From Our Readers

Suffering Thank you so much for the article “Young People Ask . . . Why Does God Let Us Suffer?” (March 22, 2004) I am 14 years old, and two people that I was close to​—my grandpa and my aunt—​passed away recently. I knew that God was not to blame for their deaths. Satan is the one to blame, and he has only a short time left. This article really comforted me. Please continue writing such articles. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart.

B. B., United States

Recently, the girl I was going to marry died in a car accident. It was a terrible tragedy​—for me, for the congregation, and especially for her parents. I thank Jehovah for helping me to come out of my state of deep grief. And I thank you for the article “Why Does God Let Us Suffer?” It came at just the right time.

I. D., Germany

At first, I did not want to read this article. I thought the contents would be gloomy. Two years ago my older brother died of an illness, and I still have emotional scars. But the article reminded me that Jehovah is the Giver of good things. I felt that my scars were rapidly being healed, and I gained courage to go on living in this unstable world.

S. H., Japan

Sugar I have been told by a number of people that the article “The Sugars of Life” (March 22, 2004) was by implication promoting a popular health product that is supposed to cure ailments, including cancer. I take no exception to your article but do take exception to people using it for financial gain or to promote their ideas.

P. K., Australia

“Awake!” responds: The article “The Sugars of Life” merely reported the findings of biologists regarding the important role of sugar in health. In no way was it intended to be an endorsement of a particular product. When reporting on health matters, “Awake!” does not recommend to its readers any particular approach to treatment. It is up to individual Christians to make sure that any regimen they follow reflects soundness of mind and does not conflict with Bible principles.

Lactose Intolerance For some years I have been suffering from the symptoms mentioned in the article “Understanding Lactose Intolerance.” (March 22, 2004) This led to my taking a hydrogen breath test, which indicated that I am lactose intolerant. When I showed the article to the internist, he thought it was very well researched, and he encouraged me to thank you for writing such a good article. He wasn’t aware of ever having read Awake! before.

E. S., Germany

Overdrinking Thank you for the article “The Bible’s Viewpoint: Is Overdrinking Really That Bad?” (March 8, 2004) I now realize that my use of alcohol has been the source of disputes between my wife and me, and I realize that I have wasted much money on alcohol. Today I drink less and less frequently.

G. K., Tanzania

Crossword Puzzles I enjoy doing the crossword puzzles published in Awake! They are instructive. At first, I had to consult the Bible often to find the right word. Now I seldom have to. I owe this to my program of Bible study. And it was the crossword puzzles that encouraged me to have one!

W. K., Poland

“Awake!” responds: The crossword puzzle that appears in “Awake!” is replaced in some language editions with a Bible quiz entitled “Do You Know?”