Are JW's coached to be vague? (page 3)

baltar447

Thanks anyway I have the new manual. Do you have want to reference a relevant section that discusses this topic?

InterestedOne

Thanks anyway I have the new manual. Do you have want to reference a relevant section that discusses this topic?

Did you mean to post this to a different thread? Speaking of the manual, I would really like to receive a PM to the link.

baltar447

No InterestedOne. itsacult had posted it to this thread to me, I guess on the thought it might have some bearing on this thread's topic, so I replied above.

OUTLAW

Try getting a Jehovah`s Witness to tell you who they are at the door..

It`s dam near impossible..

"I`m a Bible Student..I happen to be in your area"..

"Would you like a Bible Study that isn`t a Bible Study?"..

........................... ...OUTLAW

Google "squinting modifiers" or "two way modifiers". Essentially, it's all about writing in such a way that you can't be sure if a sentence means one thing or another thing. WT is great at that! JW's are vague because the literature is often vague. There are many such techniques designed for "wiggle room" instead of clarity. Quite useful when doctrine changes or elders want to "beat" a publisher into submission, eh?

Is it done purposefully? At one time I would have thought "no", but then I read something Barb Anderson wrote concerning the magazine article "Women Deserving of Respect". Does it mean that all women deserve respect or that *certain* women deserve respect? Apparently there was quite a bit of dissent around publishing the material at all. The result was an ambiguous title and vague material. The Writing Department knew all along that they weren't presenting a clear message.

agonus

AnneB,

I think the WT intentionally left out punctuation and caps in the article's title. I believe it originally read:

"Women? Deserving of RESPECT?!"

InterestedOne

Thank you, AnneB, for that insight. Do you have a link to the info about the circumstances surrounding the "Women Deserving of Respect" article? I googled it but only found a bio of Barb Anderson on Freeminds with a brief mention of the article. I'd like to hear more about what went on.

kurtbethel

At its core, it is a bait and switch religion. Being vague helps support that end.

Are JW's coached to be vague?

Share this