AMERICA'S CHOICE? From Golden Age to Ruin - November-December 2020
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NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2020 THE RCG.ORG/REALTRUTH
TM
A MAGAZINE RESTORING PL AIN UNDERSTANDING
AMERICA’S
CHOICE?
From Golden Age to Ruin The Mayflower: Keeping It The Christmas Tree: Behind the
Lebanon in Turmoil as It Turns 100 A Monumental Expedition Together Rise of a Holiday IconHOW THIS MAGAZINE IS PAID FOR:
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VOL. XVIII | NO. 6 | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2020 the Work of God in preaching and
publishing the gospel to all nations
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PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
DAVID C. PACK
MANAGING EDITOR
EDWARD L. WINKFIELD
SENIOR EDITOR
BRADFORD G. SCHLEIFER
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
SAMUEL C. BAXTER
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
DAVID C. PACK
g A firefighter of a San Benito Monterey Personal from the Editor-in-Chief SAMUEL C. BAXTER
Cal Fire crew sets a controlled burn with God’s Key to Financial Prosperity JUSTIN M. FRAZIER
WULPHERT DE GRAAF
a drip torch while fighting the Creek Page 1 ANDREW J. HOLCOMBE
Fire in Shaver Lake, California (Sept. RICHARD O. LEE
6, 2020). From Golden Age to Ruin DAVID J. LITAVSKY
FRANK LYDICK
PHOTO: MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ Lebanon in Turmoil as It Turns 100 KENNETH M. OREL
The Mideast nation marked its centennial just after a GARRICK R. OXLEY
massive explosion at Beirut’s port. Ever since, political JAMES F. PASTOR
Up in Smoke TIMOTHY D. RANNEY
instability has threatened to bring the nation to its knees. BRADFORD G. SCHLEIFER
The Increasing Devastation Page 4 NESTOR A. TORO
F. JACO VILJOEN
of West Coast Wildfires VIDAL N. WACHUKU
America’s Choice? EDWARD L. WINKFIELD
Page 14 Every four years, the people of the United States face EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS
a presidential crossroads—with the nation’s future MELISSA M. HOLCOMBE
seemingly on the line. Every four years, many are DAVID J. LITAVSKY
woefully disappointed nothing ever seems to change… ART/GRAPHICS
JODY E. LYDICK
Page 10 PAULA C. RONDEAU
SARAH O. VIDAL
The Mayflower: A Monumental Expedition EILEEN M. WILLARD
The voyage of the Mayflower 400 years ago began a WEBSITE SERVICES
nation that would change the course of world history. BRADFORD G. SCHLEIFER
ANGELA K. BAXTER
The story is told every year, but the real purpose of the AMANDA B. DODD
journey has remained hidden. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Page 20 TIMOTHY C. WILLARD
Keeping It Together
Four Biblical Ways to Maintain COVID-Era
Relationships
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for
adversity” (Proverbs 17:17).
Page 25 The preparation and production of
this magazine involved the work of
The Christmas Tree: Behind the Rise of a editors, proofreaders, graphic artists,
FRONT COVER: U.S. President Donald Holiday Icon illustrators, writers, researchers and
those who support the Work of God.
Trump and Democratic presidential nomi- Page 28 Copyright © 2020, The Restored
nee Joe Biden. Church of God. Printed in the USA.
ILLUSTRATION: PAULA C. RONDEAU World News Desk All rights reserved.
Page 32 The Restored Church of God
is not responsible for the return of
CREDITS: All photos from Getty Images unsolicited articles and photos.
unless otherwise noted. Articles on pages Scriptures are quoted from the
4-9, 14-19 and 33 contain information from King James (or Authorized) Version
The Associated Press and Reuters. of the Bible, unless otherwise noted.PERSONAL FROM
God’s Key to Financial
Prosperity
M
uch of the national news is devoted
What You Earn Is Not Your Own
to the rollercoaster ride of the “leading
economic indicators”—and whether Your house belongs to you, right? So does your car,
doesn’t it? You bought the clothes on your back
they are moving up or down. Unemployment,
with your money, didn’t you? Haven’t you heard
inflation, recession, interest rates, bull or bear yourself say, “I earned my money, it’s mine”? Isn’t
markets, stocks, housing starts, auto sales, lay- it true that “what’s yours is yours and what’s mine is
offs, hires, available energy, and fuel prices are mine”? Not so fast!
all household words dominating the news. Certainly we would all agree that before we have
What about you? If you are honest with your- fully paid off the things that we have purchased, they are
not truly ours. Banks and other lenders hold liens against
self, you will admit that you spend a lot of time
houses, cars, boats and other expensive things that peo-
thinking and talking about money. You probably
ple buy on credit. Everyone understands this. But have
wrestle with financial difficulties daily. Sometimes you ever considered whether you really own everything
you feel that you are winning the battle, only to that you think you do? Do you really have title to the
learn that you are either treading water or falling things you own “free and clear”?
behind. We must consider whether others could lay claim to
Many today find it almost impossible to “get what is “ours.”
ahead.” For most, the “money struggle” is constant,
and the pressure can seem unbearable. Just the stress of “Death and Taxes”
these problems can drive away the happiness and peace Most are familiar with the phrase, “Nothing is certain in
that everyone seeks but few find. life except death and taxes.” Indeed, death is certain. Of
Yet all of this is unnecessary if you have God’s course, everyone also recognizes that the government is
key to financial prosperity. entitled to a certain percentage of one’s income. Few
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2020 1dispute this, though most seek to get and created the timber, which grew
around taxes in as many ways as pos- Who Really Owns Everything? because of the elements found in the
sible. No one wants to give the gov- Despite the fact that governments can soil of the Earth—which He created
ernment a penny more than “its fair legally collect taxes for themselves and owns!
share.” Most feel that less than “its from the taxpayers of a country, no one Any time He wishes, God can take
share” would be better. would suggest that they own every- back all that is His. After all, it is
Have you stopped to consid- thing else that a taxpayer has. All that His! This includes your income. While
er whether God instructs us to pay is left belongs to the taxpayer—or you may have “earned it,” God owns it.
taxes? He does! These scriptures does it?
prove it. Paul wrote, “Let every Now for a basic question. Look “Things that Are God’s”
soul be subject unto the higher around you and ask yourself: Where do We have seen Christ said that, in addi-
powers…Wherefore you must needs we get the things that we have? Where tion to taxes belonging to Caesar, there
be subject…for conscience sake. For did they actually come from? are also “things that are God’s”—or
this cause pay you tribute [Greek: God says, “…for all the earth things that belong to God. What are
taxes or assessment] also…Render is Mine” (Ex. 19:5). Have you ever these things? We have read that God
therefore to all their dues: trib- considered this? The Bible also states, owns everything. And Christ said,
ute to whom tribute is due” (Rom. “Behold, the heaven and the heaven “Render…to God the things that are
13:1, 5-7). of heavens is the Lord’s your God, God’s.” Render means give. Since the
Christ was asked if He felt that the earth also, with all that therein heavens and the Earth (or the land on
taxes should be paid—with the ques- is” (Deut. 10:14) and “whatsoever is which we live) cannot be “rendered”
tion actually directed to Him for the under the whole heaven is Mine” (Job back to God by human beings, to what
purpose of tempting Him into giving 41:11). is this referring?
a wrong answer. Notice that those In the Psalms, King David was We have proven that our entire
who questioned Him said, “Is it law- inspired to write, “The earth is income (salary, wages, interest earned,
ful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; investments, bonuses, commissions and
Shall we give, or shall we not give?” the world, and they that dwell therein” any other kind of financial increase)
Christ asked to be given a penny (24:1). Paul recorded the same state- actually belongs to God.
for the purpose of illustration. He ment in I Corinthians 10:26. What of a farmer and the produce
then answered, “Render to Caesar the God says, “For every beast of the from his field? What is the process
things that are Caesar’s, and to forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a whereby things grow? The farmer does
God the things that are God’s” (Mark thousand hills…If I were hungry, I his part—tilling, planting, fertilizing,
12:14-17). Christ taught that there are would not tell you: for the world is watering, etc.—but so does God in
things that belong to man’s govern- Mine, and the fullness thereof” (Psa. that He sends rain and sunshine and
ment and things that belong to God. 50:10, 12). Finally, the prophet Haggai provides the very soil in which the
We will momentarily address said, “The silver is Mine, and the gold fruit, vegetables or grains take root
what belongs to God. However, what is Mine, says the Lord of hosts” (2:8). and grow.
belongs to the government are taxes! In a sense, God is saying Who did most of the work? In truth,
In some countries this includes city, that all money is His. (Remember, the farmer did little more than a fraction
state and federal taxes. Woe to those the value of money is generally of the work while God did the greater
caught not paying them! Interest, pen- attached in some way to gold and part. As a matter of fact, the farmer is
alties and even prison can be the silver.) God owns absolutely every- far more dependent on God’s effort
result for those guilty of tax evasion. thing there is to own. Human beings are than God is on the farmer’s. Without
In doing this, people have disobeyed “squatters” on His land and “renters” God’s contributions, the farmer would
not only the laws of the land, but also in homes that belong to Him. This produce nothing and would not even
God’s plain instruction. is what these verses say! Make no be alive because no one would be able
So then, taxes are an undisputed mistake—what you think is yours is to produce the food necessary for all
fact of life for most people on Earth. not! Everything that you think you own human beings to survive.
The fact that you earned the money is actually owned by God. You are Think of it this way. You formed
you have does not negate the fact merely its temporary custodian. a partnership with God—whether you
that human governments have a prior People may manufacture products knew it or not—the day you took a
right to take a certain percentage of from natural resources, which come chosen profession, job or vocation. You
it to ensure their own operation. No from the earth, but it is God who are using materials that belong to God
government can function without tax makes both the natural resources and in order to invest, sell, distribute or
revenue. the earth in which they are found. Men produce goods or services whereby you
This is one way that what is yours may own mining or timber rights, but
is not always entirely yours. it is ultimately God who owns the mine Please see PERSONAL, page 31
2 The REAL TRUTHThe Missing
Ingredient for
Good Health
T he human body needs a certain amount of
nutrients, vitamins and minerals every day to
function well. But there is one important element
of physical wellbeing that is largely ignored: God’s
Word. Its pages contain vital guidelines on good
health that, if followed, will help you to be happy
and brimming with life.
Read our booklet God’s Principles of Healthful
Living for more!
rcg.org/glohlFROM
GOLDEN
AGE
TO RUIN
Lebanon in Turmoil
as It Turns 100
BY DAVID J . L I TAV S K Y
4 The REAL TRUTHThe Mideast nation marked its centennial just after a massive
explosion at Beirut’s port. Ever since, political instability has
threatened to bring the nation to its knees.
“I
’ve had a recurrent Explosions are not out of the ordi- Sunni and Shiite Islam—could coex-
nightmare ever since I nary in the coastal city, where car-bomb ist in both government and within the
was a kid: A tsunami takes blasts have occurred almost monthly general population.
since 2005. But the latest explosion The experiment initially seemed to
over and all I can do is look for my was so devastating, it triggered new be a success. At its peak, Lebanon was
sister to rescue her,” Karen Madi, reflection on the country’s troubled his- hailed as a model of multiculturalism.
a resident of Lebanon’s capital tory and deepened worry for the future. In its heyday in the 1960s, the country
city, stated in a NPR interview. “I Thousands took to the streets, demand- became a regional center for the rich
worried about her because I never ing government reform. For them, the and famous who flew from around
thought I’d have to go through catastrophe was a continuation of the the world to gamble at the Casino
past, with crisis after crisis caused in Du Liban, or to attend concerts in the
such a nightmare all alone.” one way or another by the sectarian elite ancient northeastern city of Baalbek by
“And that I did, on August 4,” she
putting factions and self-interest ahead international artists such as the Berlin
said, referring to the day in 2020 that
of state and nation. Philharmonic, Soviet ballet dancer
more than 3,000 tons of ammonium
The blast also came amid economic Rudolf Nureyev, American jazz singer
nitrate caught fire in a Beirut port ware-
upheaval. An unprecedented financial Ella Fitzgerald, as well as famous Arab
house, causing an explosion that killed
meltdown has devastated the economy, singers like Egypt’s Umm Kalthoum
at least 180 people, injured 6,000 and
fueling poverty and a new wave of and Lebanon’s own Fairuz.
devastated a swath of the city. The blast
emigration. Yet even during its golden age—and
was large enough for people 150 miles
Then came the centennial on prior to its inception 100 years ago—
away on the island of Cyprus to report
September 1, which marked 100 years the seeds of division and turmoil had
hearing noise and their windows rat-
since the establishment of the State of already been sown.
tling.
Greater Lebanon, proclaimed by France
“A minute before the explosion, I “Thrown Together”
in an imperial carve-up with Britain
needed to use the bathroom [at an art
after World War I. It was the precursor Looking back on his childhood in the
gallery],” Ms. Madi explained. “The
to the modern state of Lebanon. Facing newly declared state of Lebanon, Salah
shaking blue painted walls echoed the
potential bankruptcy and total collapse, Tizani said the country was set on
tsunami waves from my nightmares.
many Lebanese marked the 100-year course for calamity from the start by
‘No, not like this,’ I said to myself, as
anniversary with a feeling that their colonial powers and sectarian overlords.
I threw myself on the floor and tried to
experiment as a nation has failed and Mr. Tizani, better known in Lebanon
protect my head under the toilet. I can’t
even remember the sound of the blast, questioning their willingness to stay in as Abou Salim, was one of Lebanon’s
similar to the silence you feel when the crises-riddled country. first TV celebrities. He shot to fame in
you’re under a crashing wave.” “I am 53 years old and I don’t feel I the 1960s with a weekly comedy show
“When I got out of that bathroom, had one stable year in this country,” said that offered a political and social cri-
I realized that the world I built in this prominent Lebanese writer Alexandre tique of the nascent state.
country came crashing down.” Najjar. Now age 92, he lucidly traces
For the hundreds of thousands of When the August 4 explosion the crises that have beset Lebanon—
Beirut residents directly or indirectly occurred, it was, as Mr. Najjar charac- wars, invasions, assassinations and,
affected by the blast, the realization terized, the “peak of a failed state”— most recently, the devastating chemi-
was the same. The city’s mayor told proof that authorities cannot even pro- cal explosion—back to the days when
Agence France-Presse that half of the vide basic public safety. France carved its borders out of the
city was damaged and it would cost It was never supposed to be that way. Ottoman Empire in 1920 and sectar-
up to $15 billion for repairs. He said The nation, which had been under ian politicians known as “the zuama”
300,000 people were unable to return the Ottoman Empire since the 16th emerged as its masters.
to their homes. century, was given semi-independence For Lebanon’s biggest Christian
under France in 1920. By the time community, known as the Maronites,
g A girl is evacuated by her uncle in the
aftermath of a massive explosion at the port
it was granted full independence, the proclamation of the state by French
in Beirut, Lebanon (Aug. 4, 2020). Lebanon was intended to showcase General Henri Gouraud was a wel-
PHOTO: AP/HASSAN AMMAR that three religions—Christianity, come step toward independence.
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2020 5But many Muslims who found them- Women gained suffrage in 1952. Visitors left the capital with “a mis-
selves cut off from Syria and Palestine Salim Haidar, a minister at the time, leadingly idyllic picture of the city, deaf
were dismayed by the new borders. took pride in the fact that Lebanon to the antagonisms that now rumbled
Some like Mr. Tizani saw early divi- was only a few years behind France in beneath the surface and blind to the
sion between Christians and Muslims. granting women the right to vote, his dangers that were beginning to gather
As a young boy, he remembers being son, Hayyan, recalls. on the horizon,” Samir Kassir, the late
ordered home by the police to be regis- Salim Haidar, with a doctorate from historian and journalist, wrote in his
tered in a census in 1932, the last such the Sorbonne, drafted Lebanon’s first book Beirut.
survey Lebanon conducted. His neigh- anti-corruption law in 1953. Kassir was assassinated by a car
bors refused to take part. “This was the mentality…that bomb in Beirut in 2005.
From the earliest days, people were Lebanon is really leading the way, For all the glitz and glamour, sectar-
forced into the arms of politicians of one even in the legal and constitutional ian politics left many parts of Lebanon
sectarian stripe or another if they needed matters. But then he didn’t know that marginalized and impoverished, provid-
a job, to get their children into school, all of these laws that he worked on ing fertile ground for the 1975-90 civil
or if they ran into trouble with the law. would not be properly applied, or war, said Nadya Sbaiti, assistant profes-
would not be applied at all, like the sor of Middle Eastern Studies at the
Pointing to Catastrophe anti-corruption law,” Hayyan Haidar American University of Beirut.
When Lebanon declared independence said. “The other side of the 1960s is not
in 1943, the French tried to thwart the The 1960s are widely seen as a just Hollywood actors and Baalbeck
move by incarcerating its new govern- golden age. Tourism boomed, much of festivals, but includes guerrilla training
ment, provoking an uprising that proved it from the Arab world. A cultural scene in rural parts of the country,” she said.
to be a rare moment of national unity. of theatre, poetry, cinema and music Lebanon was also buffeted by the
Under Lebanon’s National Pact, it flourished. The arts were celebrated aftershocks of Israel’s creation in 1948,
was agreed the president must be a each year at the famous Baalbeck which sent some 100,000 Palestinian
Maronite (part of the Catholic Church), International Festival. Famous visitors refugees fleeing over the border.
the prime minister a Sunni Muslim included Brigitte Bardot. Casino du In 1968, Israeli commandos
and the speaker of parliament a Shiite Liban hosted the Miss Europe beauty destroyed a dozen passenger planes
Muslim. pageant in 1964. Water skiers showed at the Beirut airport, a response to
The post-independence years off their skills in the bay by Beirut’s an attack on an Israeli airliner by a
brought signs of promise. Saint George Hotel. Lebanon-based Palestinian group.
6 The REAL TRUTHThe attack “showed us we are not “Beside people coming from the leaders turned in their weapons and took
a state. We are an international play- West, you had people coming from seats in government. Hayyan Haidar, a
ground,” Salim Haidar, serving as an all over the Arab world, from Iraq, civil engineer and close aide to Selim
MP, said in an address to parliament at from Jordan, from Syria, from Palestine Hoss, prime minister at the end of the
the time. Lebanon had not moved on in meeting in these cafes, living here, war, expressed his concern.
a quarter of a century, he said. feeling free,” she recalled. “But in our “My comment was they are going to
activity as artists…all our plays were become the state and we are on our way
Time Bomb pointing to a catastrophe.” out,” he said.
Lebanon’s brewing troubles were It came in 1975 with the eruption
reflected in its art. of the civil war that began as a con- “I Lost Hope”
The 1970 play “Carte Blanche” por- flict between Christian militias and After the war, old fault lines persisted
trayed the country as a brothel run by Palestinian groups allied with Lebanese and new ones emerged.
government ministers and ended with Muslim factions. According to BBC, Lebanon’s reli-
the lights off and the sound of a ticking Known as the “two-year war,” it was gious diversity “makes the country an
bomb. followed by many other conflicts. Some easy target for interference by external
Nidal Al Achkar, the co-director, of those were fought among Christian powers, as seen with Iran’s backing of
recalls the Beirut of her youth as a groups and among Muslim groups. the Shia Hezbollah movement, widely
vibrant melting pot that never slept. The United States, Russia and Syria seen as the most powerful military and
A pioneer of Lebanese theatre, Ms. were drawn in. Lebanon was splintered. political group in Lebanon.”
Achkar graduated in the 1950s from Hundreds of thousands of people were Since the end of the war, “political
one of a handful of Lebanese schools uprooted. leaders from each sect have maintained
founded on a secular rather than reli- The guns fell silent in 1990 with their power and influence through a sys-
gious basis, Ahliah, in the city’s former some 150,000 dead and more than tem of patronage networks—protecting
Jewish quarter. Beirut was in the 1960s 17,000 people missing. the interests of the religious communi-
a city of “little secrets…full of cinemas, The Taif peace agreement diluted ties they represent, and offering—both
full of theatres,” she said. Maronite power in government. Militia legal and illegal—financial incentives.”
g Left, a helicopter puts out a fire at the scene of an explosion at the port of Beirut (Aug. 4, 2020). Right, Lebanese protesters, enraged by a
deadly explosion blamed on government negligence, clash with security forces near an access street to the parliament in central Beirut (Aug.
9, 2020).
PHOTO: STR/AFP (LEFT); JOSEPH EID/AFP (RIGHT); VIA GETTY IMAGES
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2020 7Sunni and Shiite Muslims fell out Mr. Najjar offered a more hopeful ruled over the mountainous region
following the 2005 assassination of conclusion. placed a unique symbol at the center of
Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, who was “There is no doubt we were expect- the flag to feel represented.
credited for a role in putting together ing the 100th anniversary to be differ- Under the dominance of Christian
the agreement that ended the 15-year ent. We did not expect this year to be empires after the Crusades, for
civil war. A UN-backed tribunal catastrophic to this level,” he said. instance, a large gold cross with three
recently convicted a member of the “There is still hope,” he said. “We smaller crosses was the flag’s center
Iran-backed Shiite group Hezbollah have hit rock bottom and things can- feature. A dynasty of Druze rulers
of conspiring to kill Hariri. not get worse.” adopted a laurel wreath at the flag’s
Since then, the last 15 years have main object. Various forms of the cres-
been punctuated by political slay- Seeking Stability cent moon were used under the control
ings, a war between Hezbollah and The former MP Salim Haidar’s words— of the Ottoman Empire and various
Israel and a brush with civil conflict “We are an international playground”— Islamic rulers from the 1500s onward.
in 2008. not only describes Lebanon’s past 100 It was not until independence in
But for some, the bitter division years, it could also apply to millennia of 1920 that the green cedar was intro-
never really ended. Lebanon’s history. The region has host- duced. It has remained Lebanon’s cen-
Political conflict persists in gov- ed a tug of war between Christianity terpiece of the flag and emblem for the
ernment even at a time when people and Islam, Arab and European empires, past 100 years.
are desperate for solutions to the throughout the last 1,500 years. For independent Lebanese, the tree
financial crisis and support in the The diversity of the population speaks volumes on their identity—and
aftermath of the port explosion. today reflects a confluence of cultures their hopes for the nation’s future.
While some refuse to lose faith in and religions: about 60 percent iden- The tree depicted on the flag is the
a better Lebanon, for others, the blast tify with Islam, with equal parts Sunni Mountain of Lebanon Cedar, ever-
was the final straw. Some are leaving and Shiite, while about 40 percent are greens that were coveted for construc-
or planning to. Christians. Rather than dominating any tion projects in ancient times and they
“You live between a war and large part of the nation, the religious are a main source of tourism and inter-
another, and you rebuild and then groups exist in isolated pockets. est in the region today.
everything is destroyed and then you Another emblem has literally Lebanon’s anthem includes the
rebuild again,” said theatre director depicted Lebanon’s changing tides of line: “The cedars are his [Lebanon’s]
Ms. Achkar. “That’s why I lost hope.” rulership: its flag. Each entity that pride, his immortality’s symbol.” The
8 The REAL TRUTHg Opposite page, protesters hold torches and nooses, symbols of anger against the Lebanese government, as they commemorate a month
since the deadly explosion in Beirut (Sept. 4, 2020). Top, a picture taken from Dbayeh, north of Beirut, shows smoke from a huge fire raging at
the port in the Lebanese capital (Sept. 10, 2020). Bottom left, a Lebanese child stands next to an empty refrigerator in their apartment in the
port city of Tripoli north of Beirut (June 17, 2020). Bottom right, destroyed buildings are visible a day after the massive explosion (Aug. 5, 2020).
PHOTOS: MARWAN TAHTAH/ (OPPOSITE PAGE); JOSEPH EID/AFP (TOP); IBRAHIM CHALHOUB/AFP (BOTTOM LEFT); SAM TARLING/ (BOTTOM RIGHT); GETTY IMAGES
song also invokes that “God preserve tree as an emblem of longevity, politi- This sounds like awesome pros-
[Lebanon] until the end of time.” cal stability and lasting peace—all for perity—which would have to also
In the Bible, God has a lot to say which they desperately desire. include political stability! Both would
about the cedar. It is mentioned in The good news for all those liv- be welcome news to a nation now
Scripture 77 times, and is used as a ing with such hope is that the Bible going through its worst crisis in recent
symbol of prosperity and strength. A is more than a book of symbols and times.
psalmist wrote: “The righteous shall poetry. It is also an authority on This little-known prophecy is part
flourish like the palm tree: he shall prophecy: and much of it is good of a larger plan made by the God who
grow like a cedar in Lebanon” (Psa. news. declares events before they occur.
92:12). The prophet Isaiah referenced The same book that discusses the Overall, it is a plan of “peace” on
the “glory of Lebanon,” followed by cedar shows that Lebanon’s hopes Earth, and “good will toward men”
a list of trees the area was famous for: will turn into reality. Note another (Luke 2:14).
“the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box prophecy in Isaiah: “Is it not yet a For more on the way God plans
[cedar] together” (60:13). very little while, and Lebanon shall to bring peace to Lebanon and all
Today, although the nation has a be turned into a fruitful field, and the nations of the world, read our free
Christian minority, its war- and crises- fruitful field shall be esteemed as a booklet How World Peace Will Come!
weary citizens continue to look to the forest?” (29:17). at rcg.org/hwpwc. c
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2020 9Every four years, the people of the
United States face a presidential
crossroads—with the nation’s future
seemingly on the line. Every four
years, many are woefully disappointed
nothing ever seems to change…
BY SAMUEL C. BAXTER
A
buse of power. Corruption at the very
highest levels. Hypocrisy, cronyism, lack
of morals—all pushing a deep desire for
sweeping change in leadership. For many voters,
this can sound like the political climate of 2016,
when then-candidate Donald Trump promised
to “drain the swamp” of Washington. For other
voters, it smacks of the presidential campaign for
2020, where supporters of Joe Biden feel they are
in a “battle for the soul of the nation.”
Yet this is not a description of today, rather of ancient
Israel circa 1050 BC. At that time, the elderly priest
Samuel made his sons judges over Israel. In I Samuel 8:3,
it states that these men, Joel and Abiah, “turned aside after
lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.”
AMER
Such open corruption caused the elders of Israel to
come to Samuel and demand: “Behold, you are old, and
your sons walk not in your ways: now make us a king to
judge us like all the nations” (vs. 5).
Despite protests from Samuel, and clear warnings
on what this change in government would bring, the
CHOI
Israelites ultimately got what they wanted—and reaped
the terrible results of their decision. In the end, the king-
doms of Israel and Judah had an incredible run of wicked
kings, and scant few who were righteous.
Of course, the U.S. shucked monarchy for a demo-
cratic republic during the American Revolution. With
kings and queens, power remained in a close family line
and leaders changed upon death. With presidents, anyone
could be elected every four years.
But that does not mean the United States started some-
thing new. Israel’s third king, Solomon, was right when
he said that “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecc.
PHOTOS: TOM BRENNER/ (LEFT); WIN MCNAMEE/ (RIGHT); GETTY IMAGES
10 The REAL TRUTH1:9). The U.S. voting system is not unlike the elder’s
request to Samuel. Instead of changing forms of govern-
ment, voters today select a new man. The sentiment is
the same, however. With each election, the populace can
say: “We demand something different. This old way is
not working.”
And, sadly, the results are often the same. With each
federal vote, the U.S. seems to turn a fresh page in its his-
tory, but little changes—and conditions often get worse.
The Moffatt translation of Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 sums up
the situation perfectly: “What has been is what shall be,
what has gone on is what shall go on, and there is nothing
new under the sun. Men may say of something, ‘Ah, this
is new!’—but it existed long ago before our time.”
This article was sent to print before the results of
the 2020 presidential vote. Yet the result will be akin to
something that has already occurred before. Is America
doomed to repeat this four-year cycle forever?
Constant Thread
Politicians and journalists are right to say that we live at
a unique time in history. The COVID-19 pandemic even
comes with the euphemistic tagline “these unprecedented
times.” So, while there is “nothing new” under the
American political sun, conditions are ripe for post-elec-
tion clashes as never seen before. The internet has given
rise to a post-truth era with many living in ideological
echo chambers—where incorrect beliefs are never ques-
tioned and instead root in deeper over time. This trend can
ICA’S
be found among conservatives and liberals alike.
An early October YouGov poll of 1,999 registered
voters found that 47 percent disagreed that the election
“is likely to be fair and honest,” 51 percent disagreed that
“Americans will generally agree on who is the legitimate-
ly elected president,” and 56 percent said they expect an
ICE?
increase of violence as a result of the vote. Headlines rein-
terpreted the last statistic as “on the brink of civil war.”
The hair trigger that is internet and social media make
this ever more a possibility.
Despite being in uncharted waters, there is an ele-
ment that has remained unchanging in politics the world
over: human nature. This has reared its head throughout
American history, especially in political arenas.
Early in U.S. history, Founding Fathers Alexander
Hamilton and James Madison detailed what they believed
should be America’s new national character. If these vir-
tues were not adopted, Hamilton wrote, the nation would
devolve into “plunder and devastation.” Madison said it
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2020 11would be a “gloomy and perilous scene in the history of man. A conspiracy of than his competitor—to win the elec-
into which the advocates for disunion infamy so black that, when it is finally toral college 286 to 266.
would conduct us.” exposed, its principals shall be for- Such craziness surrounding the polls
The “advocates for disunion” were ever deserving of the maledictions of all can seem like a modern invention. Yet
the group’s political rivals. “Poverty honest men.” the most wild contest goes back to
and disgrace,” Hamilton wrote again, Hofstadter also included a quote the 1876 election between Republican
“would overspread a country which from an 1855 manifesto for the left- nominee Rutherford B. Hayes and
with wisdom might make herself the wing Populist party. The group was Democrat Samuel J. Tilden.
admiration and envy of the world.” assured that the Vatican was pulling the The New York Times recounted that
By the late 1700s, negative cam- strings in Washington. While the church the day after the 1876 vote, “The coun-
paigning was the norm. If Thomas at Rome has been party to many nefari- try awoke to absolute turmoil.”
Jefferson were to be elected, one ous political dealings over the years, “Tilden was safely ahead in the
Connecticut newspaper announced, history shows this was not one of them. popular vote by a margin of about
“murder, robbery, rape, adultery and “It is a notorious fact that the 250,000 votes. The Republicans, how-
incest, will openly be taught and prac- Monarchs of Europe and the Pope of ever, claimed that Hayes had by now
ticed, the air will be rent with the cries Rome are at this very moment plot- captured Florida as well, giving him a
and distress, the soil soaked with blood, ting our destruction and threatening the total of 185 votes and a whisker of a
and the nation black with crimes.” extinction of our political, civil, and victory.
This form of political mudslinging religious institutions. We have the best “But quickly the vote counts in
has been honed and repeated ever since. reasons for believing that corruption Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina
A Harper’s magazine essay by has found its way into our Executive became the focus of sharp debate and
Richard Hofstadter said this in the arti- Chamber, and that our Executive head manipulation. Fraud raged on both
cle “The Paranoid Style in American is tainted with the infectious venom of sides, historians agree. Boxes of bal-
Politics”: “American politics has often Catholicism…The Pope has recently lots would turn up in bodies of water.
been an arena for angry minds. In recent sent his ambassador of state to this Black voters were pivotal. Because
years we have seen angry minds at work country on a secret commission, the blacks back then overwhelmingly
mainly among extreme right-wingers, effect of which is an extraordinary bold- voted Republican, the party of Lincoln
who have now demonstrated…how ness of the Catholic church through- and the party of emancipation, the
much political leverage can be got out out the United States…These minions Republicans had unleashed aggressive
of the animosities and passions of a of the Pope are boldly insulting our campaigns to get blacks to vote, while
small minority. But behind this I believe Senators; reprimanding our Statesmen; Democrats had used physical intimida-
there is a style of mind that is far from propagating the adulterous union of tion and outright bribery to discourage
new and that is not necessarily right- Church and State; abusing with foul cal- black turnout.
wing. I call it the paranoid style sim- umny all governments but Catholic, and “Each party went about invalidating
ply because no other word adequately spewing out the bitterest execrations on votes and paying bribes to ‘correct’ bal-
evokes the sense of heated exaggera- all Protestantism. The Catholics in the lots, resulting in disparate counts for the
tion, suspiciousness, and conspiratorial United States receive from abroad more three Southern states in dispute. Fraud
fantasy that I have in mind.” than $200,000 annually for the propaga- was so pervasive in those states that it is
Heated exaggeration. Suspicious- tion of their creed. Add to this the vast hard to say who the voters truly wanted
ness. Conspiratorial fantasy. While revenues collected here.” to win. The results in Florida were
most do not want to admit it, this Fostering a paranoia about those on tantalizingly close. The Republicans
describes rhetoric from both the right the other side of the aisle is as old as the said Hayes finished ahead by 922 votes
and left today. U.S. itself. Again, nothing new. out of about 47,000 votes cast. By
Now consider that this essay was Democratic count, it was Tilden by a
written in 1954! Nothing new under the Election Drama skimpy 94 votes. In one Florida pre-
sun, indeed. Wild, close elections have seemed to cinct that voted heavily for Tilden, the
The essay included a 1951 quote be the norm over the last two decades. Republicans supposedly ruined ballots
from U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy, While Hillary Clinton decidedly won by smearing them with ink.
who infamously held trials to root out the popular vote in 2016, Mr. Trump “Both parties sent additional repre-
communists in the U.S.: “How can we grabbed more electorates to win. sentatives to the three Southern states.
account for our present situation unless In 2000, it all came down to Florida. A Justice Department detective was
we believe that men high in this gov- Many days after the election between dispatched to Florida.
ernment are concerting to deliver us to George W. Bush and Al Gore, there “As bickering intensified, all of
disaster? This must be the product of a were talks of butterfly ballots and the states submitted their results to
great conspiracy on a scale so immense “hanging chads.” In the end, Mr. Bush Congress. The three disputed states sent
as to dwarf any previous such venture secured just 537 more votes in Florida in two sets of electoral returns, each
12 The REAL TRUTHshowing a different winner. Oregon also some shall run before his chariots. support the nation’s form of govern-
submitted two sets of returns.” And he will appoint him captains over ment.
After some back-door deals, Hayes thousands, and captains over fifties; In this process, everyone wants a
secured the win by promising to end and will set them to ear his ground, better future. Many even pray that God
post-Civil War Reconstruction and and to reap his harvest, and to make will help them select the right leader—
withdraw troops from the South. his instruments of war, and instru- or that He will guide the decision.
For more instances of political ments of his chariots. And he will take Yet few look to what God wants. It
drama, one has to look no further than your daughters to be confectionaries, is clear from the account in I Samuel
the contest between Andrew Jackson and to be cooks, and to be bakers. that God does not want a human king.
and John Quincy Adams in 1824, And he will take your fields, and your So what does He desire? What form of
Theodore Roosevelt jumping in as an vineyards, and your oliveyards, even government does He support?
independent in 1912, or the down-to- the best of them, and give them to his The answer to this question is the
the-wire results for Woodrow Wilson servants. And he will take the tenth of central theme of the Bible.
and Charles Evans Hughes in 1916. your seed, and of your vineyards, and Notice: “Jesus came into Galilee,
Nothing new under the sun… give to his officers, and to his servants. preaching the gospel of the Kingdom
And he will take your menservants, of God” (Mark 1:14). Out of the
History Repeats and your maidservants, and your good- gate, Jesus Christ taught about the
Back to the story in I Samuel, where liest young men, and your asses, and Kingdom—which is just another way
ancient Israel wanted a king. Just as pre- put them to his work. He will take the to say government.
vious presidential elections are instruc- tenth of your sheep: and you shall be This government of God, and
tive, so is this Bible story. It reveals his servants” (vs. 11-17). Christ’s part in it, is expounded upon
more about the U.S. today than would Now notice the end result of all of in Isaiah 9: “For unto us a child is born,
first appear. this: “And you shall cry out in that day unto us a son is given: and the govern-
To repeat, the elders of Israel came because of your king which you shall ment shall be upon His shoulder: and
to Samuel and stated: “Behold, you are have chosen you; and the Lord will not His name shall be called Wonderful,
old, and your sons walk not in your hear you in that day” (vs. 18). Counsellor, The mighty God, The ever-
ways: now make us a king to judge us How does this apply to America, lasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of
like all the nations” (I Sam. 8:5). especially considering that they rejected the increase of His government and
Israel wanted a whole new form having a king to form a government peace there shall be no end…to order
of government and verse 6 shows that with elected leadership? it, and to establish it with judgment
this request “displeased” Samuel, so he Again, the results for Israel were as and with justice from henceforth even
prayed to God. God said, with the ratio of evil to good forever” (vs. 6-7).
Verses 7-9: “And the Lord said kings woefully imbalanced. While the While some claim this Kingdom has
unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice U.S. threw out monarchy as a form of already been set up on Earth, one only
of the people in all that they say unto government, they did decide for them- has to look to the conditions today—
you: for they have not rejected you, but selves what they thought was best for both the tumultuous protests in America
they have rejected Me, that I should their nation. and the chaos throughout the world—to
not reign over them…Now therefore America chose democracy, which see that God’s government has not yet
hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet British Prime Minister Winston been established.
protest solemnly unto them, and show Churchill famously called “the worst Yet it will be soon. Daniel 2 speaks
them the manner of the king that shall form of government except” all the of that imminent time when “the God
reign over them.” others. of heaven set up a kingdom, which
Humanly, Israel’s unease with their Herein lies the similarities between shall never be destroyed: and the king-
leadership can seem understandable. ancient Israel and the United States: dom shall not be left to other people,
Samuel’s sons were corrupt. In addi- both ignore what God and the Bible but it shall break in pieces and con-
tion, the high priest Eli also had rotten want for any nation. And the Book is sume all these kingdoms, and it shall
sons who stole from the people and most explicit. stand for ever” (vs. 44).
fornicated with women who helped at Read How God’s Kingdom Will
the Tabernacle. What We Are Missing Come – The Untold Story! (rcg.org/
Yet God warned in excruciating Every four years, U.S. citizens pin hgkwc) to learn the exciting truth
detail what would happen if Israel hopes of a better tomorrow on presi- of what is just over the horizon. It
decided to have a king: “This will be dential candidates. Regardless of the explains how all people—both in the
the manner of the king that shall reign outcome, each elected president fails United States and abroad—will forever
over you: He will take your sons, to deliver his lofty campaign promises. break the cycle of repeating history’s
and appoint them for himself, for his With each election, Americans mistakes. May God’s government
chariots, and to be his horsemen; and choose a president—they choose to come soon! c
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2020 13UP IN SMOK The Increasing Devastation of West Coast Wildfires 14 The REAL TRUTH
T
E
hey work 50 hours at a stretch
and sleep on gymnasium
floors. Exploding trees shower
them with embers. They lose track
of time when the sun is blotted out
by smoke, and they sometimes have
to run for their lives from advancing
flames.
Firefighters trying to contain the
massive wildfires in Oregon, California
and Washington state were constantly
on the verge of exhaustion as they
tried to save suburban houses, includ-
ing some in their own neighborhoods.
Each home or barn lost was a mental
blow for teams trained to protect lives
and property.
And their own safety is never assured.
Oregon firefighter Steve McAdoo’s shift
on September 7 seemed mostly normal,
until late evening, when the team went to
a fire along a highway south of Portland.
“Within 10 minutes of being there, it
advanced too fast and so quick…we had to
cut and run,” he said. “You can’t breathe,
you can’t see.”
That happened again and again as he
and the rest of the crew worked shifts
that lasted two full days with little rest or
food. They toiled in an alien environment
where the sky turns lurid colors, ash falls
like rain and towering trees explode into
flames, sending a cascade of embers to the
forest floor.
“The sky was just orange or black,
and so we weren’t sure if was morning or
night,” he said. “My crew and I said that to
each other many times, ‘What is going on?
When is this going to end?’”
The firefighters tried to protect homes
where they could, but the winds were
so strong they could do little to stop the
inferno as it spewed embers up to 10 miles
away.
Instead, they worked to make sure
people could get out, clearing trees off
the roads, sometimes just feet from the
flames. In California, Jesse Barnes said it
felt like being in the stinging, acrid path
g A tricycle that was in a small park along Detroit
Avenue still stands near the Lake Detroit Market
in Detroit, Oregon (Sept. 11, 2020).
PHOTO: AP/ALBANY DEMOCRAT-HERALD, MARK YLEN
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2020 15of campfire smoke—for two days destroyed thousands of structures in ing the new normal in California and
straight. three states. throughout the West.
The speed of the winds and the “Sometimes it’s like a game of
dryness of the forest made these fires chess,” said Bart Vawdrey, deputy fire Why It Is Growing Worse
some of the worst he has seen. “There chief in Draper, Utah, “and mother This year’s deadly fires in the United
was no stopping it,” he said. nature usually wins.” States had devoured a record of near-
“We’re tired and covered in ash This summer, California already ly 5 million acres as of September 20,
and soot all blowing in our faces, has seen more land charred by wild- a scale of devastation that fits into
coughing from the smoke,” he said. fires than in any previous full year, the longer-term trend of more acreage
But with so many wildfires burning, with some 3.4 million acres burned being scorched as temperatures rise.
there was no one to take their places. since mid-August to mid-September. Historically, fires in the region
“Once you’re there, there’s no relief,” Five of the state’s 20 largest blazes on tended to burn low to the ground,
he said. record have occurred this year. eliminating dead conifer limbs, keep-
Western states usually turn to each Wildfires tearing through trees ing competing species in check and
other for help, but that has been hard and brush, rampaging up hillsides prompting pine cones to open and
with the number of places under siege and incinerating neighborhoods: The disperse their seeds.
in this historic wildfire season, which names and places change but the dev- These days, fire crews are seeing
has killed more than 30 people and astation is showing signs of becom- increasing cases of massive “tree-
16torching” fires that engulf forests from barren of the seeds needed for new Time explained: “Urban develop-
the ground up through the canopy. growth. ment in vulnerable areas can make
“Fires are not unnatural, but the In California, a rise of 1.4 degrees fires more devastating, and many of
kind of behaviour and the times, Celsius in average summertime tem- the state’s most destructive fires were
places and conditions they are ignit- peratures since the 1970s coincided started by humans…Max Moritz, a
ing in are very, very unusual,” said with a five-fold increase in acreage specialist in cooperative extension
Timothy Ingalsbee, who heads the burned annually, researchers reported at the University of California’s
Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, last year in the American Geophysical Division of Agriculture and Natural
and Ecology, an Oregon-based advo- Union. Resources, says hotter temperatures
cacy group that promotes forest man- The same dry conditions that aggra- have made fire seasons longer, too.
agement to mitigate fire risks. vate the fires also undermine new for- Scientists see a direct link between
If fires sweep a forest too frequently, est growth. rising temperatures and the amount
they will wipe out saplings before they Yet some researchers do not entire- of dry brush and ample fuel, which
can reach maturity. Too hot, and the fire ly blame warmer temperatures for makes the fires fast-moving and often
can turn large areas into a moonscape worsening wildfires. more explosive.”
g The Bidwell Bar Bridge surrounded by fire in Lake Oroville during the Bear Fire in Oroville, California (Sept. 9, 2020).
PHOTO: JOSH EDELSON/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
17“There’s good, solid research link- Scientists estimate that at least 10 Cal Fire Chief Thom Porter sum-
ing temperature increases to trends to 15 million acres need to burn every marized the problem to KPIX 5: “After
in fire activity,” Mr. Moritz told the year in order to return forests to a aggressively suppressing fires for the
magazine. “But it’s really long-term more natural condition, The New York last 100 years we have put our forests
trends.” Times reported. While the U.S. govern- in a state of peril.”
ment recorded that 9.7 million acres “By abstaining from controlled
How We Got Here burned in 2017 and 10.1 million in burns year after year, unchecked growth
Hotter temperatures. More urban 2015, the public perception is that these has multiplied, dried out and created a
development. People careless- numbers are way too high—and the tinderbox,” the news outlet wrote. “The
ly or deliberately sparking blazes. issue is complicated by the amount of overgrowth has fueled deadly, out-of-
These are all factors in why wildfires people living in heavily forested areas. control wildfires like the Carr Fire near
are growing worse, but they overlook An article from The Washington Redding that took the lives of a four-
a major underlying cause—one that is Post explained how yesterday’s fire and five-year-old.”
over 100 years in the making. suppression policies impact blazes Mr. Porter was further quoted:
In the late 1800s, the U.S. govern- now: “What’s different about today’s “Prescribed burns alone will not stop
ment established a policy of fire sup- fires is the intensity with which that, but it is a tool that we can use to
pression. The Washington Post quoted they’re burning. One reason is that reduce the effect of those large fires.”
a Joint Fire Science Program report fire suppression has changed Western As concerns mounted about more
that called wildfires the “moral and forests. Take the ponderosa stands frequent and severe seasonal fires,
mortal enemy of the forest.” Wooded of the Southwest: Historically, low- California ramped up its annual spend-
areas were also valued for their eco- intensity blazes, ignited by lightning ing on forest fire prevention work to
nomic value as standing timber. or indigenous peoples, burned every $200 million in the 2018 fiscal year
This thinking has colored five to 10 years, thinning the forest of from $40 million, according to a 2018
America’s approach to forest manage- young saplings and brush and leaving state report.
ment for decades. Fight any fire that just 150 large trees per acre. Today, The U.S. Forest Service said it
starts instead of letting it burn. It also in the absence of flames, those stands expects to spend around $250 million a
meant not using prescribed burns to are choked with as many as 1,200 year under its agreement with the state
clear out overgrowth. The result is trees per acre—too thick to walk to treat half a million acres a year.
forests thick with fuel waiting for a through without risking a branch in However, about 163 million trees
spark. your eye.” have died in the state in the last decade
g Left, damaged homes are seen in a mobile home park that was destroyed by wildfire in Ashland, Oregon (Sept. 11, 2020). Right, Butte County
firefighters watch as flames tower over their truck during the Bear Fire in Oroville, California (Sept. 9, 2020).
PHOTO: DAVID RYDER/ (LEFT); JOSH EDELSON/AFP (RIGHT); GETTY IMAGES
18 The REAL TRUTHdue to drought and bark beetle infes-
tation, mainly in the Sierra Nevada
mountain range, creating huge swaths of
Recipe for Disaster
Santa Ana winds are strong, extremely dry downslope winds in Southern California and northern Baja
flammable material, according to a 2019 California. They originate inland in desert regions and occur mainly in the fall and winter but can arise
Forest Service survey. during other seasons.
Idaho
In September, a Forest Service offi- Santa Ana winds A huge high pressure
1 system over the Great Basin
Ore.
Great
cial said the agency needed to double or fueled wildfires produces offshore winds Nev. Basin
triple its efforts in the fire-prone state. H Utah
Winds accelerate and heat up as they Cal
“We’re working really hard but we 2 squeeze through canyons and passes if. Ariz.
know it’s not nearly enough,” Chris
French, national forest system deputy
MEXICO
chief, said in testimony before the Senate
Committee on Natural Resources. “In
places like California it means treating
two to three times more acres per year 3
than our current actions.” The Santa Anas Great Basin/
Seeing the results of these fires is explode out of canyons
and spread out
deserts Santa Anas, named after Southern
California’s Santa Ana Canyon, can cause a
devastating—both with homes and busi- across Southern great deal of damage. The fast, hot winds
nesses ruined as well as injury and California, where
vegetation is Mountains
cause vegetation to dry out, increasing the
danger of wildfire. Once the fires start, the
death. Yet the wildfires on the West unusually dry winds fan the flames and hasten their
S
IND
from lack of
Coast reveal a trait of humankind. We rain.
spread. The winds create turbulence and
establish vertical wind shear (in which winds
W
try to fix problems and end up causing AN
A
exhibit substantial change in speed and/or
TA
even worse problems in the process. S AN
direction with height), both posing aviation
hazards.
Fire suppression is just one example.
The severity of Santa Ana winds varies by year. Some years see
Antibiotics giving rise to worse and Basin less strong winds than others. The winds in some years — such as
worse superbugs is another. War usually 1993, 2003 and 2007 — have produced multiple destructive fires.
spawns more conflict in the long run. Source: National Weather Service, Weather Underground, atmos.ucla.edu, Los Angeles Times
As a rule, when human beings are Graphic: Staff, TNS
involved, any attempt to solve prob-
lems begets more problems and makes The better question is why? Man est fires—remain. This is a question
the situations even more complex. is capable of incredible genius, yet every person alive should strive to
Ask: Are we doomed to live with his very worst problems—war, famine, answer. Read Why Man Cannot Solve
worsening difficulties? disease and increasingly deadly for- His Problems (rcg.org/uun) for more. c
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2020 19You can also read
