I will let Gerda Charles speak for me at the end.
And hello Julia if you are catching up - blogwise. And thanks so much for the offer of putting us up during the AGM.. Look forward very much to seeing you all.
Yesterday I was out and about with my siblings, trying to tell all who will listen about the Kingdom of God - and we all met up for a coffee break mid morning. We had an interesting talk with a couple who are members of a small Protestant church that would I think see itself as Bible fundamentalist.
Yet we could not reason with them from the Bible itself. They seemed shocked when we said that, no, we are not expecting to go to heaven, but are hoping to "inherit the earth" as Jesus promised, and to live for ever upon it.
"In YOUR translation" they said with a certain scorn. We pointed out gently that we hadn't come across any Bible translation (and we use many) that translated those famous words from the Sermon on the Mount any differently. And when Jesus said that the meek would inherit "the earth" he was confirming the promises in the Hebrew Scriptures.
For example, Psalm 37:11 says: "But the meek will possess the earth, And they will find exquisite delight in the abundance of peace"
They will possess the earth,, not heaven. And it will be an earth truly at peace.
And verse 29 of the same Psalm says simply: "The righteous will possess the earth, And they will live forever on it. "
But as we tried, gently to point that out, they changed from "in YOUR translation" to "in YOUR interpretation".
Now, I can't see that those words are open to any other interpretation. But we left it there. Someone else will call in time, and maybe they will find the right words.
Captain B and I shopped yesterday, and popped Jackie's shopping in to her, stopping for coffee and choccie biccies (well just coffee for me) and a chat. Then home for lunch - remains of yesterday's soup - after which the Captain went off to Petworth House, and I made a carrot cake, did the ironing and some much needed housework. And got us something for supper - steak and ale pie for him, veggie pasta for me.
Re interesting and fascinating... I am a long time fan of the writer Gerda Charles. She did win at least one big literary prize, but seems to have been forgotten now. But she could write, so might she be in for a revival?
Her book "The True Voice' ends like this:
"I saw my bus coming in the distance. I smiled at the baby. A light-hearted happiness filled me. There had been the caterpillar, Colin, his father, the Chinese baby; I was going to tea with Miss Hallam. Feathers... feathers... But they were enough. I had too delicate a digestion for richer joys.
It was only four o'clock and the sun was still bright, but a blue haze was spreading across the distance, a faint sparkle of cold touched the air. Tomorrow would be the autumnal equinox, the beginning of Autumn; my season. For some, the spring or summer of their lives is their time, their tender springs most beautiful or their summers most glorious. But for me, my spirit's time was autumn. Tomorrow it would be autumn. The bus came up and I got on and drove towards the west. 'In heaven' says John Donne, 'it is always autumn'."
She too finds such joy and interest in the ordinary things of life. And there too, I guess, is the idea of going to heaven when we die. Which is all tied up with the idea of a separate immortal soul. The Bible says something different, something wonderful. Please ask the next Jehovah's Witness who calls, if you want to know, and please have a copy of the Bible to hand, so you can check everything we tell you against the touchstone of God's word.
Any translation is fine, but preferably a modern translation, as English is very much a living language. And no need for interpretations. The Bible interprets itself.
I want to have unnumbered Autumns in the restored earthly Paradise. I hope we all will - including, of course, Gerda Charles.
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