From Our Readers

UFO’s Our association has spent the last 18 years investigating so-called UFO sightings, and most sightings can be accounted for as misinterpretations. As we compare UFO literature from all over the world, your article (November 8, 1990) was a welcome change. We can only congratulate the writers of such a factual and objective portrayal. Though generally unable to share the views of your faith, we want to express our appreciation for this article.

H. K., Central Research Network for Extraordinary Heavenly Phenomena, Germany

Eating Disorders Thanks so much for your articles on eating disorders. (December 22, 1990) I suffered with anorexia two years ago, and even now I sometimes find myself slipping back to former ways and attitudes. Drawing closer to Jehovah has certainly helped me. It is good to see how Awake! directs help and relief to sufferers in such a loving and understanding way.

L. H., England

I am usually impressed with the way your magazine covers controversial topics that are often ignored by us Catholics. But the article on eating disorders disappointed me. I have had anorexia for 11 years. You call it a weakness and recommend that we turn to God for forgiveness. But anorexia is not just a weakness; it is a serious illness. It is more than an obsession with pleasing others; it is an attempt to deal with the fear of being unloved.

J. W., Germany

We did not minimize the seriousness of eating disorders but showed that they result from ‘profound emotional disturbance.’ The ‘fear of being unloved,’ for example, often reflects a sufferer’s basic sense of inadequacy. Our article thus stressed building self-esteem on Bible values and developing a friendship with God. If setbacks occur in overcoming this malady, a sufferer can take comfort in knowing that God is forgiving and well understands the cause of our weaknesses.​—ED.

Estranged Parents The article “How Do I Deal With My Parent Who Left Home?” (November 8, 1990) brought back feelings I experienced in my childhood when my father left us. I was nine years old and felt betrayed, abandoned, and angry. These feelings stayed with me until I one day read Psalm 27:10. I realized then that Jehovah looked after me as a Father.

H. S., United States

The psalm reads: “In case my own father and my own mother did leave me, even Jehovah himself would take me up.”​—ED.

Three years ago my husband and I divorced. Last year he left town without a good-bye to his kids. Emotionally they have suffered tremendously and feel that he hates them. The article was a winner because it showed that the children are not to blame. I hope in time they will come to believe it.

L. M., United States

I am a mother of three, and I find myself embroiled in the storm of my own parents’ divorce. Your articles helped me to change my thinking from destructive to constructive. I have just finished a letter to my father, and I am trying to bridge the gap between us.

K. Y., Japan

Quadriplegic Thank you for the article “They Told Me I Would Never Walk Again!” (August 22, 1990) Following a serious accident in 1980, I too became a quadriplegic. Understandably, most people do not know what this means and encompasses. But the article provides just the kind of information people need to be of help to others who suffer the consequences of tragic injuries.

W. K., United States