Overcoming Obstacles to Belief

BEFORE they can genuinely believe in God and accept the Bible as being his Word, many persons find that they have obstacles that must be overcome. That was true of an atheist in Japan, who later said:

‘My parents are confirmed atheists and two of my sisters are devotees of Sokagakkai. Grandmother worshiped a famous ancient Buddhist named Kobodaishi, engaged in fortune-telling and sometimes did faith healing. For that we would usually get a large sum of money and plenty of rice, vegetables and other necessary things. I was deeply influenced by this background. I knew that worshiping my grandmother’s god was a means to get material riches. From childhood I was well acquainted with the hypocrisy of persons who professed to believe, so I personally was not interested in God.

‘At the same time, my private life was a shameful one. Every night I went out to play Mah-Jongg (a Chinese gambling game) and to bowl. When I came home, at about dawn, I was drunk. Around noon I would get up and do some work around the house. Then back for more of the same. As a result of how I was living, I became sick and had a serious operation on my stomach. I constantly quarreled with my wife.

‘About that time I heard that a friend of mine who is a serious fellow was studying the Bible. When he first spoke to me about God from the Bible, I reacted with hatred. I feared that my friend would be cheated by religion, so I earnestly tried to stop him from studying the Bible. Though I tried time and again, he was determined and would not stop. So I began to study the Bible, but not because I wanted to understand it. My objective was to find fault with the Bible in order to convince my friend to stop studying.

‘But as I studied I began to understand the truth. I became convinced that Jehovah is different from all other gods, that he is a God of love and mercy, that he is Almighty, our Creator as well as our Life-Giver. At Hebrews 4:12, the Bible says that “the word of God is alive and exerts power.” I am convinced of that, because studying it led me to change from my former immoderate way of life. When I ceased to quarrel with my wife, she noticed the change and began to attend the meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses with me. Now, as she often tells me, she really trusts me, and our family life is happy.’

Another former atheist, also in Japan, later made these comments: ‘I had attended a university, participated in the activities of Communism, pursued pleasure, and now was a married woman. But I was surprised one day to learn from one of Jehovah’s Witnesses what the Bible says that God’s government will do for this earth and what life will really be like then. I read some of the Watch Tower books, including one entitled “Is the Bible Really the Word of God?” From what I read I could see that these people have something, a confidence based on the objective truths of the Bible, a record free from hypocrisy, a willingness to risk their lives for what they believe. I wanted to attend their meetings. And I began to pray, “If God does exist, please teach me.” Soon I realized that I had found what I was searching for. If even in a small way, I want to show Jehovah my appreciation for his mercy in letting me hear the “good news.”’