean? Daniel himselfanswers: In the days of those kings [dur-

ing the time of the final world power] theGod of heaven will set up a kingdom thatwill never be brought to ruin. And the king-dom itself will not be passed on to any oth-er people. It will crush and put an end toall these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to

times indefinite. (Daniel 2:44) That proph-ecy pointed forward to a Kingdom unlikeany other government known to mankind.Its King is Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Asmentioned in previous articles of this series,Jesus will crush Satan and all his followers,human and spirit, thus bringing about uni- versal peace and harmony.1 Corinthians15:25.

Babylonians worshippedtriads of deities. Symbolsof one such trinitySin,Shamash, and Ishtarareshown here

Bothimages:Photographtakenbycourtesyo

ftheBritishMuseum

13


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Too Few Germs?Our research suggests that ultra-clean,

ultra-hygienic environments early in life maycontribute to higher levels of inflammation

as an adult, which in turn increases risksfor a wide range of diseases, states ThomasMcDade, associate professor at Northwest-ern University, Illinois, U.S.A. In a study thatcompared Filipino children with their Ameri-can counterparts, it was found that, overall,the Filipinos suffered many more infectiousdiseases as youngsters. Yet, contrary to ex-pectations, young Filipino adults had muchlower blood levels of C-reactive protein, theconcentration of which rises in response to

inflammation. The conclusion? Greater child-hood exposure to common bacteria may actu-ally protect adults from deadly illnesses.

Lost Work EthicMany Finnish employers are perplexed by

a new generation of job applicants who donot seem to have a clue about the socialskills necessary to hold a job. The recruitstend to interpret work hours freely and thinkthat they can clock in and out whenever they

please, says Anne Mikkola, a restaurateur,in an interview made by a Finnish national

service broadcasting company. Codes of con-duct and dress also present difficulties. Espe-cially in the service sector, employers oftenhave to point out which types of attire are notappropriate. That the line between work andprivate life has blurred is also seen when re-

cruits friends drop in at the workplace just tovisit.

Territorial Dispute ResolvedA long-standing territorial dispute between Ban-

gladesh and India over a small island in the Bay ofBengal has been resolvedby a rise in sea level.The uninhabited territory, known to the Indiansas New Moore Island and to the Bangladeshis as

South Talpatti Island, never extended more thansix feet (1.9 m) above sea level. However, satelliteimages show that the sea has recently submergedit. What these two countries could not achievefrom years of talking has been resolved by globalwarming, says Professor Sugata Hazra, of Calcut-tas Jadavpur University School of OceanographicStudies.

WATCHING THE WORLD

The average number of people servedby each doctor in Tanzania is 64,000.THE CITIZEN, TANZANIA.

There are at least 1 billion poorpeople living with chronic under-nourishment, and the United Nations Mil-lennium Development Goal of substantiallyreducing the number of the worlds hungryby 2015 will not be met.SCIENCE, U.S.A.

The worlds 100 largest arms-producingcompanies registered $385 billionin sales in 2008, an increase of $39 bil-

lion over 2007.STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL PEACERESEARCH INSTITUTE, SWEDEN.


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The human eye contains a retinaamembrane with approximately 120 millioncells called photoreceptors, which absorblight rays and convert them into electricsignals. Your brain interprets these signals

as visual images. Evolutionists have con-tended that where the retina is placed inthe eyes of vertebrates, creatures with abackbone, proves that the eye had no de-signer.

Consider: The retina of vertebrates isinverted, placing the photoreceptors at theback of the retina. To reach them, lightmust pass through several layers of cells.According to evolutionary biologist KennethMiller, this arrangement scatters the light,

making our vision less detailed than itmight be.

Evolutionists thus claim that the invertedretina is evidence of poor designreally,no design. One scientist even described itas a functionally stupid upside-down ori-entation. However, further research re-veals that the photoreceptors of the invert-

ed retina are ideally placed next to thepigment epitheliuma cell layer that pro-vides oxygen and nutrients vital to keensight. If the pigment epithelium tissuewere placed in front of the retina, sight

would be seriously compromised, wrotebiologist Jerry Bergman and ophthalmolo-gist Joseph Calkins.

The inverted retina is especially advan-tageous for vertebrates with small eyes.Says professor Ronald Kr

oger, of the Uni-

versity of Lund, Sweden: Between the lensof the eye and the photoreceptors, theremust be a certain distance to get a sharpimage. Having this space filled with nervecells means an important saving of space

for the vertebrates.Additionally, with the nerve cells of the

retina tightly packed and close to thephotoreceptors, analysis of visual informa-tion is fast and reliable.

What do you think? Is the invertedretina an inferior structure, a product ofmere chance? Or was it designed?

WAS IT DESIGNED?

The Inverted RetinaPhotoreceptor

cells

Light

Pigmentepithelium

Light

Retina

Optic nerve


16/32


THE nine-month wait is finally over, and

the baby so longed for is about to beborn.1 The expectant mothers cervix has re-mained firmly shut, keeping the fetus safely inthe womb. But now her cervix thins, softens,and relaxes. The miracle of birth begins.

What is behind the marvelous process ofchildbirth? Of the several factors involved,two are especially amazing. First, oxytocin, ahormone produced in the brain, is released.Both men and women produce this sub-stance, but a great quantity of it is released inthe pregnant mother when labor begins, caus-ing the cervix to dilate and the uterus to con-tract.

1 Gestation usually lasts between 37 and 42 weeks.

The

AmazingProcess ofChildbirth

Childbirth Process

1 Fetal position before labor

2 Movement of fetus toward thebirth canal

3 Dilation of the cervix

4 Expulsion of fetus

1

placentavagina

cervix2


17/32

Just how the pituitary gland of the expec-tant mother knows when to begin releasingthis hormone is a mystery. The book Incredi-ble VoyageExploring the Human Body states:Somehow her brain senses that gestation iscomplete and that it is time for the powerful

uterine muscles . . . to take on their brief butheroic job.

A second factor involved in this processis the role of the placenta, which stops pro-ducing progesterone. During pregnancy, pro-gesterone has prevented strong contractions.But now, without the restriction of proges-terone, the uterus begins to contract. Gener-ally after between 8 and 13 hours of labor, thebaby is pushed out through the relaxed, dilat-

ed cervix. Afterward, the placenta is also ex-pelled.

Now the newborn must quickly adapt tonew conditions of life, very different fromthose of its maternal environment. For ex-ample, while in the uterus, the lungs of thefetus were full of amniotic fluid, which wassqueezed out when the infant passed throughthe birth canal. Now the lungs must be filledwith air to initiate breathing, the onset ofwhich is usually indicated by the first cry.

Drastic changes also occur in the heart andthe rest of the circulatory system. A hole con-necting the two atria of the heart and a blood vessel bypassing the pulmonary circulationclose, in order to reroute the blood through

the lungs, thus enabling the blood to absorboxygen. It is astonishing that this adaptationto the outside world happens so rapidly.

The entire process of labor and birth re-minds us of the words of the Bible: Foreverything there is an appointed time, evena time for every affair under the heavens.That includes a time for birth. (Ecclesiastes3:1, 2) You will surely agree that this seriesof biochemical and physical events, whichall occur within just a few hours, eloquent-ly points to design on the part of our Cre-ator, whom the Bible calls the source of life.Psalm 36:9; Ecclesiastes 11:5.

3

4


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Wooden birdhouses are seen in many partsof the world. They are ideal places for birds tofeed, keep warm, make a nest, raise young,and gain protection from predators and the

elements. In Istanbul, birdhouses have beendesigned to look like full-size structures. Someresemble mansions; others mosques or pal-aces.1 They are known as pigeonries, bird man-sions, and even sparrow palaces.

The oldest of these birdhouses date at leastas far back as the 15th century, and they in-corporate Ottoman architecture. They are sim-ple structures, but starting in the 18th century,birdhouses became grand, luxurious resi-dences. Some had receptacles for food and

water, walkways, and even balconies wherethe birds could, as it were, take in the view.These houses were usually positioned on the

1 Although realistic, these birdhouses are not usually modeledafter specific buildings.

side of the building that got the most sun andprovided the best shelter from the windfaraway from the reach of cats, dogs, and people.Sometimes these features were added not just

for the sake of the birds but to decorate thebuilding as part of its overall design. Birdhous-es can be seen on the sides of mosques, largeand small, as well as on public drinking foun-tains, libraries, bridges, and private homes.

Sadly, many of those miniature mansionshave deteriorated under the constant barrageof the elements, while others have been inten-tionally destroyed by people who did not recog-nize their value. Birdhouses are seen less andless. However, if you visit Istanbul and you have

a taste for historical architecture, see if youcan spot these delicate little structures nestledin the eaves. Now that you know what theyare, noticing these miniature mansions will en-rich your visit to the city.

The Miniature

Mansions ofIstanbul


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The mechanical clock was likely invented inChina over 900 years ago. Since then, improve-ments to clocks have been many. An outstand-ing improvement came in the mid-1600s,when the pendulum came into use in mechani-cal clocks. Thanks to that revolutionary innova-tion, clocks became so accurate that a newfeature appeared on their facesa minutehand! The new designwith its pendulum,

weights, and relatively heavy mechanismnat-urally required a sturdy, upright housing. Thisresulted in what became familiar to peoplearound the world as longcase, or grandfather,clocks, described by one clock expert as high-ly reliable and reasonable time-keepers even inadverse conditions.1

At first, these prized clocks were manu-factured only in big European cities, such asLondon and Paris. Little by little, however, theirproduction spread to the farthest corners of

the European continent. Thus, local artisticstyles began to embellish the basic design. Theclocks shape could be straight or curved; itsstructure, slender or bulky. It could be made ofpine, ebony, mahogany, oak, or walnut, and itscase could be plain or adorned with ornamen-tation. The grandfather clock therefore gainedpopularity not only as a superior timekeeperbut also as an elegant and dignified addition tothe furnishings of a room.

There may be an additional reason why peo-

ple continue to find the grandfather clock fasci-nating and attractive. In a way, it appears hu-man. It is about the size of an average humanbeing and has an expressive and meaningfulface, notes Finnish researcher Dr. Sinikka

1 The name grandfather clock, as longcase clocks are called insome lands, is said to derive from a popular 1876 song entitledMy Grandfathers Clock.

M

antyl

a. Its audible ticktock even resemblesa heartbeat. Today, precise and inexpensivequartz-controlled clocks have replaced most ofthese big upright masterpieces. But even in ourhurried times, the presence of a grandfatherclock still inspires a measure of tranquillity.The book Keeping TimeCollecting and Caringfor Clocks observes: A long-case clock with itssteady and unhurried tick can also somehow

soothe the spirit and is redolent of what wethink of as a more peaceful age.

In Grandfathers Time

A clock that possibly dates backto the early 1800s


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Current studies show that the average

North American now gets between seven and

seven and a half hours of sleep a night.1 How

important is sleep? While asleep, you go

through phases of sleep called rapid eye move-ment every 60 to 90 minutes throughout the

night. During these phases, the brain is most

active, and researchers believe that it is per-

1 See Sleep DebtAre You a Victim? in the February 8, 2004,

issue of Awake!

forming some kind of self-repair. Some experts

say that when the sleep cycle is interrupted

and sleep is lost, it has a cumulative effect on

the body. Brain function is affected, which re-

sults in inefficiency and a host of other physical

ailments.

Substances such as caffeine can for the

short term block the chemical compound that

signals the need for sleep. Yet, our brain has

a mechanism to cause sleep to occur whenour body has not had enough, resulting in what

have been called microsleeps. According to

The Toronto Star, no matter what you happen

to be doing, your sleep-deprived brain will peri-

odically go into the first stage of sleep for

anywhere between ten seconds and just over

a minute at a time. Imagine driving a car at

30 miles (48 km) an hour and experiencing a

ten-second microsleep. During that time, you

would have traveled more than the length of

a football field. Additionally, sacrificing need-ed sleep can weaken your immune system,

for it is during sleep that the body produces

T cells that fight against pathogens. During

sleep our body also produces the hormone lep-

tin, which helps to regulate appetite. Indeed,

the body needs sleep as much as it needs

proper exercise and nutrition.

Is extra work robbing you of much-needed

sleep? How about anxieties of life and worries

about what you have stored up for the fu-

ture? The wise King Solomon once observed:Sweet is the sleep of the one serving, regard-

less of whether it is little or much that he

eats; but the plenty belonging to the rich one

is not permitting him to sleep.Ecclesiastes

5:12.

SleepHow ImportantIs It?


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JOYCE suffers from migraine, a conditionthat differs from simple headache in sev-eral ways. For example, unlike random head-aches, migraines follow a recurring pattern.

Also, the condition is severe enough to makethe sufferer abandon normal activities.

The symptoms of migraine? The painthrobs and may affect only one side of thehead. The sufferer may also become nauseat-ed and unable to bear bright light. The attackcan last anywhere from several hours to sev-eral days.

Although most people have occasional ten-sion headaches, only 1 person in 10 suffersfrom migraine. More women are affectedthan men. Some cases are more severe than

others, but most victims lose several days ofwork each year. Migraine causes loss of in-come and can adversely affect family and so-cial life. Thus, the World Health Organizationranks it among the worlds 20 leading causesof disability.

Shortly before a migraine attack, some vic-tims have such symptoms as cold hands,

MigraineWhat Can You Do About It?Joyce, a vivacious office worker, peers at the document she holds.

Parts of the page suddenly appear blank. Then, flashing pinpoints

of light dance before her eyes, escalating into a surreal display

of zigzag lines and bizarre geometric patterns. Within minutes, Joyce

can hardly see. Realizing what is happening, she quickly swallowsa small capsule that is designed for just this sort of emergency.


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1.Thereshouldbealittleboy,notagirl,holdingthe

foodsupply.2.Insteadoffiveapples,thereshouldbefive

loavesofbread.3.Insteadoftwocorncobs,thereshould

betwofishes.4.75,000.5.C.

ANSWERSTOPAGES30AND31

fatigue, hunger, or mood changes. Then, justbefore the headache starts, there may be diz-ziness, a buzzing sound in the ears, a pins-and-needles sensation, double vision, speechdifficulty, or muscle weakness.

The causes of migraine are not completelyunderstood, but it is thought to be a disor-der of the nervous system that affects blood vessels in the head. The throbbing natureof the pain apparently corresponds to bloodgoing through irritated vessels. The journalEmergency Medicine says: Patients with mi-graine inherit a uniquely sensitive nervoussystem, which can be disrupted by numerouslife events, such as sleep deprivation, strongodors, traveling, skipping meals, stress, and

changes in hormone levels. People who suf-fer from migraines may also be susceptibleto irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety attacks,and depression.

How Can You Relieve Migraine?

You cannot change the nervous system youhave inherited. But you may be able to prevent migraine attacks from being triggered.By keeping a diary, some have been able toidentify certain foods or circumstances that

provoke attacks.Each persons case is different. Lorraine

discovered that her migraine attacks matchedher monthly cycle. Around mid-cycle, shesays, any excess activity or stimulushardwork, heat or cold, loud noise, even spicyfoodwould bring on a migraine attack. SoI aim for calm and moderation during thistime. Joyce, who has endured migraine at-tacks for more than 60 years, states, I have

found that oranges, pineapples, and red wine

immediately provoke a migraine attack, soI avoid them.

Identifying triggers is not easy because sev-eral factors usually combine to produce an at-tack. For example, on one occasion you mayeat chocolate with no ill effect, but at anothertime it gives you migraine, perhaps becauseof an additional contributing factor.

Even if you are unable to identify or avoidthings that trigger your migraine, there areother ways to reduce the possibility of an at-tack. Experts recommend trying to maintaina regular pattern of sleep seven days a week.If you want to sleep later on the weekend,they recommend that you get up at the usu-al time, do something for a few minutes, and

then return to bed. A change in caffeine con-sumption can trigger a migraine, so try limit-ing yourself to two cups of coffee or two coladrinks per day. Since hunger can provoke mi-graine, avoid skipping meals. Stress, so oftena factor in migraine, is not easy to avoid, butyou may be able to find ways to relax, perhapsby adjusting your schedule, reading the Bible,or listening to soft music.

What Treatment for Migraine?

A wide range of options are available tohelp treat migraine.1 For example, sleep isone of the best remedies. Nonprescriptionpainkillers may bring sufficient relief for thesufferer to be able to sleep.

In 1993, triptans, a new class of prescrip-tion medicines, became available, specificallyfor treating migraine. The Medical Journal of Australia called this a major advance in ther-apy, adding: The advent of the triptans . . .was to migraine and cluster headache almost

the equivalent of penicillin to bacterial infec-tion!

Migraine is not life threatening. So the curefor migraine does not save lives, as did thecure for infections. Nevertheless, triptans

1 Awake! does not endorse any particular method of treat-ment. Each person should carefully evaluate his or her optionsbefore making a decision.


23/32


have brought dramatic relief to some who foryears were regularly disabled by migraine. Pa-tients must still make the changes in activitiesmentioned earlier, but some migraineurs havecalled triptans miracle drugs.

Still, all medicines have advantages anddisadvantages. What is the bad news abouttriptans? First, each triptan tablet can costas much as a meal in a nice restaurant, sotheir use is generally reserved for those withmoderate to severe migraine. Also, triptans

do not work for everyone, and some peoplehave a health condition that makes it inad- visable even to try them. While there is noknown cure for the physical condition thatmigraine sufferers inherit, Emergency Medi-cine concludes: With the availability of newand improved migraine medications, there isno reason for patients to continue to suffer.

+ By keeping a diary, some have

been able to identify certainfoods or circumstances thatprovoke attacks

Listening to soft music mayhelp reduce stress, often a

factor in migraine

(

Migraine is an inherited,disabling disease thatdoctors can often treateffectively


24/32


25/32


person is unable or unwilling to stop, despiteits harmful consequences. In view of thatdefinition, all three youths quoted at the out-set of this article are or have been addicted toelectronic media. What about you? Look atthe breakdown of that definition below. Read

the quotes, and see if you have said or doneanything similar. Then fill in your answers.

Uncontrolled behavior. I would spendhours playing electronic games. They robbedme of sleep and dominated my conversationswith others. I isolated myself from my familyand became lost in the imaginary worlds ofthe games I played.Andrew.

In your opinion, how much time each dayis it reasonable to spend using electronic me-

dia?

How much time do your parents think youshould spend?

What is the total amount of time each daythat you actually spend texting, watchingTV, uploading pictures and comments ontoa Web site, playing electronic games, and soon?

After looking at your answers above, would you say that your use of electronic media isexcessive? Q Yes Q No

Unable or unwilling to stop. My parentssee me texting all the time and tell me thatIm doing it too much. But compared to otherkids my age, I hardly text at all. I mean, com-pared to my parents, sure, I text more thanthey do. But thats like comparing apples toorangestheyre 40 and Im 15.Alan.

Have your parents or friends said that youspend too much time on some form of elec-tronic media? Q Yes Q No

Have you been unwilling or unable tocontrol your use of that form of media?Q Yes Q No

Harmful consequences. My friends textall the timeeven while driving. How unsafeis that!Julie.

When I first got my cell phone, I was al-ways calling someone or texting someone.

It was all I did. It damaged my relationshipwith my family and even with some of myfriends. Now I notice that when Im out withmy friends and talking to them, they constant-ly interrupt and say: Oh, hold on. I have toanswer a text message. Thats one reason Imnot closer to those friends.Shirley.

Do you e ve r r ea d t ext m es sa ge s orsend them while driving or during class?Q Yes Q No

When you are conversing with family orfriends, do you constantly interrupt to an-swer e-mails, phone calls, or text messages?Q Yes Q No

WHAT YOUR PEERS SAY

My parents usedto tell me, We mightas well glue your handsto your cell phone, the

way you use it! At first,

I found that funny, but

then I realized that they

were serious. Now I limit

my texting, and I have

never been happier!

I used to feel

that I had to check

the Internet for mes-

sages every time itwas available. I was

neglecting my home-work and other

studies. Now that Ive

cut back, its like atremendous weight

has been lifted off myshoulders. Modera-

tion is the key.

Jovarny

Mariah


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Is your use of electronic media stealingtime from needed sleep or distracting youfrom studying? Q Yes Q No

How to Be Balanced

If you use some form of electronic mediawhether a computer, a cell phone, or anoth-er deviceask yourself the four questions be-low. Applying the Bible-based advice and fol-lowing a few simple dos and donts will helpyou to stay safe and in control.

1. What is the content? Fill your mindswith those things that are good and that de-serve praise: things that are true, noble, right,pure, lovely, and honorable.Philippians4:8, Todays English Version.

Do keep in contact with friends and fami-ly, and share upbuilding news and viewpoints.Proverbs 25:25; Ephesians 4:29.

Dont spread harmful gossip, share immor-

al text messages or pictures, or watch moral-ly degrading video clips or programs.Colos-sians 3:5; 1 Peter 4:15.

2. When am I using it? For everything thereis an appointed time.Ecclesiastes 3:1.

Do set a limit on how much time you willspend sending and receiving calls and textmessages, watching programs, or playinggames. Out of respect, turn off your devicewhile at important events, such as meetings

for worship. You can always respond to mes-sages later.

Dont allow your use of electronic mediato interrupt time you have set aside to spend

WHY NOT ASK YOUR PARENTS?

Sometimes you might be surprisedwhen you strike up a conversation withyour parents about entertainment. Oncemy dad suspected that one of my music

CDs was bad, says a girl named Cheryl.I asked him if we could sit down togetherand listen to the entire CD. He agreed.Afterward, he told me that he found noth-ing objectionable in it!

Below, write a question you wouldlike to ask your parents about electronicmedia.

I WAS A SOCIAL-NETWORKING-SITE ADDICT

A few years ago, my family moved.I wanted to keep in touch with my friends,and they invited me to join a photo-sharingsite. That seemed like a great way tostay connected. I would be talking only topeople I knew, not strangers, so what couldpossibly go wrong?

At first, all worked well. I would go on-line once a week to look at my friendspictures and post comments and readtheir comments on my pictures. But I soonbecame obsessed. Before I knew it, I wason the site all the time. Since I was onlinethat much, people who are friends offriends began to notice, and they invitedme to be their friends. You know how itisa friend says that this person is goodfun, so you accept. Before you know it, youhave 50 online friends.

Soon, I found that I was constantlythinking about being online. Even whenI was on the Web site, I was thinking aboutwhen I could get back to check it nexttime and that I needed to post new pic-tures. Id read a comment here, post a vid-eo there, and before I knew it, hours wouldfly by.

It took about a year and a half, butI eventually realized that I was an addict.

Now, though, I tightly control my use of theInternet and focus on making friends face-to-face with people who I know share mymoral standards. Some of my friends dontunderstand my actions, but Ive learnedmy lesson.Ellen, 18.


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with friends and family, to study, or to engagein spiritual activities.Ephesians 5:15-17; Phi-lippians 2:4.

3. With whom am I associating? Do not bemisled. Bad associations spoil useful habits.

1 Corinthians 15:33.Do use electronic media to strengthen the

ties you have with people who encourage youto develop good habits.Proverbs 22:17.

Dont fool yourselfyou will adopt the stan-dards, language, and thinking of those you

choose to socialize with through e-mail, text-ing, TV, video, or the Internet.Proverbs13:20.

4. How much time am I spending? Makesure of the more important things.Philippi-ans 1:10.

Do keep track of how much time you spendusing electronic media.

Dont ignore the comments of your friendsor the direction of your parents if they saythat youre spending too much time withsome form of media.Proverbs 26:12.

Speaking of using electronic media ina balanced way, Andrew, quoted earlier,sums up the matter well: Electronics arefun, but only for a brief amount of time. Ive

learned not to allow technology to become awedge that separates me from my family andfriends.

More articles from the Young People Askseries can be found at the Web sitewww.watchtower.org/ype

Do you control yourelectronic devices, or do

they control you?

Does your adolescent spendtoo much time online, sendand receive too many textmessages, or have a better re-lationship with his MP3 play-er than he has with you? If so,what can you do?

You could just take the de-vice away from your child. Butdo not write off all electronicmedia as evil. After all, likelyyou use some form of elec-tronic media that was notavailable to your parents. Soinstead of simply confiscatingyour adolescents deviceun-less there is compelling rea-

son to do sowhy not use thisas an opportunity to train your

son or daughter to use elec-tronic media wisely and withmoderation? How can you dothat?

Sit down and discuss thematter with your adolescent.First, state your concerns. Sec-ond, listen to what he or shehas to say. (Proverbs 18:13)Third, work out practical solu-tions. Do not be afraid to set

firm limits, but be reason-able. (Philippians 4:5) When Ihad a problem with texting,says Ellen, mentioned earlier,my parents didnt take awaymy phone; they set guidelines.The way they handled it hashelped me to be balanced in

my use of texting, even whenmy parents arent there to

monitor me.What if your son or daugh-

ter reacts defensively? Do notconclude that your counselhas fallen on deaf ears. In-stead, be patient and giveyour adolescent some time tothink about the matter. Chanc-es are, he or she alreadyagrees with you and will makeneeded adjustments. Many

youths are similar to a teennamed Hailey, who says: Atfirst I was offended when myparents told me I was addict-ed to my computer. But later,the more I thought about it,the more I realized that theywere right.

A NOTE TO

PARENTS


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F AITH is a negation of reason, writesBritish philosopher A. C. Grayling. Hiswords sum up the feelings of countless writ-ers and philosophers who over the centurieshave claimed that faith and reason are incom-patible.

Some religious beliefs do fly in the faceof all reason. But consider this: Many strong-ly held scientific beliefs have proved to bewrong. Does that mean that all scientific be-liefs are wrong or are not based on reason?Why view religious beliefs any differently? Infact, the faith described in the Bible does notexist without knowledge but is, instead, solid-ly based on knowledge and sound reason. As you review the evidence, see how true faith

and reason are compatible.Faith Firmly Based on Reason

The Bible says, for example, that if yourworship is to be acceptable to God, it mustbe a sacred service with your power of rea-son. In other words, you must worship Godin a way that is worthy of thinking beings.(Romans 12:1; The Jerusalem Bible) So thefaith described in the Bible is not somethingblind and irrational, or a leap of faith, as

some have called it. And it is not creduli-ty. Rather, it is something you have thoughtthrough carefullyresulting in trust in Godand his Word, which is firmly based on rea-son.

Of course, if you are to reason properly, you need accurate information. Even themost powerful computer programs designed

on solid principles of logic will come up withsome very strange conclusions if they are fedinaccurate data. Likewise, the quality of yourfaith will depend greatly on what you hear oron how dependable the information you feedyour mind proves to be. Appropriately, the Bi-

ble says that faith follows the thing heard. Romans 10:17.

A fundamental requirement for faith is anaccurate knowledge of truth. (1 Timothy2:4) Only the truth, says the Bible, will setyou free, free from misleading beliefs, wheth-er they are scientific or religious. (John 8:32)The Bible warns you not to put faith in everyword. (Proverbs 14:15) Rather, it says thatyou should make sure of all thingsor testout the things you hear before believing them.

(1 Thessalonians 5:21) Why should you do re-search and test out your beliefs? Because faithbased on falsehood is only a delusion. Somenoble-minded people from the ancient city ofBeroea set a fine example in acquiring prop-er faith. Even though these individuals reallywanted to believe what Christian missionar-ies taught them, they made a point of careful-ly examining the Scriptures daily as to wheth-er these things were so.Acts 17:11.

Building Faith in the BibleWhat, though, if you are unsure of the reli-

ability of the Bible? How can you build yourconfidence in it as a source of accurate knowl-edge? Well, how do you build your confidencein people? Surely, it is by getting to knowthemby watching how they behave over aperiod of time and seeing how their conduct

THEBIBLES

VIEWPOINT

Are Faith and Reason

Incompatible?


29/32


turns out. Why not do the same with the Bi-ble?1

The Bible describes true faith as the as-sured expectation of things hoped for, the ev-ident demonstration of realities though notbeheld. (Hebrews 11:1) Clearly, far from be-ing naive, a person with real faith has basedhis beliefs on a careful scrutiny of all avail-

able data. Reasoning on such informationproduces the conviction that even things thatcannot be seen with the literal eye are, none-theless, realities.

What, though, if what you learn seems tocontradict some of your deeply held beliefs?Should you just ignore it? Of course not.There may well be times when it is eminent-ly reasonable to consider powerful evidencethat appears to contradict what you believe.In the Bible, God promises to reward sincereindividuals who search for truth by grantingthem knowledge, discernment, and thinkingability.Proverbs 2:1-12.

The kind of faith built on what the Bibleteaches is compatible with reason. What kind

1 If you need help to find reliable information about theBible, write to the publishers of this magazine.

of faith do you have? Many people have in-herited their religious beliefs and have neverseriously examined them in the light of rea-son. Yet, it is not a sign of disrespect to exam-ine what you believe so as to prove to your-self that your thinking is in harmony withGods Word. (Romans 12:2) The Bible ad-monishes us to test the inspired expressions

to see whether they originate with God.(1 John 4:1) If you do that, you will be in a po-sition, even when your beliefs are challenged,to make a defense before everyone that de-mands of you a reason for the hope in you.1 Peter 3:15.

God rewards anearnest questfor truth

HAVE YOU WONDERED?

Does the Bible discourage the use of

reason?Romans 12:1, 2. What kind of knowledge is vital if you

are to develop true faith?1 Timothy 2:4.

What can be learned from the Biblesdefinition of faith?Hebrews 11:1.


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FOR FAMILY REVIEW

What Is WrongWith This Picture?Read John 6:5-13. What three features of this drawingare incorrect? Write your answers on the lines below, and

complete the picture by coloring it.

1

2

3

Answers to pages 30 and 31 on page 22

FOR DISCUSSION: What didJesus have the disciples collect,and why? What does this teachyou about Jesus? What can youdo to avoid being wasteful?

FAMILY ACTIVITY: Read the Bibleaccount together. If possible, haveone person read the part of the nar-rator, a second the part of Jesus, athird the part of Philip, and a fourththe part of Andrew.


31/32

Collect and Learn Cut out, fold in half, and save

JOSHUA

BIBLE

CARD

1

J O S H U A

PROFILE Son of Nun. He ministered toMoses and was later appointed to leadIsrael. (Exodus 33:11; Deuteronomy 34:9;Joshua 1:1, 2) Joshua fearlessly led Godspeople into the Promised Land. He trustedJehovahs promises, obeyed his direction,and served him faithfully.

Q U EST I O NSA. How did Joshua and his army bringdown the walls of Jericho?

B. Complete Joshuas statement: As forme and my household, . . .

C. Joshua had been known by what othernames?

ANSWERSA. They obeyed God by marching around

the city.Joshua 6:1-27.

B. . . . we shall serve Jehovah.Joshua 24:15.

C. Hoshea and Jehoshua.Numbers 13:8, 16.

Peoples and Lands4. My name is Victor. I am 7 and live in Malawi,which is in Africa. About how many of JehovahsWitnesses live in Malawi? Is it 750, 7,500, or75,000?

5. Which dot shows where I live? Circle it, and drawa dot where you live, and see how close you areto Malawi.

ChildrensPicture SearchCan you find these pictures inthis issue? In your own words,describe what is happening ineach picture.

4026B

.C.E.

Adam

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The above is what a woman in Illinois, U.S.A., wroteabout reading the book The Greatest Man Who EverLived. She explained in her letter to the books publish-ers, I just hope and pray that more people will enjoyreading about Jesus as much as I do.

The Greatest Man book gives an account of thelife of Jesus based on the inspired writings of four of hiscontemporaries, namely, Matthew, Mark, Luke, andJohn. Matthew and John were apostles and travelingcompanions of Jesus. Mark was a close friend of Peter,

one of Jesus apostles. And the physician Luke was atraveling companion of the apostle Paul.

If you would like to receive a free copy of this fullyillustrated book, please fill in the accompanying coupon,and mail it using an appropriate address found onpage 5 of this magazine.

I Cried When I Read It

Q Without obligation,I request a copy of thebook shown here.

Indicate which language.

Q Please contact meconcerning a free home

Name

Address

City

THE

GREATEST

MANWHO EVERLIVED

is religion a force for peace

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