1. What must we do to make sure that our faith remains strong?

MANY say that they believe only in things that they can see with their eyes. How can we help such individuals to build faith in Jehovah? After all, the Bible says that “no man has seen God at any time.” (John 1:18) For that matter, how can we make sure that our own faith in “the invisible God,” Jehovah, remains strong? (Col. 1:15) An initial step is to identify teachings that obscure the truth about Jehovah. Then we must skillfully use the Bible to overturn any reasonings that are “raised up against the knowledge of God.”—2 Cor. 10:4, 5.

2, 3. What are two teachings that blind people to the truth about God?

² One widespread false teaching that blinds people to the truth about God is the doctrine of evolution. This human reasoning contradicts the Bible and robs people of hope. In its basic form, the teaching of evolution asserts that all life came into existence spontaneously; it thus implies that human life has no purpose.

³ On the other hand, fundamentalists of Christendom teach that the universe, including our earth and all life on it, is only a few thousand years old. Those who teach this doctrine—known as creationism—may have high regard for the Bible, but they contend that God created all things in six 24-hour days just a few thousand years ago. They reject credible scientific evidence that contradicts their view. As a result, the teaching of creationism actually discredits the Bible, making it appear unreasonable and inaccurate. Individuals who promote such views might remind us of some in the first century who had a zeal for God “but not according to accurate knowledge.” (Rom. 10:2) How can we use God’s Word to overturn the “strongly entrenched” doctrines of  evolution and creationism? * We can do so only if we personally work hard to gain an accurate knowledge of what the Bible teaches.

4. On what should our faith be based?

⁴ The Bible teaches us to treasure knowledge. (Prov. 10:14) Jehovah wants our faith in him to be built on evidence and sound reasoning, not on human philosophy or religious traditions. (Read Hebrews 11:1.) To build strong faith in God, we must first be convinced that Jehovah exists. (Read Hebrews 11:6.) We arrive at that conclusion, not by wishful thinking, but by examining the facts and by using our “power of reason.”—Rom. 12:1.

5. What is one reason why we can be convinced that God exists?

⁵ The apostle Paul provides one reason why we can be convinced that God exists, even though we cannot see him. Regarding Jehovah, Paul wrote: “His invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship.” (Rom. 1:20) How might you help someone who doubts the existence of God to see the truthfulness of Paul’s inspired words? You could consider some of the following evidence from creation that reveals our Creator’s power and wisdom.

6, 7. How is Jehovah’s power revealed in two shields that protect us?

⁶ Jehovah’s power is revealed in two shields that keep us safe—the earth’s atmosphere and its magnetic field. The atmosphere, for example, does more than provide us with air to breathe. It also shields us from the majority of the debris that hurtles through space. Chunks of rock that could cause massive damage usually burn up on entering the earth’s atmosphere, creating beautiful bright streaks of light in the night sky.

⁷ The earth’s magnetic field also protects us from harm. This shield originates deep inside the earth. The earth’s outer core, mostly made of molten iron, generates a powerful magnetic field that envelops us and stretches far into space. This field safeguards us from the radiation emanating from solar flares and explosions in the outer regions of the sun. Thanks to the earth’s magnetic field, these bursts of energy do not scorch all life on the surface of our globe. Instead, they are absorbed and deflected. We see evidence of our magnetic shield at work in the gorgeous multicolored light displays that dance in the sky near the North and South poles. Without a doubt, Jehovah is “vigorous in power.”—Read Isaiah 40:26.

8, 9. How is Jehovah’s wisdom revealed in the cycles that sustain life?

⁸ Jehovah’s wisdom is revealed in the cycles that sustain life on earth. To illustrate: Imagine living in a densely populated walled city that had no way of importing fresh water or exporting waste products. Such a city would soon become filthy and uninhabitable. In some respects, our earth is like that walled city. It contains a finite amount of fresh water, and we can hardly export waste products into outer space. This “walled city,” however, is able to support billions of creatures, generation after generation.  Why? Because of its amazing ability to recycle or exchange the products vital for life.

⁹ Consider the oxygen cycle. Billions of creatures take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide. Even so, the supply of oxygen never runs out, and the atmosphere never becomes choked with the “waste” gas, carbon dioxide. Why not? The answer is found in an amazing process known as photosynthesis. Using this process, green vegetation takes in carbon dioxide, water, sunlight, and nutrients and produces carbohydrates and oxygen. When we take in oxygen, we complete the cycle. In a literal way, Jehovah uses the vegetation that he designed to give “to all persons life and breath.” (Acts 17:25) What remarkable wisdom!

10, 11. How do the monarch butterfly and the dragonfly reveal Jehovah’s brilliance?

¹⁰ Jehovah’s brilliance is also revealed in the multitude of creatures that inhabit our remarkable planet. Estimates of the number of species on earth vary from 2 million to 100 million. (Read Psalm 104:24.) Note the wisdom evident in the design of just some of these creatures.

¹¹ The monarch butterfly, for example, has a brain that is only about the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen. Yet, that butterfly has the ability and skill to migrate some 1,800 miles (nearly 3,000 km) from Canada to a particular forest in Mexico, using the sun to help it navigate. How does it manage when the sun shifts across the sky? Jehovah designed its minute brain with the ability to compensate for the sun’s movement. Or consider the eye of the dragonfly. This creature sees by means of two compound eyes. Each eye has some 30,000 individual lenses. Even so, the dragonfly’s tiny brain is able to decipher the signals transmitted from all those lenses and detect the slightest movement in its environment.

12, 13. What impresses you about the way Jehovah has designed the cells that make up your body?

¹² Even more impressive is the way that Jehovah designed the cells that make up all living creatures. Your body, for instance, is made up of about 100 trillion cells. Inside each of those cells is a tiny ropelike structure known as DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). It stores most of the information needed to build your entire body.

¹³ How much information does DNA contain? Compare the storage capacity of one gram of DNA with that of a compact disc (CD). A CD can store all the information contained in a dictionary, which is impressive considering that a CD is merely a thin disc of plastic. However, just one gram of DNA can store as  much information as one trillion CDs! To put it another way, a single teaspoonful of dried DNA can store enough information to build 350 times as many humans as are alive today!

14. How do the discoveries made by scientists make you feel about Jehovah?

¹⁴ King David described the information needed to build a human body as being written in a figurative book. Speaking of Jehovah God, he said: “Your eyes saw even the embryo of me, and in your book all its parts were down in writing, as regards the days when they were formed and there was not yet one among them.” (Ps. 139:16) Understandably, David was moved to praise Jehovah when he considered the way his own body was created. The discoveries made by scientists in recent years have only added to the awe we feel when we contemplate the way that Jehovah made us. These discoveries give us added reason for agreeing with the psalmist who wrote of Jehovah: “I shall laud you because in a fear-inspiring way I am wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, as my soul is very well aware.” (Ps. 139:14) Really, how could people not see that creation reveals the existence of a living God?

15, 16. (a) How have our publications built appreciation for Jehovah’s creative ability? (b) What is one of the “Was It Designed?” articles that especially impressed you?

¹⁵ For decades, Awake! magazine has helped millions to appreciate what creation reveals about our living God. In 2006, for example, the September issue was entitled “Is There a Creator?” It was devoted entirely to opening the eyes of those blinded by the doctrines of evolution and creationism. Regarding that special issue, one sister wrote the United States branch office: “The campaign to offer this special issue went extremely well. One woman asked for 20 copies. She is a biology teacher and wanted her students to have a copy.” A brother wrote: “I have been active in the field service since the late 1940’s and am nearing 75 years of age, but I have never enjoyed my field service as much as I have this month offering the special issue of Awake!”

¹⁶ In recent years, most issues of Awake! have carried the feature “Was It Designed?” These brief articles highlight the awe-inspiring engineering evident in creation and identify ways that man has tried to copy the Master Designer. We received additional material to help bring glory to God with the release in 2010 of the brochure Was Life Created? The beautiful pictures and teaching diagrams in that publication are designed to stimulate our appreciation for Jehovah’s creative ability. The questions at the end of each section help the reader to reason on the information he just considered. Have you enjoyed using this brochure when witnessing from house to house, publicly, or in an informal setting?

17, 18. (a) Parents, how can you boost your children’s confidence in their ability to defend their faith? (b) How have you used the brochures about creation in your family worship?

¹⁷ Parents, have you considered this colorful brochure with your children as part of your family worship? If you do, you will help to build their appreciation for our living God. Perhaps you have teenage children who are attending high school. They are a particular target of those who teach the false doctrine of evolution. Scientists, schoolteachers, nature documentaries, and even the entertainment  world, with its TV shows and movies, promote the idea that evolution is a fact. You can help your teens to combat such propaganda by using another brochure, The Origin of Life—Five Questions Worth Asking, which was also released in 2010. Like the brochure Was Life Created?, this publication encourages young ones to develop their “thinking ability.” (Prov. 2:10, 11) It teaches them how to test the logic of what they are taught in school.

¹⁸ The Origin of Life brochure is designed to help students evaluate sensational news reports that claim that scientists have found fossilized “missing links.” It encourages them to judge for themselves whether such reports really prove that man evolved from lower creatures. It also teaches them how to answer claims that scientists have proved in their laboratories that life could originate spontaneously. Parents, if you use these brochures, you can do much to boost your children’s confidence in their ability to give an answer to those who demand a reason for their belief in a Creator.—Read 1 Peter 3:15.

19. What privilege do all of us have?

¹⁹ The well-researched material that we receive through Jehovah’s organization helps us discern his beautiful qualities in the world around us. This is sound evidence that causes us to bubble over with praise for our God. (Ps. 19:1, 2) What a privilege we have to give Jehovah, the Creator of all things, the honor and glory he so richly deserves!—1 Tim. 1:17.