he disapproves of? I was afraid to wait. We never know what will happen tomorrow, and if I waited I might never have the chance to quit and prove my love for Jehovah.’”

The Witness added: “The remarkable thing—this woman is crippled. Cigarettes have been like a crutch to her all these years, but from what she learned at the Kingdom Hall in one meeting she received the incentive to give up the bad habit. At the second meeting she held out her hand and said: ‘Isn’t it pretty? It’s not brown and stained anymore from tobacco.’ She is now a regular attender.”

At a convention at Rochester, New York, a couple explained about a Bible study they had held, saying: “The couple smoked heavily, and when coming home from the study we smelled like smoked herring. Gradually they started to attend meetings at the Kingdom Hall. Later they began to share in the field ministry and expressed the desire to be baptized. But their problem was that they were both heavy smokers.

“They thought that they could be baptized and then quit smoking. We told them that the fact that they had not broken the habit would not exclude them from baptism, but they might be sneaking smokes for a long time.

“They made up their minds to quit smoking in December, but then they procrastinated. Each time they tried to quit they got nervous and irritable. Finally one of the Witnesses showed them some articles in The Watchtower and Awake! dealing with smoking. When they realized the Scriptural aspects of the matter, they decided to quit smoking at the time of the coming circuit assembly. They stuck to their decision, but reported that it was trying for both of them as they were very irritable and nervous for the first two weeks. But as time passed the craving for tobacco subsided. At the last district assembly they were baptized in symbol of their dedication to God. And they did so with a clean conscience, having put away this filthy habit. Since then the wife has enjoyed the privilege of vacation pioneering twice, making her very happy.”

Questions From Readers

● As one who is studying the Bible with Jehovah’s witnesses, I am interested in pleasing God. Seventeen years ago my husband left me, and I have not heard from him since. He may be deceased by now. Am I free to remarry?—A. S., U.S.A.

We are happy when those studying God’s Word express genuine interest in pleasing Jehovah. In order for one to do this it is important to acknowledge and live by his inspired Word.

The Bible says that death dissolves a marriage. Speaking about a Christian wife, the apostle Paul commented: “If her husband should fall asleep in death, she is free to be married to whom she wants, only in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 7:39; Rom. 7:2) The same would apply if the wife died; the husband would be free to remarry.

In the case in question, apparently there is no concrete evidence that the husband is dead. Thus the legal marriage still stands. It would be both illegal and immoral for the wife to go ahead and remarry just because she felt her husband was dead.

However, in many lands there are laws to the effect that if an adult has been absent and not heard from for a period of years he may be legally declared dead. Volume 17 of the legal work Corpus Juris states: “At common law the rule was that a presumption of death arose from an unexplained absence of seven years, . . . although in a few jurisdictions a shorter period has been prescribed by statute.” (Pages 1167, 1168) But one cannot simply assume that, since the specified time has passed, he or she is free to remarry. Legal steps must be taken. This lawbook continues: “No presumption of death of a person arises from the mere fact of his unexplained absence unless diligent efforts have been made to find him.”—Page 1171.

Just what legal action is required would have to be determined locally. The “diligent efforts” might include contacting all relatives and friends who could be expected to have heard from or about the absentee, checking at his former residences and places of employment and posting a public notice in a newspaper. If an exhaustive search produces nothing to indicate that the absentee is alive, the court might pronounce him dead. Before that takes place the wife would not legally be free to remarry.

If all reasonably possible efforts to find the husband have failed and legally he has been declared dead, the wife must decide what to do. If she honestly believes him dead and wants to remarry, she must be willing to bear the responsibility before God, who knows all the facts and motives involved.—Gal. 6:5; Heb. 4:13.

This is a serious decision because the missing mate, who has been ruled as dead, might make an appearance again. What then? Corpus Juris indicates what is true in many places: “Where the presumption [of death] is rebutted by facts showing that the absentee is alive, the intended marriage is rendered void ab initio [from the beginning].” (Volume 38, page 1296) The woman would have to separate from the second man and get the matter straightened out.

While such a reappearance might seem unlikely, these things do occur. One woman in the state of New Jersey was deserted by her husband in 1924. In 1943 a court declared him dead. Two years later she remarried. In time she became a Christian. Then thirty-six years after her husband deserted her she learned that he recently had been living in a town some thirty-five miles from her home. Thus her second marriage was null and she had to separate from the second man, to whom she thought she was married, and get the entire matter straightened out legally.

So in regard to the case under consideration, we can say: The lack of information about the husband would not hinder the wife’s becoming a Witness. If in time she could show to the satisfaction of the representatives of the Christian congregation that all efforts to prove that he is alive had been unsuccessful and that there was good reason to believe him dead, and he is legally declared dead, they would allow her to assume the responsibility for the decision to remarry, “only in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 7:39) She should remember that this is a very serious matter, not one to be rushed or taken lightly. A Christian marrying under these circumstances must shoulder the responsibility before Jehovah, who “judges impartially according to each one’s work.”—1 Pet. 1:17; Heb. 13:4.

Announcements

FIELD MINISTRY

True happiness comes, not from the mere possession of material things, but rather from the worship of the true God Jehovah. Jehovah is “the happy God,” and happy are those who worship him! Said the inspired psalmist: “Happy is the nation whose God is Jehovah, the people whom he has chosen as his inheritance.” (1 Tim. 1:11; Ps. 33:12) Happy people like to share their happiness with others. And this is especially true with Jehovah’s people! Since the basis for happiness is spirituality, Jehovah’s witnesses will be sharing spiritual good things with their neighbors during July by offering them the fine Bible-study aid The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, for only 25c.

DO YOU HEAR TRUTH GLADLY?

Jesus opened a new way of life to the people of his day. This made his work and teaching highly controversial—so much so, in fact, that most of them failed to respond, or actually opposed him. The Bible record reveals, though, that there were many who “heard him gladly.” These were the ones who really listened to what he had to say and who accepted it with honest hearts. Today we must be just as discerning. Do not be misled by some teaching simply because it is “popular.” Read the two books The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life and “Things in Which It Is Impossible for God to Lie.” Learn from your own Bible how the truth can change your life. Both books, only 75c.

“WATCHTOWER” STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

August 3: Reviving the Spirit of Self-Sacrifice. Page 425. Songs to Be Used: 45, 80.

August 10: Sacrifices That Are Acceptable to God. Page 431. Songs to Be Used: 5, 92.