!"#2 APRIL 2013

An End toDomestic Violence

Would you welcome moreinformation or a free home Bible study?

Visit www.jw.org or send your requestto one of the addresses below.

JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES: UNITED STATES: 25 Columbia Heights,Brooklyn, NY 11201-2483. CANADA: PO Box 4100, Georgetown,ON L7G 4Y4. For a complete list of worldwide addresses, seewww.jw.org/contact.

This publication is not for sale. It is provided as part of a worldwide Bible educational work supported byvoluntary donations. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the modern-language New WorldTranslation of the Holy Scriptures—With References.Awake! (ISSN 0005-237X) is published monthly by Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.;L. Weaver, Jr., President; G. F. Simonis, Secretary-Treasurer; 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11201-2483, andby Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada, PO Box 4100, Georgetown, ON L7G 4Y4. Periodicals Postage Paidat Brooklyn, N.Y., and at additional mailing offices.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Awake! 1000 Red Mills Road, Wallkill, NY 12589-3299.� 2013 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada.

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An End to Domestic ViolencePAGES 8-11

3 WATCHING THE WORLD

4 HELP FOR THE FAMILYHow to Avoid Hurtful Speech

6 INTERVIEW“I Am Convinced That LifeWas Designed by God”

12 LANDS AND PEOPLESA Visit to Indonesia

14 THE BIBLE’S VIEWPOINTHealth

16 Get to Our Online Content Quickly!

s MORE ONLINEwww.jw.org

T E E N A G E R S

YOUNG PEOPLE ASK . . .WHAT IF I’M BEING BULLIED?

“I’ll never forget the names theycalled me or the things they said,”says 20-year-old Celine. “Theymade me feel worthless, unwanted,and good for nothing. I’d ratherhave been given a black eye.”This online article answers suchquestions as: Why do kids bully?Who are most likely to become thebully’s targets? What can you doif you’re being bullied?

(Look under BIBLE TEACHINGS/TEENAGERS)

C H I L D R E N

Read illustrated Bible stories.Use the activity pages to helpyour children improve theirknowledge of Bible charactersand moral principles.

(Look under BIBLE TEACHINGS/CHILDREN)

Vol. 94, No. 4 / Monthly / ENGLISHPrinting Each Issue: 43,524,000 in 98 Languages

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W A T C H I N G T H E W O R L D

UNITED STATES

During the week of Octo-ber 29, 2012, New York Cityexperienced a dramatic de-cline in murders, felony as-saults, and robberies com-pared with the same five-dayperiod in 2011. The rea-son? Hurricane Sandy, afierce storm that ravaged theEast Coast of the UnitedStates, causing massivepower outages. “After a nat-ural disaster or large-scalecatastrophe like [the terror-ist attack that occurred onSeptember 11, 2001], wesee conventional crimecome down,” said New YorkPolice Department spokes-man Paul Browne. Therewas, however, an increase inburglaries because of loot-ing, which did not surpriseBrowne. “There are a lot ofunlit areas,” he said.

ANTARCTICA

Scientists worry that Antarctica’snative ecology is being threatenedby invasive nonindigenous spe-cies. It is estimated that the tens ofthousands of visitors to the conti-nent each year inadvertently carrywith them an average of 9.5 seedseach, often attached to their bootsor bags. Populations of alien plantspecies have already been found inthe Western Antarctic Peninsula.

NETHERLANDS

An 83-year-old woman was thefirst recipient of a prosthetictitanium jawbone produced ona 3-D laser printer. The patient,whose jaw had been destroyedby a bone infection, can noweat, breathe, and speak normal-ly. The laser printer fused tita-nium particles, layer by layer, tore-create her jawbone, whichwas then surgically implanted.

GERMANY

Within a year of a par-tial ban on smokingin some public areasin Germany, hospitaladmissions for anginapectoris among onegroup studied declinedby 13.3 percent; forheart attacks, by8.6 percent.

Prosthetic jawbone: Courtesy LayerWise;Antarctic visitors: � Joseph Sohm/age fotostock

WHY IT HAPPENS

Family background. Many husbands and wives wereraised in homes where hurtful speech was common.One or both spouses may be repeating the type of lan-guage they heard from their parents.

Influence of entertainment. Film and television com-edies turn rude speech into a laughing matter, leavingthe viewer with the impression that it is harmless—oreven funny.

Culture. Some societies teach that “real men” are dom-ineering or that women need to be fiercely aggressive soas not to appear weak. During a conflict, spouses withsuch attitudes may view each other as adversaries rath-er than allies and use words that hurt rather than heal.

Regardless of the cause, hurtful speech can be a pre-dictor of divorce as well as a number of health problems.Some even say that words can hit harder than fists. Forexample, one wife who was both verbally and physicallybattered by her husband says: “I found the insults hard-er to bear than the violence. I would have preferred thathe hit me rather than say such hurtful things.”

What can you do if you and your spouse have let hurtfulspeech erode your relationship?

H E L P F O R T H E F A M I LY � M A R R I A G E

How toAvoid HurtfulSpeech

THE CHALLENGE

Each time a conflict arises,you and your spouse un-leash a torrent of criticismat each other. Hurtfulspeech has become socommon in your marriagethat it is now your “normal”style of communication.

If this is happening inyour marriage, you can stopthe pattern. First, though,you need to consider thecauses and why it is inyour best interests to makechanges.

r Find more help for families at www.jw.org

Awake! April 2013 5

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Show empathy. Put yourself in your spouse’s position,and try to understand how your words make him or herfeel. If possible, think of a specific circumstance in whichyour mate felt that your speech was hurtful. Do not besidetracked by what you really said; the issue is howyour spouse feels about what you said. Can you think ofways that the hurtful speech could have been replacedwith kind expressions? The Bible says: “An answer, whenmild, turns away rage, but a word causing pain makesanger to come up.”—Proverbs 15:1.

Observe respectful couples. If negative role modelshave influenced your manner of communicating, look forgood examples. Listen to married couples whose patternof speech is worthy of imitation.—Bible principle: Philip-pians 3:17.

Revive the feelings you once shared. Hurtful speech ismore often a problem of the heart than of the mouth.So strive to nurture positive thoughts and feelings aboutyour spouse. Reminisce about activities you once en-joyed together. Look at old photographs. What made youlaugh? What qualities drew you to each other?—Bibleprinciple: Luke 6:45.

Use “I” statements. Rather than verbally attack yourspouse, express your concerns from the standpoint ofhow you are affected. For example, “I feel slighted whenyou make plans without consulting me first” is muchmore likely to elicit a positive response than “That is justlike you—always making plans without consulting me!”—Bible principle: Colossians 4:6.

Know when to stop. If tempers are beginning to flareand speech is getting out of hand, it might be best topostpone the discussion. Usually, there is nothing wrongwith walking away from a heated argument until thediscussion can be handled more calmly.—Bible principle:Proverbs 17:14. ˛

KEY SCR IPTURES

“Husbands ought to be lovingtheir wives as their own bodies.”—Ephesians 5:28.

“The wife should have deeprespect for her husband.”—Ephesians 5:33.

“Let all . . . screaming andabusive speech be taken awayfrom you.”—Ephesians 4:31.

WHAT IS “ABUSIVESPEECH”?

The Bible says: “Let all . . .screaming and abusive speechbe taken away from you.”(Ephesians 4:31) Why did Pauldistinguish “screaming” from“abusive speech”? The original-language word translated“screaming” (Greek, krau·ge�)refers to raising the voice.In contrast, “abusive speech”(Greek, bla·sphe·mi�a) describesthe content of the message.What does this mean? Thatabusive speech may not alwaysinvolve shouting. Really, anyspeech that is malicious, de-meaning, or insulting is abusive—even if it is delivered in a lowvoice.

Hurtful speech is more often a problemof the heart than of the mouth

What is your background?

My father was a mechanicalengineer. He often talked en-thusiastically to me aboutmath and science. As a boy,I was fascinated by the plantsand animals in the creeks andpools near my home in NewParis, Ohio, U.S.A. So whenI went to Purdue University,I chose to study ecology.

Did religion interest you?

Yes, it did. Dad encouragedme to study our Lutheran reli-

gion. I studied Koine (com-mon) Greek, one of the lan-guages in which the Bible wasfirst written. I developed deeprespect for the Bible.

How did you viewthe theory of evolution?

My church accepted it. Mycolleagues believed it. SoI never questioned it. ButI also believed in God. I hada foggy notion that the twobeliefs were compatible.Although I respected the

Bible, I didn’t think it camefrom God.

What made you changeyour view of the Bible?

Two of Jehovah’s Witnesses,Steve and Sandy, visited mywife, Debbie, and me. Theyshowed us that the Bible,though not a science text-book, is scientifically accurate.For example, it says of God:“There is One who is dwell-ing above the circle of theearth.” (Isaiah 40:22) It alsosays: “He is . . . hanging theearth upon nothing.” (Job26:7) At that time, I was us-ing satellite photographs tostudy ecology, so these scrip-tures impressed me. Theywere written long before any-one photographed the circle of

I N T E R V I E W � B R E T T S C H E N C K

“I Am Convinced That Life

Was Designed by God”

Brett Schenck is a retired environmental consultant inthe United States. He studied the interdependencyof plants, animals, and the environment. Why doeshe believe in a Creator? Awake! asked him abouthis science and his faith.

the earth hanging on nothing.As my wife and I studied theBible with Steve and Sandy,I learned of prophecies thathad come true, advice thatworks, and explanations thatsatisfied me. Gradually, I be-came convinced that the Bibleis the Word of God.

When did you change yourmind about the origin oflife?

Eventually, Steve showed methe Bible’s clear statement:“Jehovah God proceeded toform the man out of dustfrom the ground.” (Genesis2:7) The first man has a docu-mented life history. This raisedthe question: Is the Bible inharmony with scientific facts?Steve encouraged me to re-search the matter, so I did.

What did you learn aboutevolution?

Many things. To mention justone, the evolution theory at-tempts to explain the origin ofspecies. Living things aremade up of efficient organs,such as the heart, lungs, andeyes. Also, at the microscopiclevel, we see marvelously de-signed ‘machines’ within cells.Where do the designs forthose come from? Evolution-ists claim that the best mech-anisms are automatically se-

lected because the livingthings that have them survivebetter. But that idea does notanswer the question: Wheredo the mechanisms comefrom? I learned that manyscientists do not believe thatthe evolution theory answersthat question. A professor ofzoology confided to me that hedid not believe any of the the-ories of evolution. However, hedid not air his views for fear oflosing his job.

Does your knowledge ofecology strengthen yourfaith?

Yes, it does. My work involvedstudying how living things de-pend on each other. On earth,all living things depend onsomething else. Consider flow-ers and bees, for example.The color, fragrance, nectar,and structure of flowers aredesigned to attract bees andto sprinkle them with pollen.Bees are designed to extractnectar and to take one flow-er’s pollen to another plant forfertilization. Clearly, the flow-ers and bees are designed tosupply what the other needs.

In an ecosystem, we see inter-dependence on a vast scale.An ecosystem is an environ-ment with a community of per-haps thousands of types ofanimals, plants, bacteria, and

fungi. All animals depend onplants for food and oxygen,and most flowering plants de-pend on animals. Althoughecosystems are exceedinglycomplex and the organisms inthem are fragile, they may con-tinue surviving for millennia.Even after damage by pollu-tion, once the source of pollu-tion is gone, a complex ecosys-tem soon develops again.When I think about the resil-ience of the entire system oflife on earth, I am convincedthat life was designed by God.

Why did you become oneof Jehovah’s Witnesses?

I was deeply concerned aboutthe way human society is ruin-ing the environment. I knewthat although ecosystems areresilient, they are not inde-structible. I learned from Je-hovah’s Witnesses that, ac-cording to the Scriptures, Godwill “bring to ruin those ruin-ing the earth.” (Revelation 11:18) Those words were impor-tant to me. As I continuedstudying the Bible, I graduallyrealized that the hope that theBible presents is sure.

I enjoy sharing my beliefs withothers, and I have studied theBible with some scientists. Atage 55, I took early retirementto spend more time helpingpeople to understand the Cre-ator of life and his purpose forour magnificent earth. ˛

‘The resilience of the entire systemof life on earth convinces me thatlife was designed by God’

Awake! April 2013 7

Scenario 1: Isabel’s� parents have come for a visit. They share anenjoyable evening with their daughter and her husband, marked bypleasant conversation. What parent would not beam with pride atthe man their daughter married? He is so kind to her.

Scenario 2: Frank is boiling with rage. Once again, he will take outhis anger in typical fashion—which for him means hitting his wife inthe face, kicking her, pulling her hair, or repeatedly knocking herhead against the wall.

� Some names in this article have been changed.

IT MIGHT surprise you to learn that bothof those scenarios are about the same

couple.

Like many perpetrators of domesticviolence, Frank knows how to put on a

“good-guy” pretense when he is in thepublic eye or with his wife’s parents. Butwhen he is alone with his wife, Frank isterribly cruel.

Many men like Frank grew up in violent

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An End to Domestic Violence

Perpetrators of domestic violence oftendisplay two personalities

Awake! April 2013 9

families, and as adults they think thattheir behavior is acceptable—even nor-mal. But there is nothing normal aboutdomestic violence. That is why most peo-ple are appalled when they learn that aman has battered his wife.

Still, domestic violence is disturbinglycommon. In the United States, for exam-ple, one survey found that during one dayan average of over 16 calls per minutewere directed to domestic-violence hot-lines across the country. Domestic vio-lence is a worldwide epidemic, crossingcultural, economic, and social groups.Since many incidents go unreported, nodoubt the situation is worse than statis-tics reveal.�

Reports of domestic violence raisethe questions: How can a man come tothe point of treating anyone—let alone hiswife—so outrageously? Can men who bat-ter their wives be helped?

Jehovah’s Witnesses, the publishers ofthis magazine, believe that the Bible’spractical advice can help violent spouseschange their behavior. Is such a reversaleasy? No. Is it possible? Yes! Bible educa-tion has helped many to replace a vio-lent disposition with one of kindness andrespect. (Colossians 3:8-10) Consider theexperience of Troy and Valerie.

What was your relationship likeat first?

Valerie: On the night of our engage-ment, Troy slapped me so hard that I hada bruise for a week. He apologized pro-fusely and promised he would never do it

� Admittedly, a considerable number of men arebattered by women. In most reported incidents of domes-tic violence, however, men are the perpetrators.

Why do some wives choose to remain with a vio-lent mate? A common reason is that they fear theabuse will get worse if they leave. Some husbandshave threatened to harm or even kill their wife ifshe tried to escape. A number have carried outthat threat.

Others have hesitated to leave because they fearthat their friends and relatives would turn againstthem, refusing to believe that the situation athome was so severe. For example, Isabel, whoseexperience is referred to at the outset of this arti-cle, left her husband. She states: “My sister wasangry with me and urged me to return to him—she did not believe that such a ‘good’ man couldbe so cruel. The entire neighborhood shunned me,and I was forced to move away with my children.”

Still other reasons why some wives choose to stayare:

˙ They want their children to grow up with bothparents.

˙ They worry about being able to support them-selves and their children financially.

˙ They erroneously believe that they are toblame.

˙ They are ashamed to admit that they are beingabused.

˙ They hope the situation will improve.

Jehovah’s Witnesses hold to the Bible standardthat the only ground for divorce is adultery. (Mat-thew 5:32) However, there are circumstances thatmight move some to separate, including theextreme conduct of a physically abusive mate.

WHY DON’T THEY LEAVE?

again. In the years to come, I would hearthose words many times.

Troy: Anything would set me off—latemeals, for instance. Once I pistol-whippedValerie. On another occasion, I beat herso badly that I thought I had killed her.Then, I tried to frighten her by threatening

to kill our son while holding a knife to histhroat.

Valerie: I lived in constant fear. At timesI had to flee the house until Troy calmeddown. For all that, I found his verbalabuse even more difficult to endure thanthe physical violence.

Troy, had you always been violent?

Troy: Yes, from my childhood on. I grewup in a violent atmosphere. My father reg-ularly beat my mother in front of me andmy siblings. After he left, my mother tookup with another man, and he also beather. He also raped my sister—and me. Hewent to prison for that. Of course, I realizethat none of this excuses my behavior.

Valerie, you stayed in the marriage.Why?

Valerie: I was afraid. I thought to my-self, ‘What if he hunts me down and killsme or my parents? What if I report himand the situation gets worse?’

When did things begin to change?

Troy: My wife began studying theBible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. At first,I was jealous of her new friends, andI thought I needed to save her from thisstrange “sect.” So I became even more vi-olent, not only toward Valerie but alsotoward the Witnesses. But one day ourfour-year-old son, Daniel, who sufferedfrom seizures, was hospitalized for near-ly three weeks. During that period, theWitnesses did so much for us—even tothe point of taking care of our six-year-olddaughter, Desiree. After working the nightshift, one Witness spent the day withDaniel so that Valerie could get somesleep. The kindness of those people—thevery people toward whom I had been soinsolent—affected me deeply. I realizedthat I had seen true Christianity in ac-tion, so I asked the Witnesses if I could

r Find more help for families at www.jw.org

Treat your wife with honor and respect.—1 Peter 3:7.

Love your wife as your own body.—Ephesians 5:28, 29.

Keep your love alive and growing.—Ephesians 5:25.

Avoid abusive speech.—Ephesians 4:29, 31.

Cultivate self-restraint.—Proverbs 29:11.

Know that self-respect comes, not fromcontrolling others, but from controllingyourself.—Proverbs 16:32.

Think of the consequences of your actions.—Galatians 6:7.

If you feel you are going to lose control,it may be best to walk away.—Proverbs 17:14.

Learn to detest violent behavior.—Psalm 11:5.

View your wife, not as inferior, but as acapable partner.—Genesis 1:31; 2:18.

HELPFULBIBLE PRINCIPLESFOR HUSBANDS

Awake! April 2013 11

study the Bible with them. In the courseof studying the Bible, I learned how a manshould, and should not, treat his wife. Iput away my violent and abusive behaviorpermanently. Eventually, I became one ofJehovah’s Witnesses.

What Bible principles helped you tochange?

Troy: There are so many. At 1 Peter3:7, the Bible says that I should showmy wife “honor.” Galatians 5:23 encour-ages “mildness” and “self-control.” Ephe-sians 4:31 condemns “abusive speech.”Hebrews 4:13 says that “all things are. . . openly exposed” to God. So God seesmy conduct, even if my neighbors do not.I also learned that I needed to changemy associates, since “bad associationsspoil useful habits.” (1 Corinthians 15:33)You see, my former friends actually en-couraged my violent ways. They felt it wasright to beat a woman to keep her “undercontrol.”

How do you feel about your marriagenow?

Valerie: It has been 25 years sinceTroy became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.Since then, he has been genuinely loving,kind, and considerate toward me.

Troy: I cannot change the evil thatI brought on my family, and my wife cer-tainly never deserved the treatmentI gave her. But I look forward to the fulfill-ment of Isaiah 65:17, when this dark partof our history will fade from memory.

What advice would each of you give tofamilies that are afflicted with domesticviolence?

Troy: If you are physically or verballyviolent toward your family, admit that youneed help, and get it. There is plenty ofhelp available. For me, studying the Biblewith Jehovah’s Witnesses and associat-

ing with them helped me to overcome mydeeply entrenched violent tendencies.

Valerie: Do not be quick to compareyour situation with that of anyone else orto follow advice from people who thinkthey know what is best for you. Althoughnot everyone will have the same outcome,I am glad that I did not throw my marriageaway, because we have been blessed witha good relationship now.

ENDING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

The Bible states: “All Scripture is in-spired of God and beneficial for teaching,for reproving, for setting things straight.”(2 Timothy 3:16) Like Troy, whose story isrelated above, many abusive spouseshave applied the Bible’s counsel andhave been able to change their thinkingand conduct.

Would you like to learn more about howthe Bible can benefit your marriage? Forfurther information contact Jehovah’s Wit-nesses locally, or log on to www.jw.org. ˛

A study of the Bible has helped many men tomake needed changes

INDONESIA is made up of some 17,000 islands.Its people are known for being exceptionally friend-

ly, patient, polite, and hospitable.

Meals in Indonesia normally include rice alongwith other dishes—often spicy—and fruit. In someareas, families eat sitting on a woven mat, using theirfingers to dip food into the rice. Many Indonesiansclaim that food eaten this way tastes better.

Indonesians love art, dance, and music. The an-klong is a typical Indonesian instrument; it consistsof bamboo pipes loosely mounted in a frame. Thepipes are tuned to produce a particular note orchord when rattled. To play a tune, a number of play-ers must cooperate, each shaking his anklong atthe right time.

Until the 15th century C.E., Indonesia was largelyinfluenced by Hinduism and then Buddhism. By the16th century, Islam gained a foothold in Indonesianculture. Europeans seeking spices arrived in the16th century, and with them came the religions ofChristendom.

L A N D S A N D P E O P L E S � I N D O N E S I A

A Visit to Indonesia

I N D O N E S I A

JAKARTA

Awake! is published in98 languages, includingIndonesian (also calledBahasa Indonesia)

Jehovah’s Witnesses, known worldwide for their Bi-ble educational work, have been active in Indonesiasince 1931. Currently, there are more than 22,000of them in Indonesia, and they are making an effortto reach out to the deaf. Recently, more than 500 at-tended a special sign-language meeting held by Jeho-vah’s Witnesses to commemorate the death of JesusChrist.

FAST FACTS

Population: 237,600,000

Capital: Jakarta

Climate: Tropical

Exports: Palm oil, rubber,petroleum, coal

Languages spoken: BahasaIndonesia, along with hundreds ofregional languages and dialects

Religion: Primarily Muslim(88 percent)

The orangutan—common inthe rain forests of Sumatraand Borneo—is the world’slargest tree-dwelling animal.A full-grown male may weigh200 pounds (90.7 kg) andhave arms that span 8 feet(2.4 m)

Durian fruit has asucculent creamy insideand is enjoyed by manydespite its strong odor

Boy playing the suling,a bamboo flute that iscommon in Indonesia

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Awake! April 2013 13

Which of these do you think Indonesia has?

(a) 20,000 species of plants

(b) the world’s greatest variety of mammals

(c) the world’s largest flower

(d) the world’s tallest flower

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Answer:Allfour.Theworld’slargestfloweristhreefeet(91cm)indiameter,andthetallestfloweristenfeet(3m)high.

WHY DOES IT MATTER? The Bible is not a medical textbook;nor does it regulate every aspect of human behavior. Still, youcan benefit from understanding God’s view of health as ex-pressed in the Bible.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS Numerous Bible passages shed light onhow God feels about the way we treat our bodies. For instance,the Bible condemns harmful excesses, including drunkennessand gluttony. (Proverbs 23:20) God’s Law code given to ancientIsrael included measures that would control and in some caseseven prevent diseases. The Law also incorporated specific safe-ty regulations for the prevention of injuries. (Deuteronomy 22:8)Clearly, the Bible encourages us to take care of our bodies andtake reasonable measures to protect our health.

T H E B I B L E ’ S V I E W P O I N T � H E A LT H

H E A L T H

Does God care about how we treat our bodies?

“Do not come to beamong heavy drinkers ofwine, among those whoare gluttonous eaters offlesh.”—Proverbs 23:20.

r Find more answers to Bible questions at www.jw.org

WHAT PEOPLE SAY Many believe that sickness is simply a quirkof human evolution. Others think that mysterious forces, suchas evil spirits, are the cause of our health problems.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS According to the Bible, we get sick asa result of the first human rebellion against God. (Romans 5:12)Before their rebellion, our first parents, Adam and Eve, enjoyedperfect health. They knew that they would die if they withdrewfrom God’s loving care. (Genesis 2:16, 17) Still, they willfully sev-ered their friendship with God and lost their perfection.�

The flawed nature of our rebellious first human parents hasbeen passed on to us. Hence, despite all efforts to eliminatehuman maladies, we still get sick.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? The Bible teaches that if you become rec-onciled to God by obeying his wise principles, you will eventuallyenjoy perfect health in an earthly paradise. (Isaiah 33:24)God promises to eliminate pain, sickness, and death.—Revela-tion 21:3, 4.

� In this article, we use the words “perfect” and “perfection” to refer to the healthy statein which God created the first humans, unaffected by sickness, disease, and death.

WHAT PEOPLE SAY Some promote spiritual healing (also knownas faith healing) over medical treatment.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS God allowed health-care practitioners tooperate among his people in Bible times. (Genesis 38:28; Colos-sians 4:14) There is nothing in the Bible that would indicate thatGod was displeased with their use of medicinal plants, oint-ments, prescribed diets, and other health treatments. In fact,Jesus acknowledged that “persons in health do not need a phy-sician, but the ailing do.”—Matthew 9:12.

Yet, the Bible does not endorse the pursuit of health at allcosts. For instance, the Bible does not endorse the modern-day practice of faith healing. And cures that involve spiritisticpractices are not approved by God. (Galatians 5:19-21) Asidefrom practices that the Bible condemns, the sensible thing to dowhen faced with infirmities would be to seek appropriate healthcare promptly, if it is available. ˛

According to the Bible, why do we get sick?

“Through one man sinentered into the worldand death through sin.”

—Romans 5:12.

Does the Bible discourage medical treatment?

“Persons in health do notneed a physician, but theailing do.”—Matthew 9:12.

Awake! April 2013 15

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