Our Readers Ask . . .

Did the First-Century Christians Participate in Politics?

▪ Before his ascension to heaven, Jesus gave his disciples clear instructions on how to carry out their ministry, but he did not include any political advice. (Matthew 28:18-20) Hence, his disciples continued to live by the formula that Jesus had provided earlier: “Pay back Caesar’s things to Caesar, but God’s things to God.”​—Mark 12:17.

How did that formula help Jesus’ followers to live in the world but be no part of it? Where did they draw the line as to what things belong to the State, or Caesar, and what things to God?

The apostle Paul viewed participating in politics as stepping across the line. “Paul was willing to use his Roman citizenship to demand the protections of the judicial process due him, but he engaged in no lobbying on the public policy issues of the day,” states the book Beyond Good Intentions​—A Biblical View of Politics.

What guidelines did Paul give to fellow Christians? The same book adds: “His letters to believers in such important cities as Corinth, Ephesus, and even Rome betrayed no interest in secular political squabbles.” The book also notes that Paul “commanded submission to government, but in none of his many letters did he ever detail even one policy for the local church to urge on public institutions.”​—Romans 12:18; 13:1, 5-7.

Christians living decades after the death of Paul kept firmly in place the same division between their obligations to God and to the State. They remained respectful toward political powers but refrained from political activities. Beyond Good Intentions states about those believers: “Though they believed they were obligated to honor the governing authorities, the early Christians did not believe in participating in political affairs.”

Some 300 years after the death of Christ, however, things changed. Theologian Charles Villa-Vicencio says: “When the political structures were changed under Constantine, Christians apparently flocked to participate in the civil service and the army and to accept political office.” (Between Christ and Caesar) What was the result? At the end of the fourth century C.E., that blend of religion and politics had become the State religion of the Roman Empire.

Today, many religions that claim to follow Christ continue to encourage their members to participate in politics. Those religions, however, are not imitating Christ, nor are they following the example of the first-century Christians.

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Why Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Not Use the Cross in Worship?

Jehovah’s Witnesses firmly believe that the death of Jesus Christ provided the ransom that opens the door to everlasting life for those who exercise faith in him. (Matthew 20:28; John 3:16) However, they do not believe that Jesus died on a cross, as is often depicted in traditional pictures. It is their belief that Jesus died on an upright stake with no crossbeam.

The use of the cross can be traced back to Mesopotamia, to two thousand years before Christ. Crosses even decorated Scandinavian rock engravings during the Bronze Age, centuries before Jesus was born. Such non-Christians used the cross “as a magic sign . . . giving protection, bringing good luck,” wrote Sven Tito Achen, Danish historian and expert on symbols, in the book Symbols Around Us. It is no wonder that the New Catholic Encyclopedia admits: “The cross is found in both pre-Christian and non-Christian cultures, where it has largely a cosmic or natural signification.” Why, then, have the churches chosen the cross as their most sacred symbol?

W. E. Vine, respected British scholar, offers these hard facts: “By the middle of the 3rd cent. A.D. . . . pagans were received into the churches . . . and were permitted largely to retain their pagan signs and symbols. Hence the Tau or T, . . . with the cross-piece lowered, was adopted.”​—Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words.

Vine further notes that both the noun “cross” and the verb “crucify” refer to “a stake or pale . . . distinguished from the ecclesiastical form of a two beamed cross.” In agreement with this, Oxford University’s Companion Bible says: “The evidence is . . . that the Lord was put to death upon an upright stake, and not on two pieces of timber placed at any angle.” Clearly, the churches have adopted a tradition that is not Biblical.

Historian Achen, quoted above, observes: “In the two centuries after the death of Jesus it is doubtful that the Christians ever used the device of the cross.” To the early Christians, he adds, the cross “must have chiefly denoted death and evil, like the guillotine or the electric chair to later generations.”

More important, no matter what device was used for the torture and execution of Jesus, no image or symbol of it should become an object of devotion or worship for Christians. “Flee from idolatry,” commands the Bible. (1 Corinthians 10:14) Jesus himself gave the real identifying mark of his true followers. He said: “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.”​—John 13:35.

In all matters of worship, Jehovah’s Witnesses, like the first-century Christians, strive to follow the Bible rather than tradition. (Romans 3:4; Colossians 2:8) Because of this, they do not use the cross in worship.

[Picture on page 22]

Relief depicting a pagan Assyrian king wearing a cross, circa 800 B.C.E.

[Credit Line]

Photograph taken by courtesy of the British Museum

Our Readers Ask

How Much Should I Donate?

“God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7) Those words are known by millions throughout the world. However, some churchgoers may feel obligated to donate beyond their means. In fact, some religious denominations require that their members donate a fixed sum. The practice is called tithing, that is, giving 10 percent of one’s income to the church.

Does the Bible really require that we offer a fixed sum as a donation? Put personally, how much should I donate?

Requirements and Voluntary Donations in the Past

The Bible contains clear instructions to the nation of Israel about the amount God required them to give. (Leviticus 27:30-32; Numbers 18:21, 24; Deuteronomy 12:4-7, 11,17, 18; 14:22-27) These requirements were not excessive. Jehovah promised that in return for obedience to his laws, he would make the nation ‘overflow with prosperity.’​—Deuteronomy 28:1, 2, 11, 12.

In other instances, the Israelites could voluntarily donate as much or as little as they desired. For example, when King David planned to build a temple for Jehovah, his subjects donated “gold worth five thousand talents.”* (1 Chronicles 29:7) Contrast this with what Jesus observed when he was on earth. He saw “a certain needy widow drop two small coins of very little value” into the temple treasury chests. How much did her donation amount to? Only 1/64 of a day’s wages. Yet, Jesus said that this small sum was acceptable.​—Luke 21:1-4.

Are Christians Required to Give a Set Amount?

Christians are not under the Law covenant given to Israel. Thus, they are not obliged to give a set amount to God. However, in the true Christian congregation, giving is a source of much joy. Jesus Christ himself stated: “There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.”​—Acts 20:35.

Jehovah’s Witnesses support their worldwide preaching work through voluntary donations. These donations are used to print literature, such as the magazine you are reading, and to build and maintain their places of worship, known as Kingdom Halls. None of the funds collected are used to pay salaries. Some who devote themselves full-time to share in the disciple-making work do receive assistance to defray their transportation costs and other personal expenses. But no one demands such help. In fact, the vast majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses do not receive any financial assistance to support their preaching work. Instead, most work secularly to support themselves, just as Paul did when he worked as a tentmaker.​—2 Corinthians 11:9; 1 Thessalonians 2:9.

If a person wants to make a donation toward the work accomplished by Jehovah’s Witnesses, how much should he give? The apostle Paul wrote: “Let each one do just as he has resolved in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”​—2 Corinthians 8:12; 9:7.

[Footnote]

In 2008, the average price of gold was $871 an ounce, making this contribution worth some $4,794,855,000.

Our Readers Ask . . .

Why Do Some People Not Celebrate Christmas?

Around the world, nearly two billion people celebrate Christmas each December 25, while at least 200 million others celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ on January 7. However, there are also millions who choose not to celebrate Christmas at all. Why?

For one thing, they may belong to a religion that is not part of Christendom. They may be of the Jewish, Hindu, or Shinto faith, to name a few. Others, such as atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, or secular humanists, view the Christmas story as a myth.

Surprisingly, though, a sizable number of people who believe in Jesus reject the Yuletide traditions. Why? They point to at least four reasons.

First, they do not believe that Jesus was born in either December or January. The Bible does not give a specific date. It simply states: “There were also in that same country shepherds living out of doors and keeping watches in the night over their flocks. And suddenly Jehovah’s angel stood by them, and . . . the angel said to them: ‘. . . There was born to you today a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’”​—Luke 2:8-11.

Facts point to Jesus’ birth at approximately the beginning of October when shepherds with their flocks would still spend the night in the fields. The countryside around Bethlehem experiences the coldest weather during the months of December and January. Hence, to keep them warm at night, flocks are herded into protective shelters.

A second reason: The only event Jesus specifically instructed his followers to commemorate was his death, not his birth, and this was to be done as a simple communion meal. (Luke 22:19, 20) Note, too, that the Gospels of Mark and John are silent about Jesus’ birth.

The only event Jesus specifically instructed his followers to commemorate was his death, not his birth

A third reason: There is no historical evidence that the early Christians celebrated the birth of the Christ. But they did memorialize his death. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) It was not until more than 300 years after Jesus’ birth that Christendom officially began to observe Christmas on December 25. Interestingly, in the mid-17th century, an act of parliament banned Christmas celebrations in England. In the United States, the Massachusetts General Court did the same. Why? The book The Battle for Christmas, says: “There is no biblical or historical reason to place the birth of Jesus on December 25.” It adds that to the Puritans, “Christmas was nothing but a pagan festival covered with a Christian veneer.”

That brings us to a fourth reason: The unsavory origin of the celebration itself. The roots of Christmas can be traced back to pagan Rome with its mixture of festivals for honoring the agricultural god Saturn and the sun god Sol Invictus, or Mithra. Anthropologists Christian Rätsch and Claudia Müller-Ebeling, coauthors of the book Pagan Christmas, write: “Like many pre-Christian customs and beliefs, the old feast commemorating the yearly return of the sun was rededicated to the birth of Christ.”

In view of the foregoing, can you see why true Christians do not celebrate Christmas?

OUR READERS ASK . . .

What Are the Facts About Christmas?

Millions of people worldwide celebrate Christmas for various reasons. Some enjoy festive times with friends and family. Others think about God or devote time to helping the poor or needy. By themselves, these are undoubtedly worthy deeds. However, they are clouded by the dark side of this holiday.

First, many celebrants believe that Christmas is a birthday celebration for Jesus. However, historians widely concur that the date of his birth is unknown. The Christian Book of Why notes that “the early Christians refused to set aside a date marking Jesus’ birth” because they wanted “to divorce themselves from all pagan practices.” Interestingly, the Bible gives no indication that Jesus ever celebrated his own birthday or anyone else’s. In contrast, he did command his followers to commemorate his death.​—Luke 22:19.

Second, many scholars agree that most Christmas traditions have their roots in non-Christian and pagan customs. These include Santa Claus, as well as using mistletoe and the Christmas tree, exchanging gifts, burning candles and Yule logs, hanging decorative wreaths, and caroling. Regarding some of these customs, the book The Externals of the Catholic Church observed: “When we give or receive Christmas gifts, and hang green wreaths in our homes and churches, how many of us know that we are probably observing pagan customs?”

“When we give or receive Christmas gifts, and hang green wreaths in our homes and churches, how many of us know that we are probably observing pagan customs?”​—The Externals of the Catholic Church

You, though, may wonder what is wrong with following these seemingly innocent customs. Consider this third point as an answer. God does not approve of the blending of pagan customs with pure worship. Through His prophet Amos, Jehovah God said to His wayward worshippers in ancient Israel: “I hate, I despise your festivals . . . Spare me the din of your songs.”​—Amos 5:21, 23.

Why such strong words? Consider what the people of the northern kingdom of ancient Israel were doing. Their first king, Jeroboam, placed golden calves in the cities of Dan and Bethel and induced the people to worship these rather than to worship Jehovah God properly at the temple in Jerusalem. The king also instituted festivals and appointed priests to help the people celebrate them.​—1 Kings 12:26-33.

What those Israelites did was seemingly for a good cause. After all, were they not doing all these things in the name of worshipping God and pleasing him? God’s strong words through Amos and other prophets indicate clearly just how God felt about such practices. Through the prophet Malachi, God said: “I am Jehovah; I do not change.” (Malachi 3:6) Does that not tell us how God feels about the many Christmas celebrations today?

After considering the above facts, millions of people have decided to abstain from celebrating Christmas. Instead, they find joy and true satisfaction in spending time with their friends and family and in helping the poor and needy whenever they wish throughout the year.

OUR READERS ASK . . .

What Is Wrong With Christmas Customs?

Christmas has long been described as a traditional Christian festival to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Many of the customs used in this celebration, however, make us wonder how they came to be associated with Jesus’ birth in the first place.

For one thing, there is the myth of Santa Claus. The modern-day jolly, white-bearded, rosy-cheeked, red-suited Santa is known to have been a successful Christmas advertisement created for a North American beverage company in 1931. During the 1950’s, some Brazilians tried to replace Santa

Claus with a native legendary figure​—Grandpa Indian. The result? Santa Claus not only defeated Grandpa Indian but even “defeated the child Jesus and became the official representative of the feast of December 25,” says Professor Carlos E. Fantinati. But are myths such as Santa Claus the only problem with Christmas? For the answer, let us go back to early Christianity.

“During the first two centuries of Christianity there was strong opposition to recognizing birthdays of martyrs or, for that matter, of Jesus,” states the Encyclopedia Britannica. Why? Christians viewed birthday celebrations as a pagan custom, something to be avoided altogether. In fact, no mention of the date of Jesus’ birth can be found in the Bible.

In the fourth century C.E., despite the stand taken by the early Christians against the custom of celebrating birthdays, the Catholic Church instituted Christmas. The church wanted to strengthen its position by removing one of the main obstacles in its way​—the popularity of the pagan Roman religions and their winter solstice festivals. Each year, from December 17 through January 1, “most Romans feasted, gamed, reveled, paraded, and joined in other festivities as they paid homage to their deities,” says Christmas in America, by Penne L. Restad. And on December 25, the Romans celebrated the birth of the Invincible Sun. Instituting Christmas on that day, the church cajoled many Romans into celebrating the birth of Jesus instead of the birth of the sun. Romans “were still able to enjoy the trappings of these midwinter festivals,” says Santa Claus, a Biography, by Gerry Bowler. In reality, they “continued to mark the new days with old ways.”

Clearly, then, the main problem with Christmas celebrations lies in their unsavory origins. In his book The Battle for Christmas, Stephen Nissenbaum refers to Christmas as “nothing but a pagan festival covered with a Christian veneer.” Christmas, therefore, dishonors God and his Son, Jesus Christ. Is this just a trivial matter? The Bible asks: “What fellowship do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what sharing does light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14) Like the trunk of a tree that has grown crooked, Christmas is so twisted that it “cannot be made straight.”​—Ecclesiastes 1:15.

OUR READERS ASK . . .

Is Christmas for Christians?

Our Readers Ask

Does God Take Children to Become Angels in Heaven?

When death strikes a child, friends of the bereaved family may try to comfort them by saying, “God must have needed another angel in heaven.” Does that sound reasonable to you?

If it were true that God causes children to die because he needs more angels in heaven, it would imply that he is unfeeling, even cruel. The Bible says otherwise. (Job 34:10) A compassionate father would not snatch a child away from its parents just so that he could enlarge his own family. Yet, no human parent has more compassion than Jehovah, whose dominant quality is love. (1 John 4:8) His great love would never permit him to act in such a harsh way.

Ask yourself, ‘Does God need more angels in heaven?’ The Bible states that all of God’s activities are good and perfect. (Deuteronomy 32:4) His work of directly creating millions of angels was a perfect accomplishment, and there was no shortage. (Daniel 7:10) Did God somehow miscalculate the number of angels he needed? Impossible! Surely, Almighty God could never make such an error. True, Jehovah has selected some humans to become spirit creatures as part of his heavenly Kingdom, but they would not be little children at the time of their death.​—Revelation 5:9, 10.

Another reason why God would not take children from the earth to become angels in heaven is that it would not be in harmony with his original purpose for children. In the garden of Eden, God told Adam and Eve: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28) Children are gifts from God, essential to his original purpose of filling the earth with a righteous human family. He never purposed for children to have their life cut short and then for them to be transformed into spirit creatures. The Bible affirms that children are “an inheritance from Jehovah.” (Psalm 127:3) Would Jehovah, the God of love, take back a gift that he has given parents? Surely not!

A child’s untimely death brings great sadness, hurt, and pain. What hope, then, do grieving parents have? The Bible promises that God will resurrect countless millions in a paradise right here on earth. Imagine children​—restored with healthy bodies—​reunited with their loved ones. (John 5:28, 29) It is God’s will for young ones to grow up, to enjoy life, and to learn about him and his purpose for the earth. Thus, young ones who have died are not angels in heaven but are awaiting a resurrection to a paradise earth. At that time, under the loving care of our Creator, both young and old will delight in worshipping Jehovah God for eternity.

Our Readers Ask . . .

Where Did Cain Find His Wife?

▪ “If Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel, where did Cain’s wife come from?” Although this is often asked as a trick question by Bible skeptics, the Bible does provide sufficient detail to give a satisfactory answer.

Genesis chapters 3 and 4 present the following information: (1) Eve was “the mother of everyone living.” (2) Time elapsed between the birth of Cain and his offering the sacrifice that was rejected by God. (3) Following his banishment to become “a wanderer and a fugitive,” Cain worried that ‘anyone finding him’ might try to kill him. (4) God set up a sign to protect Cain, indicating that either his siblings or other relatives might try to kill him. (5) “Afterward,” Cain had intercourse with his wife in “the land of Fugitiveness.”​—Genesis 3:20; 4:3, 12, 14-17.

From the above, we can rightly conclude that Cain’s wife was a descendant of Eve born on an unknown date. Genesis 5:4 acknowledges that during his 930 years of life, Adam “became father to sons and daughters.” Of course, the Bible does not specify that Cain’s wife was Eve’s daughter. Indeed, the fact that she is mentioned after Cain’s banishment indicates that enough time had passed that she could even have been one of Adam and Eve’s granddaughters. Hence, The Amplified Old Testament describes Cain’s wife simply as “one of Adam’s offspring.”

Nineteenth-century Bible commentator Adam Clarke speculated that God’s establishing a sign as a result of Cain’s fear came about because several generations of Adam’s descendants already existed​—enough “to found several villages.”

That Cain married his sister or a later female descendant of Adam through the marriage of any of Adam’s sons or daughters is viewed by some societies today as unthinkable. This is usually because of societal taboos or fear of genetic defects. Nevertheless, F. LaGard Smith comments in The Narrated Bible in Chronological Order: “It is altogether likely that these first brothers and sisters enter into marriages with each other, despite the sense of inappropriateness which would be felt should that occur in following generations.” Also, it is noteworthy that it was not until Moses received God’s laws for the nation of Israel in 1513 B.C.E. that intercourse between such close relatives was specifically forbidden.​—Leviticus 18:9, 17, 24.

Today, we are millenniums away from the perfection once possessed by our original parents. The effect that genetics and heredity have on us might not have been a factor for them. Furthermore, recent studies, such as one published in the Journal of Genetic Counseling, show that unions between first cousins face lower risks of having children with birth defects than is widely perceived. Reasonably, such issues would not have been a serious concern during Adam’s life span or even prior to Noah’s day. Thus, we can conclude that Cain’s wife was one of his female relatives.

OUR READERS ASK . . .

Why Are Some Bible Characters Left Unnamed?