wore their clothes and shoes until they were entirely in rags?

Did God recognize the fine distinctions of four classes or grades among them whereby one of a higher grade could not touch one of a lower class without becoming unclean? Did he also consider all the Essenes so much better than the rest of men that for them to touch a stranger would make them unclean? Would he rather have them starve to death than eat something prepared by non-Essenian hands, and therefore supposedly unclean?

Is not all such a striking example of what Jehovah condemned at Isaiah 65:5, 6 (AT): “Who say, ‘Stand off; come not near me, lest I make you taboo!’ These men are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that burns continually. See! it stands written before me: ‘I will not keep silent, until I have requited—until I have requited on their bosom their own sins.’” Or as the common version expresses it: “Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou.” Josephus and others may praise the Essenes, but Jesus’ words to the Pharisees can also be properly directed to them, especially since they may actually have been Pharisees: “You are those who declare yourselves righteous before men, but God knows your hearts; because what is lofty among men is a disgusting thing in God’s sight.”—Luke 16:15, NW.

Josephus had about a hundred times as much to say about the Essenes as about Christ and the Christians. Which, however, has history shown to be of greater moment in that first century A.D., the doings of the sect of the Essenes or what Christ and his followers accomplished?

No General Motors of Religion!

● The most astounding insight into interfaith was given by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale of New York’s Marble Collegiate Church in the American magazine, June, 1948. He used this example: “A generation ago a number of different companies which made many different kinds of motorcars were combined into one great corporation This corporation did not scrap all the old models and produce only one kind of car. It has continued to turn out many different models, to meet the preferences of customers, but by merging companies it has vastly increased the efficiency of its operation and thus made more cars available to more people than was ever possible before.” That is his proposal in the way of interfaith; keep all sorts of ideas to satisfy the customers. Pure worship and right doctrine are relegated to a secondary position. Such interfaithers want to satisfy the people, not God; to please their salary-payers, to let the customers say what they expect of their religion, rather than letting it tell what God expects of them. They are more concerned about interfaith than true faith, and anyone who does not approve of their broad religious course they consider “narrow”. They would not have liked Christ’s separateness at all. In contradiction of their theory, he said: “Narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.” The wise will follow his warning, investigate, study, know the reason for their faith, accept only what can be absolutely proved, and will hold narrowly to pure doctrine—the only course that really leads to life!—Matt. 7:13, 14, NW; 1 Thess. 5:21.