by gringojj 38 Replies latest jw friends
It is part of the mind-washing game.
If you call it the 'truth' long enough, it is hard to ever believe it isn't the 'truth'.
If you call them the 'friends' it is hard to believe they will not love you without condition.
Both are fallacies of the cult.
The mormons, and others have a very 'loaded' language style too. It is effective to control others, thats why they use it.
Jeff
This term "the friends" was never used here in the UK either. Its obviously just an American thing. And frankly quite weird. Is it used in any literature in the States - after 1960?
LMAO @ Gringojj!!!!
BTW....I have to ask....What does your name mean?
House-to-house preaching went forward with greater zeal. Louis Carlsson, from Copenhagen, relates concerning the year 1913: "The entire year was a year of tract distribution. Every Sunday morning at nine o’clock, John Reinseth would be standing on a street corner to give out territory to the friends who came out in service. We did not ring doorbells but put a tract in the letter slot in the door. I remember an instance in the Vesterbro section of Copenhagen. The front door of one flat had frosted glass; I could see the outline of a man inside. I put in a tract on the subject ‘Babylon’; it was picked up and shoved out again. So I inserted another tract, ‘What Do the Scriptures Say About Hell?’ I saw the man pick it up and look at it—and to my surprise, this one he kept!"
Crumpet - This from the '93 yearbook page 76.
I am surprised that you said the term was not used in UK. Hmmm. But it is peppered throughout the personal accounts found in Wt and Yb.
Come to think of it, I don't recall a heavy use of that term her in US the past few years. Mostly older ones. Maybe it is more generational than geographical. Not sure.
Jeff
I know exactly what you mean.
I attended a dub wedding this weekend with the wife. Every other word out of their mouths was "the friends" this and "the friends" that. One lady even came alone as all her family was left at the KH helping "the friends'.
but, it's not only that........
When a group of them gets together, all they ever talk about is "the soceity" this and "the soceity" that. How their sock-puppet Jah always warns them through their "whorganization" ahead of any calamity and how "progressive" it is. It was really comical, watching them all nod in agreement whenever one of their catch-phrases was used.
In the UK the term "friends" would bring a strange look unless it was said from the platform. Even the term "folks" was not generally used.
I would gringe often when American words were used in the WT, I dont know why they were because it was printed in the UK
And dont mention the way things are pronounced, this has always been a bug bear with me. Listening to idiots trying to pronounce Isaiah like the americans had me in stitches!!!!!!!!
Only newly Exs will appreciate that one
Reminds me of communism, terms like 'the society' and such. There are far too many language issues to even list here that annoy me! In my home when and if this whole subject is even brought up, 'my brothers and sisters' is another one of my least favorites terms.
Funny. In the cong I grew up in, the word "friends" was not in common usage. We just said "brothers & sisters".
Using special codewords is common when a person or group is trying to create differentiation.
The most annoying are words like 'the truth' and 'the service'. What the hell is that? 'The service'... they call it service to Jehovah, but he never actually said it, did he?
"The Friends" is a bit of an old timey expression. ianybm, i have definitely heard this used in Canada.
One really funny example that several of us pioneers would laugh at for some time was an older (and I do mean older) brother was talking about the street witnessing in a comment.
"So I was up with The Friends tm giving out The Tower tm "
Sounds kinda like the plot line to lord of the rings now that i think about it .. err.. maybe not. :)
ackack
