Bible Principles Work—Give Them a Chance!
DOES the Bible strike you as being an old-fashioned, impractical book? Do you feel that its counsel is not to be taken seriously?
That is how some persons feel. But there are many who changed their viewpoint when someone helped them to understand its message. Once they clearly understood it, they could begin to apply it to their life. The fact is that there are now some two million persons throughout the world who know from personal experience that the Bible is most practical and that taking it seriously is an evidence of wisdom.
For example, the Tulsa, Oklahoma, World of January 24, 1980, carried the headline “Bible Pulled Races Together Amid Rioting, Death.” The article went on to say:
“During the height of the race riot [in Idabel], four whites, three Mexicans and one black huddled on the floor of a large home and read passages from the Bible. It happened in the house of John and Joan Langan. They are Jehovah’s Witnesses who chose two and a half years ago to make their home just off Oklahoma 37, which slices through the middle of this town’s poor, black section.”
While the multiracial group were there to study the Bible, fighting broke out in the front yard and bullets were flying everywhere. It appears that the riot resulted when it seemed that the authorities had failed to act in the case of the death of a 15-year-old black youth. As a result of the riot, one policeman was killed, a number of persons were injured and, on the following morning, the Langans saw the body of a black man lying in the vacant lot next to their home. Their own home was unharmed; not a window was broken. But the dairy store across the street was riddled with bullets; all its windows were broken. The filling station next door was leveled. Three convenience stores close by were damaged and looted, and a liquor store was demolished.
The World observed: “For the Langans . . . there were no enemies outside. ‘We weren’t afraid of the people, just that some stray bullet might harm us,’ Mrs. Langan said.” The paper also noted that the local meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses were held in “the only such meeting house in town where the congregation is comprised equally by blacks and whites.” It is a congregation of about 60, and as many as 100 attend the Sunday public Bible talks.
The World further quoted Mrs. Langan as saying: “I know there is trouble, I’m not blind. But on the basis on which we have dealings with people—blacks and whites—there is a good relationship. If they have a love for God, that is all we need to enjoy being together. The difference in color only adds flavor. We enjoy the differences.” The paper also said that “when the Langans came to Idabel, they were impressed by the friendliness of folks who let them come into their homes. ‘The first thing we noticed was that the people were hospitable,’ Mrs. Langan said. ‘Very few were rude. We found, [by and] large, that the people were very, very kind. They still are.”’
The morning after the riot the Langans found the whole town in a turmoil. At the shopping mall they saw white businessmen and deliverymen all armed with guns. The Ku Klux Klan arrived, and tension was high. In spite of this feeling, the Langans went from house to house telling the good news of God’s kingdom.
At the very first house a young black commanded, “Come in.” They did and found between 20 and 30 blacks in that little house. Tension was high here also. “What do you want?” they asked Mr. Langan. He told them where he and his family lived and that they were Jehovah’s Witnesses sharing some Bible thoughts with people. He then went on to observe that men cannot bring justice, that only God can do that. This rather upset them. Mrs. Langan asked if there were any family men among them with wife and children and if it was not true that they had problems keeping everyone in their family happy all the time. If a man had trouble accomplishing this with his own family, how could we expect that human governments would be able to make everyone happy. Only the Creator can do that. Upon hearing this, feelings calmed and a more relaxed atmosphere could be felt.
It turned out that this was the very family whose 15-year-old son had been killed, starting all the trouble. The Witness couple expressed sympathy and said that they had no idea upon whom they were calling when they knocked at their door. They proceeded to comfort the bereaved family with such Bible texts as Revelation 21:4, which tells of the time when God will wipe out all tears from people’s eyes and neither pain nor death will be anymore. They also pointed the mourning family to the Bible hope of a resurrection from the dead and were able to leave some Bible literature with them.
Upon departing, the Langans noticed a young black man following them with his hands behind his back. Mr. Langan turned around and said, “My name is John. What’s your name?” The youth gave his name and then asked, “What are you doing here?” Upon their telling him their mission, he relaxed. He had a knife in his hand.
What moved the Langans to hold their balanced, broad-minded view on racial matters? The Bible tells that God “made out of one man every nation of men, to dwell upon the entire surface of the earth.” (Acts 17:26) God’s Word also tells us to ‘love our neighbors as ourselves’ and that “just as you want men to do to you, do the same way to them.”—Mark 12:31; Luke 6:31.
The Langans live by these principles, even as do other Witnesses, and they have found that doing so is not only practical but makes for the greatest happiness. Yes, Bible principles do work. If you would like to receive help to understand Bible principles and how to apply them in your life, by all means get in touch with Jehovah’s Witnesses in your community. If unable to do so, write to the publishers of this magazine and they will tell you where the Witness congregation nearest to your home meets.