by Room 215 22 Replies latest jw friends
Hi all,
This is particularly addressed to those of you long-timers. It seems that the Society has always deliberately avoided the use of the word `conversion"" and ``convert(s)'' in its literature. Yet it's clearly a scriptural term and would seem to fit their aggressive prosyletizing mentality quite well.
Any ideas what it is that they find objectionable? or is it just another case of their ``being different simply for the sale of being different?"
for a better understanding of converting
and prosyletizing please review the Watchtower
study of 2 -3 weeks ago
It's a sales technique. I am in sales, and when I'm trying to get a new customer signed up, I generally avoid the word "contract" like the plague. The document I'm trying to get them to sign is a "service agreement", or even just a "service order". No one wants to sign a "contract"; if you do that, youre "locked in". But entering into an "agreement" is a lot more acceptable in most people's eyes. It's the same thing, just different wording that makes a big difference in the eye of the beholder.
I think that they avoid the word "convert" simply because that's the word most people associate with changing religions, and, of course, they don't want to admit up front that that's what they are trying to get you to do. All of us as former JW's know that what we want to do right from the git-go, when we knock at a door, is ultimately to get the householder to change his or her religion, but most JW's, if asked directly, "Are you trying to convert me?" would answer no, we're just trying to "encourage Bible education". If pressed, they might admit that, given enough of their "Bible education," (which has little to do with the Bible), the householder will see no option other than becoming a JW, but they will insist that that is the householder's decision, that they are there only to present the Bible's message.
I once knew a CO who was refreshingly honest in this area. If someone asked him, "Are you trying to convert me?", he would answer, "Why, yes. I am!" and proceed from there in his presentation. I think it was Anthony Conte, but I'm not 100% sure it was him; it may have been another CO.
Of course, biblically, "conversion" refers to the turning around involved in repentance and changing one's life over from a worldly to a Christian way of living, and not merely to a change in organizational membership; but popular usage has somewhat corrupted from that original meaning.
Tom
"The truth was obscure, too profound and too pure; to live it you had to explode." ---Bob Dylan
Tellie, Madman,
Thanks for your comments. Of course, the earlies Christians had no compunction about its usefulnes in describing their ministries.
Neonmadman, that certainly sounds like Anthony Conte, a ``nutty but nice'' fellow and a lot more of a straight talker than most of the mealy-mouthed apparatchiks they send around.
that certainly sounds like Anthony Conte, a ``nutty but nice'' fellow and a lot more of a straight talker than most of the mealy-mouthed apparatchiks they send around.
He was certainly a fun guy, one of the best CO's I ever met, and I mean that fondly, "best" in the sense of really being a good guy, not an organizational zombie.
Once, in our territory, a store opened up that sold horse meat as a specialty. It was run by a couple of sleazy Italian guys; I have no idea what the source of the horse meat was, but I wouldn't have wanted to eat there (come to think of it, this was pretty close to the time that the Godfather movie came out...). Anyway, Conte was out witnessing one day, and he walked into this place to present the literature. The two guys saw him coming and figured out why he was there, and as he walked in the door, they started saying vile things about him to each other in Italian, not knowing that he understood every word they were saying. So he gives them his biggest goofy, friendly smile, and starts into his presentation - in Italian.
Tom
"The truth was obscure, too profound and too pure; to live it you had to explode." ---Bob Dylan
Ya gotta love it!!!
the wt study of a few weeks ago indicated
that as witnesses we are trying to convert people,
however the word proselytize has developed into
a word that often involves 'forced' or other negatives
ways to change someones faith. Comments from the audience
stated that we are indeed involved in converting and warning people,
NYTel: That's kinda new, isn't it? I've never heard it stated that openly before, and I've only been inactive for about a year...
i have heard c.o's saying it
for the longest time during service meetings
I have heard elders say it from the
platform before to.
in order for it to be new the Soc would
had have to say we were are not converting
Tellie, et al,
Although Brooklyn seems to have preferred ``making disciples'' over the years, ``conversion'' is well-established in the Biblical lexicon..... and, of course JWs seek to convert; to say anything else is disingenuous.
