Professional Documents
Culture Documents
April 8, 2000
Happened to
MORALS?
Average Printing 20,381,000
Published in 82 Languages
What Has
Happened
to Morals? 3-11
The 20th century
experienced a moral
breakdown. Is it
unique to our time?
What does it mean?
Crossword Puzzle 20
Managing a Killer 21
A Day to Remember 32
S la te d in c id e n t. N e w sp a p e rs, ra d io , a n d te le v i
sion re p o rt sim ilar events th ro u g h o u t the world.
A ccording to the N atio n al C enter for Educatiori S ta
tistics, a b o u t 11,000 violent incidents involving w eap
ons in A m erican schools were rep o rted during 1997.
In H a m b u rg , G e rm a n y , re p o rts o f acts o f violence
Morals Defined
In these articles the word morals is used in
the sense of relating to principles of right
and wrong in human behavior. This includes
honesty, truthfulness, and high standards
of conduct in sexual and other matters.
increased by 10 p ercen t d uring 1997, and do p h iles w ho seek to lu re c h ild ren an d
44 p ercen t o f th e suspects were youths u n m in o rs in to ille g a l sex a c tiv itie s . C o n
der 21. cern a b o u t child p o rn o g rap h y o n th e In
C o rru p tio n am ong politicians and gov ternet has been increasing, according to a
e rn m e n t officials is c o m m o n . A re p o r t spokesm an in Sweden for Save th e C h il
by E u ro p e a n U n io n (E U ) co m m issio n dren. In N orw ay in 1997, this o rg an izatio n
er A n ita G ra d in in 1998 revealed th a t the received 1,883 tip s a b o u t child p o rn o g ra
c o s t o f c o r r u p tio n w ith in th e E U d u r phy Web sites on th e Internet. T h e next
ing 1997 was estim ated a t 1.4 billion dol year the n u m b er o f such tip s skyrocketed
lars. T his involved everything from having to alm ost 5,000. M uch o f the m aterial is
p a rk in g tickets dism issed to fra u d u le n t produced in c o u n tries w here governm ents
ly receiving ag ricultural o r o th e r E U sub or local a u th o rities ca n n o t co n tro l this de
sidies. Large-scale m oney laundering and spicable activity.
th e sm uggling o f w eapons and narcotics Was It Better in the Past?
had been allowed, and E U em ployees had M any people w ho are horrified by th e
been b rib ed by crim inal organizations to bad sta te o f m o ra ls in th e w o rld to d ay
keep silent. T h e e n tire E U C om m ission may th in k back longingly to th e co m m u n i
resigned in 1999. ty spirit o f th eir p a re n ts o r g ra n d p a re n ts
However, it is no t only th o se at the high day. P erhaps they have h eard th a t people
est levels o f society w ho cheat. A rep o rt lived a m u ch calm er life back th e n and
from the E U C om m ission regarding ille th a t honesty and o th er aspects o f m orali
gal w orkers revealed th a t u p to 16 percent ty were highly valued at all levels o f so
o f the E U s gross natio n al p ro d u ct co n ciety. O lder folks m ay have spoken a b o u t
sists o f incom e from businesses th a t are the tim e w hen hardw orking p eople helped
n o t registered and th a t do n o t pay taxes. In one another, fam ily ties w ere strong, and
R ussia illegal incom e is rep o rted to be up y o u th s felt secu re a n d assisted o n th e ir
to 50 percen t o f the total. F urtherm ore, in p a re n ts farm o r in th eir w orkshop.
the U nited States, the A ssociation o f C er T his leads to the questions: W ere p e o
tified F rau d E xam iners stated th a t A m eri ples m orals really b e tte r in th e past? O r is
can com panies lose well over 400 billion there sim ply a feeling o f nostalgia th a t dis
d o lla rs a n n u a lly b e c a u s e o f em ployees to rts o u r m em ory o f days gone by? Let us
stealing m oney o r p ro p erty from them . see how historians and o th e r social a n a
T he In te rn et has been used by m any p e lysts answer.
------------------------------------------------------------- Aw ake!-------------------------------------------------------------
W hy Awake! Is Published Awake! is for the enlightenment of the entire family. It shows how to cope with
todays problems. It reports the news, tells about people in many lands, examines religion and science. But it does more.
It probes beneath the surface and points to the real meaning behind current events, yet it always stays politically neutral
and does not exalt one race above another. Most important, this magazine builds confidence in the Creators promise of
a peaceful and secure new world that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things.
Unless otherwise indicated, New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures With References is used.
4w 3/re/(IS S N 0 0 0 5 -2 3 7 X ) is published sem im onthly by W atchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.; Milton G. Henschel, President; Lyman
A. Swingle, Secretary-Treasurer; 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11201-2483. Periodicals Postage Paid at Brooklyn, N.Y., and at additional m ail
ing offices. C hanges o f a d d re s s should reach us 30 days before your moving date. Give us your old and new address (if possible, your old
address label). PO S TM ASTER : Send address changes to Awake!, c /o Watchtower, W a llk ill, N Y 1 2 5 8 9 .
Vol. 81, No. 7 Printed in U.S.A. 2 0 0 0 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. Sem im onthly ENGLISH
Would you welcome more information? Write Watch Tower at the appropriate address.
Publication of Awake! is part of a worldwide Bible educational work supported by voluntary donations.
S e m im o n th ly Languages Available by Mail: Offices of the Watch Tower Society in selected countries
Afrikaans, Arabic, Cebuano, Chinese, Chinese (Simplified), Croatian, Czech,# America, United States of, New Zealand, P.0. Box 142,
D anish/ Dutch, English/ Estonian, Fin nish/ French, G erm an/ Greek, Hun Wallkill, NY 12589 Manurewa
garian, lloko, Indonesian, Ita lia n / Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Nigeria, P.M.B. 1090, Benin City,
Malayalam, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slo Australia, Box 280, Ingleburn, NSW 2 56 5
Edo State
vak, Slovenian, S panish/ Swahili, Swedish/ Tagalog, Tamil, Ukrainian, Zulu Britain, The Ridgeway, London N W 71R N
South Africa, Private Bag X 2067,
M onthly Languages A vailable b y Mail: Canada, Box 4100, Halton Hills Krugersdorp, 1740
Albanian, Amharic, Chichewa, Cibemba, Ewe, Georgian, Gujarati, Hebrew, (Georgetown), Ontario L7G 4Y4
Hiligaynon, Hindi, Igbo, Kannada, Macedonian, Malagasy, Maltese, Marathi, Zambia, Box 3 3 4 5 9 , Lusaka
Ghana, P. 0. Box GP 760, Accra 10101
Nepali, New Guinea Pidgin, Papiamento, Sepedi, Sesotho, Shona, Sinhalese,
Thai, Tsonga, Tswana, Turkish, Twi, Xhosa, Yoruba Jamaica, P. 0. Box 103, Old Harbour, Zimbabwe, P. Bag A-6113,
# Audiocassettes also available. St. Catherine Avondale
6
This selfishness, the article continued, and th a t they low er the m oral threshold
could not be stopped by anything. In its am ong people in general, observes Kjell
wake grows the b ru tality th a t m arks ou r Ove N ilsson, associate professor o f ethics
daily life, as well as c o rru p tio n , w hich in and theological d irecto r at the C hristian
m any countries has reached right up to the C ouncil o f Sweden. O f course, this has a
governm ent. People th in k o f them selves devastating effect o n m orals in society as
and the m axim um gratification o f their de well as on the personal level.
sires.
The Media Culture
Sociologist R obert W uthnow , o f Prince
A n o th e r m ajo r fa c to r c o n trib u tin g to
ton U n iversity, fo u n d th ro u g h in-depth
polling th a t A m ericans today are m ore fo the rapid m oral decline in the latte r h a lf of
cused on m oney th an they were a gener the 20th century is th e m edia culture. T he
ation ago. A ccording to the study, m any new values tra n sm itte rs are the television
A m ericans fear the yearning for m oney has p ro d u ce rs, th e m ovie m o g u ls, th e fa sh
overpow ered o th er values like peoples re ion advertisers, the gangsta rappers, and a
spect for others, honesty at w ork and p a r host o f o th er players w ithin th e electronic
ticipation in th eir com m unities. m edia-cultural com plex, says S enator Lie-
G reed in society has fu rth e r increased berm an. T hese trend-setters exert an ex
because m any b u sin ess executives have trem ely pow erful hold on o u r culture and
g ra n te d th em se lv e s h uge w age in c re a s o u r children in p articular, and they often
es and lucrative retirem en t benefits while have had little o r no sense o f responsibility
urging th eir em ployees to be m oderate in for the harm ful values they are purveying.
th eir wage dem ands. T he problem w ith As an exam ple, L ieberm an cites a record
the p u rsu it o f profit am ong business lead m ade by a heavy-m etal band called C anni
ers is th a t th e ir a ttitu d e s are infectious bal C orpse. T he singers describe in detail
the rape o f a w om an at knife point. He and ple w ho are extrem ely self-centered, lack
a colleague m ade a plea to the record com em pathy, and are unable or unw illing to
pany to w ithdraw the record. But as Lie- u n d e rs ta n d th e c o n c e p t o f r ig h t a n d
berm an relates, it was to no avail. wrong. Even am ong children and youths
R esponsible p aren ts today are therefore who are seem ingly norm al, observers have
locked in a b itte r co m petition w ith the m e noticed a blunting o f m oral senses. We
dia c u ltu re as to w ho will influence and have been throw n back in to a m oral Stone
raise th eir children. But w hat a b o u t fam Age, claim s C h ristin a H off Som m ers, a
ilies w here th e parents are not conscien professor o f philosophy. She n o ted th a t
tious? In those cases, says L ieberm an, w hen her young students are faced w ith
the cu ltu re is unchallenged as the stan the question o f w hat is right and w hat is
dard setter, and the childs sense o f right wrong, m ost o f them react by becom ing
a n d w rong and his p rio ritie s in life are very insecure. T hen they reply th a t th ere is
shaped prim arily by w hat he learns from no such thing as right o r wrong. They be
the television, the m ovie screen and the lieve th a t each person m ust consider w hat
C D player. A nd m ore recently, the In ter is best for him self.
net can be added to this list. In recent tim es, m any o f h er students
have o b je c te d to th e p rin c ip le o f th e
Back to a Moral Stone Age unique dignity and value o f h u m an life.
How are the effects o f these negative in For exam ple, w hen asked w hat they w ould
fluences evident am ong young people? For do if faced w ith the choice betw een saving
one thing, in recent years m ore children the life o f th eir p e t or the life o f a fellow h u
and teenagers have com m itted cruel acts m an w hom they did n o t know, m any said
o f violence against o th er children as well th at they would choose the anim al.
as adults. T he problem is not th a t young people
A shocking case took place in Sweden are ignorant, distrustful, cruel, or treach
in 1998. Two boys, five and seven years erous, says Professor Som m ers. To p u t
o f age, choked a four-year-old playm ate to it bluntly, they are conceptually clueless.
death! M any asked the question: D o chil She claim s th a t m any young p eople today
dren not have a built-in restra in t th a t tells actually question w hether there is a right
th em to stop w hen they are going too far? or a wrong, and she feels th a t this a ttitu d e
A child psychiatrist m ade this telling com poses one o f the greatest th re a ts to society.
m ent: A restra in t against letting it go too The underm ining o f m orals in o u r tim e
far is som ething th a t has to be learned, is therefore a reality. M any fear th a t dire
she said. It could have to do w ith . . . w hat consequences could result. T he article in
role m odels children have and w hat they DieZeit referred to earlier says th a t the free
learn from the adults aro u n d them . m arket econom y o f today could gradually
A sim ilar phenom enon can be observed degenerate and m aybe som eday collapse
in v io len t c rim in als. A ccording to Sten as the socialistic system did recently.
Levander, a professor o f psychiatry in Swe W hat does all o f this really m ean? A nd
den, betw een 15 and 20 p ercent o f all pris w hat kind o f fu tu re do we have to look for
on inm ates today are psychopaths peo ward to?
I
F YOU were to analyze m oral standards clear description, or com posite sign, o f this
in recent years, you would see a clear unique tim e period.
trend. W ithout a doubt, m oral standards
Bad Traits in People
are being increasingly underm ined am ong a
N ote one o f the features o f this sign th at
growing num ber o f people. W hat is the real
is prom inent today: M en will have a form
significance o f this?
o f godly devotion b u t prove false to its
Does it m ean, as some individuals claim,
power. (2 Tim othy 3:2, 5) N o o th er period
that our entire civilization and all m ankind
in history has been characterized by such
are doom ed, nearing annihilation? O r are
pow erful and thorough secularization. G od
such changes ju st p a rt o f the norm al ebb
has been widely rejected as the only a u th o r
and flow o f history?
ity, and m ost people do not accept the Bible
The latte r is w h at m any people think. as the only source o f tru th . O f course, reli
They view the m oral breakdow n o f our time gions still exist, but m any have little influ
as just a trend, one o f m any th at have come ence. They are only a veneer.
and gone th ro u g h o u t history. They fully
The Bible m entions an o th e r feature o f
expect th at the pendulum will eventually
the sign: M en w ill be . . . w ith o u t self-
swing back and th at higher m oral standards
control, fierce, and because o f the increas
will return. Are they correct?
ing o f lawlessness the love o f the greater
The Last Days num ber will cool off. (2 Tim othy 3:2, 3;
Let us consider the facts in the light o f a M atthew 24:12) The G reek word translated
book th at for centuries was a widely accept fierce means, am ong other things, lack
ed authority on m oral issuesG ods Word, ing hum an sym pathy and feeling. Today
the Bible. It is very enlightening to com pare ever younger children are show ing th em
todays world w ith the prophetic descrip selves to be fierce and are com m itting in
tion th at the Bible gives o f the m ost decisive creasingly violent crimes.
era in hum an history. This is the tim e peri F u rth erm o re, fast-paced technical and
od it calls the last days or the conclu e c o n o m ic d e v e lo p m en ts, a n d th e g ree d
sion o f the system o f things. (2 Tim othy th e se have b ro u g h t w ith th e m , have
3:1; M atthew 24:3) As these expressions im caused m ore and m ore p e o p le to th ro w
ply, this period is to m ark the definite end aside old values. W ithout regard for others,
of an epoch and the beginning o f a new one. they use any available m eans, even dishon
G o d s W ord foretold th a t the last days est ones, to grab as m uch as they can to sat
would be m arked by critical tim es hard isfy their selfish desires. T he huge increase
to deal w ith. To help w atchful observers in gambling is an o th er evidence o f selfish
to identify the last days, the Bible gives a ness, and the crim e statistics o f the past few
num ber o f details th a t together provide a decades speak loudly and clearly about this.
u 'T 1 A C H day w hen I cam e hom e from Naturally, the joeys adopted family want
r H school, Joey, my pet kangaroo, would to m ake it feel at hom e quickly. So one
J be sitting there waiting for me at the of the first things they do is give it a pouch.
gate, John recalls. As soon as I opened They choose a location away from the ele
the gate, he would jum p up and embrace me mentsand at a comfortable distance from
with his forelimbs, and I would embrace him. the fireplaceand there they
Wed talk to each other in a language that
said, Its great to see you! Then Joey would
bound up the driveway a few yards like an ex
cited dog, hop back, and repeat the process
until we got to the house.
People living in the Australian bush are
legally perm itted to have pet kangaroos, as
Johns family did. Generally, these kanga
roos are orphans, having been rescued as ba
bies after their m others were killed, perhaps
when trying to cross a road. Even though it
was the name John gave his pet, joey is, in
fact, the common term for a baby kangaroo.
16
Then they put the joey into it with a bottle of Have you ever seen or heard o f a kanga
warm, specially prepared milk. In this way roo that lives in trees? Well, believe it or not,
many joeys are helped to survive. They soon kangaroos do have a monkey in the fam i
adapt to their new pouch, diving into it head lythe tree kangaroo. Found in the tropi
first, as if it were their m others. cal rain forests of New G uinea and north
How Do You Describe a Kangaroo?
eastern Australia, these shorter-legged, agile
animals, so at hom e in trees, can leap some
Animals that raise their young in a pouch,
30 feet from one branch or tree to anoth
or m arsupium , are called marsupials. Com
er. At night they descend to the forest floor,
prising som e 260 species, m arsu p ials in
where they feed mainly on herbs and grubs.
clude the kangaroo, koala, wombat, bandi
coot, and opossum , the only species native Fast, Graceful, Efficient
to N orth Am erica. U nderstandably, early W hen moving slowly, kangaroos seem un
explorers found these unusual animals, es gainly and awkward. T heir tail and short
pecially the kangaroo, difficult to describe forelim bs becom e a trip o d th a t su p p o rts
to people back home. The first to put the their weight as they lift their hind legs for
word kangaroo into w ritten English was ward. But they are graceful runners. W hen
British explorer C aptain James Cook. He lik bounding along at up to 30 miles an hour,
ened the anim al to a greyhound that jum ps they use their great tail to balance them
like a hare or a deer. W hen a live kangaroo selves. According to The World Book Encyclo
was later exhibited in London, it caused a pedia, they can reach a top speed o f over
sensation. 60 kilom eters [38 miles] an h o u r. In the
Kangaroos have big ears that swivel about case of a large kangaroo, a single hop at high
on a deerlike head. Their small but powerful speed may span from 30 to 44 feeta leap
forelimbs resemble hum an arms, especially that could alm ost pass for flying!
when the kangaroo stands erect. Kangaroos Kangaroos are not only fast but also ef
also have large, m uscular hips; a long, thick, ficient in their use o f energy. Professor Uwe
sinuous tail; and, o f course, huge feeta
characteristic th at has earned them the des
ignation M acropodidae, m eaning long
feet.
The s e c re t o f th e spring in its step
Some 55 species o f M acropodidae range is its long A ch illes tend ons
in size from th a t o f a m an dow n to th a t
of a rat. All M acropodidae have short fore
lim bs and long h in d lim bs for hopping.
Red kangaroos, gray kangaroos, and w al
laroos, or euros, are the largest. One male
red kangaroo m easured over seven feet from
his nose to the tip of his tail and weighed
170 pounds. Smaller species o f kangaroo are
called wallabies.
, ^ IMIk
Kangaroos are also expert swimmers. N ot
only do they use their powerful legs b u t they
get additional propulsion by swinging their
tail from side to side. W hen chased by dogs,
kangaroos have been know n to use th e ir
aquatic skills by bounding into a w ater hole
or a river. Any dog brave enough to go after
the kangaroo prom ptly gets shoved under
the water by the kangaroos m uscular fore
lim bs and five-fingered paws,
P roske, o f M o n ash U n iv e rsi each arm ed with sharp claws.
ty in M elbourne, Australia, says John, m entioned at the outset,
that a kangaroos oxygen consum p had two dogs th at were alm ost
tion is actually more energy efficient drowned by a wild buck kangaroo
at higher speeds than it is at lower when it took them on in a small res
speeds. Proske also calculated that ervoir on his familys property.
at 20 kilometres [12 miles] per hour
The Marvel of Marsupial Birth
or faster, th e energy used by the
hopping kangaroo was less than that Although adults are tough and
o f a four-legged placental m am mal ro b u st, kan g aro o s are e x tre m e
[a m am m al th at is born fully devel ly undeveloped and delicate at
oped, like a dog or a deer] o f simi
lar weight, running at the same
speed. Because o f the kanga
ro o s energy-efficient lo co m o
tion, it can travel long distances
w ithout tiring. But how does the
kangaroo manage to run so eco
nomically?
The secret lies in its long Achilles
tendons. It is as th o u g h kan g a
roos are hopping on pairs of coiled
springs, says Proske. Like th o se
attached to a hum an calf muscle,
th e k a n g a ro o s A chilles ten d o n s
stre tc h on landing and com press
during takeoff. K an g aro o s h o p at
the same num ber of hops per second
(about two for a red kangaroo) over
a wide range of speeds. To go faster,
they simply lengthen each stride. An ex
ception is when a kangaroo is startled.
Then it may take off with a few small,
rapid hops for better acceleration.
18
birth. Resembling little m ore than a pink can be achieved under the same horm onal
worm m easuring a b o u t an inch long and conditions is an intriguing question.
weighing a fraction o f an ounce, they are Where to See Kangaroos
born hairless, blind, and deaf. Yet, thanks to
If you want to see kangaroos in their natu
its p rec o c io u sly d ev elo p ed fo relim b s ral setting, you m ust be prepared to leave the
equipped with claws and its sense of smell, cities and go out into the Australian bush,
the tiny worm crawls instinctively through or the outback. Foraging for grass and small
its m o th e rs fu r and u p in to h er p ouch. plants, kangaroos can be found individually
W hen inside the pouch, it latches onto one as well as in small groups or in larger groups
of four teats. The end o f the teat immedi called mobs, which are presided over by big
ately swells into a bulb inside the infants buck kangaroos called boom ers. Because
m outh, locking it firmly in place for sever kangaroos feed m ainly at night and rest in
al weeks. Considering its m others mode of the shade (where they are well camouflaged)
travel, a solid anchor is clearly an advantage! during the heat o f the day, a good time to
In fact, so good is this anchor that early ob see them is early in the m orning or at dusk.
servers assum ed th at the young grew from But in cooler weather, they may be active
the teat! throughout the day. W hatever the case, be
Eventually, of course, the joey will grow to sure to bring a telephoto lens and binoculars
the stage where it will leave the pouch, al wild kangaroos are very shy animals.
though only tem porarily at first. However, O f course, you can also see kangaroos at
after seven to ten m onths, when it is fully most zoos, wildlife sanctuaries, and nation
weaned, it will leave the pouch perm anently. al parks throughout Australia and in some
But lets go back in time to when the joey other countries as well. Regular exposure to
first anchored itself to a teat and see another hum ans has made these kangaroos less tim
marvel of kangaroo reproduction. id, and so you should be able to get some
good close-ups, perhaps even of a m other
A few days after the newborn latches onto
with a joey peeking out of her pouch. Larger
its m others teat, she again mates. The em
joeys always win a smile when they dive into
bryo resulting from this m ating develops
m others pouch, only to have th eir lanky
for about a week, but then it goes dorm ant
hind legs stick out awkwardly, making m oth
on hold, so to speakwhile its older sib er kangaroo resemble an overstuffed shop
ling continues to grow in the pouch. W hen ping bag. (Young kangaroos seem to be all
the older but still unweaned sibling leaves legs!) A handsom e buck may even grant you
the pouch, the embryo in the womb resumes an erect, stately pose. W ho knows? You may
growth. After a 30-day gestation, it also at even see a couple of big boom ers standing
taches itself to a teat, but not the one suckled as tall as their long, sinuous legs perm it and
by the older sibling. having a sparring m atchgenuine boxing
Therein lies another marvel o f kangaroo kangaroos!
biology. The m other gives her youngest joey But to many, the best sight is a big red or
one kind of m ilk and the older one a dif gray buck hopping at full speed. True, other
ferent kind. Com m enting on this, Scientific animals may be able to run faster or jum p
American says: The two milks secreted by higher, but with no other creature will you
the separate m am m ary glands are quite dif see such a rem arkable com bination o f grace,
ferent in volume and com position. How this power, and spring on ju st two mighty legs.
Clues Across celebrate one of these in the 14. The proverb says that she is a
2. The northern limit of the Prom wilderness (Exodus 5:1) crown to her owner [2 words]
ised Land and the highest point 32. Having two cutting sides (Proverbs 12:4)
in the vicinity of Palestine (Isaiah 41:15) 15. A place in the southern part of
[2 words] (Joshua 12:1) Clues Down Naphtali (Joshua 19:33)
9. This quality, possessed by Jeho 1. A son of Japhlet of the tribe of 17. A family head of some of the
vah and desirable in humans, is Asher (1 Chronicles 7:33) sons of the servants of Solomon
not a sign of weakness (Psalm 3. Part of a specific fruit-bearing who returned from exile (Ezra 2:
18:35) tree, often used as a symbol of 55-57)
10. A people allied with Ethiopia, peace [2 words] (See Isaiah 17:6.) 20. An advanced stage of life
Put, and Lud (Ezekiel 30:5) 4. A fastener (See Isaiah 41:7.) (Hebrews 11:11)
11. One struck down 185,000 Assyri 5. A structure built on this founda 23. A town in Benjamin that was
ans in one night (2 Kings 19:35) tion will not pass the test of fire warned to pay attention to the
12. A chieftain of the tribe of (1 Corinthians 3:12,13) coming attack of the Assyrians
Simeon in King Hezekiahs day 6. Of the five Bible books that John (Isaiah 10:30)
(1 Chronicles 4:34) wrote, this one was written first 26. Hometown of Davids friend
16. After pouring costly perfumed 7. The fourth-listed son of Benja Barzillai (2 Samuel 19:31)
oil on Jesusfeet, Mary used this min (1 Chronicles 8:2) 27. The symbolic number of angels
to wipe them (John 12:3) 8. His sons were among the Nethi- that Satan has misled (Revela
18. It was at this that Zeeb, a prince nim who returned to Jerusalem tion 12:4)
of Midian, was killed (Judges with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:45) 29. Formerly (1 Corinthians 13:11)
7:25) 13. Progress (2 Timothy 3:13) 31. An enemy (Psalm 89:43)
19. A Hebrew midwife who disre
garded Pharaohs command to Crossword Solutions Page 27
kill the baby boys (Exodus 1:15)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
21. Although at times acting wrong
ly during his 41-year reign, this
king of Judah is viewed as one
of the faithful kings (1 Kings 15: 9 10
14,18)
22. A Jairite listed as a priest of
David (2 Samuel 20:26) wmm
23. A restoration prophecy said this 11 13 14
animal would eat straw just like
the bull (Isaiah 65:25) 15
24. From young to old, they sur 16 17 18 19 20
rounded Lots house, attempting
to rape his angelic guests (Gene 21 22
sis 19:4,5)
25. A beverage known from ancient 23 24 25 26
times (Isaiah 1:22)
27. In answer to Samuels prayer,
Jehovah used this to throw the 27 28
Philistines into confusion, so
that they were defeated 29
(1 Samuel 7:9,10)
28. Actuality (Hebrews 1:3) 30 31
30. Abraham was told that Eliezer
would not succeed him as this
(Genesis 15:4)
32
31. Moses asked Pharaoh to send the
Israelites away so that they could
T STALKS the forest, ignoring the the beetles serve to recycle lodgepole
I young and attacking the aged. The pine forests th at reach m aturity. H u
slayer is tiny co m p ared w ith its m an intervention th ro u g h fire detec
prey. It moves quickly and is not sattio n and su p p re ssio n , how ever, has
isfied until ruination is complete. As contributed to the preservation o f large
the victim tries to force out the intrud areas of m ature and overm ature stands
er, a life-and-death struggle ensues. o f tim ber. W hile th is has p ro te c te d
Eventually the attacker wins. wildlife habitats and m igration corri
W ho is th is foe? T h e a tta c k e r is dors as well as forests used for recre
the tiny m ountain pine beetle, na- ational and industrial purposes, it has
t to western N orth America. Its also created the need to m anage the
4ive
fS fgprey is the majestic lodgepole pine, m ountain pine beetle. How, though,
com m on to the interior of the prov- are th ese tin y p e s ts fo u n d and
" f *nce f British Colum bia, Canada. tracked through vast areas o f wil
1 Approximately 35 percent o f the derness? W hat, if anything, can
be done to stem the tide o f devas
< forested land base in the province
tation left in their wake?
consists o f the lodgepole pine
a veritable breeding ground Detection and Tracking
fo r th e c y lin d ric a l m o u n ta in M anagem ent of the m oun
pine beetle, a mere one-eighth to tain pine beetle starts with
five-sixteenths inch in size. Ini- detection. An aerial inspec
tially it targets unhealthy, over tion of the vast forest is m ade
m ature stands o f pine. However, in search of trees th at have
as the beetle population increas turned red at the crown. Such
es, the attack extends to healthy trees indicate infestation and
adult trees. (See the box M oun are easy to spot amid a blan
tain Pine Beetle Life Cycle.) Re ket of green. The location o f
cent epidemics in British C olum an infestation as well as the
bia have resulted in the death of n u m b er o f red tre e s is iden
30 million pine trees in one year tified by the use o f a glob
alone. It is estim ated that enough al positioning system (GPS).
beetles can em erge from an in D ata is recorded and care
fested tree to kill two trees of the fully stored in a hand-held
same size the succeeding year. com puter. Later it is dow n
* it* The m ountain pine beetle is a loaded into office com puters
natural com ponent of the eco and overlaid on detailed for
system, and along with wildfires est cover m aps by m eans o f
A d u lt
pow erfu l geo g rap h ic in fo rm a
tion systems. Each infestation
is then assigned a num ber, r Mountain Pine
and a list is generated that
Beetle Life Cycle
gives the coordinates of
each area. This is vital In m id s u m m e r a n a d u lt f e m a le
for the ground survey b e e tle b o re s th ro u g h th e b a rk o f a lo d g e -
team , w hich is d is p o le p in e to th e s a p w o o d . A fte r m a tin g w ith
patched to verify in a m a le , she d e p o s its a b o u t 7 5 eggs. In th e p ro
festation levels. cess sh e a ls o tra n s m its a b lu e -s ta in in g fu n g u s in to
The real threat to th e s a p w o o d to p re v e n t p itc h flo w th a t c o u ld k ill th e
th e fo re st, th o u g h , b e e tle s . The eggs s u b s e q u e n tly h a tc h in to g ru b lik e
is not the trees that la rv a e th a t fe e d on th e p h lo e m (a c o m p le x tis s u e )
have turned red but o f th e tre e . W ith in w e e k s o f a b e e tle s s u c c e s s
th e green trees c u r fu l a tta c k , th e h o s t tre e is k ille d as a re s u lt o f
rently being attacked. a d is ru p tio n o f w a te r a n d n u trie n t flo w . Lar-
T h e se are g en erally k vae d e v e lo p o v e r th e w in te r a n d e m e rg e
identified by a tube o f in s u m m e r to fly a n d a tta c k n e w ^ "
p itc h s u rro u n d in g th e UW tre e s a n d re p e a t th e cycle.
hole w here th e b e e tle s W&iljlL ^A
have entered and by bits of
frass, or sawdust, at the base
o f the tree. All infested trees are
m ark ed w ith p lastic rib b o n s and
num bered with paint. Features of the
terrain and the num ber of attacked trees are
noted as well as any other inform ation need
could involve injecting pesticide into the in
ed to help responsible agencies decide what
fested tree or felling and burning it on site.
should be done to control the spread of the
The latter control m ethod, which is done
infestation.
in late w inter or early spring before bee
Control Methods tles emerge, is very effective but also labor-
If an infested area is large enough to war intensive. Dale, an expert in detecting and
rant logging, another crew is sent in to map m anaging such infestations, describes for
the area. A logging plan is subm itted to the Awake! the routine of a typical workday.
M inistry of Forests for approval. The log T he first stage involves m an eu v erin g
ging com pany also becom es responsible for on single-lane roads that are also used by
reforesting the area and caring for the seed huge logging trucks carrying massive loads.
lings until they can be left to grow on their For safety reasons we use a two-way radio
own. This process not only allows utilization to m o n ito r road activity. W hen the road
of the trees but also serves to control the ends, we u n lo ad o u r snow m obiles and
spread of the infestation and generate new sleds and trek deeper into the forest. O ur
growth. GPS and com passes are carefully packed,
If logging is not feasible, however, single as well as chain saws, gas, oil, axes, radios,
tree treatm ent may be recommended. This snow shoes, and first-aid e q u ip m e n t. We
22 Awake! April 8, 2000
traverse swamps, logged areas, and old trails alm ost underfoot or a hapless squirrel scur
through the bush for several miles. W hen ries out of its burrow to run up a workers
our snow m achines will go no farther, we pant leg, creating a considerable am ount of
put on snowshoes, which allow us to walk, anxiety. O ther encounters, however, have
albeit with some difficulty, through snow as the potential to be deadlyone could be
deep as 50 inches in some places. chased by a resident grizzly or black bear.
The u n c e rtain terrain m akes carrying G enerally, th o u g h , dangers can be m ini
30 pounds o f gear som ew hat challenging. mized through awareness and training, and
O ur hearts pound from exertion. How glad workers can enjoy the wilderness environ
we are to find the site! But now the real m ent w ithout undue fear.
work begins. A trained and qualified worker Exciting advances are being m ade in the
drops the infested trees with the precision of use of technology to m anage earth s valu
a marksman. Thereafter, the crew moves in able resources. M any conscientious individ
and cuts the trees into m anageable lengths uals are endeavoring to protect and preserve
to be burned. The bark m ust be com plete our precious trees through managing such
ly burned to eradicate the larvae. W hen it things as the m ountain pine beetle. U nques
is time to stop for lunch, the tem perature tionably, there is m uch m ore to learn about
of minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit makes us ap our wonderful forests. We long for the time
preciate our fire. We bask in its w arm th and when we will be able to care for them in total
thaw out o u r frozen sandwiches. Then it is harm ony with their original design.
time to go back to work. All too soon, how
ever, the w inter sky begins to darken, re
minding us th at it is tim e to head home. IN OUR NEXT ISSUE
Working in the Wild A United World
The activities o f forest w orkers are de Will Europe Be the First Step?
manding. As these skilled individuals meet
the challenges, they also take pleasure in the Fathering Children
creation th at surrounds them. This includes Does It Make One a Man?
incredible scenery and m em orable wildlife Genetically Modified Food
encounters. Some encounters are harmless, Is It Safe for You?
as when a grouse noisily flies out of the snow
Awake! April 8, 2000 23
FROM DISASTER TO ATTRACTION
BY A W A K E ! CORRESPONDENT IN SWEDEN
Is It Proper to
Worship Jesus?
hroughout the all the angels o f G od
T c e n tu rie s, m any in
C hristendom have w or
w orship him [Jesus]?
( KingJames Ver
shiped Jesus Christ as if can we understand this
he were Almighty God. scripture in the light o f
Jesus himself, however, w hat th e Bible says
d ire c te d a tte n tio n and about idolatry?
worship only to Jehovah Worship in the Bible
God. For example, when First, we have to under
prodded to do an act of stand w hat Paul m eant
worship to the Devil, Je here by worship. He used
sus said: It is Jehovah the Greek word
your G od you m ust wor ne'o. Ungers Bible Dictio
sh ip, and it is to him nary says that this word
alone you m ust render literally m eans to kiss
sacred service. (M a t the hand of someone in
thew 4:10) Later Jesus in token of reverence or to
stru c te d his disciples: do homage. An Exposito
Do not call anyone your ry Dictionary o f New Testa
father on earth, for one is your Father, the ment Words, by W E. Vine, says that this word
heavenly One.M atthew 23:9. denotes an act of reverence, whether paid to
To a Sam aritan woman, Jesus described m a n ... or to G od. In Bible times
the type of worship th at individuals must often included literally bowing down before
give to God. Their worship must be based on someone of high stature.
spirit and truth. Indeed, the Father is look Consider the parable Jesus gave of the slave
ing for suchlike ones to worship him. (John who was unable to repay a substantial sum of
4:23, 24) Yes, reverent adoration should be money to his master. A form of this Greek
expressed only to God. To render worship word appears in this parable, and in translat
to anyone or anything else would be a form ing it the King James Version says that the ser
of idolatry, which is condemned in both the vant therefore fell down, and worshipped [form
Hebrew and the Greek Scriptures.Exodus of pro-sky-ne'o] him [the king], saying, Lord,
20:4,5; G alatians 5:19,20. have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
But, some may counter, does the Bible (Matthew 18:26; italics ours.) Was this man
not indicate that we must also worship Je committing an idolatrous act? N ot at all! He
sus? Did Paul not say at Hebrews 1:6: Let was merely expressing the kind of reverence
Role-Playing Games Recently my new com unlike the skewbald shown in our photo. Our
puter arrived. I intended to play just a few apologies for the oversight.
games but ended up playing for almost 16
hours nonstop! When I realized what had Genes I am 16 years old, and Im very in
happened, I immediately erased all the terested in molecular biology. The series
games in my computer. Later on, though, I Unraveling the Mystery of Your Genes
began to feel that maybe I had been a little (September 8, 1999) was an excellent bal
extreme. But that same week, your article ance between the simple and the com plicat
Young People Ask . . . Is There Any Danger ed. I read a book that explained the secrets
in Role-Playing Games? arrived. (Au of DNA in depth. To my great surprise,
gust 22, 1999) I realized what those games your article covered all that material but in
were doing to me. I thank Jehovah for open more understandable and accessible terms.
ing my eyes to this danger. S. R., France
L. H., Brazil
Thanks to the articles, I got a high mark on
Theres a card game that has been the rage my biology exam. Your description of nucleic
in Japan. M any o f the cards have Satanic acids and how they are related to hereditary
names, for example, Curtain of the Black characteristics was so simple and complete!
Devil. I got so caught up in the game that D.A.N., Brazil
my sp iritu ality was in shreds. In the end
my m other found my cards and threw them I am a prim ary school teacher, and I have
away. I still felt an attachm ent to the cards. always wondered how I could help my pu
But after reading this article, that attachm ent pils understand the composition of the hu
dried up. The article was very helpful to me. man body. I found the information in these
K. N., Japan articles to be simple enough for my pupils
to grasp, even though it involved a n u m
Bloodless Medicine I am 11 years old, and ber of difficult scientific terms. Awake! made
the article Are Blood Transfusions Really them very understandable.
Necessary? was special to me. (August 22, K. M., Lesotho
1999) My sister had two heart surgeries. My
parents asked that they be performed with Fear of Flying Thank you! On Monday I
out blood. I thought that she would die, but am taking my first airplane flight, and Im
its been three years, and shes doing fine! very apprehensive about it. I guess the main
C. S., United States reason is that I cannot comprehend how a
machine so massive can seemingly defy
Wrong Horse! I really enjoyed the article gravity. I was therefore delighted to see the
October FairEuropes Oldest Interna article W hat Does It Take to Keep Them
tional Horse Fair. (March 22, 1999) But I Flying? (September 8, 1999) To know that
was astonished to see that the photo of a the airlines take such care to make sure
skewbald cob was labeled piebald cob. that their planes are safeeven X-raying
S. R, South Africa them has helped me to be more relaxed
about flying. So despite my fears, I will keep
Ourreader knows her horses!According to the this article in hand and I will get on that
British Skewbald and Piebald Association, the plane!
piebald cob has only black and white markings T. T., United States
EARLY 6 0 y e a rs a g o ,
N M in a Esch re c e iv e d a
p o stca rd fro m h e r h u s b a n d ,
3ctv^sh
peteC
. _------
B y * * # -
Peter. T he h a n d w ritte n m e s
s a g e w a s b r ie f a n d v a g u e . So**'
N e ve rth e le s s, s h e w a s h a p p y
r \ct>
and relieved to re ce ive it. M in
a s h u s b a n d w a s a p ris o n e r in
th e B u c h e n w a ld c o n c e n tra tio n
cam p, s e n t th e re by th e N azi
g o v e rn m e n t fo r b e in g o n e o f
Je h o va h s W itn e s s e s . T h e b a c k
o f th e p o s tc a rd b o re th e te rs e
s ta te m e n t: T h e p r is o n e r re
m a in s a s tu b b o rn B ib le S tu d e n t
[as J e h o v a h s W itn e s s e s w e re
th e n k n o w n ]. . . For th is re a s o n
only, th e p riv ile g e o f o th e rw is e M useum o f Jew ish H eritag e,
p e rm is s ib le c o rre s p o n d e n c e is in N ew York C ity
ta k e n fro m h im . T h is m e s s a g e
to ld M in a th a t P e te r w a s h o ld in g th e p re s e n t, in c lu d in g th e H olo
tru e to h is fa ith . ca u s t. W hy is th e M u s e u m o f Esch, one o f Jehovah's
Jew ish H e rita g e a fittin g p la ce to W itn esses, w as Im prisoned
The p o s tc a rd , n o w fra g ile a n d
d is p la y P e ter E schs le tte r? from 1 9 3 8 to 1 9 4 5 fo r refusing
ye llo w e d , is on lo a n to th e M u
to ren o u n ce his b e lie fs
s e u m o f Jew ish H e rita g e A Liv T h e m a n d a te o f th e m u
in g M e m o ria l to th e H o lo c a u s t, s e u m is to re p re s e n t Jew ish his
lo c a te d in B a tte ry P a rk , N e w to ry," e x p la in e d m u s e u m h is to ri s e u m c e le b ra te s su c h s p iritu a l
Y ork City. A lo n g w ith a p h o to an Dr. Jud N e w b o rn . J e h o v a h s re s is ta n c e . For th a t rea so n , th is
gra p h o f P e ter E sch, th e p o s t W itn e s s e s w e re p e rs e c u te d fo r in s titu tio n a ls o a c k n o w le d g e s
card s h a re s in te llin g a s m a ll w h o th e y w e re . T he W itn e s s e s a n d a d m ire s th e fa ith o f J e h o
p a r t o f a n e n o rm o u s h u m a n w e re p e rs e c u te d w h o lly fo r th e ir v a h s W itn e s s e s d u rin g th e N azi
tra g e d y th e H o lo c a u s td u rin g re lig io u s b e lie fs a n d b e c a u s e e ra .
w h ic h six m illio n Jew s p e ris h e d . th e y d id n o t b e lie ve in ra cism , in In its te m p o ra ry h o m e a t th e
The m u s e u m s co re e x h ib it c o n s w e a rin g a lle g ia n c e to an evil, M u s e u m o f Jew ish H e rita g e , a
ta in s m o re th a n 2 ,0 0 0 p h o to w o rld ly d ic ta to r. A nd th e y d id n t s im p le le tte r d e p ic ts th e s tru g
g ra p h s a n d 8 0 0 h is to ric a l a n d b e lie ve in fig h tin g his w ar. . . . gle o f o n e m a n w h o s e loyalty to
c u ltu r a l a r t if a c t s t h a t d e p ic t Jew s s tru g g le d to m a in ta in th e ir J e h o va h w a s p u t to th e te s t. Pe
th e e x p e rie n c e s o f th e Je w ish v a lu e s a n d th e ir fa ith a g a in s t te r Esch s u rv iv e d h is o rd e a l in
c o m m u n ity fro m th e 1 8 8 0 s to tre m e n d o u s o p p o s itio n . The m u th e N azi c a m p , h is fa ith in ta c t.
APRIL 19,
2000
A Day to
Remember
HE evening before he died, Je
T sus instituted a memorial of
his death. It was a simple ceremo
ny. During it he told his disciples:
Keep doing this in remembrance
of me.Luke 22:19.
This year the anniversary o f this
event falls on Wednesday, April 19,
after sunset.
As a result, Jehovahs Witnesses
around the world will be gathered
on this special night to observe this
M emorial in the m anner Jesus re
quested. You are most warmly in
vited to join them as observers.
Please check with Jehovahs Wit
nesses locally for the exact time
and place of the meeting.