I began associating with Jehovah's Witnesses at a local Kingdom Hall
in Fort Worth, Texas around 1959. Gradually I became aware of the argot. (i.e. special, private language)
JW's had these phrases they used over and over again.
Upon first hearing, these words and phrases stood out as odd, weird or awkward.
However. . .
after the thousandth hearing, the most natural familiarity makes it all acceptable and eventually invisible.
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Now, I realize most of you aren't as old as I am. (67) You weren't a part of Jehovah's Witnesses 'back in the day.'
It would not be startling if you are unfamiliar with the idea of Brothers and Sisters speaking and thinking in a certain
language no longer spoken or even recalled to mind.
WELL, I WANT TO CALL ATTENTION to these extreme changes and catalog them, if I can with your help!
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To start off, JW's had a period of time where the theology was really saturated with phrases connected to DISPENSATIONAL
teaching. Everything in scripture had a primary and secondary prophetic meaning.
There was Moses and "the Greater Moses" (i.e. Jesus Christ) for example.
The "greater" this and that was a constant drone!
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Next we have catchy terms for Paradise.
THE NEW ORDER
THE NEW WORLD
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Ex-JW's were called EVIL SLAVE CLASS or just EVIL SLAVES
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If you passed by a church out in service, your group would hold their noses and exclaim: 'GOAT SHED!'
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The people who were JW's could alternately be referred to as "the friends.'
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If you left magazines at a house out in service you'd later make a BACK CALL which morphed into RETURN VISIT
Door to door work was (maybe still is) called "out in service".
The quota for preaching for everybody but Pioneers was 10 hours per month AND THERE WAS A BIG DISPLAY BOARD
HUNG ON THE WALL IN THE KINGDOM HALL with your name and your total hours for the month!
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I think you have the idea by now what I'm asking for.
Some things have remained constant such as referencing the religion itself as "the Truth."
I'm looking for discarded ideas, phrases, words, terminology, etc.
WHAT CAN YOU RECALL?