Our Readers Ask . . .

Is the Trinity a Bible teaching?

▪ The Trinity doctrine is defined this way, although there are many variations: “Three divine Persons (the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost), each said to be eternal, each said to be almighty, none greater or less than another, each said to be God, and yet together being but one God.” Is this a Bible teaching?

Matthew 28:19 is usually cited to prove the doctrine. The text from the King James Version quotes Jesus: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, 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 spirit) are all mentioned in this text. However, nothing is said about their being one. Jesus was commissioning his Jewish followers to teach and baptize people in the name of the Father, the Son, and the holy spirit. As a nation, what did the Jews believe?

When the nation of Israel received the Law covenant, which forms part of the Bible, they were commanded: “You must never have any other gods against my face.” (Deuteronomy 5:7) How many persons were speaking here? Without any confusion, Deuteronomy 6:4reads: “Listen, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah”​—not three in one. Israel had just been liberated from Egypt, where Osiris, Isis, and Horus (shown at left)​—one of a number of triads of gods—​were worshipped. Therefore, Israel was commanded to worship just one God. How important was it for people to understand this command? According to Dr. J. H. Hertz, a rabbi: “This sublime pronouncement of absolute monotheism was a declaration of war against all polytheism . . . The Shema excludes the trinity of the Christian creed as a violation of the Unity of God.”*

Since Jesus was a Jew by birth, he was instructed to follow this same command. After his baptism, when tempted by the Devil, he said: “Go away, Satan! For it is written, ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’” (Matthew 4:10; Deuteronomy 6:13) We can learn at least two things from this incident. First, Satan was trying to entice Jesus to worship someone other than Jehovah, an attempt that would have been absurd if Jesus were part of the same God. Second, Jesus made it clear that there is just one God who must be worshipped when he said “him alone,” not “us,” which he would have said if he were part of a Trinity.

When people come to an accurate knowledge of God and want to serve him, they are baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit.” (Matthew 28:19) They understand and accept the authority of Jehovah and the role of Jesus Christ in the outworking of Jehovah’s purpose. (Psalm 83:18; Matthew 28:18) They also comprehend the function and activity of God’s holy spirit, which is his active force.​—Genesis 1:2;Galatians 5:22, 23; 2 Peter 1:21.

The Trinity doctrine has confused people for centuries. On the other hand, Jesus enlightened his followers and directed them to “the only true God,” Jehovah.​—John 17:3.

[Footnote]

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

[Picture Credit Line on page 23]

Musée du Louvre, Paris

Our Readers Ask . . .

Must You Believe in the Trinity to Be a Christian?

A high-school textbook, World Religions in Denmark, published in 2007, described Jehovah’s Witnesses as a Christian minority who follow the Bible closely. In fact, Jehovah’s Witnesses are the third-largest Christian denomination in Denmark.

However, a bishop of the Danish National Church severely criticized the author’s decision to include the Witnesses in the textbook. Why? “I have yet to meet a theologian who considers [Jehovah’s Witnesses] to be Christians,” said the bishop. “They deny the Trinity, which is the heart of the Christian religion.”

The author of the book, religion sociologist Annika Hvithamar, pointed out that when people are asked why they consider themselves to be Christians, they hardly ever answer that it is because they believe that God is a Trinity. Moreover, a section in the textbook entitled “Are You a Christian?” states: “The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the more difficult problems of Christian theology.” It adds: “At all times, it has been difficult to explain to unschooled Christians why the Christian God is still one god and not three gods.”

“The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the more difficult problems of Christian theology”

What the Bible teaches about God and Jesus is clear and simple. It is not difficult to understand. Neither the word “Trinity” nor the concept is found in God’s Word. The Bible clearly states that Jesus Christ is God’s firstborn Son. (Colossians 1:15) It also points to Jesus as being the “mediator between God and men.” (1 Timothy 2:5) About the Father, the Bible says: “You, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.”​—Psalm 83:18.

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that faith in Jesus is vital. (John 3:16) For this reason, they take seriously Jesus’ command: “It is written, ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’” (Matthew 4:10) Surely, someone who strives to obey Jesus’ commands can be called Christian.

Our Readers Ask . . .

Does It Really Matter to God Whether I Use Tobacco?

▪ A sincere person may ask that question, since no law in the Bible mentions tobacco products. Does that fact mean that God’s thinking on the matter is difficult to discern? No, not at all.

The Bible says that “all Scripture is inspired of God.” (2 Timothy 3:16) The Scriptures contain clear principles and statements that reveal how God wants us to care for our health. First, let us review what researchers have discovered about the impact that tobacco use has on human health. Then we will consider how Bible principles relate to those findings.

Tobacco damages a user’s health and is a leading cause of preventable death. In the United States, tobacco use is to blame for 1 out of every 5 deaths. In that country, it kills more people each year than “alcohol, illegal drug use, homicide, suicide, car accidents, and AIDS combined,” states a report from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Those who smoke tobacco harm others. There is no safe amount of exposure to cigarette smoke. Nonsmokers who inhale secondhand smoke increase the risk of developing lung cancer and heart disease by up to 30 percent. In recent years, doctors have identified another danger that they call “third-hand smoke.” This term refers to the chemical residues left on clothes, carpets, and other surfaces that linger long after the visible smoke dissipates. Those poisonous chemicals especially harm the health of children and can retard their ability to learn.

Tobacco is addictive. It makes the user a slave to the damaging habit. In fact, researchers believe that addiction to nicotine, a key chemical in tobacco, is one of the most difficult addictions to break.

How do Bible principles relate to those facts? Note the following:

God wants us to respect life. In the Law, which God gave to the nation of Israel, he indicated that those who want to please him must respect human life. (Deuteronomy 5:17) Israelites had to build a parapet, or low wall, around the edge of the roof of their houses. Why? The roofs were flat and were used as a living space. The wall prevented the family and others from falling and being injured or killed. (Deuteronomy 22:8) In addition, the Israelites had to ensure that the animals they owned did not cause injury to others. (Exodus 21:28, 29) A person who uses tobacco violates the principles that underpin those laws. He willingly damages his own health. In addition, his smoking endangers the health of those around him.

God expects us to love him and to love our neighbor. Jesus Christ stated that his followers should obey the two greatest commandments. They must love God with their whole heart, soul, mind, and strength and love their neighbor as themselves. (Mark 12:28-31) Since life is a gift from God, a person who uses tobacco shows a gross lack of respect for that gift and thus a lack of love for God. (Acts 17:26-28) That person’s habit can cause serious harm to others, so he belies any claim he makes to love his neighbor.

God requires that we avoid unclean habits. The Bible instructs Christians to cleanse themselves of “every defilement of flesh and spirit.” (2 Corinthians 7:1) Tobacco use obviously defiles a person. Those who want to quit smoking to please God face a difficult challenge. But with God’s help, they can break free from this defiling addiction.

Our Readers Ask . . .

Should Parents Teach Their Children About Sex?

▪ Many parents go to great lengths to protect their children from contracting harmful diseases. Parents need to invest similar effort into protecting their children from harmful moral attitudes. One way they can do so is by means of balanced sex education. (Proverbs 5:3-23) Such parental training and moral guidance is essential because children are increasingly being exposed to graphic sexual material on TV and the Internet, in books, and in comics.

“The problem today isn’t that our kids are learning about sex,” explains Professor of education and author, Diane Levin. “The problem is what they are learning, the age at which they’re learning it, and who is teaching them. Children get a very powerful and damaging kind of sex education from marketers and the popular culture.”

Parents need to protect their children from the distorted and immoral views that are corroding society. (Proverbs 5:1; Ephesians 6:4) Young children need to know how their bodies work, how to care for themselves physically, and how to protect themselves from immoral people. Before puberty​—the age at which signs of sexual maturing begin to appear—​a daughter needs to know about the changes that will occur in her body and to understand why and how menstruation takes place. Similarly, a boy should know in advance about nocturnal emissions, or wet dreams. When children are little, parents can start teaching them the correct names for body parts. Loving parents teach their children three key lessons about these body parts: (1) They are special and private. (2) They are not to be discussed in a bad way. (3) They are generally not to be touched by or exposed to others. As children grow older, parents need to discern when to explain how a woman becomes pregnant.*

When should parents start such instruction? Earlier than many realize. A girl might first menstruate at the age of 10 or even earlier. A boy might have his first nocturnal emission as early as the age of 11 or 12. These life-altering events can be very disturbing if children do not understand what is happening. Children need to be reassured ahead of time that there is nothing wrong with such natural developments in their bodies. This is also the time to help them understand the value and importance of following the Bible’s moral standards​—something that most secular sex-education programs fail to provide.​—Proverbs 6:27-35.

[Footnote]

Parents can find helpful material on these subjects in the following publications produced by Jehovah’s Witnesses: Awake! of May 2006, in the article “Preparing Your Daughter for Menarche,” pages 10-13; Questions Young People Ask​—Answers That Work, Volume 2, chapter 6, “What’s Happening to My Body?”; and The Watchtower of November 1, 2010, “Keys to Family Happiness​—Talk to Your Children About Sex,” pages 12-14.

Our Readers Ask . . .

Why Would Satan Use a Serpent to Speak to Eve?

▪ You may agree that as discussed on page 8, Satan was the force behind the serpent that spoke to Eve. The Bible certainly teaches this. However, you may wonder, ‘Why would a powerful spirit manipulate a snake the way a ventriloquist uses a dummy?’

The Bible characterizes Satan’s tactics as “machinations,” or “crafty acts,” and this incident helps to prove the point. (Ephesians 6:11; footnote) What we see in Eden is no fable about a talking animal; it is a chilling example of clever strategy designed to lure people away from God. In what way?

Satan chose his target carefully. Eve was the youngest intelligent creature in the universe. Taking advantage of her inexperience, he set out to trick and seduce her. By hiding behind a serpent, a very cautious creature, Satan shrewdly concealed his own bold and ambitious aims. (Genesis 3:1) Consider, too, what he accomplished by making the serpent appear to speak.

First, Satan caught and riveted Eve’s attention. She knew that snakes do not talk; her husband had named all the animals, including this one, likely after careful study. (Genesis 2:19) No doubt Eve too had observed this cautious creature. So Satan’s ploy roused Eve’s curiosity; it got her to focus on the one thing in all the garden that was forbidden to her. Second, if the serpent was lurking in the limbs of the forbidden tree, what conclusion was Eve likely to draw? Might she not have reasoned that this lowly, dumb creature had itself eaten from that fruit and had thereafter been able to speak? If the fruit could do so much for a serpent, what might it do for her? We cannot know for sure what Eve thought or whether the snake had taken a bite of the fruit, but we do know that when the serpent told Eve that the fruit would make her “like God,” she was prepared to believe the lie.

Satan’s choice of words also reveals much. He sowed doubts in Eve’s mind, implying that God was holding back something good from her and needlessly restricting her freedom. The success of Satan’s scheme depended on the chance that Eve’s self-interest would outweigh her love for the God who had given her everything she had. (Genesis 3:4, 5) Tragically, Satan’s gambit worked; neither Eve nor Adam had cultivated in their own hearts the kind of love and appreciation for Jehovah that they should have. Does not Satan promote the same kind of self-interest and rationalizing today?

What, though, about Satan’s motive? What was he after? In Eden, he attempted to hide both his identity and his motive. But, in time, he revealed himself. When he tempted Jesus, he surely knew that disguises were of no use. So he directly urged Jesus: “Fall down and do an act of worship to me.” (Matthew 4:9) Evidently, Satan has long been driven by jealousy over the worship that goes to Jehovah God. He will go to any length to divert or pervert such worship. He loves to destroy integrity to God.

Clearly, the Bible reveals that Satan is a deadly strategist in seeking his aims. Happily, we need not be fooled as Eve was, “for we are not ignorant of his designs.”​—2 Corinthians 2:11.

Our Readers Ask . . .

Should I Join a Religious Group?

▪ Are you cautious about joining a religious group because you are appalled by the hypocrisy and disunity of churchgoers and even the clergy? If so, a French proverb may sum up the way you feel, “He who is near the church is often far from God.”

Perhaps you respect the Bible and feel that governments and individuals should honor a person’s right to belong to a religious group. But you may wonder, ‘Does God really say that those who want to worship him acceptably must belong to an organized religion?’

The short answer is yes. Why can we be so sure? And will just any religious organization do?

Consider Jesus’ example. Did he belong to an organized religion? When he was young, Jesus joined with his Jewish family and others who had the custom of going to the temple in Jerusalem to engage in organized worship. (Luke 2:41-43) As a grown man, Jesus joined with his fellow Jews in worshipping God at the local synagogue. (Luke 4:14-16) When speaking to a woman from a different religious background, Jesus said: “We worship what we know.” (John 4:22) Jesus here clearly identified himself as belonging to the Jewish form of religion.

Later, Jesus said that because the Jews as a nation rejected him, God would reject their corrupted form of worship. (Matthew 23:33–24:2) However, he indicated that those who want to worship God acceptably would have to belong to an organized group. He told his followers: “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.” (John 13:35) A disciple of Christ who did not associate with his fellow believers could hardly show them love. In fact, Jesus plainly stated that there are only two religious paths. One he described as a “broad and spacious” road that leads “off into destruction.” By contrast, he said: “Narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.”​—Matthew 7:13, 14.

Obviously, then, not just any religious path will do. The Bible warns against joining with those who “will maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated its power.” God’s Word further states, “avoid people like these.” (2 Timothy 3:5, The NET Bible) On the other hand, we benefit greatly from identifying and associating with those on the path leading to life. We gain encouragement and support now and a bright hope for the future.​—Hebrews 10:24, 25.

How can you determine which religious group is on that narrow path? Why not consider the Bible-based answers found in chapter 15 of the book What Does the Bible Really Teach?* That material will help you make an informed choice as to which religious organization you should join.

[Footnote]

Published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Our Readers Ask . . .

Does God Value One Race Above Others?

▪ No, he does not. The Bible clearly states: “God is not partial, but in every nation the man that fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.”​—Acts 10:34, 35.

God’s viewpoint in this regard is much loftier than that of imperfect humans. Many people believe that one race (usually their own) is superior to others. Such bias reflects the thinking of Charles Darwin, who wrote: “At some future period, . . . the civilised races of man will almost certainly exterminate, and replace, the savage races.” Sadly, many have indeed been victimized by those of other races who saw themselves as superior.

Do feelings of racial superiority have any merit? For example, has science proved that some races are genetically superior, while others are inferior? On the contrary, geneticist and Oxford professor Bryan Sykes states: “There’s no genetic basis for any kind of rigid ethnic or racial classification. . . . I’m always asked is there Greek DNA or an Italian gene, but, of course, there isn’t. . . . We’re very closely related.”

Such findings harmonize with what we read in the Scriptures. The Bible teaches that God created just one man and one woman, from whom all other humans descended. (Genesis 3:20; Acts 17:26) In God’s eyes, then, there is really only one race​—the human race.

Jehovah attaches no significance at all to a person’s skin color or facial features. Rather, He values something of far greater importance​—our figurative heart, or the person we are inside. He states: “People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts.” (1 Samuel 16:7, Contemporary English Version) Remembering that fact can be of great encouragement to us. How so?

Regardless of our racial background, many of us are dissatisfied with aspects of our physical appearance, yet we have little power to change such things. However, we can improve what matters most​—the thoughts and feelings of our heart. (Colossians 3:9-11) If we are honest with ourselves, we may realize that we are inclined to feel at least a little superior, or perhaps inferior, to people of another race. Since neither viewpoint is compatible with God’s thinking, we should work hard to remove any such feelings from our heart.​—Psalm 139:23, 24.

As we strive to see ourselves and others the way Jehovah does, we can be sure of his help. His Word reminds us: “As regards Jehovah, his eyes are roving about through all the earth to show his strength in behalf of those whose heart is complete toward him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9) That is true no matter what race we happen to belong to.

Our Readers Ask

Are We Predestined?

Some say that fate has decreed the day of our death. Others insist that God personally decides when it is our time to die. In addition, such people regard the key events of life as inevitable. Is that how you view matters?

You might ask yourself the following questions: ‘If, in fact, there is nothing we can do to change our destiny, if God or fate has already determined the outcome of a matter, what is the point of praying? And if our destiny is already determined, why take measures to protect our safety? Why wear a seat belt when traveling in a car? For that matter, why refrain from drinking and driving?’

The Bible in no way condones such reckless behavior. Rather than leave matters in the hands of fate, the Bible commanded that the Israelites be safety conscious. For example, they were ordered to build a low wall around the flat roofs of their houses. The purpose was to prevent someone from accidentally falling from the roof. Why, though, would God give such a command if a person were destined to fall from a roof and die?​—Deuteronomy 22:8.

What about those who die because of natural disasters or other tragic events beyond their control? Do they have a predetermined “date with death”? No, the Bible writer King Solomon assures us that “time and unforeseen occurrence befall [us] all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11) So no matter how bizarre or unlikely the circumstances, tragic events are not predestined.

Some feel, however, that this statement contradicts Solomon’s earlier observation: “For everything there is an appointed time, even a time for every affair under the heavens: a time for birth and a time to die.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 2) But was Solomon really endorsing a fatalistic view? Let us look closely at those words.

Solomon was not saying that births and deaths are predestined. Rather, his point is that births and deaths, like many things in life, come in endless cycles. Certainly, life will have its ups and downs. “There is . . . a time to weep and a time to laugh,” says Solomon. Such repeated patterns and unforeseen calamities, Solomon shows, are common to life, to “every affair under the heavens.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; 9:11, 12) His conclusion, therefore, is not to get so swept up in our daily affairs that we overlook our Creator.​—Ecclesiastes 12:1, 13.

Though our Creator understands life and death completely, he does not force a destiny on us. The Bible teaches that God offers all of us the prospect of living forever. But God does not compel us to accept his offer. Instead, his Word says: “Let anyone that wishes take life’s water free.”​—Revelation 22:17.

Yes, we must want to “take life’s water.” Thus, our future is not determined by fate. Our own decisions, attitudes, and actions have a real impact on our future.