Do you address people by their "religious" titles?

by happyout 25 Replies latest jw friends

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  happyout

  Even though I have been out of the Borg for over a decade, when I run into an older witness, I sometimes still slip and say brother or sister so and so.

  I was married by a baptist minister, and my husband insists that I address him as Reverend. This tends to make me a tad uncomfortable, although I don't know why.

  When I lost my daughter, the hospital chaplain came by, and I easily referred to him as Father, and never thought twice about it. I know there were a lot more important things on my mind, but I wondered about it later.

  What about you? If you run into someone who has "earned" their religious title, do you use it? How does it make you feel?

  Happyout
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  Nosferatu

  No, I think the whole religious title thing is a dumb idea. I always thought it was dumb. This reminds me of my 3rd grade teacher. She was known as Sister Rita. I wasn't supposed to call her by that name because she wasn't a JW sister.

  I'll call a person whatever they want me to call them. If they want to be known as "Sister" or "Brother" whatever, then I'll use it. Other than that, I won't call them by their titles.
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  Frannie Banannie

  They pull their pants (or panties) on one leg at a time, just like me....ergo, I refer to them with the same respect as I expect from them....(first name, last name), since they are NOT my sister, brother, Father, Mother, or Reverend....and I'm not theirs.

  Frannie B
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  Swan

  I don't give it a second thought. They worked hard to get where they are, so I call them by their title without a flinch. It is the same with people in the military. JWs don't believe in the military, but call people Captain, Lieutenant, Major, General, whatever. They didn't always believe in modern medicine, but still call people Doctor, etc. Even in their books, they refer to those titles when they quote misquote some famous archaeologist or Bible scholar.

  Tammy
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  caspian

  No your worshipful reverential happyout, I never use them
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  calamityjane

  I'd rather not. Their human like me, not God.
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  blondie

  Nope. Not that I meet many religious leaders. I call my MIL's minister by his first name, he prefers it that way. My husband has an uncle by marriage who is a priest, we call him Bob. Having grown up in a military family, we addressed my father's bosses in the work setting with their titles, but not at parties. Our doctor attends social functions that we do, we call him Rob not Dr......

  I am trying to break the habit of calling JWs, brother and sister. I just use their first name...not that I trying to see any.

  Blondie
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  happyout

  Caspian,

  those are descriptions, not titles

  Your humble servant

  Happyout
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  teejay

  Happyout,

  Yeah, I do. And when I'm talking to others about them, I'll say the Pastor, Rev. So-and-So. They're just words. Don't mean anything to me.

  Same way when I'm talking to a JW about another JW we both know. I call 'em Brother or Sister...

  When in Rome.

  p.s. Did you get my email?
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  rocketman

  Though I'm not in favor of titles generally, I do address religious persons by a title if they have one. I have no problem addressing a priest as "Father" for example, even though I don't actually favor such a title upon a man.