Do You Look to Science for a Better World?
DO MEN look to science to save the world from annihilation and to make it a place where people would delight to live? Opinions may be divided, some answering Yes, some, No. But what we hear and read in industrial advertising and through channels of public communication usually points to what man is doing or can do as ‘the only hope.’ Or at least the conclusion is generally reached that ‘if there is a way to world peace and happiness, man’s intelligence will have to bring it about.’ God is, in effect, left in the background.
A sample of such thinking is an article in the Boston Herald Traveler on the subject “Can Man Run His World?” It called attention to man’s grave mistakes, but then concluded: “[Man] will stumble along, bloodied and bloodying, . . . until he either learns to master his wars or blows up his planet.”
In scientific journalism, science is credited with almost superhuman powers. Recently Science News, under the heading “Genetic engineering: Myth or reality?” said, in its heading-paragraphs:
“The code of life has been cracked and genetic engineering is on its way. . . .”
“Under the magic wand of biology man is now gradually becoming quite different from what he was. . . .”
Not content with attributing exaggerated accomplishments to the men involved, the article concludes, giving them a capitalized title and the main responsibility for humankind’s future:
“The New Biologists, contrary to their science fiction image, are deeply concerned about the power they hold to shape human destiny and are anxious to see that their achievements are not abused.”
Is it intelligent to attribute to modern science and its industrial material developments the ability to save mankind? Or is it good sense to look to human philosophy and political science, which have so much to do with man’s present distressing situation? But this a substantial, influential group in Christendom, including the modernist clergy, have done. They have turned from worshiping the God of the Holy Bible, Jehovah, to a substitute of their own choice. They even deny his existence. In place of looking to him as the source of enlightenment, they pay great respect to modern scientists and intellectuals, placing more faith in mere men than they do in Jehovah.
GOD’S VIEWPOINT
What is the attitude of the Almighty God, the Creator of man, who gave him reasoning powers and provided the things necessary for his welfare? What does He think of man’s turning to science as a savior?
Jehovah God has caused something to be recorded in his Word the Bible that shows us what he thinks, and what he will do about it. This is found in the prophet Ezekiel’s report of what was going on right among God’s professed people in Jerusalem only about five years before its destruction in 607 B.C.E. Recounting what he saw in vision, Ezekiel wrote:
“So [Jehovah] brought me to the inner courtyard of the house of Jehovah, and, look! at the entrance of the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, there were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of Jehovah and their faces to the east, and they were bowing down to the east, to the sun. And he went on to say to me: ‘Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it such a light thing to the house of Judah to do the detestable things that they have done here, that they have to fill the land with violence and that they should offend me again, and here they are thrusting out the shoot [twig] to my nose? And I myself also shall act in rage. My eye will not feel sorry, neither shall I feel compassion. And they will certainly call out in my ears with a loud voice, but I shall not hear them.”’—Ezek. 8:15-18; footnote reading.
There these Israelite men were, in the inner court of the temple dedicated to Jehovah. They were near the entrance of the temple itself, in the space between the porch and the altar of sacrifice at the center of the inner court. But, shockingly, they were not worshiping Jehovah at that place, nor were they bowing to his altar of sacrifice that was to the east of them. They should have been facing west, toward the temple. Why?
Well, there in the temple’s innermost compartment, the Most Holy, was the sacred Ark of the Covenant. Above it was the miraculous Shekinah light that symbolized the presence of Jehovah. But rather than look toward this symbolic dwelling place of God those twenty-five men turned their backs toward the Divine Presence and faced east. Ignoring the God they claimed to represent, they were bowing down in worship to the sun in the sky! This was in direct violation of God’s command at Deuteronomy 4:15-19.
Not satisfied with this flagrant disobedience, those men added insult, for, “here,” said Jehovah, “they are thrusting out the shoot [or, twig] to my nose.” (Ezek. 8:17) This shoot or twig was used in idolatrous worship and may have been carved to a certain shape to represent the human male organ. At least it must have been something very offensive or obscene to be held out to Jehovah’s nose, as if he would find pleasure in smelling it. Such idolatrous sun worship on the part of those twenty-five men was accompanied by their filling “the land with violence.”
MODERN-DAY INSULTERS OF GOD
Has Christendom really, actually, done things as bad as those Jewish men did? Is there a modern-day parallel? Yes.
Modern science has come to be treated like a “sacred cow,” that must be viewed with reverence and that must be considered ahead of the Bible and of God. The scientists’ supposedly “advanced” intellectuality, with all its theories, has been treated as the up-to-date form of enlightenment that has made the Bible “out-of-date,” “obsolete.” In reality their technology is able to delve into God’s laws only to a limited extent and can operate only within the framework and limitations of those laws. But news channels nearly always honor the technology rather than the God who made it possible. They speak as though man is great, ‘wresting nature’s secrets’ away and becoming master of the universe.
Is this attitude something new, this focusing of all attention upon the human creature, this giving of all credit to man whom God created? No, the tendency of humans to do this was described centuries ago by one of the apostles, who wrote: “Although asserting they were wise, they became foolish and turned the glory of the incorruptible God into something like the image of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed creatures and creeping things.” The difference and the extreme seriousness of the matter, however, is that now the time has arrived for the issue to come to a head and to be settled forever.—Rom. 1:22, 23.
Christendom’s infection with the worship of false gods, including the idolizing of modern science, betrays itself very slyly. For instance, on July 20, 1969, when for the first time a human astronaut set foot upon the moon, who was glorified thereby, according to the way that the scientific group responsible for it named things that were involved? Certainly not Jehovah, the Creator of the moon. It was the mythological sun-god that was honored. How so? Because the man-made spacecraft used on that occasion (as on successful moon landings since) was named “Apollo.” Out of all the possible sources of names, idolatrous Greek mythology was selected. Phoebus Apollo was the sun-god of the ancient Greeks and was the twin brother of Artemis (or, Diana), the moon goddess.
Why should intelligent men use the Creator’s laws to accomplish a feat and then advertise and make prominent the name of an ancient sun-god, who is actually no god at all? It is evident that the importance of men is being put ahead of God. Furthermore, Christendom’s general acceptance of the unproved theory of evolution is one of the evidences betraying her as a worshiper of the “sun” of scientists.
Has this tendency of science toward paganism, wherein science is looked upon as a “sun,” the principal source of human enlightenment, proved to bring mankind closer to a better world? Back in Ezekiel’s day a similar course brought violence to the land of Israel. In this day it has proved to be no better. The clergymen of Christendom have either been unwilling or unable to halt the application of modern-day science to the invention and use of the most fiendish weapons of war, culminating in the developing of biological and radiological and atomic-nuclear weapons. The fighting of World Wars I and II was heavily dependent upon activity of scientists. Violence that has filled the earth has not been limited to those two world wars that were fought mainly by Christendom. The much worshiped modern philosophy has robbed churchgoing people of a real fear of God, and violence is being employed widely, even in peacetime. The time period since 1914 C.E. has been officially termed an “Age of Violence.”
The technology of modern science has been applied to industry and commercialism. This has resulted in a growing pollution that is ruining man’s natural environment. Fears are expressed that this earth will become shortly a place unfit for human existence. And what about man’s moral environment?
A new morality has been adopted that views even fornication, adultery and homosexuality with indulgence and makes legal allowances for them. Christendom’s clergymen refrain from declaring what the Bible has to say against these things. In fact, many prominent clergymen have come out publicly in favor of legislation that relieves immoral persons of punishment for committing such unclean things. Venereal disease continues to increase as a result, in fact, has become an epidemic! If this is offensive to many God-fearing people today, what must it be to God himself? It is just as offensive as when those twenty-five worshipers in Jehovah’s temple in Jerusalem were obscenely “thrusting out the shoot” to His nose.
WHAT WILL GOD DO ABOUT IT?
Aside from showing Ezekiel the detestable things that were going on in Jehovah’s temple in Jerusalem, did He take any action as a consequence? Yes. As he said: “I myself also shall act in rage. My eye will not feel sorry, neither shall I feel compassion. And they will certainly call out in my ears with a loud voice, but I shall not hear them.”—Ezek. 8:18.
Did this actually occur? It did. When, only about three and a half years later, Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem, the people got to be in dire straits. Starvation prevailed. Mothers even ate their own children. Disease laid thousands low. Strife among the besieged Jews added to the distress. When Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers entered the city, young and old were slaughtered in the streets. Princes were hung up by the hand. The captives were hauled off to slavery in Babylon. Even though God had put his name on the city and its temple, he did not act to spare them, so great was his rage at the Jews’ disgusting idolatry and obscene practices. (Lam. 2:21; 4:9, 10; 5:12) Are we to think God will act differently today?
Christendom has claimed to bear the name of God and of Christ and to direct the people in their ways. But, to the contrary, Christendom has brought the greatest reproach upon Jehovah God and his Son and upon His worship. It has been an instrument in the hand of God’s enemy Satan the Devil to turn as many as possible away from the true God.
As a consequence, rebellious, apostate Christendom, with her religious systems, will feel Jehovah’s rage without pity and without any heed to their cries. The Bible describes the fall of the world’s false religious empire, symbolic Babylon the Great, of which Christendom is the dominant part. Depicting her as a great harlot, God’s prophetic Word says: “In one day her plagues will come, death and mourning and famine, and she will be completely burned with fire, because Jehovah God, who judged her, is strong.”—Rev. 18:2, 8.
Then her turning away of world leaders to a worship of the “sun” of man-made science with its evolutionary theory will bear its full fruitage. The Bible reveals that the political and commercial systems will suffer defeat and annihilation at the hands of Jesus Christ in the battle of Har–Magedon, which immediately follows the destruction of false religion.—Rev. 16:14-16; 19:17-21.
God’s action, though severe, will work to the benefit of those who do not, stupidly and idolatrously, attribute honor and reverence to the sun, either the literal orb in the sky, or the man-made “sun” of so-called science. They are persons who have respect and reverence for the Creator of the universe. They look to him for life and the comforts of a better order, and they will not be disappointed.—Isa. 45:22.
Even those who have trusted in science, if they recognize that they have been committing idolatry, can receive forgiveness, if they turn to God. For “Jehovah is very tender in affection and merciful.” They can learn of his provisions through a study of the Bible and can look for the blessings he originally purposed for men—a really clean, righteous earth. Then they will experience the truth of which the psalmist long ago sang: “Jehovah God is a sun and a shield; favor and glory are what he gives. Jehovah himself will not hold back anything good from those walking in faultlessness.”—Jas. 5:11; Ps. 84:11.