Why ARE They Called 'Pioneers'?

by Rapunzel 21 Replies latest jw friends

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  Rapunzel

  I was reading another thread about the witnesses so-called "pioneer school," and there occured to me the question as to why these people are called pioneers. I may be wrong on this [and may someone please correct me if this is indeed the case], but to my knowledge, the word pioneer does not appear in any manuscript of the Bible. In any case, because my curiosity was piqued, I looked up the etymology, the "true root" meaning of the word. As I suspected, it is Latin, and designates a "foot soldier," The basic Latin root word is ped, meaning "foot" - which provides the basis of the English words "pedal" and "pedastal."

  It was interesting [and enlightening] to read that, etymologically speaking, the word pioneer is related both to word peon and to the word pawn. It's true. All three words - pioneer; pawn; and peon - derive from the same source. In their "root meaning," a pioneer; a pawn; and a peon are basically the same thing. An interesting idea.
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  zeroday

  Actually in my dictionary the defination of pioneer:

  Brown noser...
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  Rapunzel

  "Brown noser"? Really? I suppose that a [good?] number of them are indeed sycophants and toadies. But others are what the root meaning suggests - mere pawns in "game," the dimensions of which elude them.
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  disfellowman

  brown noseR? man, you really dont get it. I was a pioneer a long while and i never did it to "brown nose" -- thats ridiculous. I did it because it was fun, and because i FELT like i was doing the right thing, and relying on God. it was the best years of my life. hmm, sometimes i feel like the anti-propoganda is just as bad as the propoganda itself.... get balance, people, think like the jedi ;)
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  zeroday

  brown noseR? man, you really dont get it. I was a pioneer a long while and i never did it to "brown nose" -- thats ridiculous. I did it because it was fun, and because i FELT like i was doing the right thing, and relying on God. it was the best years of my life. hmm, sometimes i feel like the anti-propoganda is just as bad as the propoganda itself.... get balance, people, think like the jedi ;)

  You are new here and will find alot of off color humor...I am not lumping all pioneers in this statement I have known some of the most dedicated people that pioneered some of the very few friends I had in my 28 years on the inside but there is a sub culture of pioneers that use their position as a stepping stone to higher levels usually men and bethelites...so don't take everything here so serious...
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  disfellowman

  im sorry man, i didnt mean to assume :( im really sorry... i just find that sometimes people are a bit too unbalanced due to wrongs committed against them. please dont think im a jerk now :(
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  zeroday

  please dont think im a jerk now :(

  I don't think you are a jerk you spend maybe years of your life inthe pioneer service no doubt very serious about your work and I admire you for it...I am out now but I could never pioneer field service would make me physically ill just my disposition not that I felt above it but my own insecurities brought me down...
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  Finally-Free

  I used to think pioneers were people who built log cabins in the woods, wrastled bears, and wore coonskin caps. The JWs taught me that pioneers were people who spent 10 hours a month peddling watchtower and awake magazines and 80 hours a month in donut shops. Usually, in the case of men only, it accelerated their "progress" in the congregation.

  Pioneering™ has no precedent in biblical Christianity.

  W
• 

  yknot

  The earliest WT reference I can find is 1928 as "Pioneer Colportuers"

  Interstingly ......there are also "Pioneer Colporteurs" for the Adventist around the same time.
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  WTWizard

  In the world, pioneers are those who prepare the way ahead for others. In the colonial days, that meant people that would settle the land, so others could later come in. It can also mean those on the cutting edge of science, pioneering research in medicine or some other area, so later it can become mainstream.

  If the word were used properly, pioneer witlesses would be preparing the way for others to follow. In effect, it would be their goal to mainstream the organization. However, I have never seen a pioneer do that. Most of them just work in established areas and territories. The only difference is that they work longer hours, and will get a call from Brother Hounder if they do not meet their quotas.

  I would guess that they use the term to make pioneer witlesses feel special. To draw others into it, they need to make it look like a new experience. Which is a scam, since there is no new experience when it comes to pioneering as a witless. Only higher doses of the same old. Just a way to make something that is so stagnating and dreadful look exciting.