Insight on the News
Sex Education Failing
Only one in three of grade 7 students in Canada believe that it is possible for a girl under 16 years of age to get pregnant. That surprising lack of elementary knowledge about sexual reproduction is revealed in a study of 28,905 Canadian students. Statistics on abortion reported in the Toronto Star also seem to point to evidence that sex education is not getting through to many youths. In Toronto last year the number of abortions for girls aged 10 to 14 increased. “Just looking at the abortion figures makes me worry,” says a Toronto alderman.
Abortion among the young women is a worldwide problem, not just Canada’s. It is part of the rising wave of immorality that is now sweeping our globe—another evidence that this system is in its “last days.” (2 Timothy 3:1-4) Sex education without proper moral guidance will not stop the flood of pregnancies among the unwed. But education in God’s moral standards, like a bulwark, will. The Bible places the main responsibility upon parents to inculcate divine moral principles, including those on sexual matters, into their children.—Deuteronomy 6:6, 7; Ephesians 6:4; see also Proverbs chapters 5 and 7.
‘Violent’ Toys
At Christmastime cries of “Peace on earth!” are usually heard from its celebrators. But this past season in Zululand, South Africa, the comments of a three-year-old revealed a different spirit. When the tot was asked what he wanted for Christmas, he replied: “Guns, so I can kill people.” Why such a belligerent request from one so small? Pointing to a probable reason, the Zululand Observer said: “A trip to a well-stocked toy shop in Empangeni [Zululand] this week showed no fewer than 73 different types of toy guns on the shelves.” Among other toys offered were plastic hand grenades and video games boosting the shooting down of aircraft. The manufacturer of one toy, which was labeled as being “suitable for children from three years up,” told kids that they would be able to “wipe [their] foes off the face of the earth.”
In sharp contrast with the warlike spirit seen in many of today’s toys, the Bible prophet Micah foretold that worshipers of Jehovah God, young or old, would ‘learn war no more.’ (Micah 4:1-4) If you as a parent are worried about the militaristic bent evident in many toys sold today, it would be well to remember this proverb: “Teach a child how he should live, and he will remember it all his life.” (Proverbs 22:6, Today’s English Version) Besides letting children have fun, toys should teach children about the world around them and prepare them for adulthood. Being selective in purchasing their toys is one ingredient in helping your children to grow into responsible Christian adults. You should also help your children to imitate God’s Son, Jesus Christ, who said: “I give you my peace.”—John 14:27.
Date of Death
The date of Jesus Christ’s death has been debated for centuries. There are advocates for virtually every year between 26 and 36 C.E. Jehovah’s Witnesses have long pointed to April 3, 33 C.E., Julian calendar (or April 1 according to our present Gregorian calendar) as the date of Jesus’ impalement and death. Their calculations are based on the Bible record and secular dates that agree with Biblical chronology because the Witnesses believe that “all Scripture is inspired of God.”—2 Timothy 3:16.
Interestingly, in an article published in Nature, two British scientists fix Jesus’ impalement as April 3, 33 C.E., Julian calendar. C. J. Humphreys and W. G. Waddington of Oxford University assert that they used astronomical calculations “to reconstruct the Jewish calendar in the first century AD, improving on the accuracy of previous versions.” Thus, they narrowed the number of possible dates to two—April 7, 30 C.E., and April 3, 33 C.E. They rule out the April 7, 30 C.E., date because it does not allow enough time for Jesus’ ministry to include the four Passovers indicated by the Gospels. (John 2:13; 5:1; 6:4; 13:1) According to their research, a lunar eclipse was visible in Jerusalem on April 3, 33 C.E., and none during the year 30 C.E. Many of the details that these scientists report on were presented years ago in The Watchtower. See the issue of August 15, 1959, pages 489-92.