dubspeak follies

what_Truth?

What would you think if I told you "Last Thursday I went to the Service Meeting at the Kingdom Hall to hear the presiding overseer give a talk from the platform." ?

Most of us here know that to mean "Last Thursday I went to church to hear the head pastor give a sermon on the door to door ministry from the pulpit", a pretty common and straight forward event for a Jehovah's Witness. I asked my pennicostal wife what she thought the phrase meant and she guessed it had something to do with slavery and human sacrifice. This made me wonder if dubspeak was more than just a way of uniting a cult. Could it also be a way of making former members look like blathering idiots?

Also consider the phrase "the Truth". On one hand it looks like a psycological ploy to make JW's believe everything the Governing Body says. On the other hand it also serves to make ex-JW's look like irrational hypocrates. I remember shortly after I first left I ran into an old so-called "worldly" friend from school. He asked me if I was still I Jehovah's Witness and I said "No, I'm not in the truth anymore". He looked at me confused so I explained "I was brought up in the truth but I left it" he asked me "Well if it's the truth then why did you leave it?" At that point I realised how deep I put my foot in my mouth and changed the subject.

He was thinking "truth" as in 'something I beleived to be true' I was thinking "Truth" as in 'an organization that Jehovah's Witnesses beleive is true'. Both are VERY different concepts that can confuse the hell out of anyone who doesn't know much about the organization.

Now I realise that many cults have special jargons, but I wonder are Jehovah's witnesses the only ones that go so far with it that most laymen can't figure out even the simplist concept? Do you think they could have purposely loaded the language to make detractors look foolish? Does anyone know the history behind the more common dub phrases? (i.e. Truth, Kingdom Hall, Presiding Overseer, talk, platform, ministerial servant)

TheEdge

''Publisher'' is one I just took as read - until a comment on here made a little ''ding'' lightbulb flash in my head! PUBLISHER - why that word? It's secular (and that's another dub-favourite word). If I didn't know better I'd think it was an 'in-joke' at Brooklyn....

Toronto_Guy

Its definitely an interesting question...

I doubt that Witnesses or Witness leadership have thought that deeply about these terms, trying to make ex-Witnesses look bad, etc, but you never know.

Growing up as a Witness, these terms seemed so normal and natural, and even now I find that I have to think consciously that these terms are really complete foreign to all non-Witnesses.

toronto_guy

bem

The language used as jws is still a sore spot for me, it seems the words that were so natural back in the jw years, now are stuck on the brain as rubbish to be gotten rid of. I cannot say the common words used then to seperate the 'truth' <tm) from the 'worldly'<tm) without wishing I could speak with-out having a flashback into dubdumb.

Taylor S.

I think ...

Gathering is one of the words that finally clicked years after I bounced outta there. A word that to me implies not only a bringing together of people in assembly, but it also has undertone of secrecy or illicit behavior --- like 'a gathering of thieves'. At the time it meant party ... festive even, though to say so would seem too worldly (re: Normal). I was so stifled and repressed in those days that even a Klan rally would have peaked my interest.

Talk about looking like an a$$ .... soon after I left, I used the word with a crowd of normal people.

That's when I started to believe I'd been in a cult all my life, indoctinated by my family since birth. Never had a chance. It was until I found JWD that I confirmed my suspicions.

It's a wonder I'm not a total nutcase.

taylorS

JustTickledPink

In any group you are going to have terms that are unique to that group... but the one that really bothered me was calling it "THE truth" like the ABSOLUTE truth. Not the "maybe truth" no, THE truth. It just isn't right.

I started calling the KH a church when I talked about it outsiders. I was able to finally call it a "church" even though I was always told it wasn't... changing the terms actually helps in your recovery because you realize it's just a stupid label given.

El Kabong

"Last Saturday, I went out in service and placed 8 magazines"

Taylor S.

Just thought of another one ....

Field Service . Hmmmmm.

"We spent the day in the field ...." Why am I detecting slave references?! Am I paranoid because my ancestors did lots of field service? It's so apropos though ... the publishers (pesky peddlers), or rather, the six-million strong unpaid labor force of WTBTS (publishing empire), which every single item it prints is a guaranteed Best-Seller.

I'm getting angry again. grrrrrrrrrrr ........

taylorS

*** rummaging for a Valium***

vitty

I went to the BIG meeting and did a no 4 talk

I also just got my last hour in phew!!!!!!!

IP_SEC

How many RVs did you get (Back Calls in the old days)

Ha isnt that funny how you can tell how long someone has been in the truth by the way they talk?

I can peg a brothers time in the truth to the year, after 2 minutes of theocratic chit chat. (Hahaha he said Jehovah witness, Its Jehovah'sssss witnesses you loser)

Grace?? Whats that man? Its the UK-- Undeserved Kindness- you dispicable fool.

Bye

dubspeak follies

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