IS ATHEISM ON THE MARCH?

!"#2N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0

ISATHEISMON THEMARCH?

!"#2AVERAGE PRINTING 38,451,000PUBLISHED IN 84 LANGUAGES

3 Atheists on a Crusade

4 Has Science Done Away With God?

6 A World Without Religion—An Improvement?

8 “I Was Raised an Atheist”

10 Hot Meals From Home to Office—Mumbai Style

13 Natural Gas—Energy for the Home

19 Wisdom for the Tongue

20 The Bible’s ViewpointIs It Appropriate to Pray to “Saints”?

22 The Macadamia Nut—Australia’s Native Delicacy

24 Was It Designed?The Eye of the Peacock MantisShrimp

25 “You Have Kept a Positive Spirit”

30 Watching the World

31 For Family Review

32 The Bible—Why You Should KnowIts Message

IS ATHEISM ONTHE MARCH? 3-9

Some of the world’s leading atheistsare on a mission: They want to convertyou to their way of thinking. But is theirreasoning sound?

15A Book You Can Trust—Part 1This is the first in a series ofseven articles discussing Biblehistory and prophecy. They aredesigned to help you see thatthe Bible is both accurate andtrustworthy.

26Should I Quit School?How soon should you leaveschool? What are your educa-tional goals? May this articlehelp you make wise choices.

Photograph taken by courtesy of the British Museum

Awake! November 2010 3

ANEW group of atheists has arisen in so-ciety. Called the new atheists, they are

not content to keep their views to themselves.Rather, they are on a crusade, “actively, an-grily, passionately trying to persuade the re-ligious to their point of view,” wrote colum-nist Richard Bernstein. Even agnostics are intheir sights, for these new atheists allow noroom for doubt. To them, there simply is noGod. End of story.

“The world needs to wake up from its longnightmare of religious belief,” said Nobellaureate Steven Weinberg. “Anything thatwe scientists can do to weaken the holdof religion should be done and may in theend be our greatest contribution to civiliza-tion.” One tool aimed at weakening that holdis the written word, which seems to be stir-ring up considerable interest, for some ofthe new atheists’ books have become bestsellers.

Religion has aided the cause of the newatheists, as people have become fed up withthe religious extremism, terrorism, and con-flict plaguing the world. “Religion poisons

everything,” says one leading atheist. More-over, that ‘poison’ is said to include religiousbeliefs in general, not just extremist views.Core dogmas, say the new atheists, must beexposed, abandoned, and replaced by ratio-nality and reason. People must be unafraid tospeak frankly about the “mountains of life-destroying gibberish” found in the Bible andthe Koran, writes atheist Sam Harris. “Wecan no longer afford the luxury of . . . politi-cal correctness.”

While the new atheists reproach religion,they revere science, some even claiming thatit disproves the existence of God. But does it?In fact, can it? “In the fullness of time,” saysHarris, “one side is really going to win this ar-gument, and the other side is really going tolose.”

Which side do you think time will vindi-cate? While considering the matter, ask your-self: ‘Is belief in a Creator intrinsically harm-ful? Would universal atheism make for abetter world?’ Let us consider what some re-spected scientists and philosophers have saidabout atheism, religion, and science.

ATHEISTS ON A

CRUSADE

4 Awake! November 2010

THIS JOURNAL IS PUBLISHED for the enlightenment of theentire family. It shows how to cope with today’s 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 Creator’spromise 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 world-wide Bible educational work supported by voluntary donations.Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from themodern-language New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With 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, Brook-lyn, NY 11201-2483. Periodicals Postage Paid at Brooklyn, N.Y.,and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send ad-dress changes to Awake!, 1000 Red Mills Road, Wallkill, NY12589-3299. � 2010 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Societyof Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.

Vol. 91, No. 11 Monthly ENGLISH

FOR 50 years, British philosopher AntonyFlew was highly respected as an atheist

by his peers. “Theology and Falsification,”his 1950 paper, “became the most widelyreprinted philosophical publication of the[20th] century.” In 1986 Flew was called “themost profound of the contemporary criticsof theism” (the belief in God or gods). Soit came as a great shock to many when, in2004, Flew announced that he had changedhis viewpoint.

What made Flew change his mind? In aword, science. He became convinced that theuniverse, the laws of nature, and life itselfcould not have arisen merely by chance. Isthat a reasonable conclusion?

How Did the Laws of Nature Arise?

Physicist and author Paul Davies pointsout that science does a wonderful job of ex-plaining physical phenomena such as rain.But he says: “When it comes to . . . questionssuch as ‘Why are there laws of nature?’ the sit-uation is less clear. These sorts of questionsare not much affected by specific scientific

discoveries: many of the really big questionshave remained unchanged since the birth ofcivilization and still vex us today.”

“The important point is not merely thatthere are regularities in nature,” wrote Flewin 2007, “but that these regularities are math-ematically precise, universal, and ‘tied to-gether.’ Einstein spoke of them as ‘reason in-carnate.’ The question we should ask is hownature came packaged in this fashion. Thisis certainly the question that scientists fromNewton to Einstein to Heisenberg have asked—and answered. Their answer was the Mindof God.”

Indeed, many highly respected scientistsdo not consider it unscientific to believein an intelligent First Cause. On the otherhand, to say that the universe, its laws, andlife just happened is intellectually unsatisfy-ing. Everyday experience tells us that design—especially highly sophisticated design—callsfor a designer.

HAS SCIENCEDONE AWAY WITH

GOD?

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Would you welcome more information or a free homeBible study? Please send your request to Jehovah’s 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,

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1740. Trinidad and Tobago: Lower Rapsey Street & Laxmi Lane, Curepe.


Which Faith Will You Choose?

Although the new atheists like to wave thebanner of science over their camp, the factis that neither atheism nor theism rest pure-ly on science. Both involve faith—atheism inpurposeless blind chance; theism in an intel-ligent First Cause. The new atheists promotethe notion that “all religious faith is blindfaith,” writes John Lennox, professor of math-ematics at the University of Oxford, England.He adds: “We need to emphasize stronglythat they are wrong.” The question, therefore,is this: Which faith stands up under test—thatof the atheist or that of the religious believer?Consider, for example, the origin of life.

Evolutionists readily acknowledge that theorigin of life remains a mystery—althoughthere are many conflicting theories. A leadingnew atheist, Richard Dawkins, claims that byvirtue of the vast number of planets that mustexist in the universe, life was bound to appearsomewhere. But many reputable scientists arenot so sure. Cambridge Professor John Bar-row says that the belief in “the evolution oflife and mind” hits “dead-ends at every stage.There are just so many ways in which life canfail to evolve in a complex and hostile envi-ronment that it would be sheer hubris to sup-pose that, simply given enough carbon andenough time, anything is possible.”

Keep in mind, too, that life is not just anassortment of chemical elements. Rather, itis based on an extremely sophisticated formof information, which is encoded in DNA.Hence, when we talk about the origin of life,

we are also talking about the origin of biolog-ical information. What is the only source ofinformation that we know of? In a word, in-telligence. Would chance accidents producecomplex information, such as a computerprogram, an algebraic formula, an encyclope-dia, or even a recipe for a cake? Of coursenot. Yet, when it comes to sophistication andefficiency, none of these even begin to com-pare with the information stored in the genet-ic code of living organisms.

Luck as the First Cause—Good Science?

According to atheists, “the universe is as itis, mysteriously, and it just happens to permitlife,” explains Paul Davies. “Had it been dif-ferent,” say atheists, “we would not be hereto argue about it. The universe may or maynot have a deep underlying unity, but there isno design, purpose, or point to it all—at leastnone that would make sense to us.” “The ad-vantage of this position,” notes Davies, “isthat it is easy to hold—easy to the point of be-ing a cop-out,” that is, a convenient way toavoid facing the issue.

In his book Evolution: A Theory in Crisis,molecular biologist Michael Denton conclud-ed that the theory of evolution “is more like aprinciple of medieval astrology than a serious. . . scientific theory.” He also referred to Dar-winian evolution as one of the greatest mythsof our time.

To be sure, the appeal to luck as the firstcause does smack of myth. Imagine this: Anarchaeologist sees a rough stone that is more

or less square. He may attribute that shape tochance, which would be reasonable. But lat-er he finds a stone that is perfectly formedin the shape of a human bust, down to thefinest details. Does he attribute this item tochance? No. His logical mind says, ‘Some-one made this.’ Using similar reasoning, theBible states: “Every house is constructed bysomeone, but he that constructed all things isGod.” (Hebrews 3:4) Do you agree with thatstatement?

“The more we get to know about our uni-verse,” writes Lennox, “the more the hypoth-esis that there is a Creator God, who de-signed the universe for a purpose, gains incredibility as the best explanation of why weare here.”

Regrettably, among the things that under-mine belief in God is evil perpetrated in hisname. As a result, some have concluded thatmankind would be better off without religion.What do you think?

THE new atheists envision a world with noreligion—no suicide bombers, no religious

wars, and no televangelists fleecing theirflocks. Does that vision appeal to you?

Before answering, ask yourself this, ‘Isthere any evidence that universal atheismwould lead to a better world?’ Consider: Asmany as 1.5 million Cambodians died in theKhmer Rouge effort to establish a godlessMarxist state. And in the officially atheisticUSSR, Joseph Stalin’s rule resulted in tens of

millions of deaths. Granted, those evils can-not be directly attributed to atheism. But theydo show that the rule of atheism does not en-sure peace and harmony.

Few would deny that religion has causedmuch suffering. But is God at fault? No! Heis no more at fault than a car manufacturerwould be for an accident caused by a driverusing a cell phone. Mankind’s suffering hasmany causes, one of which is more funda-mental than beliefs. The Bible identifies it as

A WORLD WITHOUTRELIGION—AN IMPROVEMENT?

The land given to ancient Israel was inhabit-ed by Canaanites, a depraved people who prac-ticed sexual immorality—including incest, sod-omy, and bestiality—as well as ritual childsacrifice. (Leviticus 18:2-27) The book Archae-ology and the Old Testament states that exca-vations “have uncovered piles of ashes and re-mains of infant skeletons in cemeteries aroundheathen altars, pointing to the widespreadpractice of [child sacrifice].” The Canaaniteswould worship their gods through immoral in-

dulgence and also sacrifice their firstborn tothe same gods, says a Bible handbook. It adds:“Archaeologists who dig in the ruins of Canaan-ite cities wonder that God did not destroy themsooner than he did.”

God’s destruction of the Canaanites is asober reminder for us today that he will not for-ever put up with evil perpetrated in his name.“[God] has set a day in which he purposes tojudge the inhabited earth in righteousness,”says Acts 17:31.

GOD’S VIEW OF RELIGIOUS ATROCITIES


inherent imperfection. “All have sinned andfall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) This sinful inclination tends to foster self-ishness, undue pride, a desire for moral in-dependence, and violence. (Genesis 8:21) Italso causes people to rationalize and to grav-itate toward beliefs that excuse wrongdo-ing. (Romans 1:24-27) Jesus Christ rightlysaid: “Out of the heart come wicked reason-ings, murders, adulteries, fornications, thiev-eries, false testimonies, blasphemies.”—Mat-thew 15:19.

A Vital Distinction

At this point, a distinction must be madebetween true worship—that is, worship thatis acceptable in God’s eyes—and false wor-ship. True worship would help people tofight against base inclinations. It would en-courage self-sacrificing love, peace, kindness,goodness, mildness, self-control, marital loy-alty and fidelity, and respect for others. (Ga-latians 5:22, 23) False religion, on the otherhand, would tend to cater to popular trends—‘tickling people’s ears,’ as the Bible says—bycondoning some of the bad things Jesus con-demned.—2 Timothy 4:3.

Might atheism contribute to the same mor-al ambiguity or confusion? ‘No God’ meansno accountability to a divine authority, aswell as “no objective values which we are ob-ligated to respect,” says law professor Phil-lip Johnson. Morality thus becomes relative,with each person determining his own stan-dards—if he chooses to have any. No doubtsuch thinking makes atheism an appealingphilosophy for some people.—Psalm 14:1.

The fact is, however, that God will notforever tolerate untruth—atheistic or reli-gious—and those who promote it.� He prom-ises: “The [morally and spiritually] uprightare the ones that will reside in the earth, andthe blameless are the ones that will be leftover in it. As regards the wicked, they will becut off from the very earth; and as for thetreacherous, they will be torn away from it.”(Proverbs 2:21, 22) The result will be some-thing that no human, no human philosophy,and no human institution could ever bringabout—universal peace and happiness.—Isa-iah 11:9.� A sound Biblical explanation for God’s temporary tolera-

tion of wickedness and suffering can be found in chapter 11 ofthe study aid What Does the Bible Really Teach? published byJehovah’s Witnesses.

Both the religious and the irreligioushave committed atrocities

Church support for Hitler Skulls of Khmer Rouge victims, Cambodia

&AP

Photo


PROFESSOR Frantisek Vyskocil ofCharles University, Prague, is interna-

tionally known for his research in neurophys-iology. Once an atheist, he now firmly be-lieves in God. In an interview with Awake!Professor Vyskocil explains why he changedhis viewpoint.What was your view of religion before youstarted your career in science?

I was raised an atheist, and my father of-ten made fun of the clergy. I graduated fromcollege in 1963 with degrees in biology andchemistry. In my school years, I believed thatthe theory of evolution explained life’s diver-sity.Tell us a little about your career in science.

In my postdoctoral work, I studied thechemical and electrical properties of nervesynapses. I also studied neurons, membranepumps, transplantation, and drug desensiti-zation. Many of the results have been pub-lished, and some articles have been select-ed as classical. In time, I became a memberof the Learned Society of the Czech Repub-lic, a community of scientists chosen by theirpeers. After the December 1989 “Velvet Rev-olution,” I became a professor at Charles Uni-versity and was allowed to travel to the Westto meet with colleagues, some of whom wereNobel laureates.Did you ever think about God?

In a sense, yes. At times, I wondered whymany highly educated people, including

some of my professors, believed in God—al-beit quietly because of the Communist re-gime. To me, however, God was a humaninvention. I had also been outraged by atroc-ities committed in the name of religion.How did you come to change your viewof evolution?

My doubts about evolution began when Iwas studying synapses. I was deeply im-pressed by the amazing complexity of thesesupposedly simple connections betweennerve cells. ‘How,’ I wondered, ‘could synap-ses and the genetic programs underlying

“I WASRAISEDAN ATHEIST”


them be products of mere blind chance?’ Itreally made no sense.

Then, in the early 1970’s, I attended a lec-ture by a famous Russian scientist and profes-sor. He stated that living organisms cannot bea result of random mutations and natural se-lection. Someone in the audience then askedwhere the answer lay. The professor took asmall Russian Bible from his jacket, held itup, and said, “Read the Bible—the creationstory in Genesis in particular.”

Later, in the lobby, I asked the professor ifhe was serious about the Bible. In essence,he replied: “Simple bacteria can divide aboutevery 20 minutes and have many hundreds ofdifferent proteins, each containing 20 typesof amino acids arranged in chains that mightbe several hundred long. For bacteria toevolve by beneficial mutations one at a timewould take much, much longer than three

or four billion years, the time thatmany scientists believe life has ex-isted on earth.” The Bible book ofGenesis, he felt, made much moresense.How did the professor’s commentsaffect you?

His observations, along with myown nagging doubts, moved me todiscuss the subject with several re-ligious colleagues and friends, butI found their views unconvincing.

Then I spoke to a pharmacologist whowas one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. For threeyears he explained the Bible to me and mywife, Ema. Two things amazed us. First, tra-ditional “Christianity” actually has little incommon with the Bible. Second, the Bible,though not a science book, actually harmo-nizes with true science.Has your change of view hindered yourscientific research?

Not at all. Every good scientist, regardlessof his beliefs, must be as objective as possible.But my faith has changed me. For one thing,instead of being overly self-confident, highlycompetitive, and unduly proud of my scientif-ic skills, I am now grateful to God for anyabilities I may have. Also, instead of unfairlyattributing the amazing designs manifest increation to blind chance, I and not a few oth-er scientists ask ourselves, ‘How did God de-sign this?’

I and not a fewother scientists askourselves, ‘How didGod design this?’


YOU travel to work each day, leaving homeas early as five o’clock in the morning.

At lunchtime you would welcome a home-cooked meal spiced just the way you like it.For thousands who work in Mumbai, India,that is a reality, thanks to the dabbawalas,who deliver India’s home-cooked meals.�

Seeing an Opportunity

Toward the end of the 19th century, Mum-bai, then called Bombay, was an expandingcommercial center with both British and In-dian businessmen traveling considerable dis-tances to their offices. Transport was slow,and restaurants were few and far between.A home-cooked lunch was very desirable,so servants were employed to carry cookedlunches from their employer’s home to his� Dabba means “container”; wala refers to the person who

performs the service. The spelling varies.

office. Seeing a business opportunity, a far-sighted entrepreneur brought in unemployedyouths from villages and started a regular de-livery service from homes to offices. Fromthis small start, a booming business began.

The desire for home cooking has not di-minished. Granted, there are more restau-rants now, but home-cooked food is still eco-nomical and popular. Moreover, many peoplehave health problems and need to adhere toa special diet. Others have religious restric-tions. Some people, for example, abstainfrom onions, while others reject garlic. Manyof these items are added to restaurant food, sohome-to-office delivery eliminates dietary is-sues.

A Most Reliable Service

The relatively simple delivery system haschanged little over the years, except in scale.

HOT MEALSFROM HOME TO OFFICE

MUMBAI STYLE


Nowadays, more than 5,000 men, as well asa few women, transport more than 200,000lunches a day from homes in their own lo-cal area to offices scattered around this ur-ban agglomeration of over 20 million people.Covering the area within a radius of about 40miles (60 km), some dabbawalas walk—per-haps transporting their 30 or 40 pails in hand-carts—while others use bicycles or suburbantrains. Whatever the case, they make the rightdelivery to the right person and right on time.In fact, they are said to have an error rate of1 in 6 million deliveries! How do they main-tain such an outstanding record?

In 1956 the dabbawalas were registered as acharitable trust, with an executive committeeand other officers. Groups of workers, alongwith a supervisor, function as separate enti-ties. However, all are partners and sharehold-ers in the organization—and this, they claim,underpins the success of the service. In fact,they have had no strikes since the service be-gan more than 100 years ago.

Dabbawalas carry an identity card and areeasily recognized by their distinctive whiteshirt, loose pants, and white cap. If they failto wear the cap, are late or absent withoutgood reason, or are caught drinking alcoholon duty, they risk being fined.

Loading “dabbas” onto a train for delivery

A “dabba” has separatecompartments thatstack together for easycarrying and transport


The Daily Routine

By 8:30 a.m., someone at a client’s home,perhaps the wife, has prepared and packed ameal in a lunch, or tiffin, pail—a dabba. Dab-bas have several compartments that fit on topof each other and are held together by metalclasps. The dabbawala collects several pailsfrom an area, loads them onto his bicycleor cart, and proceeds quickly to the railwaystation, where he meets others in his group.There they sort the containers according totheir destination, like postmen sorting mail.

Each pail has an alphanumeric color codeshowing the residential location where thefood originates, the nearby railway, the des-tination station, the building name, and thefloor number. Containers intended for eacharea are merged and loaded onto long wood-en frames that hold up to 48 pails. When thetrain arrives, the containers are loaded into aspecial compartment next to the driver’s cab-in. Then, when the train reaches a major hubstation, the pails are sorted once again andtaken to the destination station. There theyare re-sorted for final delivery to the client bybicycle or handcart.

These modes of transport are not only ef-ficient but also inexpensive. Moreover, thedabbawala does not get caught in traffic jams,since he pedals down side roads or betweenlines of cars. As a result, the food is deliv-

ered to the correct office by 12:30 p.m. Then,between 1:15 and 2:00 p.m., after the hard-working dabbawala has had his own lunch,he rounds up the empty pails, and they arereturned to the owner’s home, where a fami-ly member washes them, making them readyfor the next day. From beginning to end, thewhole exercise is swift and efficient, like a re-lay race!

A Humble Service, Highly Praised

The excellent record of the dabbawalas hasnot gone unnoticed. Other organizations haveanalyzed the delivery system, in order to ap-ply in other areas of business the lessons theyhave learned from them. Documentary filmshave been made about the dabbawalas. ForbesGlobal Magazine awarded them a Six Sigmacertification in view of their near-perfect rec-ord. They have been mentioned in The Guin-ness Book of World Records and in case stud-ies at Harvard Business School in the UnitedStates. The dabbawalas have even had visitsfrom dignitaries, including a member of Brit-ain’s royal family who was so impressed withtheir work that he invited some to his wed-ding in England.

Today dabbawalas use computers and mo-bile phones to take orders and keep accounts.But their mode of delivery remains the same.As lunchtime approaches, many hungryoffice workers in Mumbai are reassured toknow that a warm home-cooked meal isabout to arrive at their desk—and not a min-ute late!

Many businesses have learnedfrom the efficient delivery systemof the “dabbawalas”

1.Thelions.2.Theangel.3.Levi.4.Helefteverythingbehind.

ANSWERSTOPAGE31

NATURAL GAS supplies more than20 percent of the world’s total energy

requirements. What is the source of naturalgas? How clean is it? And how much is left?

Many scientists believe that aeons ago nat-ural gas was formed from the decay of plantand animal remains, including plankton. Ac-cording to this theory, over long periods oftime, microbes, together with pressure fromthe accumulating sediment above and heatfrom deep in the earth below, converted theorganic debris into fossil fuels—coal, gas, andpetroleum. In time, much of the gas foundits way into porous rocks, sometimes formingvast reservoirs, or gas fields, that were sealedbeneath a layer of impermeable rock. Somegas fields are huge, containing trillions of cu-bic feet (cu m) of gas. How are gas depositsfound?

Searching for Natural Gas

Remote sensing satellites, global position-ing systems, reflection seismology, and com-puters have taken some of the guesswork outof gas exploration. Reflection seismology isbased on the principle that sound reflectsfrom layers of rock within the earth, thus giv-ing scientists an acoustic picture of what liesbelow. The sound sources are man-made, usu-ally involving small explosives or vibratorsfitted to special trucks. The resulting shockwaves travel into the earth’s crust and are re-flected back to waiting instruments, whichhelp scientists generate three-dimensionalcomputer models of rock formations. Thesemodels, in turn, may indicate potential gasdeposits.

In offshore exploration, sound waves aremade by special guns that shoot compressedair, steam, or water into the sea. The resultingpressure waves penetrate the seabed and re-flect back to hydrophones attached to a long

NATURAL GASENERGY FOR THE HOME

˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙

Special equipment is used to create sound waves,which are reflected back to waiting instruments

Geologists analyze three-dimensional modelsgenerated from the sound wavesTop: � Lloyd Sutton/Alamy; bottom: � Chris Pearsall/Alamy

cable towed behind the survey ship. Here,too, researchers use the signals to form com-puter models for analysis.

To justify the cost of extraction, a fieldmust have sufficient gas. Hence, geologistshave to ascertain both the pressure and thevolume of a reservoir. The pressure can bemeasured quite accurately with gauges. Theprecise volume, however, is harder to deter-mine. One method involves reading the initialpressure, releasing a measured amount of gas,and then taking another pressure reading. Asmall drop in pressure indicates a large reser-voir; a large drop, a small reservoir.

Making the Gas Ready for Use

After being extracted, natural gas is pipedto refineries for the removal of unwantedchemicals, such as carbon dioxide, hydrogensulfide, and sulfur dioxide, as well as watervapor, which can corrode pipelines. Naturalgas is then distilled at very low temperaturesto remove incombustible nitrogen and to re-cover valuable helium, butane, ethane, andpropane. The final product is essentially puremethane, which is colorless, odorless, andhighly combustible. Because the methane is anatural product, it is also called natural gas.

To make natural gas safe for domestic use,manufacturers add tiny amounts of pungentsulfur-containing compounds so that leaks

can be readily detected and safely stopped be-fore an explosion occurs. Nevertheless, natu-ral gas is a much cleaner fuel than other fos-sil fuels, such as coal and oil.

To facilitate transport, some natural gas ischilled to very low temperatures and convert-ed into liquefied natural gas. Butane and pro-pane often end up as liquefied petroleum gas(LPG), which is well-known to those who liketo cook on gas barbecues with bottled gas.LPG is also commonly used as fuel for bus-es, tractors, trucks, and other vehicles. Onthe chemical front, butane and propane havefound their way into plastics, solvents, syn-thetic fibers, and other organic products.

A Finite Energy Supply

As with all fossil fuels, natural gas is afinite resource. According to estimates, about45 percent of the world’s recoverable gas re-mains to be found. If that figure is correct,at the present rate of usage, the supply maylast about 60 years. But in many lands, ener-gy consumption is increasing, so present pre-dictions may be highly inaccurate.

To be sure, the almost frenetic rate of in-dustrialization in some lands could lead oneto think that earth’s resources are infinite.Granted, there is also nuclear power as wellas renewable energy sources, such as solarand wind power. But will these meet the grow-ing energy needs? And will they prove to beenvironmentally clean and safe? Time willtell.

˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙

After being extracted, natural gas is piped toa refinery, where it is processed for distributionto homes and businesses

Gas well

Refinery Gascompany


EGYPT, famous for its pyramids and theNile River, was the first world power of

Bible history. Under its shadow the nation ofIsrael was formed. Moses, who penned thefirst five books of the Bible, was born andeducated in Egypt. Do secular history andarchaeology corroborate what Moses wroteabout that ancient land? Consider some ex-amples.

Trustworthy History

Titles and terms. Accurate history is oftenrevealed in the details—customs, etiquette,names and titles of officials, and so on. Howdo the books of Genesis and Exodus, the firsttwo books of the Bible, measure up in this re-spect? Regarding the Genesis narrative aboutJoseph, a son of the patriarch Jacob, as wellas the Bible book of Exodus, J. Garrow Dun-can says in his book New Light on Hebrew Or-igins: “[The Bible writer] was thoroughly wellacquainted with the Egyptian language, cus-toms, beliefs, court life, and etiquette and of-ficialdom.” He adds: “[The writer] employsthe correct title in use and exactly as it was

used at the period referred to. . . . In fact,nothing more convincingly proves the inti-mate knowledge of things Egyptian in the OldTestament, and the reliability of the writers,than the use of the word Pharaoh at differ-ent periods.” Duncan also states: “When [thewriter] brings his characters into the pres-ence of Pharaoh, he makes them observe thecorrect court etiquette and use the correctlanguage.”

Brickmaking. During their period of slav-ery in Egypt, the Israelites made bricks out ofclay mixed with straw, which served as a bind-ing material. (Exodus 1:14; 5:6-18)� Someyears ago, the book Ancient Egyptian Materi-als and Industries stated: “In few places has[brickmaking] been practised more than inEgypt, where sun-dried bricks still are, as theyalways have been, the characteristic buildingmaterial of the country.” The book also men-tions “the Egyptian practice of using straw in� If you do not have a Bible but have access to

the Internet, you can check the scriptures electronically atwww.watchtower.org. There you will see the box “Read theBible Online.”

A BOOK YOU CAN TRUST

Part 1

Egypt in Bible HistoryThe Bible was written over a period of some 1,600 years. Its history and prophecyare linked to seven world powers: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece,Rome, and Anglo-America. Each of these will be considered in a series of sevenarticles. The objective? To show that the Bible is trustworthy and inspired of Godand that its message is one of hope for an end to the suffering caused by humanmisrule.

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making bricks,” thus corroborating that addi-tional detail recorded in the Bible.

Shaving. Hebrew men of ancient timesgrew beards. Yet, the Bible tells us that Jo-seph shaved prior to appearing before Pha-raoh. (Genesis 41:14) Why did he shave? Toconform with Egyptian custom and etiquette,which considered facial hair to be a sign ofuncleanness. “[The Egyptians] prided them-selves on being clean-shaven,” says the bookEveryday Life in Ancient Egypt. In fact, cos-metic sets consisting of razors, tweezers, andmirrors, along with their containers, havebeen found in tombs. Clearly, Moses was ameticulous chronicler. The same can besaid of other Bible writers who documentedevents relating to ancient Egypt.

Business enterprises. Jeremiah, who wrotethe two books of Kings, gave specific de-tails regarding King Solomon’s trade in hors-es and chariots with the Egyptians and theHittites. A chariot cost “six hundred silverpieces, and a horse . . . a hundred and fifty,”or one quarter the cost of a chariot, the Biblestates.—1 Kings 10:29.

According to the book Archaeology and theReligion of Israel, the Greek historian Herodo-tus and archaeological findings both confirmthat a lively trade in horses and chariots wascarried on during the reign of Solomon. Infact, “a standard exchange rate of four . . .horses for one Egyptian chariot was estab-lished,” the book states, corroborating the fig-ures given in the Bible.

Warfare. Jeremiah and Ezra also mentionthe invasion of Judah by Pharaoh Shishak,specifically stating that it occurred “in thefifth year of [Judean] King Rehoboam,” or993 B.C.E. (1 Kings 14:25-28; 2 Chronicles12:1-12) For a long time, the only record ofthat invasion was the one found in the Bible.Then there came to light a relief on the wallof an Egyptian temple at Karnak (ancientThebes).

The relief depicts Shishak standing beforethe god Amon, Shishak’s arm raised in theact of smiting captives. Also recorded are thenames of conquered Israelite towns, many ofwhich have been identified with Biblical sites.Additionally, the document mentions “The

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Field of Abram”—the earliest reference to theBiblical patriarch Abraham in Egyptian rec-ords.—Genesis 25:7-10.

Clearly, the Bible writers did not penfiction. Recognizing their accountabilityto God, they wrote truth, even when doingso was unflattering—as in the case of Shi-shak’s victories in Judah. Such candor con-trasts sharply with the varnished, exaggerat-ed chronicles of the ancient Egyptian scribes,who refused to record anything that might beuncomplimentary to their rulers or people.

Trustworthy Prophecy

Only Jehovah God, the Author of theBible, can unfailingly predict the future.Note, for example, what he inspired Jeremi-ah to foretell concerning two Egyptian cities—Memphis and Thebes. Memphis, or Noph,was once a prominent commercial, political,and religious center. Yet, God said: “Noph it-self will become a mere object of astonish-ment and will actually be set afire, so as to bewithout an inhabitant.” (Jeremiah 46:19) Andso it turned out. The book In the Steps of Mo-ses the Lawgiver says that “the titanic ruins ofMemphis” were pillaged by Arab conquerors,who used them as a quarry. It adds that today

“within the circuit of the ancient city not astone protrudes above the black soil.”

Thebes, earlier called No-amon or just No,suffered a similar fate, along with its impo-tent gods. Concerning this onetime capital ofEgypt and principal center of the worship ofthe god Amon, Jehovah said: “Here I am turn-ing my attention upon Amon . . . and uponPharaoh and upon Egypt and upon her gods. . . And I will give them into . . . the hand ofNebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon.” (Jere-miah 46:25, 26) As prophesied, the Babylo-nian monarch conquered Egypt and its prom-inent city of No-amon. Then, after Persianruler Cambyses II dealt another blow to thecity in 525 B.C.E., it steadily declined, finallybeing completely ruined by the Romans. Yes,accurate prophecy puts the Bible in a class ofits own, giving us confidence in what it saysabout our future.

A Hope You Can Trust

The very first prophecy recorded in the Bi-ble was penned by Moses during the timeof the Egyptian world power.� Found at Gen-esis 3:15, the prophecy states that God would� The prophecy recorded at Genesis 3:15 was stated by God

in the garden of Eden and was later recorded by Moses.

This colossal fallen statue found near Memphis once stood about 40 feet (12 m) tall

produce a “seed,” or offspring, who wouldcrush Satan and his “seed”—those who adoptSatan’s wicked ways. (John 8:44; 1 John 3:8)The primary “seed” of God proved to be theMessiah, Jesus Christ.—Luke 2:9-14.

Christ’s reign will encompass the entireearth, from which he will remove all wicked-ness and oppressive human governments. Nolonger will ‘man dominate man to his inju-ry.’ (Ecclesiastes 8:9) Moreover, like Joshuaof old, who led Israel into the Promised Land,Jesus will safely lead “a great crowd” of God-fearing humans into a far greater “PromisedLand”—a cleansed earth that will be trans-formed into a global paradise.—Revelation 7:9, 10, 14, 17; Luke 23:43.

That precious hope calls to mind yet an-other prophecy recorded during the time of

ancient Egypt. Found at Job 33:24, 25, theprophecy states that God will deliver humanseven from “the pit,” or the grave, by meansof a resurrection. Yes, in addition to thosespared through the coming destruction ofthe wicked, many millions now dead will beraised to life with the prospect of everlastinglife in Paradise on earth. (Acts 24:15) “Thetent of God is with mankind,” says Revela-tion 21:3, 4. “He will wipe out every tear fromtheir eyes, and death will be no more, neitherwill mourning nor outcry nor pain be any-more.”

Trustworthy history and prophecy—thattheme will continue in the next article in thisseries, which will focus on ancient Assyria,the world power that followed Egypt.

In 1896 in an Egyptian funerary temple,archaeologists found what has been calledthe Merneptah Stela. This black granite pillarboasts of the achievements of EgyptianKing Merneptah, believed to have reigned inthe late 13th century B.C.E. Inscribed on thestela is a hymn, which reads, in part: “Israel islaid waste, his seed is no more.” This is theonly known reference to Israel in ancient Egyp-tian texts and the earliest reference outsidethe Bible.

The stela was made during the Biblicalperiod of the Judges, an era documented inthe Bible book of that name. However, unlikethe self-applauding chronicles of the pha-raohs, the book of Judges sets out both theexploits and the failures of Israel. Concerningthe failures, Judges 2:11, 12 states: “The sonsof Israel fell to doing what was bad in the eyesof Jehovah and serving the Baals [Canaanitegods]. Thus they abandoned Jehovah . . . ,who had brought them out of the land ofEgypt.” Such candor characterizes the entireBible.

THE MERNEPTAH STELA

Todd Bolen/Bible Places.com



‘IF ONLY I could take back what I said!’ Haveyou ever said that to yourself? Yes, we all

struggle to control our tongue. We can tamevirtually any animal, the Bible says, “but thetongue, not one of mankind can get it tamed.”(James 3:7, 8) So should we just resign our-selves to defeat? No! Consider some Bible prin-ciples that can help us to gain more controlover this small but powerful body member.

˘ “In the abundance of words there does notfail to be transgression, but the one keeping hislips in check is acting discreetly.” (Proverbs 10:19) The more we talk, the greater the risk thatwe will say something foolish or even harmful.Indeed, the unbridled tongue can be like a fire,rapidly spreading hurtful gossip and slander.(James 3:5, 6) However, when we ‘keep our lipsin check,’ or think before we speak, we takeinto consideration the effect our words mayhave. In this way, we become known for discre-tion, and we gain the respect and confidenceof others.

˘ “Be swift about hearing, slow about speak-ing, slow about wrath.” (James 1:19) Othersappreciate it when we listen closely to whatthey say, for in this way we show that we are

not just interested but also respectful. Butwhat if someone says something hurtfulor provocative? Then we must try to be “slowabout wrath” by not reacting in kind. Whoknows? The person may have been upset forsome reason and may even apologize for hisunkind remark. Do you find it hard to be“slow about wrath”? Then pray to God for self-control. He will not ignore such sincererequests.—Luke 11:13.

˘ “A mild tongue . . . can break a bone.”(Proverbs 25:15) Contrary to popular percep-tions, mildness has strength. A mild answer,for example, can overcome opposition thatseems as hard and inflexible as bone, perhapsbecause of anger or prejudice. To be sure, itcan be a challenge to display mildness, espe-cially in a heated situation. So think about thebenefits of doing what the Bible says and thepossible consequences of not doing so.

Bible principles truly are “wisdom fromabove.” (James 3:17) When we apply that wis-dom to our tongue, our words become dignify-ing, endearing, and upbuilding—like “applesof gold in silver carvings,” just right for the oc-casion.—Proverbs 25:11.

Wisdom for the Tongue

LIKE Marie and Theresa, millions of peoplearound the world pray to their “saints” to

invoke a blessing. According to the New Cath-olic Encyclopedia, “the saints intercede formen,” and “it is ‘good and useful’ to invokethem to obtain . . . benefits from God.”

How, though, does God view the matter? Isit acceptable to him that we pray to “saints”to intercede in our behalf? Consider what theBible says.

Should We Invoke “Saints”?

In the Bible, the Greek word rendered“saint” in some versions means “holy one.”However, there is no mention in the Bibleof any faithful worshipper of God prayingto a “saint.” Why is that? The New CatholicEncyclopedia states that it was only “by the3rd century [that] the efficacy of intercessionof the saints was clearly recognized.” Thatwas some 200 years after Christ died. Theteaching, therefore, did not originate with Je-sus and the inspired Bible writers who docu-mented his ministry. The reason?

The Bible consistently teaches that weshould pray only to God, doing so in thename of Jesus Christ. “I am the Way, theTruth and the Life,” Jesus said. “No one cancome to the Father except through me.”(John 14:6, Catholic Jerusalem Bible) Thoseunambiguous words harmonize with Jesus’teaching recorded at Matthew 6:9-13. Whileexplaining the subject of prayer, Jesus said tohis followers: “You must pray, then, this way:Our Father in the heavens, let your name besanctified. . . .” (Matthew 6:9) Clearly, our

THEBIBLE’SVIEWPOINT

Is It Appropriateto Pray to “Saints”?

Marie and Theresa considered themselves to be “good Catholics.”

Both believed in “saints.” Marie believed that she could pray to them

for help. Theresa regularly prayed to the patron “saint” of her home

village. She also prayed to the “saint” after whom she was named.


heavenly Father is the only one to whom weshould address our prayers. This truth restson a fundamental Bible principle.

Prayer—An Act of Worship

“Prayer,” says The World Book Encyclope-dia, “refers to reverent words and thoughts di-rected toward God, gods, goddesses, or otherobjects of worship. . . . Prayer is an importantform of worship in nearly all the religions inthe world.” (Italics ours.) Ask yourself, ‘Is itproper to bend our knees in worshipful prayerto anyone other than our Creator and Life-Giver?’ (Psalm 36:9) “The true worshipers,”said Jesus, “will worship the Father with spir-it and truth, for, indeed, the Father is lookingfor suchlike ones to worship him.” (John 4:23) The Bible also states that our Creator re-quires our “exclusive devotion.”—Deuterono-my 4:24; 6:15.

Consider the example of the Christianapostle John. After receiving the spectacularvisions recorded in the Bible book of Revela-tion, the awestruck apostle “fell down to wor-ship before the feet of the angel” who hadshown him these things. How did the angel re-spond? “Be careful!” he said. “Do not do that!All I am is a fellow slave of you and of yourbrothers . . . Worship God.” (Revelation 22:8, 9) Yes, once again the Bible emphasizesthat we should worship only Jehovah God.

In harmony with the foregoing, God aloneis called the “Hearer of prayer.” (Psalm 65:2)Moreover, as the Almighty, he alone has theauthority, knowledge, and power to answerany legitimate request sought through prayer.(Job 33:4) Even Jesus Christ, by his own ad-mission, has limitations. (Matthew 20:23; 24:36) That said, however, Jesus Christ has beengiven great authority, including the responsi-bility of serving as mankind’s Intercessor.

A Sympathetic Intercessor

Of Jesus the Bible says: “He is able alsoto save completely those who are approach-ing God through him, because he is always

alive to plead for them.” (Hebrews 7:25) Inother words, Jesus can serve as the sympa-thetic Intercessor in behalf of those who ‘ap-proach God through him.’ This does not meanthat we should pray to Jesus and that he willforward our prayer on, as it were. Rather, itmeans that we pray to God in the name of Je-sus, thus acknowledging his authority. Why isJesus the perfect Intercessor?

For one thing, Jesus experienced life asa human, which enabled him to appreciatemore fully the sufferings of others. (John11:32-35) For another, he demonstrated hislove for people by healing the sick, raisingthe dead, and providing spiritual sustenanceto all who came to him. (Matthew 15:29, 30;Luke 9:11-17) He even forgave sins. (Luke 5:24) This gives us confidence, for if we sin, “wehave a helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, arighteous one.”—1 John 2:1.

Jesus’ love and compassion are qualitieswe should try to imitate. True, we are not au-thorized to serve as intercessors. But we canpray for others. In fact, love should impel usto do so. “Pray for one another,” wrote James.“A righteous man’s supplication, when it is atwork, has much force.”—James 5:16.

Marie and Theresa learned those precioustruths by examining the Bible for themselves.Jehovah’s Witnesses invite you to do thesame. As Jesus said, “those worshiping [God]must worship with spirit and truth.”—John4:24.

HAVE YOU WONDERED?

˘ To whom alone did Jesus say weshould pray?—Matthew 6:9.

˘ In what capacity does Jesus serve?—Hebrews 7:25.

˘ Should we pray to God for the welfareof others?—James 5:16.


BOTANIST Walter Hill watched his youngassistant in horror. The boy had just eat-

en nuts from a newly discovered species oftree growing in the subtropical rain forestsof southeast Queensland, Australia. Hill hadheard that the nuts were poisonous. But thelad neither became ill nor dropped dead. In-stead, he found the nuts to be delicious. SoHill tried one himself and agreed. Soon there-after he began distributing macadamia seed-lings to friends and botanists around theworld.�

Today, some 150 years later, macadamianuts are popular worldwide—and for goodreason. The journal Chronica Horticulturaeexplains: “The macadamia is considered oneof the world’s finest gourmet nuts because ofits unique, delicate flavour, its fine crunchytexture, and rich creamy colour.” Little won-der that macadamia nuts are Australia’s mostsuccessful indigenous food crop!

A Tough Nut to Crack

Evergreen macadamia trees flourish alongAustralia’s subtropical east coast. Two of thenine species produce edible nuts, which con-sist of a fibrous outer husk; a tan, sphericalshell, and a marble-size, cream-colored ker-nel.

The tough shell, however, is hard to crack.�� Years earlier, explorers Cunningham (1828) and Leich-

hardt (1843) collected macadamia nuts, but their specimenswere placed in storage and not described. In 1857, a colleagueof Hill’s, Melbourne botanist Ferdinand von Mueller, namedthe genus Macadamia after his good friend Dr. John Macadam.� Crushed macadamia-nut shell is so hard that it makes an

excellent industrial abrasive.

The Aborigines used rocks. Pioneer orchard-ist John Waldron used a hammer and anvil.In fact, with these simple tools, he crackedopen about eight million nuts over a period of50 years. Could machines do the job? Earlydesigns were unacceptable because they tend-ed to damage the kernel. In time, however,more effective machines were built.

Another problem involved reproduction.When planted, nuts from good trees oftenproduced poor quality offspring. And ef-forts at grafting failed. Faced with these dif-ficulties, commercial cultivation stalled—thatis, until the Hawaiians tackled the prob-lem. They made the needed breakthroughs.As a result, they were soon supplying 90 per-cent of the world’s macadamia nuts. Notsurprisingly, they came to be called Hawaiiannuts.

Then, in the 1960’s, Australian growers“took on the macadamia as a serious com-mercial crop,” applying the lessons learned inHawaii. As a result, the local industry blos-somed to the point that Australia now pro-duces about 50 percent of the world’s maca-damia nuts. They are also grown in Africa,Asia, and Central America.

A Visit to an Australian Farm

Awake! visited Andrew, who has a maca-damia farm near the town of Lismore, NewSouth Wales. “We plant different macada-mia varieties every few rows to encouragecross-pollination,” explained Andrew. Awake!learned that about 80 percent of the manymillions of trees planted in Australia are

TheMacadamia Nut

Australia’s Native Delicacy


proved varieties selected by Hawaiian breed-ers. However, Australian breeders are now us-ing genetic material from wild macadamias toproduce improved local varieties.

Looking at the trees, we see hundreds ofnuts dangling like little balls in the thick fo-liage. The nuts mature over six months andthen fall to the ground. We notice that someof the fallen nuts have holes. “Rats can chewthrough a shell in eight seconds,” said An-drew. “Wild pigs also love macadamia nuts.”Further along the row, Andrew pauses to kicka half-buried nut free from the dirt. “That’sthree cents saved,” he says with a grin. Manyfarmers harvest the nuts by using a special-ly designed machine with a drum and shortplastic fingers that collect fallen nuts. Thenuts are then husked and sorted at the farm,after which they are delivered to a factory tobe shelled, graded, and shipped to buyers.

Tasty and Healthful!

As we finish our tour, we munch on a hand-ful of kernels—their rich, creamy flavor leav-ing us smacking our lips. But are macada-mia nuts healthful? The oil content of the nut(largely monounsaturated oil, or good oil)

“regularly exceeds 72%, which is the highestfor any oil-yielding nut,” says a governmentfact sheet on macadamia-nut culture. Ac-cording to recent studies, modest consump-tion can actually reduce harmful low-densitycholesterol and triglycerides and lower highblood pressure.

People enjoy macadamia nuts in choco-late candy, gourmet cookies, or premium icecream. Others prefer them roasted, salted, orsimply straight from the shell. Whatever theirpreference, most people come back for more.

SHELLS FUELA POWER PLANT

Rock-hard macadamia-nut shells havea calorific, or fuel, value close to that ofbrown coal. Thus, an Australian energyprovider is using waste shells to generateelectricity for both the nut processing plantand the electricity grid. The plant is Austra-lia’s first waste-to-energy project, and itsoutput may increase considerably as moregrowers provide fuel.

Australia’s growers plant thousands of newtrees every year

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˘ The peacock mantis shrimp, found onAustralia’s Great Barrier Reef, is equippedwith the most complex eyesight in the an-imal kingdom. “It really is exceptional,”says Dr. Nicholas Roberts, “outperforminganything we humans have so far beenable to create.”

Consider: The peacock mantis shrimpcan perceive polarized light and process itin ways that humans cannot do. Polarizedlight waves may travel along a straightline or rotate in a corkscrew motion. Un-like other creatures, this mantis shrimpnot only sees polarized light in both itsstraight-line and corkscrew forms but isalso able to convert the light from the oneform to the other. This gives the shrimpenhanced vision.

DVD players work in a similar way. Toprocess information, the DVD player mustconvert polarized light aimed at a discinto a corkscrew motion and then changeit back into a straight-line format. But thepeacock mantis shrimp goes a step fur-ther. While a standard DVD player onlyconverts red light—or in higher-resolutionplayers, blue light—the shrimp’s eye canconvert light in all colors of the visiblespectrum.

Researchers believe that using the pea-cock mantis shrimp’s eye as a model,engineers could develop a DVD playerthat plays discs with far more informationthan today’s DVDs. “What’s particularlyexciting is how beautifully simple it is,”says Roberts. “It works much, much bet-ter than any attempts that we’ve made toconstruct a device.”

What do you think? Is the remarkableeye of the peacock mantis shrimp a prod-uct of chance? Or was it designed?

WAS IT DESIGNED?

The Eye of thePeacock Mantis

Shrimp

Courtesy Stephen Childs


˘ Camila suffers from anemia, neurologicalproblems, and growth dysfunction. Conse-quently, at eight years of age, she was only30 inches (75 cm) tall. Camila’s parents, whoare Jehovah’s Witnesses, decided to take herto a medical conference that was being held ata local theater in their hometown in Argentina.They sat in the second row, and 500 peoplewere in attendance.

During a lecture, the speaker, who was adoctor, pointed to Camila as an example ofsomeone who appeared to have good health.Unaware of the girl’s age and medical condi-tion, he asked: “How old is the baby?”

“Eight years old,” said Camila’s mother,Marisa.

“Did you say eight months old?” the doctorreplied.

“No, eight years old,” affirmed Marisa.

Intrigued, the doctor invited mother anddaughter up onto the stage to answer somequestions. After Marisa described the studiesthat physicians had done on Camila and thetreatments they had tried, the doctor said:“There are mothers who cry because their chil-dren have a common flu. But after seven yearsof treatments and after having done all thatis possible for Camila, you have kept a positivespirit. How have you done that?”

In response to this kind invitation, Marisatold the audience about her Bible-based hope

of a righteous new world in which all forms ofsickness and suffering, as well as even deathitself, will cease to be. (Isaiah 33:24; Revela-tion 21:3, 4) Finally, Marisa described theworldwide brotherhood that Jehovah’s Witness-es enjoy and explained how their love for oneanother helps the Witnesses cope with trialsand other difficulties that arise in life.—John13:35.

When the program concluded, a woman ap-proached Marisa and asked her to tell hermore about the points she had discussed. Ea-ger to learn, the woman accepted a free homeBible study, which Jehovah’s Witnesses world-wide offer to people who sincerely want to un-derstand the Bible and God’s wonderful pur-pose for mankind.

“You HaveKept aPositiveSpirit”

Eight-year-old Camila with her mother,Marisa


DO THE two answers above match? Evenif they do and you’re still in school, you

may have days when you wish you could quit.Can you relate to the following comments?

˘ “Sometimes I’d get so stressed out that Ididn’t want to get out of bed. I’d think, ‘Why doI need to go to school and learn things that I’mnever going to use?’ ”—Rachel.

˘ “Many times I’ve been tired of school andjust wanted to drop out and get a job. I’ve felt

that school was doing me no good and thatI would rather be getting paid for my time.”—John.

˘ “I had up to four hours of homework anight! I became so bogged down with assign-ments, projects, and tests—all back-to-back—thatI felt I couldn’t handle it and wanted out.”—Cindy.

˘ “We’ve had a bomb threat, three suicideattempts, one actual suicide, and gang vio-lence. Sometimes it just got to be too much, andI wanted to leave!”—Rose.

Have you faced similar challenges? If so,what situation has made you want to quitschool?˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝

Maybe you are now seriously planning onquitting. How, though, can you tell if you’releaving because it’s time to do so or becauseyou are just sick of school and want out? Toanswer that, it would help first to define whatit means to quit school.

Leaving or Quitting?

How would you describe the difference be-tween leaving school and quitting school?˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝

Did you know that in some countries it’snormal for a youth to graduate after betweenfive and eight years of instruction? In otherlands, students are expected to stay in schoolfor ten to twelve years. So, there is no setage or grade that applies to everyone equallyaround the world.

In addition, some countries or states mayallow a student to take some or all of his orher classes from home, without going to a reg-ular school. Students who are homeschooled

YOUNGPEOPLEASK

Should I quit school?

At what grade do you think you should

leave school? ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝

At what grade do your parents want

you to leave? ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝


WHAT YOUR PEERS SAY

“School is whereI learned to love books.It’s a beautiful thing tobe able to understandsomeone’s thoughtsand feelings throughreading.

”“I tend to have trou-ble managing priorities.But without school, I’dbe worse! School helpsme keep a routine,stick to a schedule,and get the importantthings done.

”

Esme

Christopher

—with their parents’ permission and coopera-tion, of course—are not quitting.

However, if you’re thinking of ending yourschool career before you graduate—either reg-ular school or school at home—you need toconsider the following questions:

What does the law require? As men-tioned, laws governing the amount of school-ing a student must have differ from placeto place. What is the minimum schoolingthat the law in your area requires? Have youreached that stage yet? If you ignore the Bi-ble’s counsel to “be in subjection to the su-perior authorities” and you leave before thatgrade, you are quitting.—Romans 13:1.

Have I achieved my educational goals?

What are the goals that you want your educa-tion to help you achieve? Not sure? You needto know! Otherwise, you’re like a passengeron a train who has no idea where he wants togo. So sit with your parents, and fill in thework sheet “My Educational Goals,” foundon page 28. Doing so will assist you to stayfocused and will help you and your parentsto plan how long you should stay in school.—Proverbs 21:5.

Your teachers and others will no doubtgive you advice on how much schooling youshould have. Ultimately, though, your parentshave the authority to make the final decision.(Proverbs 1:8; Colossians 3:20) If you leavebefore you reach the educational goals thatyou and your parents decide upon, you arequitting.

What are my motives for dropping out?

Beware of fooling yourself. (Jeremiah 17:9)It’s a human tendency to give noble reasonsfor selfish actions.—James 1:22.

Write here the honorable reasons youmight have for ending your school career pre-maturely.˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝

Write here some selfish reasons for quit-ting.˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝

What honorable reasons did you writedown? A couple of possibilities might be tohelp support your family financially or to en-gage in volunteer work. Selfish reasons mightbe to avoid tests or to escape homework. Thechallenge is to discern which is your primarymotivation—is it honorable or selfish?

Look again at the points you wrote down,and honestly rate from 1 to 5 the reasons youwant to quit school (1 indicating less impor-tant, 5 most important). If you drop out justto escape problems, you are likely in for ashock.

What’s Wrong With Quitting?

Quitting school is like jumping off a trainbefore you reach your destination. The trainmay be uncomfortable and the passengers


unfriendly. But if you leap from the train, youwill not reach your destination and will like-ly cause yourself serious injury. Similarly, ifyou quit school, you may not reach your edu-cational goals, and you will probably cause

yourself both immediate and long-term prob-lems, such as the following:

Immediate problems You will likely find itmore difficult to get a job, and if you do getone, it will probably be lower paying than oneyou might have obtained if you had complet-ed your schooling. To support a basic stan-dard of living, you may then have to work lon-ger hours in surroundings that will likely beeven less pleasant than your current schoolenvironment.

Long-term challenges Research showsthat those who drop out of school are morelikely to have poorer health, have children ata young age, end up in prison, and have to relyon social welfare programs.

Of course, completing school is no guaran-tee that you’ll avoid those problems. But whyunnecessarily handicap yourself by droppingout?

Benefits of Not Quitting

True, if you’ve just failed a test or had a dif-ficult day at school, you might want to give up—any future problems may seem insignificantcompared with your present grind. But beforeyou take the “easy” option, consider what thestudents quoted earlier say about how theybenefited because they did not drop out ofschool.

˘ “I’ve learned endurance, to be mentallytough. I’ve also learned that if you want to havea good time doing something, you have to makeit happen. Along the way, I’ve improved my artskills, which I will use when I graduate fromschool.”—Rachel.

TO THINK ABOUT

˘ How can having short-termeducational goals help you to makethe most of your time at school?

˘ Why is it important for you to havesome idea of the type of employmentyou would like to have after you leaveschool?

A primary function of education is toprepare you to find a job that will help yousupport yourself and provide for any familyyou may eventually have. (2 Thessalonians3:10, 12) Have you decided what kind ofjob you want and how your time at schoolcan help you prepare for it? To assist you indetermining if your education is leading youin the right direction, answer the followingquestions:

What are my strengths? (For instance,do you interact well with people? Do youenjoy working with your hands, creating orfixing things? Do you do well at analyzingand solving problems?)

˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝What jobs could I do that would allow

me to use my strengths?

˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝What employment opportunities are

available where I live?

˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝What classes am I now taking that will

prepare me for the job market?

˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝What educational options do I currently

have that would help me reach my goalsmore efficiently?

˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝Remember, your goal is to graduate with

an education you can use. So don’t go tothe other extreme and be a perennial stu-dent—one who stays “on the train” indef-initely just to hide from the responsibilitiesof adulthood.

MY EDUCATIONAL GOALS

˘ “I now know that if I work hard, I canreach my goals. I’m taking a very practical tech-nical training course in high school that willhelp qualify me for my preferred job as a pressmechanic.”—John.

˘ “School has improved my problem-solving

ability, whether in the classroom or elsewhere.Figuring out ways to deal with academic, social,and physical challenges has really helped me tomature.”—Cindy.

˘ “School has helped prepare me for thechallenges of the work environment. Also, Ifaced many situations that forced me to exam-ine the reasons for my faith, so being at schoolhas strengthened my religious convictions.”—Rose.

Wise King Solomon wrote: “Better is theend afterward of a matter than its beginning.Better is one who is patient than one who ishaughty in spirit.” (Ecclesiastes 7:8) So rath-er than quit, patiently work through the prob-lems you face at school. If you do, you willfind that the end afterward will be much bet-ter for you.

More articles from the “Young People Ask”series can be found at the Web sitewww.watchtower.org/ype

Quitting school is like jumping off a trainbefore you reach your destination

“My teachers are boring!” “I get too muchhomework!” “I struggle just to get passinggrades—why even try?” Because of such frus-trations, some youths are tempted to quitschool before they have acquired the skills theywill need to make a living. If your son or daugh-ter wants to quit school, what can you do?

Examine your own attitude toward edu-cation. Did you view school as a waste of time—a ‘prison sentence’ that you had to endureuntil the day you could pursue more interestinggoals? If so, your attitude toward learning mayrub off on your children. The fact is, a well-rounded education will help them acquire“practical wisdom and thinking ability”—quali-ties they will need in order to be successfuladults.—Proverbs 3:21.

Provide the tools. Some who could be get-ting better grades simply do not know how tostudy—or they do not have the appropriate en-vironment for it. A good study area might in-clude an uncluttered desk with sufficient light

and research tools. You can help your child tomake advancement—whether secular or spiri-tual—by providing training and the right settingfor pondering over new thoughts and ideas.—1 Timothy 4:15.

Get involved. View teachers and guidancecounselors as your allies, not your enemies.Meet them. Know their names. Talk to themabout your child’s goals and challenges. If yourchild is struggling with grades, try to determinethe cause. For example, does your child feelthat excelling at school will make him or hera target of bullying? Is there a problem witha teacher? What about the courses? Your childshould be challenged by the curriculum, notoverwhelmed by it. Another possibility: Couldthere be an underlying physical cause, such aspoor eyesight or a learning disability?

The more involved you are in your child’straining, both secular and spiritual, the betterchance your child has of success.—Proverbs22:6.

A NOTE TO PARENTS

Prehistoric SuperglueScientists working in KwaZulu-Natal,

South Africa, have discovered a supergluedating back thousands of years. “The glue . . .is just as good as the stuff found in hardwarestores today,” says The Star, a Johannesburgnewspaper. It is believed that ancient huntersused the glue to attach arrowheads or spearpoints to their shafts. Scientists’ attempts toreplicate the ancient formula—with red ocher,animal fat, acacia gum, and sand—and to getthe temperature control just right to dry theadhesive next to a fire, gave the scientists“new respect” for the people who used it.

Less Sleep, More Colds“People who sleep fewer than seven hours

a night are nearly three times as likely to geta cold than people who average eight or morehours of sleep,” says a report from Carne-gie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylva-nia, U.S.A. And those who stay awake “as lit-tle as 8 percent of the time they [are lying]in bed [are] five-and-a-half times more likely”to catch a cold than those who sleep moresoundly. “Although sleep’s relationship withthe immune system is well-documented, thisis the first evidence that even relatively minorsleep disturbances can influence the body’sreaction to cold viruses,” said Sheldon Co-hen, the study’s lead author. “It provides yet

another reason why people should make timein their schedules to get a complete night ofrest.”

Plenty of New Agricultural Land“There is enough space in the world to pro-

duce the extra food needed to feed a grow-ing population,” says New Scientist magazine.“And contrary to expectation, most of it canbe grown in Africa.” The magazine cites anagricultural outlook report published by theOrganization for Economic Cooperation andDevelopment and the United Nations Foodand Agriculture Organization. According tothe report, the amount of land currently de-voted to agriculture worldwide could be morethan doubled. “Over half of the additionallyavailable land,” says the report, “is found inAfrica and Latin America.”

WATCHING THE WORLD

Of the 95.2 million tons of ma-rine animals caught every year,about 38.5 million are unwanted.“As long as 40 percent of what we takeout of the sea is treated as refuse, fishstocks cannot recover,” says World WildlifeFund fisheries expert Karoline Schacht.—BERLINER MORGENPOST, GERMANY.

“Cows, sheep and goats may seem likeinnocent victims of humanity’s appetitefor meat, but . . . worldwide, live-stock burps are responsible for18 per cent of greenhouse gasemissions [mainly methane]—more than produced from all forms oftransport combined.”—NEW SCIENTIST, BRITAIN.

FOR FAMILY REVIEW

What Is Missing FromThis Picture?Read Daniel 6:1-24. Now look at the picture. What features are miss-ing? Write your answers on the lines below, and complete the pictureby coloring it and drawing in the missing elements.

1 ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝

2 ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝

FOR DISCUSSION:Why was Daniel thrown into this place? Have you ever sufferedfor doing the right thing? Describe the incident. Why is it worthdoing what is right, regardless of the consequences?CLUE: Read 1 Peter 2:19-21.

WHAT DO YOUKNOW ABOUTTHE APOSTLEMATTHEW?

3. Matthew was known bywhat other name? CLUE: Read

Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:14.

˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝

˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝

4. What sacrifice did Matthewmake to be a follower of Jesus?CLUE: Read Luke 5:27, 28.

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˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝ ˝

FOR DISCUSSION:What types of sacrifices mightyou need to make if you wantto be a disciple of Jesus? Whatare some of the rewards youwill receive? CLUE: Read Mark

10:28-30.

FROM THIS ISSUEAnswer these questions, and provide the missing Bibleverse(s).

PAGE 6 Who constructed all things?Hebrews 3: ��

PAGE 7 What will happen to the wicked?Proverbs 2: ��

PAGE 20 No one can come to the Father exceptthrough whom? John 14: ��

PAGE 21 We should pray for whom? James 5:��

CHILDREN’SPICTURESEARCH

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Many will agree that the world would be abetter place if more people read the Bibleand lived by what it says. The 32-page, taste-fully illustrated brochure The Bible—What Is ItsMessage? can help you learn what the Bibleteaches. Its first two sections describe howthe Creator provided a paradise for humansand how it was lost. In the next sections, thereis a historical review of the people throughwhom God provided the Ruler of his Kingdom

government, which will restore Paradise to thisearth.

Sections that follow describe the life, minis-try, miracles, death, and resurrection of the di-vinely appointed Ruler, Jesus Christ. In rapidsequence, the next four sections describe theministry, faith under trial, and inspired writ-ings of Jesus’ first-century followers. You will becheered by the section “Paradise Regained!”with its accompanying colorfully illustratedfinal page, entitled “The Bible’s Message—AnOverview.”

To request a copy of this brochure, simplyfill in this coupon and mail it to an appro-priate address listed on page 5 of this maga-zine.

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