Simply a Custom or Bribery?

AT SOME Polish colleges, students customarily collect money to buy gifts for their teachers, hoping to get better grades on their exams. No wonder a young Christian named Katarzyna faced a difficult situation. “Shall I give money or not?” she wondered. Her peers reasoned: “It is a common custom. You risk nothing, but you can gain a lot, so why do you have doubts?”

“I have to admit that in my first year of studies, I participated in the collection of money,” acknowledges Katarzyna. “Only later did I realize that in this way I had supported bribery, which is condemned in the Bible.” She recalled scriptures that show that Jehovah strongly disapproves of bribery. (Deuteronomy 10:17; 16:19; 2 Chronicles 19:7) Katarzyna says: “I understood how easy it is to succumb to peer pressure. I thought it over and since then never shared in this custom again.” Over the last three years, despite ridicule from other students, she was able to explain to some that she does not participate in these “gift” collections because of her Bible-based convictions.

Some accused Katarzyna of selfishness and an antisocial attitude. “I still do not get along well with some of them,” she says. “On the other hand, many respect my point of view, which makes me glad.” Katarzyna became known as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who observe Bible principles in everyday life.