would pay the temple tax in local currency, along with sacrificing various animals and doves. Since this was part of their form of worship, the priests permitted stalls and booths to be set up in the Court of the Gentiles within the temple precincts where foreign money could be exchanged and sacrificial animals bought. Among such sanctified surroundings and with the sanction of dedicated priests, who would dare question the propriety of such activities? Not only was it convenient, but was it not all going for religious purposes? Outwardly it all appeared very reputable, but along came Jesus, who overturned their money tables, exposing their avarice and their form of worship as nothing more than a shallow, formalistic, outward show of self-righteousness.—Matt. 21:12.

Popular religion having failed to lay a solid foundation for true spirituality, youth today has turned to material pleasures. Speaking for teen-age groups in London, England, a nineteen-year-old youth said: “I suppose teen-agers haven’t got the staying power to go to church. Laziness, maybe. What’s it going to prove anyway? You turn to religion if you are lonely or lacking in something. Teen-agers don’t lack anything. . . . We do lead very materialistic lives. A teen-ager doesn’t need a God. He has his own.” But for both youth and adults, worship at the shrine of materialism has not brought the happiness they seek and has given them no certain hope for the future. Only true spirituality can do that.

OBTAINING TRUE SPIRITUALITY

True spirituality is the opposite of sensuality or worldliness. It is the sincere desire for God’s approval, the desire to do God’s will. To obtain true spirituality one must conquer the selfish desire for prestige and honor among men. Said Jesus to the Jews: “I do not accept glory from men, but I well know that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in the name of my Father, but you do not receive me; if someone else arrived in his own name, you would receive that one. How can you believe, when you are accepting glory from one another and you are not seeking the glory that is from the only God?” (John 5:41-44) Seeking glory for ourselves is worldliness; seeking glory that is from the only true God shows spirituality.

True spirituality, then, is a dynamic force, based on an accurate knowledge of God’s Word, that transforms and gives an inspiring purpose to one’s life. It transforms one’s whole personality, just as the apostle Paul said: “Strip off the old personality with its practices, and clothe yourselves with the new personality which through accurate knowledge is being renewed.”—Col. 3:9, 10.

A demonstration of true spirituality on a world-wide scale can be seen among the ones who provided you with this magazine, namely, Jehovah’s witnesses. In the New World society of Jehovah’s witnesses there are no racial, national or religious divisions. The moral standards of the New World society are those that the Bible requires for all who will gain life in God’s new world. True spirituality, therefore, requires not only right beliefs but right action, conduct in harmony with the Word of God.

Jehovah’s witnesses do not deprive themselves of what material conveniences man needs. Emphasis, however, is put on the study and application of God’s Word in their daily lives. To maintain true spirituality they know they must be selective in what they read, for the reading matter of the world has become corrupted; instead of being an aid to spirituality, it tears down spirituality. Popular novels, for instance, feature sex or violence or both. “The literary quality that [book] reprint firms seek most,” says one authority, “is the sensual description of sex episodes.”

No, this world’s spiritually devitalizing reading matter is not for those who wish true spirituality. Those who wish spirituality use God’s Word as a guide as to what they put into their minds: “Whatever things are true, whatever things are of serious concern, whatever things are righteous, whatever things are chaste, whatever things are lovable, whatever things are well spoken of, whatever virtue there is and whatever praiseworthy thing there is, continue considering these things.”—Phil. 4:8.

HELPING OTHERS GAIN SPIRITUALITY

Helping others see the need for having true spirituality aids us, in turn, in being spiritually-minded. In this regard, Gerald Gdovin in the Catholic magazine Information issue of August, 1959, commented on the activities of Jehovah’s witnesses: “The Catholic laity can learn one important lesson from members of Jehovah’s Witnesses. That is to make their religion such an important element in their lives that they are willing to spend many more hours than they do now to deepen their knowledge of it; and to spread it—as if it were ‘a matter of life and death.”’

Last year Jehovah’s witnesses spent over 131 million hours enriching the lives of over half a million families in 179 nations by conducting home Bible studies and by telling others of the blessings of God’s kingdom. This activity is their answer to Jesus’ instruction to keep “seeking first the kingdom” and his prophecy that “this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for the purpose of a witness to all the nations.”—Matt. 6:33; 24:14.

Jehovah’s witnesses are willing to help you gain true spirituality. They will be glad to discuss the Bible with you in your own home. Additionally, almost every Sunday spiritually strengthening talks are given on Bible subjects at their Kingdom Halls. You are invited to attend.

Pursue spirituality. Why sacrifice your life to the pursuit of temporary prestige? Seek the glory that comes from the true God. Which will it be: materialism or spirituality? Your life and happiness depend on the right choice.

Attending the Kingdom Ministry School

Among the recent advances made by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in the training of its ministers is the Kingdom Ministry School at which congregational overseers are given a month’s special training wholly without cost to themselves. But the problem of many overseers who have families to support is being able to get off from their regular secular jobs so as to attend the school for four weeks. In the British Isles one such overseer was quite doubtful about getting additional time off from his work to add to his vacation so he could take the course. However, he decided to take the Society’s invitation letter to his boss to read. The boss was so impressed with it and the whole idea of free training that he told the overseer he could have the extra two weeks and that on full pay.—1961 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses.