There is no word in Watchtower Speak (theocratise) that carries more emotional charge than “Apostate”. To be labeled an apostate is the lowest low – worst than pond scum. In JW thinking, there is more hope for a pedophile or a murderer than for an apostate. The word is probably analogous to the use of the “N” word.
It is hard, perhaps impossible, for those not directly affected to appreciate the kind of pain inflicted by the use of these hateful expressions. When reading a thread from this site:
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=24168&site=3
it dawned on me that some in ex-JW community are dealing with “A” word in a manner similar to that being used by some blacks to deal with the “N” word. We joke about “apostafests” and even take pride in the term. By doing so, we are probably trying to take the energy or power out of the word.
On the other hand, when we consider the shameful manner in which the Watchtower Corporation (the Borg) has behaved towards its members – especially the children – it feels good to be able to say, “I quit – I cannot and will not support that. I abandon the cause – I’m an apostate or at least a Watchtower apostate.”
Lee