BY LAUREN SCHWARZ

OUTINE BEATINGS, CAVITY SEARCHES before and after work, and two bathroom breaks in a 14-hour workday. Pregnancy is grounds for dismissal; fetuses are sometimes found on the bathroom floor.

The jeans these women make sell for more than $30 in popular clothing stores. The women, however, are paid 20 cents per pair.¹

Tragically, this isn't an isolated case. The hands of small children and women paid far below poverty wage create much of the clothing found in department stores in the United States. Often these "sweatshop" workers have no protection against pitifully low pay and unsafe working conditions.

But what does this mean for us?

Seventh-day Adventists believe that a time will come when the wall between church and state will crumble and those without the mark of the beast will suffer greatly until Christ returns--a sobering prophecy revealed in Revelation 13:16, 17: "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."

What if that time is nearer than we think? What if that time is now?

What if Revelation 13:17 were not merely a time-of-the-end prophecy but a direction for how we should choose to live all of the time? Imagine how the world would change if Christians acted righteously now by a morally obligated, self-imposed boycott of items that unrightfully harm others.

God calls us to a higher standard; one that includes defending the defenseless and caring for the environment. Though we may save a few pennies or wear the latest fashions, we are responsible for the effect our buying and selling has on others.

The principle of Christian responsibility, even in our purchasing, is echoed by Ellen White. "As they labor to obtain advantage for themselves, they are allured by the prospect of buying things for less and selling them for more than their value. Therefore the world regards them as sharpers, men who will gain advantage for themselves without considering the case of others. They do not keep the commandments of God; for they do not love their neighbor as themselves."²

Too long have most of us bought into the idea that we deserve the best. Not only the best, but we hunger and thirst for the most extravagant things we can afford, the best deals we can find--no matter the cost to others. It is time to stop believing this lie. Although nothing is wrong with comfort, possessions, and enjoying life, God's people need to be conscious of how their lifestyles affect everyone--especially those who cannot speak for themselves.

This honest, compassionate living is a product of a life spent hungering and thirsting for righteousness (Matt. 5:6). Like our need for food and water, living for others should be a driving force in our lives. More than a plate of pasta and a glass of milk offers, however, is the permanent and all-fulfilling righteousness Christ gives.

When you are thirsty and deny yourself a drink, the thirst eventually disappears. It is the same with thirsting for what is right. If we have a desire to do what is good and blameless in God's eyes but do not act on the impulse, the feeling will wither and die. But how do we make changes and do what is right when there is so much wrong in the world?

Suffer the Little Children
In Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (NIV).

Today children as young as 3 are dropped into the dark heart of diamond mines to harvest pricey gems. Termed conflict diamonds, the stones are mined in areas controlled by factions that oppose legitimate governments, and are used to fund militant opposition to those governments.³

Although the stones they find are worth thousands of dollars, the lives of these children are dispensable. Poor air circulation and tainted water cause sickness, and the young workers are frequently maimed or killed by rebels who run rampant through the country. Children who do not work fast enough are often punished with severe beatings or dismemberment. An unknown number of children from desperately poor families toil in these mines, ironically trading their brief lives for the modern symbol of forever.

According to Salil Tripathi, Amnesty International's economic relations and human rights campaign coordinator, "it is conceivable that the diamond ring being enjoyed by a young woman in the richest part of the world could have resulted in the dismemberment of a young woman in Sierra Leone."⁴ The jewelry issue takes on greater significance when one considers the source.

A More Humane Approach
Closer to home, the question of what to eat is a hot topic for many Adventists. Some eat animal products; some don't. Some avoid "unclean meats"; others claim God made all food for our enjoyment. But besides raising your cholesterol, what effect does your eating a few hamburgers really have on anyone?

Consider this: Depending on what they eat, 20-60 vegetarians can be fed on the amount of land it takes to feed two meat-eating individuals.⁵ This means that if Americans reduced their yearly meat consumption by a mere 10 percent, it would result in 12 million tons of grain for human consumption. If it could be distributed efficiently, that food alone would be enough to feed the 60 million individuals who starve to death each year.⁶ From a concerned and humane Christian's standpoint, being a vegetarian just makes sense.

A plant-based diet also benefits the earth. According to E Magazine's Jim Motavalli in "The Case Against Meat," animal production uses more than a third of all raw materials and fossil fuels consumed in the United States. The fuel used in producing a single hamburger patty would power the average car for 20 miles.⁷

While water consumption has become a major concern in the age of pollution and conservation, few American consumers realize that beef production alone uses more water than is used in growing the nation's entire fruit and vegetable crop. In The Food Revolution author John Robbins estimates that "you'd save more water by not eating a pound of California beef than you would by not showering for an entire year."⁸

Love Isn't; Love Is
Everything we touch touches others. From our food and clothing choices to the automobiles we drive and the vacations we take, we are affecting others, either for good or for harm. We need to evaluate all of our actions and live as Christ lived--with love.

Love isn't treating individuals well while we heap contempt and agony on entire continents. Love isn't throwing away 20 percent of the food consumed on a given day in the United States while millions starve elsewhere. Love isn't ravaging the environment or other countries to provide cheap gasoline to burn in our luxury cars.

Love is taking only what we need, giving what we can, and living honestly and simply.

It is time to ask ourselves how willing we are to rearrange our lives to meet the demands of being truly Christlike. We must be ready to sacrifice some luxury, some selfishness, to share our blessings with others. "All we possess is the Lord's, and we are accountable to Him for the use we make of it. In the use of every penny, it will be seen whether we love God supremely and our neighbor as ourselves."⁹

God's second commandment is a proclamation that we are to have no other gods before Christ. Loving things more than people forces us to trespass God's law. Though it may be hard or nearly impossible in a capitalistic society to live in a way that will hurt no one, we are obligated for Christ's sake to strive for a blameless life.

Think about what you are wearing, what you drive, what you eat. Could you walk up to the person who created those items and in good conscience look them in the eye? As a Christian, what steps could you take to change your own actions to better serve others?

Although the cause may feel hopeless, even small actions cause reactions. Writing a letter, boycotting a product, going meatless, changing just one small part of our life, can have far-reaching ramifications that preach the love of God in an unconventional way.

Even though our neighbors may not understand why we've stopped shopping at Mega-Mart in exchange for a hometown store, they will see our actions, and it may open a way for conversation. When we opt to bike to work or school rather than drive, people may ask why we've traded in our Volkswagen for a Cannondale. When our colleagues watch us write a letter on our lunch hour to free a prisoner of conscience through Amnesty International, they may eventually put down their newspapers and join us.

God tells us how to be smart shoppers. He shows us what we should be hungry for. He counsels us to buy from Him gold and garments, and eyesalve, that we may truly see (Rev. 3:18).

What does it profit us to wear those popular jeans if we lose our own souls?

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¹ Vince Estes, "Sweatshop Workers Share Their Stories," State News, Oct. 3, 2000. http://www.statenews.com/article.phtml?pk=202.
² Manual for Canvassers (1902), p. 62. In Colporteur Ministry (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1953), p. 97.
³ United Nations Department of Public Information, "Conflict Diamonds: Sanctioned War." http://www.un.org/peace/africa/Diamond.html.
⁴ In Sarah MacIlvaine, "Diamonds That Cost an Arm and a Leg," Hunger News and Hope. http://www.abc-oghs.org/diamonds.htm.
⁵ John Robbins, Diet for a New America; New Zealand Vegetarian Society, Wellington Branch, The Environment: A Vegetarian View.
⁶ http://members.fortunecity.com/ricardo005/vegetarian/id1.html.
⁷ http://www.emagazine.com/january-february_2002/0102feat1.html.
⁸ Ibid.
⁹ Ellen White, Christ's Object Lessons (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1900), p. 35

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Lauren Schwarz, recently married, is a senior English and communication major at Union College.