Changing meanings of words: "Brother" and "Sister".

by Open mind 14 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  Alive!

  I loved the thought or feeling of us all being brothers and sisters, and I felt it in my heart....I just didn't like saying Brother so and so when addressing someone - only perhaps the very elderly...as I didn't want to offend them.

  Its all so strange, looking back.
• 

  LoveUniHateExams

  Also, what about as 'young ones' () having to call adult JWs as 'uncle' and 'auntie'? I always thought that was weird.

  When I left in 2007, there were baptized JWs my age (mid-twenties), who were my mates, calling older JWs 'uncle' or 'auntie' - WTF?!
• 

  Sabin

  We took one of the kids out for the day, she suffered with anxiety & we were the only ones who she trusted to stay with (oh I wonder why) anyway she called us Sister & brother, sister Sabin, Sister Sabin. My husband asked me to suggest that she just said our first names "She's 10 years old, it sounds so bad, people are actually looking at me as if I'm a minister". It was actually embarrassing for him. It wasn't her fault though she was just following orders & so was her mother. Sad really.
• 

  Billy the Ex-Bethelite

  It was actually a term of formality very much like "Mister", "Mrs.", "Miss" or "Ms."

  Especially since "brother" or "sister" was followed by the person's last name. It was awkward to use in a congregation with a dozen "Sister Jones". Neither endearing nor practical. It sounds very institutional. Calling on someone from the platform you'd get, "Sister Jones, Mary." I assume they didn't use "Sister Margret" or "Brother David", because it sounds too Catholicy.
  

  In my family, if my sister was named "Elizabeth Jones," I wouldn't call her either "Sister Jones" or "Sister Elizabeth". Of course, I'd call her "Lizard Breath". For aunts and uncles, it would be their first names prefaced with "Aunt" or "Uncle". For grandparents, it was a grab bag.
  
• 

  Open mind

  Here's a "Brother David" that's not creepy at all...

  

  : )