Where Can You Find True Spiritual Values?

“IF YOU are going to follow a religion simply because of family tradition, why not choose the Celtic religion that our ancestors practiced 2,000 years ago?” asks Rodolphe with a note of irony. The idea elicits a smile from his young listener.

“My relationship with God is very important to me,” comments Rodolphe. “I’m totally against the idea that religious convictions should be forced on me by tradition, simply because members of my family who lived tens or even hundreds of years ago practiced a certain religion.” Rodolphe weighed things carefully; he did not treat this important matter as just something he inherited.

Though the handing down of a religion from one generation to another is on the decline nowadays, the majority still remain attached to the religion of their family. But is it always right to stick to the religious values of one’s parents? What does the Bible say?

After 40 years in the desert, Joshua, the successor of Moses, set a choice before the Israelites: “Now if it is bad in your eyes to serve Jehovah, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve, whether the gods that your forefathers who were on the other side of the River served or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are dwelling. But as for me and my household, we shall serve Jehovah.”​—Joshua 24:15.

One of the forefathers Joshua referred to was Terah, the father of Abraham, who lived in the city of Ur, at the time situated east of the Euphrates River. The Bible does not reveal much about Terah, apart from the fact that he worshiped other gods. (Joshua 24:2) His son Abraham, while not having full knowledge of God’s purpose, was willing to leave his home city when Jehovah commanded him to do so. Yes, Abraham chose a religion different from that of his father. For so doing, Abraham received the blessings that God promised him, and he became the person whom many religions recognize as the “father of all who believe in God.”​—Romans 4:11, Today’s English Version.

The Bible also relates in a positive light the story of Ruth, an ancestress of Jesus Christ. Ruth, a Moabite woman who was married to an Israelite, became a widow and was faced with a choice: stay in her own country or return with her mother-in-law to Israel. Recognizing the superior value of Jehovah’s worship compared with the idolatrous worship practiced by her parents, Ruth declared to her mother-in-law:  “Your people will be my people, and your God my God.”​—Ruth 1:16, 17.

Commenting on the place of this record in the Bible canon, the Dictionnaire de la Bible explains that this account shows “how a woman of foreign birth, born among a pagan people hostile to and hated by Israel, . . . because of her love for Jehovah’s nation and worship, quite providentially became an ancestress of holy King David.” Ruth did not hesitate to choose a religion that was different from that of her parents, and as a result of that decision, she received God’s blessing.

The account relating the beginning of Christianity is more explicit about the reasons why Jesus’ disciples abandoned their ancestors’ religion. In a very persuasive speech, the apostle Peter invited his audience to “get saved from this crooked generation” by repenting of their sins and getting baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:37-41) One of the most remarkable examples was that of Saul, a Jewish persecutor of Christians. While on the road to Damascus, he saw a vision of Christ, after which Saul became a Christian and came to be known as the apostle Paul.​—Acts 9:1-9.

The majority of early Christians did not have such a spectacular experience. Still, all had to abandon either Judaism or the worship of various pagan gods. Those who accepted Christianity did so in full knowledge of the facts, often after having had long discussions about the role of Jesus as the Messiah. (Acts 8:26-40; 13:16-43; 17:22-34) Those early Christians were clearly informed of the need to make changes in their lives. The invitation was given to all, both Jews and non-Jews, but the message remained the same. To please God, it was necessary to follow a new form of worship, that of Christianity.

A Choice Relevant for Us

It most certainly required courage in the first century to reject family religious traditions​—Judaism, emperor worship, worship of pagan deities—​and to join a movement that was derided by both Jews and Romans. This choice soon led to harsh persecution. Today, it takes similar courage to refuse to “let oneself be sucked in and caught up in the pervading atmosphere of conformism,” as Hippolyte Simon, Catholic bishop of Clermont-Ferrand, puts it in his book Vers une France païenne? (The Paganization of France?) It requires courage to become associated with a minority religious movement that is at times criticized, Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Paul, a young man from Bastia, Corsica, who was raised in the Catholic religion, occasionally took part in church activities, such as selling cakes to raise money for a Catholic charitable organization. Wanting to have a better understanding of the Bible, he agreed to have regular discussions with Jehovah’s Witnesses. In time, he realized that what he was learning would bring him lasting benefits. Accordingly, Paul fully accepted the Bible’s values and became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. His parents respected his choice, which has not affected their close family relationship.

Amélie lives in southern France. Members of her family have been Jehovah’s Witnesses for four generations. Why did she choose to accept the religious values of her parents? “You don’t become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses because your parents or grandparents are or were Jehovah’s Witnesses,” she comments.  “But one day, you say to yourself, ‘It’s my religion because these are my convictions.’” Like many other young Witnesses of Jehovah, Amélie knows that her solid religious convictions give her a purpose in life and are a source of lasting happiness.

Why Accept Godly Values

The book of Proverbs, chapter 6, verse 20, encourages those who want to please God: “Observe, O my son, the commandment of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother.” Rather than recommending blind obedience, such counsel exhorts youths to accept godly standards by deepening their faith and by taking their own stand for God. The apostle Paul invited his companions to “make sure of all things,” to check whether what they were being taught was in harmony with the Word of God and His will, and to act accordingly.​—1 Thessalonians 5:21.

Whether brought up in a Christian household or not, the more than six million Witnesses of Jehovah, both young and old, have made such a decision. Through a careful study of the Bible, they found trustworthy answers to their questions about the purpose of life and received a clear understanding of God’s will for mankind. Upon obtaining this knowledge, they accepted God’s values and do their best to do God’s will.

Whether you are a regular reader of this magazine or not, why not accept the offer of Jehovah’s Witnesses to help you look into the Bible to examine its spiritual values. In this way, you will be able to “taste and see that Jehovah is good” and acquire the knowledge that, when put into practice, leads to everlasting life.​—Psalm 34:8; John 17:3.

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Four generations of a family of Jehovah’s Witnesses in France

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Ruth chose to serve Jehovah instead of her ancestors’ gods