Young People Ask . . .

Why Do I Have to Be Different?

“IT’S hard being different.” So said one Christian youth. If you are a Christian yourself, you no doubt understand exactly how he feels. Like most youths, you want to be liked and accepted by others. The problem is, being accepted usually means conformity​—talking, dressing, and acting like your peers. A youth who dares to be different risks social ostracism and ridicule.

Youths among Jehovah’s Witnesses therefore face a tough situation. Simply put, as Christians, they are different from other youths. This is not because they have a superior attitude or think they are better than other people. Rather, because of their Bible training, they often do not see eye to eye with their peers when it comes to morals. Their views on patriotic ceremonies, the celebration of religious holidays, and dating may likewise make them stand out like the proverbial sore thumb among their peers.a

One Witness youth calls being different “the hardest part of being a Christian.” Another says: “The kids look down on you. I’ve been called a wimp and a nerd many times.” Your Christian parents may further insist that you be different not only in moral behavior but also in such matters as dress, grooming, and taste in music.

God’s People Are Different!

‘What’s so wrong with being like other kids?’ you may wonder. Well, being different has characterized God’s people from the very beginning. At one time, God selected ancient Israel to become his “special property.” (Exodus 19:5) That meant being different from all other peoples. At Leviticus 18:3, God commanded: “The way the land of Egypt does, in which you dwelt, you must not do; and the way the land of Canaan does, into which I am bringing you, you must not do; and in their statutes you must not walk.”

The ancient Egyptians were steeped in the degrading worship of animals. Belief in the immortality of the soul pervaded their lives. Incest was common. Similarly, Canaan was a land saturated with idolatry, sexual perversion, bloodshed, child sacrifice, and prostitution. “Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things,” God therefore warned. “You must not do any of all these detestable things.”​—Leviticus 18:24-26.

Jehovah backed up this exhortation with a Law code that governed practically every aspect of their lives: their diet (Leviticus 11), their hygienic practices (Deuteronomy 23:12, 13), their sexual practices (Leviticus 18:6-23). The Law even regulated their dress and grooming! “They must make for themselves fringed edges upon the skirts of their garments throughout their generations,” said Jehovah, “and they must put a blue string above the fringed edge of the skirt.” (Numbers 15:38) Males were required to wear beards and were forbidden to cut off their “sidelocks.” (Leviticus 19:27; 21:5) This law was to be heeded even if a Jew didn’t like fringed garments or preferred the clean-​shaved look.

Now, imagine being told that you had to wear a beard and certain clothing. Would you not resent this as a violation of your personal rights? Yet, God’s laws served an important and beneficial purpose. Explained Jehovah: “The purpose is that you may remember and may certainly do all my commandments and indeed prove to be holy to your God. I am Jehovah your God.” (Numbers 15:38-41) The dress code served as a powerful visual reminder that the Jews were different​—a people set aside as holy to Jehovah. The dietary restrictions not only protected their health but helped prevent them from getting socially or religiously involved with non-​Jews. Why, it was virtually impossible to associate with a pagan without breaking some aspect of God’s Law. The Mosaic Law thus served as a “wall” that kept His people separate from other nations.​—Compare Ephesians 2:14.

Christians Must Be Different

Christians today “have been discharged from the Law” of Moses and enjoy considerable freedom in matters of personal choice. (Romans 7:6) Nevertheless, Jesus Christ told his followers: “You are no part of the world . . . I have chosen you out of the world, [and] on this account the world hates you.” (John 15:19) Jesus was not saying that Christians had to leave planet Earth. (Compare 1 Corinthians 5:10.) He simply meant that they must be separate from “the world”​—the part of mankind that is alienated from God. Why? Because as the apostle John later said, “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.”​—1 John 5:19.

Now consider some of the youths you know in school. What about their thinking, their conduct, their speech, their taste in music or clothing? Does it seem to you that such youths are guided by godly standards​—or are they guided by the rules set by “the god of this system of things,” Satan the Devil? (2 Corinthians 4:4) If the latter is true, what a predicament you place yourself in if you act, talk, or even look unkempt like them! At the very least, you undermine your claim to being a Witness for Jehovah. Worse yet, you might find yourself succumbing to bad influences.

“Your friends really do affect your conduct,” admits a young woman named Kim. “When I was in school, I wasn’t too strong in the [Christian] truth, so I had a lot of worldly friends. But that wasn’t good because I got into a lot of bad things.” Yet you don’t have to get involved with serious wrongdoing to jeopardize your relationship with God. Note carefully what the Bible says at James 4:4: “Do you not know that the friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend of the world is constituting himself an enemy of God.”

Do you really want to risk becoming God’s enemy? Of course not! Then make it clear that you are no part of the world. This means more than simply avoiding drugs and immoral sex, however.

How to Be Different

Take, for example, your taste in clothes. What you wear sends a message about who you are, what you stand for, what you believe in. Unlike the Jewish arrangement, though, Christianity allows you much room for individuality and personal preference. But does that mean jumping on every fashion bandwagon that comes along?

One Christian girl wanted to follow the then popular fad of wearing ripped-​up jeans to school. Naturally, nobody wants to look out of style. Your parents are wise, however, to draw the line at your wearing styles that are sloppy, suggestive, outlandish, or offensive. Were you to dress in such ways, what impression would you give others? A young girl named Jeffie found out when she had her hair cut in a faddish style. “I just thought it looked ‘different,’” she recalls. “But people started asking me, ‘Are you really one of Jehovah’s Witnesses?’ and that was embarrassing.”

Balanced advice is given at 1 Timothy 2:9, where Christians are urged to dress “with modesty and soundness of mind.” You can usually be modest without looking conspicuously out-​of-​date. True, dressing conservatively will probably not win you any popularity contests, but it will help you to stand out as different​—and that is something that may gain you God’s approval!

What about your taste in music? Music fills the waking hours of many youths. When kept in balance, music can be enjoyable and upbuilding. Exodus 32:17-22, however, shows that music can also stir up base emotions and passions. And much of today’s music is simply unfit for a Christian’s ears. Rap and heavy-​metal music, for example, are popular, but much​—if not most—​of it revolves around immoral sex, rebellion, violence, or even spiritism. Do you go along with the teenage crowd in your choice of music, or do you have the courage to be selective?

Yes, it takes courage to be different. When you refuse to let friends and classmates dictate your choice of entertainment, speech, or dress, it is sure to evoke a reaction. Jesus warned: “Because you are no part of the world, . . . the world hates you.” (John 15:19) Being different may therefore be one of the hardest things you ever have to do​—but it is not impossible. It is the course that upholds God’s standards. It brings you self-​respect and a clean conscience. The question is, How can you find the courage to be different? Our next issue will address that question.

[Footnotes]

[Pictures on page 18]

A youth who fails to be different from his peers undermines his claim to being a Christian