Greatest love of all. Whitney Houston. (page 2)

blondie

This was written by songwriters Michael Masser and Linda Creed. Linda Creed was recovering from breast cancer when she wrote the song. She died in 1986, just before Whitney took the song to #1 in the US.

Masser and Creed wrote this for the film biography of Mohammed Ali, The Greatest. It was originally recorded by George Benson in 1977.

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=3977

Now to find if George Benson was a JW in 1977.

John - When did you become a Jehovah's Witness 1979?

George - Yeah, I got baptized then but I had been studying the bible many years before that with them.

(Notice it was a death of a cousin that got him started...JWs are taught to zoom in on the grieving.)

http://www.smoothjazznow.com/interview_george_benson_2_2005.htm

Spectrum

Startingover,

"He looked at me real funny."

Same with my sister. It was like "why are you telling me this."

Spectrum

Scully,

I remember them saying at a meeting that weight training was all about vanity and we should not participated in it, God will give us a new body.

I think they have been trained to believe that any such emotions should be directed towards Jehovah if you love Jehovah then you obviously love yourself.

Spectrum

atypical,

"In my area, in the circle of witnesses I was around, that song was considered very out of line with Witness teaching"

Why do you think that is?

Confession

Any group will develop its own "language." (Of course the WTS likes to call theirs "The Pure Language.") Among JWs, this language developed over a period of time in which they were trying to remain "separate from the world." Thus anything not in the active JW vernacular can become suspect.

I always got a kick out of the reaction my fellow JWs would give when someone at the door would say, "God bless you," or "Jesus loves you," or really any statement that included God, Jesus or "The Lord." They'd act like such statements were positively ridiculous. It was as if to say, "How dare THEY presume to tell ME anything about God or Jesus!"

I can often remember asking them why they thought what was said was so terrible. Wasn't it just that person's way of trying to be nice?

When it comes to cults, if you can control the language, it goes a long way toward controlling the behavior.

Spectrum

Confession,

I you hit the nail on the head. That is exactly what it is about. It is the answer I was looking for. They've been taught to see some words and phrases as loaded, loaded by the devil!

sass_my_frass

I was sitting next to my bro at one DC, and I wrote on his notes: 'To thine own self be true'. It's from Hamlet, it always makes me get a smiley feeling. He thought it was selfish and loveless.

Play me something by Jeff Buckley.

Country Girl

Whitney Houston is a wonderful talent!

I wish she loved herself in imitation of the song she so belts out with gusto.

To JW's, worldly music is just what it is: worldly. I remember when I went to an Alan Jackson concert. I took my JW family members, plus my siblings that are no longer members. It was very hard to get the JWs to go because they feel that a concert is a worldly thing. But once my Mom saw another sister there, dressed in her C&W regalia, then she was assured that it was okay (rolls eyes) and felt better.

When Alan Jackson sang his song "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?" the whole audience stood up. This song is about the 9/11 tragedies. It's not a kick-their-ass kinda song; nor an extremely religious song. The lyrics strike me to be about a regular person shocked and horrified, and being made somewhat aware of the tragedy happening in his own backyard, and how it affected him.

Where Were You?

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in LA?
Did you stand there in shock at the site of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky?
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry?

Did you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know?
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below?

Did you burst out in pride
For the red white and blue
The heroes who died just doing what they do?
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself to what really matters

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Driving down some cold interstate
Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her
Did you dust off that bible at home
Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Speak with some stranger on the street
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger
Stand in line and give your own blood
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

The greatest is love
The greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?

I was extremely vexed that they didn't show their respect and honor to those lost in 9/11 by doing a simple thing like standing. There was no placing of hands over the heart, etc. Just a simple show of respect and acknowledgment. The people in the concert hall around us were staring, and my JW family members were whispering among themselves and chuckling. It really made me somewhat ill. The arrogance was evil and inpenetrable.

CG

Spectrum

What would JWs think of Marvin Gays Sexual Healing?

blondie

Oh, that song was evil, evil. I even heard it mentioned from the KH platform that good JWs should throw away that album.

Blondie

Greatest love of all. Whitney Houston.

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