When I was a JW, we'd read about the term "agape love," but we'd never use it in day-to-day conversation.
In the late 1980s, I had a young man working for me who belonged to some little church near Dallas, TX. It was called the Agape Bible Church, or something like that. One day I was out in the field training him (he was an excellent employee, BTW) on a new procedure. I told him that we should take a break and get a cup of coffee. When we got to the local McDonalds, he told me that he could not drink coffee. I said, OK, have a coke. Nope, couldn't have coke. What would you like then? I asked. "Two plain hamburgers and a cup of water." I said OK, and bought him the two hamburgers.
I sat there and watched him eat those dry hamburgers with water. He then told me that he didn't mean to be rude and refuse my offer of coffee, but he was really hungry and his religion didn't allow him to drink coffee, tea or any type of soda because it was a sin. He couldn't have cheese or pickles on his hamburger either "per old testament laws." When he was done, he prayed outloud, right there in the restaurant, thanking God for blessing him and asking God to bless me because I bought him a couple of hamburgers. I noticed that he constantly used the word "agape" almost everytime he finished a sentence.
This kid was a real "kool-aid" drinker. One day I got a call from a customer complaining that this kid had stopped working and was in the utility closet praying out loud - so loud he was creating a disturbance. "And what the hell is all that 'agape' crap he keeps saying to everyone? He's scaring off my customers."
When he got back to the service center I pulled him aside and counseled him about preaching and practicing his religion openly on company time and at customer premises. I told him that I knew he was a good employee, but he had to be more discreet about practicing his religion on company time.
Next day he came in and resigned. Went home the night before and told his pastor what happened. The pastor told him that both me and my company were obviously "tools of the Devil and in order to please God he should quit his job."
So that term "agape" used like that was the first time I encountered its use that way. My family were JWs, and none of them used agape in normal conversation, so I just forgot about it.
Lately, however, I see "agape" popping up all the time in forums, comments, and websites frequented by JWs and former JWs. Two JW boys came to my door a couple of years ago, and used the term several times.
When did this use of the term start? Was it encouraged by the WT, or is this just something some of the R&F picked up?
JV
