Why did "Back Calls" change to "Return Visits"? (page 4)

Leprechaun

I know, they are always changing catch phrases, Back Calls, to return visits, Rendezvous to Meeting for Field Service and along time ago it was called Contact Point, what a bunch of loons. Assemblies to Conventions, it goes on and on and on and on, and they say they are not a cult.

Scully

I think the term Back Call™ was a Knorr-era term, while Return Visit™ was a Fred Franz-era term.

miseryloveselders

I never knew about Back Calls LOL. Funny when I first started lurking here, I would see a thread like this and think, "these apostates are the most nickpicking people!" Its so funny how much this organization has changed in only a few decades. If it wasn't for the internet, and former JWs with courage, this kind of stuff would be lost. Back Calls, it sounds like something out of prison, when the effeminate inmate is about to "be spoken for."

ShirleyW

Forgot about the ol' rendezvous, I think that's the shortest name change in the Borgs history because it could mean a sexual liaison.

Remember the interview Bill Cosby did on 60 Minutes when It was found out he was the dad of that girl, came out around the time his son was killed, he actually kept using the word rendezvous instead of affair or relationship.

factfinder

!979- Living Hope District Assembly Of Jehovah's Witnesses

1980- Divine Love District Convention Of Jehovah's Witnesses

From then on all DA's have been DC's.

Kingdom Ministy- Our Kingdom Service- Our Kingdom Ministry

factfinder

I don't remember any Back Call booklets in the 80's. Were these published by Madzay Color Graphics?

WTWizard

Why else but to force the witlesses to keep buying new paraphenalia to keep up to date, wasting their resources on things like this. Want to force them to buy new call books? Just change the official terminology, and the old ones are out of date--wasting another $25.

They also do this to force witlesses to continue going to boasting sessions. You miss a boasting session, you get an out of date term, you use that out of date term, you are labelled as "spiritually weak". Just one more way to create shame by judging people for stupid things.

Coffee House Girl

factfinder,

my mom ordered the black "back calls" book from a company called "stoops"- they were a mail order company, I also had a tiny tot bookbag (pink), it is possible the company became "manzay" later, they have all those stupid callendars with theocratic ministry school schedules in them-

CHG

leavingwt

(I did not read all of the responses.)

Steve Hassan makes the point that cults re-define common words and they also change terminology -- on purpose. Why?

One of the reasons is to identify imposters. How so?

If someone shows up at a Kingdom Hall this week and claims to be a pioneer, publisher, etc, but then ask what night the Book Study is on, he or she will reveal that they are a phony. (The Book Study was done away with.)

So, if anyone starts speaking of "back calls", they are NOT 'keeping up with Jehovahs' celestial chariot". They are not active/spiritually strong.

NeonMadman

I believe the reason for the change (apart from change for the sake of change to keep the publishers on their toes) was that "back-call" was a term commonly used by commercial salesman, and the WTS at the time was trying to emphasize that their work was a non-commercial ministry. IIRC, the change came among a flurry of other terminology changes in the early 1970's when the elder arrangement was being introduced (indeed, the term "elder" itself had been viewed in the 1950's and 1960's as a religious title, inappropriate for use by Jehovah's people). "Congregation Servants" became "Presiding Overseers," the "Congregation Committee" had its functions split between the "Service Committee" and as-needed "judicial committees," etc. Most of the new terminology came into effect with the introduction of the book, Organization for Kingdom-Preaching and Disciple-Making, in 1972.

Why did "Back Calls" change to "Return Visits"?

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