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34567MARCH 1, 2012

What AretheMarksofWhat AretheMarksofTrue Christianity?True Christianity?

THE PURPOSE OF THIS MAGAZINE, The Watchtower, is to honor Jehovah God, the Supreme Ruler of the universe.Just as watchtowers in ancient times enabled a person to observe developments from afar, so this magazine showsus the significance of world events in the light of Bible prophecies. It comforts people with the good news thatGod’s Kingdom, which is a real government in heaven, will soon bring an end to all wickedness and transform theearth into a paradise. It promotes faith in Jesus Christ, who died so that we might gain everlasting life and who isnow ruling as King of God’s Kingdom. This magazine has been published by Jehovah’s Witnesses continuouslysince 1879 and is nonpolitical. It adheres to the Bible as its authority.This publication is not for sale. It is provided as part of a worldwide Bible educational work supported by voluntary donations. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripturequotations are from the modern-language New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References.

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Printing Each Issue:42,182,000 IN 194 LANGUAGES

MARCH 1, 2012

FROM OUR COVER3 Are All “Christians” Christian?4 “Remain in My Word”5 “No Part of the World”6 “Have Love Among Yourselves”7 “I Have Made Your Name Known”8 “This Good News of the Kingdom Will Be Preached”

REGULAR FEATURES16 Learn From God’s Word

—How Should We Remember Jesus’ Death?

18 Did You Know?

19 Draw Close to God—“The Former Things Will Not Be Called to Mind”

23 Our Readers Ask . . . Is the Trinity a Bible Teaching?

& 24 A Letter From Russia

30 Teach Your Children—“He Kept Sticking to Jehovah”

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE10 Should You Trust Your First Impressions?

13 Modern-Day Aztecs Become True Christians

20 What Is Wrong With Spiritism?

& 26 A Look at Colors and Fabrics in Bible Times

32 How Do You View Jesus?

HOW many Christians are there? Accord-ing to the Atlas of Global Christianity, in

2010 there were almost 2.3 billion world-wide. But the same publication also indi-cates that those Christians belong to over41,000 denominations—each with its owndoctrines and rules of conduct. Faced withthis bewildering array of “Christian” reli-gions, it is understandable that some observ-ers become confused or even disillusioned.They may wonder, ‘Are all who claim to beChristians really Christian?’

Let us look at the matter from a differentperspective. A traveler is usually required tostate his citizenship to a border official. Healso needs to prove that he is who he claimsto be by producing some identification, per-haps a passport. Similarly, a true Christianneeds to do more than profess his faith inChrist. He needs to have additional identifi-cation. What would that be?

The term “Christian” first came into usesometime after 44 C.E. The Bible histori-an Luke reported: “It was first in Antioch

that the disciples were by divine providencecalled Christians.” (Acts 11:26) Note thatthose called Christians were Christ’s disci-ples. What makes a person a disciple of JesusChrist? The New International Dictionary ofNew Testament Theology explains: “Follow-ing Jesus as a disciple means the uncondi-tional sacrifice of [one’s] whole life . . . forthe whole of his life.”A true Christian, there-fore, is one who follows the teachings andinstructions of Jesus, the Founder of Chris-tianity, totally and unconditionally.

Is it possible to find such people amongthe many who profess to be Christians to-day? What did Jesus himself say would iden-tify his true followers? We invite you to con-sider how the Bible answers these questions.In the following articles, we will examinefive statements by Jesus that characterizeand help to identify his true followers. Wewill consider how the first-century Chris-tians measured up. And we will endeavor tosee who among the many professing to beChristians today fit the pattern.

Are All “Christians”Christian?

THE WATCHTOWER ˙ MARCH 1, 2012 3

What It Means: Jesus’ “word” means histeachings, which came froma higher source.“The Father himself who sent me has givenme a commandment as to what to tell andwhat to speak,” said Jesus. (John 12:49) Inprayer to his heavenly Father, Jehovah God,Jesus said: “Your word is truth.” He frequent-ly quoted God’s Word to support his teach-ings. (John 17:17; Matthew 4:4, 7, 10) TrueChristians, therefore, ‘remain in his word’—that is, they accept God’s Word, the Bible,as “truth” and the ultimate authority fortheir beliefs and practices.

How Early Christians Measured Up: Themost prolificChristianBiblewriter, the apos-tle Paul, shared Jesus’ respect for God’sWord. He wrote: “All Scripture is inspired ofGod and beneficial.” (2 Timothy 3:16) Menappointed to teach fellow Christians had to“hold fast to the sure and trustworthy Wordof God.” (Titus 1:7, 9, The Amplified Bible)Early Christians were admonished to reject“the philosophy and empty deception ac-cording to the tradition of men, according tothe elementary things of the world and notaccording to Christ.”—Colossians 2:8.

Who Fit the Pattern Today?: According tothe Vatican’s Dogmatic Constitution on Di-

vine Revelation, adopted in 1965 and quotedin the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “Itis not from Sacred Scripture alone that the[Catholic] Church draws her certainty abouteverything which has been revealed. There-fore both sacred tradition and Sacred Scrip-ture are to be accepted and venerated withthe same sense of loyalty and reverence.”Anarticle in Maclean’s magazine quoted a min-ister in Toronto, Canada, who asked: “Whydo we need a ‘revolutionary’ voice from twomillennia ago to guide us? We have fabulousideas of our own, that are constantly weak-ened by having to tie them back to Jesus andScripture.”

Regarding Jehovah’s Witnesses, the NewCatholic Encyclopedia states: “They regardthe Bible as their only source of belief andrule of conduct.” Recently, a man in Canadainterrupted one of Jehovah’s Witnesses asshe was introducing herself. “I know whoyou are,” he said, pointing at her Bible, “byyour signature.”

“Remain inMyWord”“If you remain in my word, you are really my disciples,

and you will know the truth, and the truth will setyou free.”—JOHN 8:31, 32.

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Would you welcome more information or afree home Bible study? Please send yourrequest to Jehovah’s Witnesses, using oneof these addresses. For a complete list ofaddresses, seewww.watchtower.org/address.

America, United States of: 25 Columbia Heights, Brook-lyn, NY 11201-2483. Australia: PO Box 280, Ingleburn,NSW 1890. Britain: The Ridgeway, London NW7 1RN.Canada: PO Box 4100, Georgetown, ON L7G 4Y4. Ger-many: 65617 Selters. Guam: 143 Jehovah St, Barrigada,GU 96913. Jamaica: PO Box 103, Old Harbour, St. Cath-erine. Japan: 4-7-1 Nakashinden, Ebina City, Kanagawa-Pref, 243-0496. Puerto Rico: PO Box 3980, Guaynabo, PR00970. South Africa: Private Bag X2067, Krugers-dorp, 1740. Trinidad and Tobago: Lower Rapsey Street &Laxmi Lane, Curepe.

The Watchtower (ISSN 0043-1087) is published semi-monthly by Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of NewYork, Inc.; L. Weaver, Jr., President; G. F. Simonis,Secretary-Treasurer; 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY11201-2483, and by Watch Tower Bible and Tract Societyof Canada, PO Box 4100, Georgetown, ON L7G 4Y4. Pe-riodicals Postage Paid at Brooklyn, NY, and at addition-al mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changesto Watchtower, 1000 Red Mills Road, Wallkill, NY 12589-3299. � 2012 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society ofPennsylvania. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada.

Vol. 133, No. 5 Semimonthly ENGLISH

What It Means: Being no part of theworld, Jesuswas neutral in the social and po-litical conflicts of the day. “If my kingdomwere part of this world,” he explained, “myattendants would have fought that I shouldnot be delivered up to the Jews. But, as it is,my kingdom is not from this source.” (John18:36)He also urgedhis followers to shunat-titudes, speech, and conduct condemned inGod’s Word.—Matthew 20:25-27.

How Early Christians Measured Up: Ac-cording to religion writer Jonathan Dym-ond, the early Christians “refused to engagein [war]; whatever were the consequences,whether reproach, or imprisonment, ordeath.” They chose to suffer rather thancompromise their neutral stand. Their mor-al code also set them apart. Christians weretold: “Because you do not continue runningwith them in this course to the same lowsink of debauchery, they are puzzled and goon speaking abusively of you.” (1 Peter 4:4)Historian Will Durant wrote that Christians

“were troubling the pleasure-mad pa-gan world with their piety and theirdecency.”

Who Fit the Pattern Today? Regard-ing Christian neutrality, the NewCatholic Encyclopedia asserts: “Consci-entious objection is morally indefen-sible.” An article in the ReformiertePresse states that a report by AfricanRights, a human rights organization,on the 1994 Rwandan genocide estab-lished the participation of all church-es, “with the exception of Jehovah’sWitnesses.”

Discussing the Nazi Holocaust, a high-school teacher lamented that “no group ororganization of regular citizens spoke outagainst the mass of lies, cruelty, and eventu-al atrocities.”After consulting with the Unit-ed States Holocaust Memorial Museum, hewrote: “I now had my answer.” He learnedthat Jehovah’s Witnesses stood firm in theirbeliefs in spite of the harsh treatment theyreceived.

What about their moral code? “The ma-jority of today’s young adult Catholics dis-agree with church teachings on issues likecohabitation [and] premarital sex,” says U.S.Catholic magazine. The journal quotes achurch deacon, who said: “A great percent-age I see—I’d guess it’s well over 50 per-cent—are already living together when theycome to bemarried.” The New EncyclopædiaBritannica observes that Jehovah’s Witness-es “insist upon a high moral code in person-al conduct.”

“No Partof theWorld”

“The world has hated them,because they are no part ofthe world.”—JOHN 17:14.

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6 THE WATCHTOWER ˙ MARCH 1, 2012

What It Means: Christ told his followers tolove one another theway that he loved them.How did Jesus love them? His love transcend-ed the national and gender bias prevalent inhis day. (John 4:7-10) Love moved Jesus tosacrifice his time, energy, and personal com-fort in order to help others. (Mark 6:30-34)Finally, Christ showed love in the greatestway possible. “I am the fine shepherd,” hesaid. “The fine shepherd surrenders his soulin behalf of the sheep.”—John 10:11.

How Early Christians Measured Up: In thefirst century, Christians called each other“brother” or “sister.” (Philemon 1, 2) Peopleof all nations were welcomed into the Chris-tian congregation, for they believed that“there is no distinction between Jew andGreek, for there is the same Lord over all.”(Romans 10:11, 12) After Pentecost 33 C.E.,the disciples in Jerusalem “went selling theirpossessions and properties and distributingthe proceeds to all, just as anyone wouldhave the need.” For what purpose? So thatthose newly baptized could remain in Jerusa-lem and continue “devoting themselves tothe teaching of the apostles.” (Acts 2:41-45)What motivated such actions? Less than 200years after the death of the apostles, Tertul-lian quoted what others said of Christians:“How they love one another . . . and howthey are ready even to die for one another.”

Who Fit the Pattern Today? The book TheHistory of the Decline and Fall of the RomanEmpire (1837) observed that over the centu-ries those who professed to be Christians

“have inflicted far greater severities on eachother, than they had experienced from thezeal of infidels [unbelievers].” A recent U.S.study found a strong link between religiouspeople—mostof whom identified themselvesas Christian—and racial bias. Churchgoers inone land are often unaffiliated with those ofthe same denomination in another land andare thus unable or disinclined to help fellowbelievers when a need arises.

In 2004, after Florida was hit by a stringof four hurricanes in two months, thechairman of Florida’s Emergency OperationsCommittee checked to ensure that their sup-plies were being used properly. He said thatno other group was as well organized as Jeho-vah’s Witnesses, and he offered to provideany supplies needed by the Witnesses. Earli-er, in 1997, a relief team of Jehovah’s Wit-nesses with medicine, food, and clothingtraveled to the Democratic Republic of Con-go to assist their Christian brothers and oth-ers in need. Fellow Witnesses in Europe haddonated supplies totaling a million dollars(U.S.).

“HaveLoveAmongYourselves”“I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another;just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this

all will know that you are my disciples, if you have loveamong yourselves.”—JOHN 13:34, 35.


What It Means: Jesus made known God’snameby using it inhisministry.When Jesusread from the Scriptures, as he often did,he would have pronounced God’s personalname. (Luke 4:16-21) He taught his follow-ers to pray: “Father, let your name be sancti-fied.”—Luke 11:2.

How Early Christians Measured Up: Theapostle Peter related to the older men at Je-rusalem that God had taken out of the na-tions “a people for his name.” (Acts 15:14) The apostles and others preached that“everyone who calls on the name of Jeho-vah will be saved.” (Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13) They also used the divine name in theirown writings. The Tosefta, a collection ofJewish laws completed by about 300 C.E.,says regarding the burning of Christianwritings by opposers: “The books of theEvangelists and the books of the minim[thought to be Jewish Christians] they donot save from a fire. But they are allowed toburn where they are, . . . they and the refer-ences to the Divine Name which are inthem.”

Who Fit the Pattern Today? The RevisedStandard Version of the Bible, authorized bythe National Council of the Churches ofChrist in the United States, says in its pref-

ace: “The use of any proper name for theone and only God, as though there wereother gods from whom he had to be distin-guished, was discontinued in Judaism be-fore the Christian era and is entirely in-appropriate for the universal faith of theChristian Church.” Thus, it replaced the di-vine name with a title, “LORD.” More re-cently, the Vatican directed its bishops: “Insongs and prayers the name of God in theform of the tetragrammaton YHWH� is nei-ther to be used or pronounced.”

Who today use and make known God’spersonal name?WhenSergeywas a teenagerin Kyrgyzstan, he watched a film that identi-fied God’s name as Jehovah. For some tenyears, he did not hear the divine nameagain. Later, after Sergey had moved to theUnited States, two of Jehovah’s Witnessesvisited him at his home and showed himGod’s name in the Bible. Sergey was thrilledto find a group that used the name Jeho-vah. Interestingly, under the entry “Jeho-vahGod,” Webster’s Third New InternationalDictionary gives the definition “a supremedeity recognized and the only deity wor-shiped by Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

� In English, the divine name is commonly transliterat-ed as “Jehovah.”

“I Have MadeYour Name Known”“I have made your name manifest to the men yougave me out of the world. . . . I have made yourname known to them and will make it known.”—JOHN 17:6, 26.


What It Means: The Gospel writer Luke re-ported that Jesus “went journeying fromcityto city and from village to village, preachingand declaring the good news of the king-dom of God.” (Luke 8:1) Jesus himself said:“I must declare the good news of the king-dom of God, because for this I was sentforth.” (Luke 4:43) He sent his disciples topreach the good news in the towns and vil-lages and later commanded them: “You willbe witnesses of me . . . to the most distantpart of the earth.”—Acts 1:8; Luke 10:1.

How Early Christians Measured Up: Jesus’disciples wasted no time in doing what Jesustold them. “Every day in the temple andfrom house to house they continued with-out letup teaching and declaring the good

news about the Christ.” (Acts 5:42) Preach-ing was not limited to an elite group. Histori-an Neander observed that “Celsus, the firstwriter against Christianity, jeer[ed] at thefact, that wool-workers, cobblers, leather-dressers, the most illiterate and vulgar ofmankind, were zealous preachers of the gos-pel.” In his book The Early Centuries of theChurch, Jean Bernardi wrote: “[Christians]were to go out and speak everywhere and toeveryone. On the highways and in the cities,on the public squares and in the homes.Welcome or unwelcome. . . . To the ends ofthe earth.”

Who Fit the Pattern Today? “The church’sfailure to take preaching and teaching seri-ously is one reason for the general spiritual

“This Good News of the KingdomWill Be Preached”

“This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth fora witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.”—MATTHEW 24:14.

malaise of today,” writes Anglican priest Da-vid Watson. In his book Why Are the Catho-lics Leaving? Jose Luis Perez Guadalupe wroteabout the activities of Evangelicals, Advent-ists, and others and observed that “they donot go from house to house.” Regarding Je-hovah’s Witnesses, he wrote: “They go sys-tematically from house to house.”

An interesting and realistic observationmade by Jonathan Turley is found in CatoSupreme Court Review, 2001-2002: “Mentionthe Jehovah’s Witnesses, and most peopleimmediately think of preachers visiting ourhomes at inconvenient hours. For the Jeho-vah’s Witnesses, proselytizing door-to-dooris not simply to advance their faith but thevery article of faith.”

DoYouRecognizethe Mark?Based on the Scriptural criteriadiscussed in this series of articles,who today, do you think, bear themark of true Christianity? Thoughthere are tens of thousands ofgroups and denominations claim-ing to be Christian, bear in mindwhat Jesus told his followers: “Noteveryone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’will enter into the kingdom of theheavens, but the one doing the willof my Father who is in the heavenswill.” (Matthew 7:21) Identifyingthose who are doing the will of theFather—thus bearing the mark oftrue Christianity—and associatingwith them can lead to eternal bless-ings under God’s Kingdom. We in-vite you to ask Jehovah’s Witnesses,who brought you this magazine,for more information about God’sKingdom and the blessings it willbring.—Luke 4:43.


WHILE sitting comfortably in his livingroom, a doctor was watching a televi-

sion talk show that was hosting an Irish gov-ernment minister. After carefully observingthe minister’s face, the doctor noticed some-thing that he thought gave indication of atumor. He advised the minister to have itchecked immediately.

The diagnosis turned out to be exactlyright. That doctor had what is sometimescalled a clinical eye, that is, the ability tomake a good diagnosis by simply looking ata patient. Some, however, feel that they havea “clinical eye” when it comes to judgingpeople’s character, personality, and trust-worthiness.

Over the centuries, researchers have triedto come up with a scientific approach to thepossibility of discovering a person’s charac-ter by his physical appearance. They call itphysiognomy, which Encyclopædia Britanni-ca defines as “a pseudoscience dealing withpersonality traits supposedly revealed by fa-cial features or by body structure and form.”In the 19th century, anthropologists, such asFrancis Galton, a cousin of Charles Darwin,and criminologists, such as Cesare Lombro-so of Italy, proposed similar theories andtechniques that have since been mostly for-gotten.

Still, many people believe that it is possi-ble to come to a reliable judgment about anindividual simply by observing his outwardappearance. Are such first impressions to betrusted?

Judging by AppearanceA typical example of judging—or misjudg-

ing—by first impressions is found in the

Bible book of First Samuel. Jehovah Goddirected the prophet Samuel to anoint amember of Jesse’s household as the futureking of Israel. We read: “It came about that,as [the sons of Jesse] came in and he caughtsight of Eliab, he at once said: ‘Surely hisanointed one is before Jehovah.’ But Jeho-vah said to Samuel: ‘Do not look at his ap-pearance and at the height of his stature, forI have rejected him. For not the way mansees is the way God sees, because mere manseeswhat appears to the eyes; but as for Jeho-vah, he sees what the heart is.’” The samething was repeated with six more of Jesse’ssons. Finally, contrary to what the prophetand Jesse thought, God chose as future kingthe eighth son—David—a young lad whomno one had even thought of calling.—1 Sam-uel 16:6-12.

Things are not very different today. A fewyears ago, in Germany, a professor of crimi-nology conducted an experiment that in-volved 500 law students. There were 12 un-known “guests.” These included the localpolice commander and the local prosecutor,the university treasurer and the public rela-tions officer, some lawyers and court of-ficials, and three convicted criminals. Thestudents were to determine the profession ofeach of the guests, as well as which of theguests had to serve a prison sentence and forwhat crime. All of this was to be based onlyon their appearance andon thehobbies theysaid they had.

The results? About 75 percent of the stu-dents succeeded inpicking out the three realcriminals. But an average of 60 percent ofthe students also identified as lawbreakersthe nine other guests, who had a clean

SHOULDYOU TRUST YOUR

First Impressions?

record. The local prosecutor was thought tobe a potential drug pusher by 1 out of 7 ofthe students, and the police commander wasthought to be a thief by 1 out of 3 of them!Assessments based on impressions can be faroff the mark. Why?

Appearances Can Be DeceptiveWhenwe meet someone for the first time,

we tend to formulate opinions about theperson in light of our past experience. Weare prone to generalize and to judge him onthe basis of stereotypes. In addition to physi-cal appearance, wemay evaluate or judge theperson because of his nationality, ethnicity,social standing, or religion.

If the opinion we formed of that personturns out to be correct, we congratulate our-selves on our good judgment, and our beliefthat we can trust our first impressions is re-inforced. However, when we realize that wehad come to a completelywrong conclusion,how dowe react? If we are honest, we shouldlet go of our preconceived opinion and lookfor the facts. Otherwise, we might be doingothers a great disservice or even seriouswrong, all because of our pride in exercisingwhat we consider to be our superior sense ofjudgment.

Judging by appearance canbe harmful notonly for the victim but also for the one do-ing the judging. For example, in thefirst cen-tury, many Jews refused to consider the pos-sibility that Jesus was the promised Messiah.Why? Basing their opinions on outward ap-pearances, all they saw was the son of acountry carpenter. Although they were im-pressed by Jesus’ wise words and powerfulworks, they refused to believe that he couldbe anything more than what they had al-ready decided, based on their preconceivedideas. Their attitude caused Jesus to turn hisattention elsewhere, saying: “A prophet isnot unhonored except in his home territoryand in his own house.”—Matthew 13:54-58.

Those Jews were members of a nation thathad been awaiting the Messiah for centuries.To allow their first impressions to preventthem from recognizing the Messiah whenhe finally arrived led to a grave loss spiritual-ly. (Matthew 23:37-39) Similar prejudiceswere directed at Jesus’ followers. Many peo-ple simply could not believe that a smallgroup of lowly fishermen, despised by theeducated class and the leaders of the domi-nant religion, could have anything impor-tant to say. Those who continued to trustin their first impressions lost out on the

Their first impressions led many Jewsto reject Jesus as the Messiah

splendid opportunity of becoming followersof God’s Son.—John 1:10-12.

Some Changed Their MindThere were some contemporaries of Jesus

who were humble enough to change theirmind when faced with the evidence. (John7:45-52) Included among these were severalof Jesus’ family members, who at first hadnot taken seriously the possibility that oneof their relatives could be the Messiah. (John7:5) Commendably, in time they changedtheir mind and put faith in him. (Acts 1:14;1 Corinthians 9:5; Galatians 1:19) Similarly,years later in Rome, some representatives ofthe Jewish community were willing to listento the apostle Paul in person rather thantrust rumors spread by enemies of Christian-ity. After having listened, some of them be-came believers.—Acts 28:22-24.

Today, many have a negative opinion ofJehovah’s Witnesses. Why? In most cases, itis not because they have examined the factsor have proved that the beliefs and practicesof the Witnesses are unscriptural. Rather,they simply cannot believe that Jehovah’sWitnesses could have the truth in the reli-

gious field. This, as you will recall, is exactlythe same view that many in the first centuryhad of the early Christians.

It is not surprising that unfavorable or dis-paraging remarks are made against thosewhoendeavor to follow Jesus’ example.Whynot? Because Jesuswarned his true followers:“You will be objects of hatred by all peopleon account of my name.” But he encouragedthem with the words: “He that has enduredto the end is the one that will be saved.”—Matthew 10:22.

In obedience to Jesus’ command, Jeho-vah’sWitnesses today workhard to bring thegood news of God’s Kingdom to peopleworldwide. (Matthew 28:19, 20) Those whoflatly refuse to listen risk losing out on theopportunity of getting on the road to ever-lasting life. (John 17:3) What about you?Will you be guided simply by first impres-sions and preconceived ideas, or will you bewilling to examine the facts with an openmind? Remember: Appearances can be de-ceptive, and impressions can be wrong; butan objective examination of the facts can re-sult inpleasant surprises.—Acts 17:10-12.

Is your opinion of Jehovah’s Witnessesbased on impressions or on facts?


MEXICO is the home of the Aztecs, whowent from being a small immigrant

tribe in the 13th century to becoming an em-pire to rival that of the Incas in Peru. Al-though the Aztec empire fell with the Span-ish conquest of Tenochtitlan in 1521, thelanguage of the Aztecs, Nahuatl, is by nomeans dead.� It is still spoken by about a mil-lion and a half indigenous people in at least15 states in Mexico. It has contributed to pre-serving some of the ancient Aztec beliefs, asresearcher Walter Krickeberg noted above.What were some of those beliefs?

Traditions Strange Yet FamiliarPerhaps the mostwidely knownAztec prac-

tice is thatof human sacrifice. Itwas based onthe belief that the sun would die if not fedwith human hearts and blood. In 1487, onthe occasion of the dedication of the greatpyramid temple of Tenochtitlan, over 80,000victims were sacrificed in a period of fourdays, according to Spanish friarDiegoDuran.

Though the Spaniards were appalled bythis practice, they were surprised to find thatmany other Aztec beliefs were similar tothose of their own Catholic Church. For ex-

� Nahuatl is part of the Uto-Aztec family of languages,spoken by such tribes as the Hopi, Shoshone, and Co-manche of North America. Many Nahuatl words, such asavocado, chocolate, coyote, and tomato, have found theirway into the English language.

ample, the Aztecs practiced a form of com-munion in which images of their gods madeof cornwere eaten. The flesh of sacrificial vic-tims was sometimes also eaten. The Aztecsused the cross and practiced oral confessionand infant baptism. Perhaps the most amaz-ing similarity was the worship of Tonantzin,a virgin “Mother of the Gods,” affectionatelycalled Our Little Mother by the Aztecs.

On the very hill where the Aztecs wor-shipped Tonantzin, the dark Nahuatl-speaking Catholic Virgin of Guadalupe wassaid to have appeared to an Aztec Indian in1531. This hastened the conversion of the Az-tecs to Catholicism. A shrine to this virginwas built on the foundation of Tonantzin’stemple. On December 12, thebasilica is visited by hundredsof thousands of devout Mexi-cans, many of whom speakNahuatl.

In their remote sierra com-munities, the Nahuatl holdnumerous festivals devoted totheir patron saints, some last-ing for days or even weeks.The book El universo de los az-tecas (The Universe of the Az-tecs) comments that the in-digenous people “associatethe worship of the saints of

MODERN-DAYAZTECSBECOME TRUECHRISTIANS

“The temples fell, becoming dust and ash, the idolswere destroyed, and the sacred books were

devoured by flames, but the ancient gods have notstopped living in the hearts of the Indians.”

—Las antiguas culturas mexicanas (The Ancient Mexican Cultures).

AZTECPOPULATION

BY STATE150,000

UNDER1,000

MEXICO CITY


the Catholic Church with ceremonies thatwere practiced before Cortes.” The Nahuatlare also very much involved in spiritism.When they get sick, they go to healers whopractice ritual cleansing and animal sacri-fices. Moreover, illiteracy is widespread; mostread neither Spanish nor Nahuatl. Clingingto their traditions and language and im-mersed in poverty, they have been marginal-ized by society.

Bible Truth Reachesthe Modern-Day Aztecs

For many years, Jehovah’s Witnesses inMexico have endeavored to reach all peoplewith the “good news of the kingdom.” (Mat-thew 24:14) In 2000, the Mexico branchofficeof Jehovah’sWitnesses started a projectto preach to all Nahuatl-speaking people intheir own language and to organize Nahuatl-language congregations for those who wereattending meetings in Spanish. A translationgroup was set up to produce Bible literaturein Nahuatl. Efforts were also made to teachNahuatl-speaking people to read and write intheir own language. What has been the re-sult? Consider these experiences.

When an indigenous woman heard a Bibletalk in Nahuatl for the first time, she ex-claimed: “We have been attending meetingsfor ten years and leaving with a headache be-cause of not understanding Spanish well. Butthis is like beginning our lives all over again!”Sixty-year-old Juan had been studying the Bi-ble and attending meetings in Spanish withhis wife and children for eight years withoutmaking any progress. Then he began to studythe Bible in Nahuatl. In less than a year, hebecame a baptized Witness!

As these experiences show, many had theirfirst contact with the Bible in Spanish, butthey did not understand its full meaning.Having meetings, assemblies, and publica-tions in their own language has helped them

to embrace Bible truth and to comprehendtheir Christian responsibilities.

Overcoming ObstaclesSpiritual progress among the Nahuatl has

not been made without obstacles. For in-stance, there is much pressure to participatein religious festivities. In San Agustın Oapan,Jehovah’s Witnesses were not permitted topreach from house to house. There was fearthat it would make the people stop givingmoney to support the celebrations. WhenFlorencio and a small group of local NahuatlWitnesses were preaching, three of themwere arrested. Within 20 minutes, a crowdgathered to decide what to dowith them.

“They wanted to do away with us rightthen and there,” Florencio recalls. “Somesuggested that we be tied up and thrown intothe river to drown! We spent the night in jail.Thenext day, a fellowWitnesswhowas a law-yer and two other brothers came to help.They too were thrown in jail. Finally, the au-thorities let all of us go on the condition thatwe leave town.” In spite of that experience, acongregation was established a year later,with 17 baptized Witnesses and about 50people attending the meetings.

In the Nahuatl community of Coapala, Al-berto, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, was invit-ed to participate in the local festival. Hedeclined and was imprisoned. A general as-sembly was called, and some clamored forhim to be hanged in order to frighten anywhomay havewished to join his religion andgive up the local customs.Some other Witnesses triedto get him released, but theytoo were arrested. After theweek-long festival ended, allwere set free. As oppositioncontinued, it was necessaryto seek the help of higher of-ficials, and an order was ob-

tained that put an end to the persecution. In-terestingly, the main opposer accepted Bibletruth a short time later and was baptized.There is now a congregation in that town.

Ripe for the HarvestSeeing the potential for growth in the Na-

huatl field, many Witnesses are learning thelanguage. This, though, has its challenges.The Nahuatl are a very shy people who

are reticent about speakingtheir language because ofthe treatment they have re-ceived. There are also manyvariants, or dialects.

Sonia, a full-time minister, explains whatmoved her to take on the challenge. “Withintwo hours of my home, there are some 6,000Nahuatl migrant workers living in sheltersshut in with guards. The people are vulner-able and humiliated,” said Sonia. “Their con-ditionmade me very sad because the Nahuatlwere once a proud people, the roots of ourculture. We had been preaching to them for20 years in Spanish, but they did not fullyunderstand, and they showed little interest.However, when I learned a few words of theirlanguage, the doors opened up. They sur-rounded me to listen. I offered to teach one ofthe women to read and write if she wouldteach me Nahuatl. Now they know me in allthe shelters as ‘the woman of the language.’ Ifeel like amissionary inmyowncountry.” To-day, there is a Nahuatl-speaking congregationin that area.

Maricela, another full-time minister, ismaking every effort to learn Nahuatl. At first,she conducted a Bible study in Spanish with70-year-old Felix. As she learned more Na-huatl, Maricela began to explain things tohim in his language. This had a fine ef-fect. How touched she was when Felix asked,“Does Jehovah listen when I talk to him inNahuatl?” Felix was happy to learn that Jeho-vah understands all languages. Felix regularlyattends the meetings even though he has towalk for an hour and a half to do so, and he isnow baptized. Maricela says, “How happy Iam to cooperate with the angel who has goodnews to declare to all peoples!”—Revelation14:6, 7.

Indeed, the Nahuatl field is“white for harvesting.” (John 4:35) We pray that Jehovah Godwill continue to invite people ofall nations, including the noblemodern-day Aztecs, to go up tohismountain to be instructed inhis ways.—Isaiah 2:2, 3.

15

1. How should Jesus’ deathbe remembered?

Jesus told his followers to remember his death bymeans of a symbolic meal, using bread and wine.The bread represents Jesus’ body, and the wine hisblood.—Read Luke 22:19, 20.

The bread that Jesus used was unleavened, orwithout yeast. In the Bible, yeast is often used to rep-resent sin. So the bread was a fitting symbol of Jesus’perfect body. He offered his body as a sacrifice,which did away with the animal sacrifices under theMosaic Law. (Hebrews 10:5, 9, 10) The wine was asymbol of Jesus’ precious blood that was poured outas a sacrifice for our sins.—Read 1 Peter 1:19; 2:24;3:18.

2. When should we commemorateJesus’ death?

Jesus’ death occurred on Passover, Nisan 14. AJewish day begins at sundown. The evening beforehe died, Jesus ate the Passover meal with his apos-tles and then instituted a new memorial meal tocommemorate his death.—Read Luke 22:14,15.

Today, God’s people commemorate what Godprovided through Jesus to set the whole world freefrom sin and death. (Exodus 12:5-7, 13, 17) Just asthe Passover was observed once a year, so the Me-morial of Jesus’ death is held once a year after sun-down on Nisan 14 according to the Bible’s lunar cal-endar.—Read John 1:29.

LEARN FROM GOD’S WORD

How Should WeRemember Jesus’ Death?

This article considers questions youmay have raised and shows where youcan read the answers in your Bible.Jehovah’s Witnesses would be pleasedto discuss these answers with you.

3. Who should partake of the breadand the wine?

When Jesus handed the wine to his followers, hesaid: “This cup means the new covenant.” (1 Corin-thians 11:25) The new covenant replaced the Mosa-ic Law covenant, in which God had promised the Is-raelites that if they strictly obeyed him, they wouldbecome his people. (Exodus 19:5, 6) However, Isra-el did not obey God’s voice. So Jehovah provided anew covenant.—Read Jeremiah 31:31.

Through the new covenant, Jehovah makes bless-ings available to many by means of a few. Those inthe covenant are few, a mere 144,000. Throughthem, millions from all nations will be blessed witheverlasting life in an earthly paradise. Some who arein the new covenant serve Jehovah on earth today.They alone properly partake of the bread and thewine because the cup “means the new covenant.”—Read Luke 12:32; Revelation 14:1, 3.

4. How does the Memorial benefit us?The annual Memorial of Jesus’ death deepens our

appreciation for Jehovah’s extraordinary love. Hesent his Son to die for our sins. So when we attendthe Memorial, we should contemplate what Jesus’death means for us. We should consider how we canshow appreciation for what Jehovah and Jesus havedone for us.—Read John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:14, 15.

For more information, see pages 206-208 of thisbook, published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

WHAT DOESTHE BIBLE

Really TEACH?

17


ˇ Tax collectors have never been popu-lar. In first-century Israel, however, theywere considered to be among the mostdespicable and corrupt of people.

The ruling Roman authorities de-manded heavy taxes from the people.Roman officials collected land tax andhead, or poll, tax, but they farmed outto the highest bidder the work of col-lecting dues on imports, exports, andgoods passing through the land. Localbusinessmen thus bought the right tocollect taxes in certain areas. As willingtools of the hated Romans, such indi-viduals were deeply resented by fellowJews, who regarded them as “traitorsand apostates, defiled by their frequent

intercourse with the heathen,” saysM’Clintock and Strong’s Cyclopædia.

Tax collectors were notoriously dis-honest, and they enriched themselvesat the expense of their fellow country-men. Some overestimated the value ofthe goods to be taxed and pocketed theprofit, while others used false accusa-tions to extort money from the poor.(Luke 3:13; 19:8) As a result, tax collec-tors were put on a par with sinners and,says The Jewish Encyclopedia, were “in-eligible to serve as judge or even as awitness.”—Matthew 9:10, 11.

Why did first-century Jews despise tax collectors?

A ROMAN RELIEFDEPICTING A TAX

COLLECTOR, 2ND OR3RD CENTURY C.E.

Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY

ˇ A number of ancient Greek writers re-ferred to such altars. For example, his-torian and geographer Pausanias, ofthe second century C.E., stated that atOlympia, there was “an altar of the Un-known gods.” And the orator and phi-losopher Philostratus said that in Ath-ens, “altars [were] set up in honor evenof unknown gods.”

Third-century C.E. writer DiogenesLaertius recounts a tradition explainingthe origin of “nameless altars.” The sto-ry, dating back to the sixth or sev-enth century B.C.E., relates how a cer-tain Epimenides purified Athens of apestilence. Diogenes writes: “He [Epi-menides] took sheep . . . and broughtthem to the Areopagus; and there he

let them go whither they pleased, in-structing those who followed them tomark the spot where each sheep laydown and offer a sacrifice to the localdivinity. And thus, it is said, the plaguewas stayed. Hence even to this day al-tars may be found in different parts ofAttica with no name inscribed uponthem.”

Another possible reasonwhy altars tounknown gods were built, says The An-chor Bible Dictionary, was “the fear ofneglecting to pay homage to some un-known god or goddess and thus eitherfailing to procure the deity’s benefits, orincurring his or her wrath.”

DID YOU KNOW?

What was the altar to “an Unknown God” that the apostle Paulcame across in Athens?—Acts 17:23.

AN ALTAR TO ANUNKNOWN GOD,

PERGAMUM RUINS,TURKEY


MEMORIES can be a blessing. Reflecting onpleasant times with loved ones can warm

our heart. But in other cases, memories mayseem more like a curse. Are you plagued bypainful memories of hurtful past experiences? Ifso, you may wonder, ‘Will these sad memoriesever fade from my mind?’ We find a mostreassuring answer in words recorded by theprophet Isaiah.—Read Isaiah 65:17.

Jehovah purposes to cut off painful memoriesat their source. How so? By removing thiswicked world with all its suffering and replac-ing it with something infinitely better. Jehovahthrough Isaiah promises: “Here I am creatingnew heavens and a new earth.” Understandingthis promise can fill our hearts with hope.

What are the new heavens? The Bible givestwo clues that can help us. First, the idea of anew heavens is mentioned by two other Biblewriters, and in both cases the words are associ-ated with sweeping changes on this earth.(2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1-4) Second, in theBible the term “heavens” can represent ruler-ship, or government. (Isaiah 14:4, 12; Daniel 4:25, 26) The new heavens, then, is a new govern-ment, one capable of establishing righteousconditions on earth. There is but one rulershipable to accomplish all of that—God’s Kingdom,the heavenly government that Jesus taught usto pray for. That Kingdom will cause God’s righ-teous will to be done earth wide.—Matthew 6:9,10.

What is the new earth? Consider two Scrip-tural facts that help us reach the right conclu-sion. First, in the Bible the term “earth” at timesrefers to people, not the globe. (Psalm 96:1)

Second, the Bible foretold that under God’srule, faithful humans would learn righteous-ness, which would spread earth wide. (Isaiah26:9) The new earth thus refers to a society ofpeople who would submit to God’s rulershipand live by his righteous standards.

Can you begin to see how Jehovah will cut offpainful memories at their source? Soon Jehovahwill completely fulfill his promise of a newheavens and a new earth, establishing a righ-teous new world.� In that new world, the caus-es of hurtful memories—physical, mental, and

emotional suffering—will be things of the past.Faithful humans will enjoy life to the full, andthey will treasure the pleasant memories of eachpassing day.

What, though, about the pain that may bur-den our hearts at present? Jehovah’s promisethrough Isaiah continues: “The former thingswill not be called to mind, neither will theycome up into the heart.” Any pain we have ex-perienced in this old world will gradually fadeaway. Does that prospect appeal to you? If so,why not find out how you can drawcloser to theGod who promises such a bright future?

� For more information about God’s Kingdom and whatit will soon accomplish, see chapters 3, 8, and 9 of thebook What Does the Bible Really Teach? published by Jeho-vah’s Witnesses.

DRAW CLOSE TO GOD

“The Former Things Will NotBe Called to Mind”

��

SUGGESTED BIBLE READING FOR MARCH:˛ Isaiah 63–Jeremiah 16

��

Jehovah purposes to cut off painfulmemories at their source


From youth, Barbara� saw visions, heardvoices, and was convinced that she hadcontacts with deceased relatives. She andher husband, Joachim, read books on theoccult and became proficient in readingtarot cards. These indicated that theywould earn big money, which they did inbusiness. One day, the cards warned themthat dangerous people would come totheir home and told them how theyshould defend themselves.

ALTHOUGH belief in the occult may seemantiquated, interest in the paranormal is

widespread. People worldwide wear amulets,use Ouija boards, and consult spirit me-diums to tell their fortune or to protectthemselves from evil. In an article entitled“Laptop and Lucifer,” the German magazineFocus remarked: “The Internet is giving thewitchcraft scene new impetus.”

Did you know that the Bible speaks aboutspiritism? What it says on the subject mightsurprise you.

What the Bible Says About SpiritismThe law that God gave his people in an-

cient Israel stated: “There should not befound in you . . . anyone who employs divi-nation, a practicer of magic or anyone who

� The names have been changed.

looks for omens or a sorcerer, or one whobinds others with a spell or anyone whoconsults a spirit medium or a professionalforeteller of events or anyone who inquiresof the dead. For everybody doing thesethings is something detestable to Jehovah.”(Deuteronomy 18:10-12) Why such a strongstand against spiritistic practices?

As our opening experience shows, manybelieve that the living can communicatewith the dead and that information ob-tained through occult practices originateswith the dead. Such beliefs are rooted inwhat is taught by many religions—that atdeath humans live on in the spirit realm.But, contrary to this teaching, the Bibleclearly states: “As for the dead, they are con-scious of nothing at all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5)It describes the dead as if they were in

WHAT IS WRONGWITH

Spiritism?

a deep sleep, totally unaware of what istaking place around them.� (Matthew 9:18, 24; John 11:11-14) That being the case,you might ask, How are we to explain ex-periences that people have with the para-normal? What is the source of such commu-nication?

Communication With the Spirit WorldThe Gospel accounts show that when on

earth, Jesus had dealings with the spiritworld. Mark 1:23, 24 reports that “an un-clean spirit” told Jesus: “I know exactly whoyou are.” The spirits undoubtedly know whoyou are too. But do you know who they are?

Before God created humans, he createdmultitudes of spirit sons, or angels. (Job 38:4-7) The angels are of a life-formhigher thanhumans. (Hebrews 2:6, 7) They are powerfuland highly intelligent, and they were createdto do God’s will. The psalmist sang: “Bless Je-hovah, O you angels of his, mighty inpower,carrying out his word.”—Psalm 103:20.

The Bible reveals that in time some of theangels initiated unauthorized contact withhumans. For what purpose? The first one todo so used deception to lead the first hu-mans, Adam and Eve, away from their Godand Creator. In so doing, he turned himselfinto Satan the Devil, a slanderer and opposerof God.—Genesis 3:1-6.

Later, other angels “forsook their ownproper dwelling place” in heaven, took onhuman bodies, and began living with attrac-tivewomen onearth. (Jude 6; Genesis 6:1, 2)Those renegade angels and their hybrid off-spring terrorized humankind, so much sothat the earth became “filled with violence.”You are probably familiar with the Bible ac-count of how God put an end to that vio-

� For a detailed discussion of the condition of the dead,see chapter 6, “Where Are the Dead?,” in the book WhatDoes the Bible Really Teach? published by Jehovah’s Wit-nesses.

lent and wicked generation by the Flood inNoah’s day.—Genesis 6:3, 4,11-13.

The floodwaters forced the spirits to de-materialize and return to the spirit realm.But the Creator did not allow them to returnto their original “dwelling place.” Instead,they were confined to a debased conditioncompared to “pits of dense darkness.” (2 Pe-ter 2:4, 5) The Bible refers to rebel angels as“demons.” (James 2:19) They are the powerbehind spiritism.

What the Demons WantThe objective of the wicked spirits who

communicate with humans is first to divertthem from worshipping the true God, Jeho-vah. The gifts or powers that many practicersof the occult claim to have are nothingmore than distractions to keep people fromgaining accurate knowledge about God andbuilding a relationship with him.

The demons’ second objective can be seenin what Satan, their leader, attempted withJesus. Satan offered Jesus “all the kingdomsof the world and their glory.” What did Satanwant in return? “Fall down and do an act ofworship to me,” he urged. Yes, Satan and thedemons desire to beworshipped. But Jesus re-jected the idea of forsaking God and trueworship.—Matthew 4:8-10.

Evil spirits seldom makesuch direct offers today.

Occult practices prevent people from havinga good relationship with God


Rather, they seek to ensnare the unwarywith seemingly harmless means of diver-sion, such as crystal balls, tea leaves, tarotcards, pendulums, and horoscopes. Do notbe deceived by such practices! They are notdoorways to the unknownbymeans of somemysterious force of nature. Wicked spir-its use fascination with the occult to lureand ensnare people with the aim of divert-ing them from worshipping Jehovah. Whenthat does not achieve their goal, evil spiritsoften harass and make miserable those whobecome entangled in their web. If that hasbeen true in your case, what can you do tofree yourself from their influence?

Spiritism—How to EscapeMake no mistake about it, spirits who

communicate with humans are enemies ofGod, doomed for destruction. (Jude 6) Theyare impostors and liars, who pose as thedead.How would you feel if you found that asupposed friend was an impostor, interestedonly in diverting you from your best inter-ests? How would you react if you discoveredthat you had unknowingly entered into a re-lationship with a sexual predator on the In-ternet? Entanglement with the demons is farmore dangerous. You need to do all you canto breakoff the contact. What canyou do?

After learning what the Scriptures teachabout spiritism, some inhabitants of ancientEphesus saw the need to destroy their bookson magical arts, costly though they were.They “burned them up before everybody.”(Acts 19:19, 20) Today objects related to theoccult include not only books, amulets, Oui-ja boards, and the like but also material fromelectronic sources. Turn away from anythingthat seems like a gateway to spiritism.

Recall the couple mentioned at the be-ginning of this article. From their tarotcards, they concluded that dangerous peo-ple would come to their home but that

they should neither listen to nor acceptanything from them. However, when Con-nie and Gudrun, two of Jehovah’s Witness-es, appeared at their door saying that theybrought good news about God, Joachimand Barbara decided that they would listen.Their conversation came to the subject ofspiritism, and Connie and Gudrun provid-ed accurate information about it from theScriptures. A regular Bible discussion began.

Soon Joachim and Barbara decided tobreak off all contacts with the demons.The Witnesses explained that the spiritswould likely not be happy about that. Infact, Joachim and Barbara went through

difficult times and suffered frightening de-mon attacks. For a while, they were in fearevery night untilmoving into anotherhousebrought some relief. Throughout their or-deal, this couple maintained confidence inthe words of Philippians 4:13: “For all thingsI have the strength by virtue of himwho im-parts power to me.” Jehovah blessed theirdetermination, and the spirits eventuallystopped harassing them. Today Joachim andBarbara are happy worshippers of the trueGod, Jehovah.

The Scriptures urge all who would have Je-hovah’s blessing: “Subject yourselves . . . toGod; but oppose the Devil, and he will fleefrom you. Draw close to God, and he willdraw close to you.” (James 4:7, 8) JehovahGod can and will help you to get free fromdemon influence, if you want to. Lookingback on their liberation from spiritism, Jo-achim and Barbara wholeheartedly agreewith the words of Psalm 121:2: “My help isfrom Jehovah.”

“Draw close to God, and he willdraw close to you.”—JAMES 4:8


ˇ The Trinity doctrine is defined this way, al-though there are many variations: “Three divinePersons (the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost),each said to be eternal, each said to be al-mighty, none greater or less than another, eachsaid to be God, and yet together being but oneGod.” Is this a Bible teaching?

Matthew 28:19 is usually cited to prove thedoctrine. The text from the King James Versionquotes Jesus: “Go ye therefore, and teach all na-tions, baptizing them in the name of the Father,and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” True,the Father, the Son, and the holy ghost (or spir-it) are all mentioned in this text. However, noth-ing is said about their being one. Jesus wascommissioning his Jewish followers to teachand baptize people in the name of the Father,the Son, and the holy spirit. As a nation, whatdid the Jews believe?

When the nation of Israel received the Lawcovenant, which forms part of the Bible,they were commanded: “You must never haveany other gods against my face.” (Deuterono-my 5:7) How many persons were speakinghere? Without any confusion, Deuteronomy 6:4

reads: “Listen, O Israel: Jeho-vah our God is one Jeho-vah”—not three in one. Israelhad just been liberated fromEgypt, where Osiris, Isis, andHorus (shown at left)—oneof a number of triads ofgods—were worshipped.Therefore, Israel was com-manded to worship just oneGod. How important wasit for people to understandthis command? According to

Dr. J. H. Hertz, a rabbi: “This sublime pro-nouncement of absolute monotheism was adeclaration of war against all polytheism . . . TheShema excludes the trinity of the Christian creedas a violation of the Unity of God.”�

Since Jesus was a Jew by birth, he was in-structed to follow this same command. After hisbaptism, when tempted by the Devil, he said:“Go away, Satan! For it is written, ‘It is Jehovahyour God you must worship, and it is to himalone you must render sacred service.’” (Mat-thew 4:10; Deuteronomy 6:13) We can learn atleast two things from this incident. First, Satanwas trying to entice Jesus to worship someoneother than Jehovah, an attempt that wouldhave been absurd if Jesus were part of the sameGod. Second, Jesus made it clear that there isjust one God who must be worshipped whenhe said “him alone,” not “us,” which he wouldhave said if he were part of a Trinity.

When people come to an accurate knowl-edge of God and want to serve him, they arebaptized “in the name of the Father and of theSon and of the holy spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)They understand and accept the authority of Je-hovah and the role of Jesus Christ in the out-working of Jehovah’s purpose. (Psalm 83:18;Matthew 28:18) They also comprehend thefunction and activity of God’s holy spirit, whichis his active force.—Genesis 1:2; Galatians 5:22,23; 2 Peter 1:21.

The Trinity doctrine has confused people forcenturies. On the other hand, Jesus enlightenedhis followers and directed them to “the onlytrue God,” Jehovah.—John 17:3.

� The confession of the oneness of God as expressed inthe Shema, a prayer based on Deuteronomy 6:4, forms acentral part of synagogue worship.

OUR READERS ASK . . .

Is the Trinity a Bible teaching?

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IT IS a fine day in May in the Altay Republic—a region of breathtaking beauty in the

southwest corner of Siberia. From our win-dow we see swaths of dark coniferous forest;and rising majestically behind, faint bluepeaks capped with snow. This is the ruggedand remote land of the Altaics—a distinctAsian people with their own language. Theyare perfectly at home in the Altai Mountains,a name based on a Turkic-Mongolian wordmeaning “golden.”

It has been a few years since my wife andI learned Russian Sign Language and be-ganvisiting sign-language congregations andsmall groups of Jehovah’s Witnesses who aredeaf. In this country, more than 100 ethnicgroups and 70 distinct cultures share onecommon spoken language, Russian. The deafamong us use yet another language, RussianSign Language. The deaf enjoy a tight-knitculture, and many whom we meet are eagerto share their personal history with us andshow us hospitality. This is certainly the casein Altay.

In the city of Gorno-Altaysk, we learn ofa few deaf ones who live in a small vil-lage 155 miles (250 km) away. We knowthere are a few Witnesses there, but none of

them know sign language. We wonder aboutthese deaf Altaics and decide to drive outto find them. Our enthusiasm excites Yuryand Tatyana, a deaf couple who agree tocome with us. We load a minivan with sign-language publications on DVD and a DVDplayer. We also pack a large thermos, sand-wiches of rye bread and smoked sausage,and freshly baked piroshki—delicious Rus-sian pastries with fillings of cabbage and po-tato. Finally, we spray ourselves, our clothes,and our shoes thoroughly with a tick repel-lent, as tick-borne encephalitis is common inthe area.

The road we are traveling winds throughspectacular mountain scenery. The air isthickwith the fragrance of jasmine and lilac.It invigorates us!We are thrilled to see a herdof Siberian deer calmly munching on thegrass. Altaic settlements are clusters of wood-en houses with neat metal roofs. Next tomany of the houses are wooden dwellingscalled ayyl, usually six-cornered houses with

A LETTER FROMRUSSIA

Treasure Hunting in theTreasure Hunting in theGolden Mountains of AltayGolden Mountains of Altay

a conical roof. Some resembletepees covered with tree bark.Many Altaic families live in theayyl from May to September andmove into the house for the falland winter.

We are warmly welcomed in the village bylocal Witnesses, who lead us to the home of adeaf Altaic couple. They are delighted to seeus and are curious about where we are fromand what we are doing. It turns out that theyhave a computer, sowhenwe pull out a DVD,they insist on playing it. Immediately, allconversation ceases; it is as if we were notthere. Their eyes glued to the monitor, theyoccasionally copy the signs they see and nodin appreciation. With difficulty, we get theirattention sowe can stop the DVD to return toits opening scenes, which depict a beautifulparadise on earth. Pausing on one scene, wediscuss what God will do for mankind andwhat kind of people will live forever in theconditions they see. We are heartened bytheir interest, and at the end of the visit, theytell us about another deaf couple living a fewhours away in another village.

Setting off again, we cross a spectacu-lar rocky pass cut deep into the moun-tains and follow the serpentine road to amuch smaller village. There we find thedeaf family—the husband, the wife, thewife’s mother, and the couple’s smallson—who are delighted to have unexpectedcompany. We enter the tiny door of their

ayyl, which smells pleas-antly of wood and butter-milk. It has a round holeon top of its cone-shapedroof, which lets the lightin. A whitewashed brickoven and stove stands inone corner, and cheery

red rugs carpet the walls. The cou-ple treat us to an Altaic dish—smallfried doughnuts and tea in littleAsian-style bowls. We ask them ifthey have ever considered it possi-ble to be God’s friend. They ponderthe question. The wife’s mothertells us that as a child, she once

took some food to a place in the mountainsas an offering to the gods. “What that reallymeant, I don’t know,” she shrugs and smiles.“It was our custom.”

We show a DVD on this subject, and theirfaces light up. They are eager to continue thediscussion, but how? Although text messagesusually make it easy to keep in touch withdeaf ones, there is not a single mobile-phoneantenna in the area. Sowe promise to keep intouch by letter.

The sun is already setting as we part affec-tionately and set off on the long road back toGorno-Altaysk, tired but content. Some timelater, we ask localWitnesses about this familyand learn that everyother week, the husbandtravels to a larger town, where he studies theBible and attends a meeting with the help ofa local sister who knows sign language. Howhappy we are that our efforts bore fruit!

Our search for honesthearted deaf peoplecan be compared to looking for treasures hid-den deep in the mountains. Long hours ofsearching are rewarded when we find a strayjewel, seemingly by accident. For us, themountains of Altay will always be golden, re-minding us of the sincere ones we met be-tween the rugged peaks.


IN THE Bible, we find many references to styles, col-ors, and materials of the clothing worn by people

who lived centuries ago.The Bible, of course, is not a book on fashions and

styles. Yet, such details given in Bible accounts canmake the events being reported on come to life in thereader’s mind.

For example, we read about the makeshift garb puttogether by Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness—loin coverings made of fig leaves sewn together.These, however, were later replaced by garments thatGod gave them—more lasting “long garments ofskin.”—Genesis 3:7, 21.

We also have the detailed accounts in Exodus chap-ters 28 and 39 regarding the garments wornby Israel’shigh priest. These included a linen undergarment, awhite robe, a woven sash, a blue sleeveless coat, andthe embroidered ephod and breastpiece, togetherwith a turban and its shining gold plate. Just readingthe descriptionof theway that themanyprecious ma-terials were put together to make these garments isenough to give us a picture of how impressive theymust have looked.—Exodus 39:1-5, 22-29.

The clothing of the prophet Elijah was so character-istic that people quickly recognized him by a descrip-tion of his appearance: “A man possessing a hair gar-ment, with a leather belt girded about his loins.”Hundreds of years later, some people thought thatJohn the Baptizer was Elijah, perhaps partly becauseof the similarity of their clothing.—2 Kings 1:8; Mat-thew 3:4; John 1:21.

A LOOK ATColors and Fabrics

IN BIBLE TIMES

In Biblical times, sheep wereraised mainly for their milk andwool. From a few sheep, a farmerwould get enough wool for hisfamily’s garments. If many sheepwere raised, a farmer could sell thesurplus to the local textile producers.Some towns and villages had theirown textile guilds. From early times,sheepshearing was part of a year’swork for the people.—Genesis 31:19;38:13; 1 Samuel 25:4, 11.

Wool and Linen

Fabrics and Colors The Bible provides many refer-ences to the types of material used for clothing and tothe colors and dyeing agents, as well as to spinning,weaving, and sewing.� The main fabrics mentionedwere wool from domesticated animals and linen fromthe flax plant. Abel was called “a herder of sheep.”(Genesis 4:2) Whether Abel raised sheep for theirwool, the Bible does not say. The earliest Biblical refer-ence to fine linen relates to the garments that Pharaohplaced on Joseph in the 18th century B.C.E. (Genesis41:42) The Bible makes virtually no mention of cottonas a clothing material used by the Jews, but it was usedfrom early times in Middle Eastern lands.

Bothflax and wool yielded fine fibers that were spuntogether to make threads of varying thicknesses. Thethreads were then woven into pieces of cloth. Threadsand woven fabrics were dyed in a wide range of colors.The fabric was then cut to fit the wearer. Itemsof clothing were often decorated with embroidery,

� For details on these processes, see the accompanying boxes.

“BLUE THREAD ANDWOOL DYED REDDISHPURPLE.”—EXODUS 26:1

DRIED FLAXPLANT

BEFORESOAKING

Linen, a popular fabric for cloth-ing, was made from fibers of the flaxplant. (Exodus 9:31) The plant washarvested when nearly full-grown.The stalk was allowed to dry in thesun and was then soaked in water tosoften the woody parts. After drying,it was beaten and the fibers wereseparated, or sorted out, and spuninto threads for weaving. Royalty andhigh officials preferred clothingmade of linen.

A single fiber—such as flax, wool,or goat’s hair—is toofragile and too shortto be of use. So anumber of fibers aretwisted together, orspun, to producethread or yarn of de-sired thicknesses andlengths. Of the “capa-ble wife,” the Biblesays: “Her hands shehas thrust out to thedistaff, and her own hands take holdof the spindle.” (Proverbs 31:10, 19)This is a description of the spinningprocess, using the distaff and thespindle, basically two simple sticks.

In one hand, a woman holdsthe distaff, with the fibers looselywrapped around it. With the otherhand, she draws out some fibers,twists them into a thread, and at-taches it to a hook or notch at oneend of the spindle. On the other endof the spindle is a weighted disk,called a whorl, that serves as a fly-wheel. Suspending the spindle verti-cally and turning it, she spins thefibers into thread of a certain thick-ness. The spun thread is wrappedaround the shaft of the spindle, as ona bobbin, and the process is repeat-ed until all the fibers on the distaffbecome one long thread, ready fordyeing or weaving.

Spinning

27


interwoven threads of varied colors, adding much tothe appearance and value of the garments.—Judges5:30.

Blue, purple, and crimsonare frequently mentionedin the Bible as dyes for fabrics. The Israeliteswere com-manded to put “a blue string above the fringed edge”of their garments as a reminder of their special rela-tionship with their God, Jehovah. (Numbers 15:38-40) The Hebrew words tekhe�leth, a shade of blue, and’ar·ga·man�, usually translated “purple,” are the colorsassociated with the high priest’s garments and otherdecorative items in the tabernacle and temple.

Tabernacle and Temple Fittings The tabernaclein the wilderness—and later the temple in Jerusa-lem—were the center of worship for the Israelites. It istherefore understandable that a great number of de-tails were provided in the Bible in connectionwith thepreparing and outfitting of the tabernacle and of Solo-mon’s temple. In addition to material and color, wefind details regarding the weaving, dyeing, sewing,and embroidering of the tent coverings and curtains.

Under divine guidance and direction, expert crafts-men Bezalel and Oholiab, as well as other menand women, faithfully accomplished a unique assign-ment, producing a meeting tent worthy of the wor-ship of Jehovah. (Exodus 35:30-35) In chapter 26 ofExodus, the materials and construction of all the partsof the tabernacle are described in meticulous detail.For example, its expansive, colorful tent cloths werewovenof “fine twisted linen and blue thread and wooldyed reddish purple and coccus scarlet material.”Much of this material was probably brought out ofEgypt at the time of the Exodus. Special attention wasgiven to the colorful thick curtain that was embroi-dered with figures of cherubs and divided “the Holyand theMostHoly” at the inner part of the tabernacle.(Exodus 26:1,31-33) Similar details were repeated tothose who worked with the fabrics for the temple inJerusalem, under the direction of King Solomon.—2 Chronicles 2:1, 7.

From the details preserved in the Bible, we can seethat the ancient Hebrews showed considerable initia-

After spinning and cleaning, thewool and flax threads—or the wovencloth—are dyed a variety of colors.Several soakings in the dye producea deeper color. In view of its costli-ness, surplus dye is squeezed out tobe reused after the material is re-moved from the vat. The dyed threador cloth is then laid out to dry.

With no synthetic colors at theirdisposal, the ancients developed per-manent dyes for a surprising varietyof shades and hues from the animaland plant kingdoms. For example,yellow dye was made from almondleaves and ground pomegranaterinds, and black dye from pomegran-ate tree bark. Red dye was extractedfrom the roots of the madder plant orfrom the kermes insect. Blue coloringcame from the indigo flower. Thecombination of pigments from vari-ous murex sea snails could produce

Dyeing

tive and ingenuity in utilizing the materials availableto them.What we see is a picture, not of a society ekingout a rather gray existence in drab clothing styles andhomely fabrics, but of a people who enjoyed a varietyof colorful fashions, available for different occasions,according to the seasons of the year and the means ofthe household.

The Bible tells us that the Israelites were given agood land, “a land flowing with milk and honey,” astheir home. (Exodus 3:8; Deuteronomy 26:9, 15) Asthey pursued true worship of Jehovah, they enjoyedhis blessing. Life was good, and the people were happyand contented. For example, the Bible tells us: “Judahand Israel continued to dwell in security, everyone un-der his own vine and under his own fig tree, fromDan to Beer-sheba, all the days of [King] Solomon.”—1 Kings 4:25.

SEASNAILSHELL

2ND OR 3RDCENTURY B.C.E.PURPLE DYEVAT FOUNDIN TEL DOR,ISRAEL

The

TelD

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shades and colors ranging from royalpurple to blue to crimson red.

How many sea snails were neededto dye a garment? Each individualsea snail produces such a smallamount of pigment that according toone study, some 10,000 were neededto produce enough secretions to dyeone robe or cloak a deep shade ofaptly named royal purple. Duringthe reign of King Nabonidus of Bab-ylon, wool dyed purple was said tobe 40 times more expensive thanwool dyed other colors. In view ofancient Tyre’s prominence as a re-nowned supplier of this costly dye,the color purple became known asTyrian purple.

A loom is used to weave spunthreads into cloths of a desired sizefor making garments or other items.Sets of threads are interlaced length-wise as warp threads and crosswiseas weft, or woof, threads. The woofthreads are woven alternately overand under the warp threads.

The loom used in Biblical timeswas either a horizontal frame, placedflat on the floor, or a tall, verticalframe. In some vertical frames,weights were attached to the lowerends of the warp threads. Ancientloom weights have been discoveredin numerous locations in Israel.

Weaving was often a domesticchore, but in some places wholevillages devoted themselves collec-tively to the trade. For example, at1 Chronicles 4:21, we find a referenceto “the house of the workers of finefabric,” evidently an association ofworkers in that profession.

Weaving

HAVE you ever been told to stick to some-thing?—� Parents and teachers may tell

young ones to stick to their studies. Thismeans to view them as important. We wantto talk about a person who the Bible says“kept sticking to Jehovah,” the true God. Theperson’s name is Hezekiah. Let’s see whatwe can learn from his example.

Hezekiah had an unhappy childhood. Hisfather, Ahaz, the king of Judah, turned awayfrom serving Jehovah. Ahaz took the lead inworshipping false gods when Hezekiah wasa boy. Ahaz even had at least one of hissons—Hezekiah’s own brother—killed andoffered up in sacrifice to a god that Ahazworshipped!

Even though Ahaz continued to do badthings, Hezekiah kept obeying Jehovah. Doyou think that this was hard for him todo?— It must have been. But Hezekiah didnot give up! Let’s learn how he was able tostick to Jehovah, and how we can do thesame.

Hezekiah learned about others who hadstuck to Jehovah. David was such a person.Even though David lived hundreds of yearsearlier, Hezekiah could learn about him inthe Scriptures. “In case my own father andmy own mother did leave me,” David wrote,“even Jehovah himself would take me up.”

Do you see what helped David to obey Je-hovah?— It was his faith! David was sure that

� If you are reading with a child, the dash provides a remind-er to pause and encourage the child to express himself.

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN

“He Kept Sticking to Jehovah”

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if he was obedient, Jehovah would helphim. David had no doubt about it! Thinkingabout David surely helped Hezekiah stick toJehovah by obeying Him. You too can besure that Jehovah will help you if you keepsticking to him by obeying him.What, though, if your father or your

mother does not worship Jehovah?— Godsays children should obey their parents. Soyou should obey yours. However, if your par-ents tell you to do something that God saysyou should not do, you can explain why youcannot do it. You should not lie, steal, or doany other bad thing that God says is wrong,nomatter who tells you to do it. You are rightto obey God!There are good examples we can follow.

Hezekiah had not only the example of Davidbut also that of his own grandfather Jotham.Hezekiah could learn from him, even as wecan in our Bibles today. Can you think ofother good examples we can follow?—True, in the Bible you can learn about

some mistakes that Hezekiah, David, Jo-tham, and other imperfect peoplemade. Butthose people loved Jehovah, admitted theirmistakes, and tried to dowhat was right. Re-member, only God’s Son, Jesus, was perfect.Let’s especially study about him and try tofollow his example.

READ IN YOUR BIBLE2 Kings 18:6; 2 Chronicles 28:1-3Psalm 27:10; Ephesians 6:1; Colossians 3:202 Chronicles 27:1, 2; 1 Peter 2:21

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The Bible reveals that Jesus is a powerful King. Butwhat does this mean for you?

Many believe that Jesus died for them. Yet, how canone man’s death almost 2,000 years ago mean life forothers today?

You are cordially invited to listen to Scripturalanswers to these questions. This information will be pre-sented when Jehovah’s Witnesses gather to commemo-rate Jesus’ death. This year the anniversary falls onThursday, April 5, after sundown.

Please check with Jehovah’s Witnesses locally for theexact time and place.

The weekend following the commemoration of Jesus’death, Jehovah’s Witnesses will also present an intrigu-ing Bible-based discourse entitled “Is It Later Than YouThink?” This talk will be one of the highlights of aworldwide effort to reach out to all those who love truthand want to learn more about Jesus. You are invited toattend.

HOW DO YOU VIEW JESUS?

Are you more inclined to think of Jesus asa newborn baby, a dying man, or an exalted King?

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