WTS Subtle-Speak

by onacruse 11 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  onacruse

  WTS publications are riddled with subtle innuendos, subliminal messages, and bait & switch. I just randomly grabbed the 4/1/03 issue of the Watchtower, confident that I would find examples; I was not disappointed. The article "Exhibit 'All Mildness Toward All Men' " discusses Titus 3:1, 2 in four areas--in the family, in the ministry, in the congregation, and toward all men. Note how they play the third area (pp. 23-25):

  A third area where mildness is vital is in the Christian congregation. Confrontation is commonplace in today's society. Debates, arguments, and wrangling are the norm among those who look at life in a fleshly way.

  So, the tone is already set that expressed differences of opinion are "a work of the flesh." Before the discussion has even begun, dissent is characterized as a manifestation of unspirituality. But to add fuel to the fire:

  Occasionally, such worldy traits creep into the Christian congregation and manifest themselves in contentions and fights with words.

  Now, such dissenters are not only acting in a fleshly way; they are being downright worldly. Add the "guilt" factor:

  Responsible brothers are saddened when they have to deal with these situations.

  Ahh, that some brother or sister would act so indifferently as to pain the elders in this way...how could a Christian so misbehave?

  Nevertheless, love for Jehovah and for their brothers prompts them to try and win back the erring ones. Galations 5:25, 26

  Finally, they get down to it: to dissent is to err! Not one Scripture until the end of the paragraph. And what does that Scripture say?

  If we are living by spirit, let us go on walking orderly also by spirit. Let us not become egotistical, stirring up competition with one another, envying one another. (NWT)

  Where here does Paul say that expressing differences of opinion is unChristian??? The explicit statement of Paul is that egotism, competition and envy are unspiritual. The implicit spin the WTS puts on this goes far beyond what this Scripture states. In just one 15-line paragraph they have painted all who dare dissent as errant unspiritual egotistical competitive envious fleshly worldlings.

  The point being: They took us from A to B without actually saying B. If anyone pressed them about it, the WTS could defend: "We never actually said that any who dare dissent are errant unspiritual egotistical competitive envious fleshly worldlings."

  They never actually said that...shades of 1975.

  Craig
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  A Paduan

  mildness is vital is in the Christian congregation but Confrontation is commonplace in today's society mildness not required when dealing with society ?

  Debates, arguments, and wrangling debates are bad ? wrangling's bad ?

  So debate = worldy traits that creep into the Christian congregation....manifest themselves in contentions.....with words.

  brothers are saddened when they have to deal with these situations

  I'll bet they are - other words = we actually aren't the special holy glorious beings

  love...prompts them to...win back the erring ones must be love then

  Let us not become egotistical, stirring up competition with one another = don't make my brain hear truth

  If you do want truth enough to debate, it must be because your envying one another

  So be quiet and do as we say - we are the boss of you - we are the boss of you - we are the boss of you - we are...
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  DanTheMan

  Excellent analysis ona, thanks.
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  Scully

  So when Jesus had his "confrontation" with the money-changers in the temple and threw them out in righteous indignation, he was acting in a "fleshly, worldly, competitive, egotistical" manner??

  Stupid WTS. Every day I find yet another reason to despise the Organization.

  Love, Scully
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  JamesThomas

  Enjoyed your post Craig. You have to give the Borg credit, they have mental programming down to a fine art. jamesT
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  Maverick

  Very good 'read' on this WT spin doctors. Even the tenor paints positive or negative shades. Words like 'creep' and 'wrangling' imply negatives as do the judgmental nature of 'erring ones' and 'saddened brothers'. Have you ever sat in an Elders meeting when two brothers had a difference of opinion or just did not like each other? And throw in any scripture that even contains a few of the words of any point you are trying to sell and the J-duds make it fit. After-all the FDS applied it there, it MUST be right! Keep up the good work, Maverick.
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  onacruse

  It simply amazes me how thoroughly I was hypnotized by the cleverly-worded insinuations and suggestive inferences that I now see permeate WTS literature, the way they use language to manipulate.

  Hayakawa discusses this at some length in his book Language in Thought and Action (1939, Harcourt Brace & Co). Chapter 7 is The Language of Social Control, and a couple of excerpts (pp. 100-116):

  The most interesting and perhaps least understood of the relations between words and things is the relation between words and future events. When we say, for example, "Come here!" we are not describing the extensional world about us, nor are we merely expressing our feelings; we are trying to make something happen. What we call "commands," "pleas," "requests," and "orders" are the simplest ways we have of making things happen by means of words. There are, however, more roundabout ways. When we say, for example, "Our candidate is a great American," we are of course making an enthusiastic purr about him, but we may also be influencing other people to vote for him. Again, when we say, "Our war against the enemy is God's war. God wills that we must triumph," we are saying something that is incapable of scientific verification; nevertheless, it may influence others to help in the prosecution of the war.

  He describes this subliminal use of words as directive language. He goes on:

  Directive utterances undertake to tell us how we can bring about certain desirable events and how we can avoid undesirable events. If we can rely upon what they tell us about the future, the uncertainties of life are reduced. When, however, directive utterances are of such a character that things do not happen as predicted...there is disappointment. Such disappointments may be trivial or grave; in any event, they are so common that we do not even bother to complain about some of them. They are all serious in their impications, nevertheless. Each of them serves, in greater or less degree, to break down that mutual trust that makes co-operation possible and knits people together into a society.

  And now to the jugular:

  Every one of us, therefore, who utters directive language, with its concomitant promises, stated or implied, is morally obliged to be as certain as he can...that he is arousing no false expectations...It does not matter much whether such misleading directives are uttered in ignorance and error or with conscious intent to deceive, because the disappointments they cause are all similarly destructive of mutual trust among human beings.

  Craig
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  SixofNine

  Not to be dull, but what the hell does this have to do with the war?

  Six~ *wink* class
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  archangel01

  SCULLY,

  GREAT EXAMPLE JUST GREAT. I was thinking the same thing, the wts is on the edge an falling over big time.
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  jgnat

  Ona, we are so lucky to have you here, with your unfailing love of words

  errant unspiritual egotistical competitive envious fleshly worldlings

  and sparkling wit. The quotes from that book are also very interesting. I especially liked,

  It does not matter much whether such misleading directives are uttered in ignorance and error or with conscious intent to deceive, because the disappointments they cause are all similarly destructive of mutual trust among human beings.

  So, as it's promises continue to fail, the WTS is eroding the trust it's faithful sheep have willingly handed over. No wonder former members find it hard to trust. I don't blame them one bit.