"One of" Jehovah's Witnesses

by NeonMadman 40 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  NeonMadman

  Any thoughts on that particular phrasing? Personally, I think the WTS uses it as another form of mind control. By calling the individual "one of Jehovah's Witnesses," it lends a generic feel to the wording. Like, 'oh, this isn't the brand name of a religion; it's what they are...Jehovah is God and these people really are his witnesses.' I try never to use the term. When I need to speak about having been a Witness, I usually say either, "I was a Jehovah's Witness" (which I know is not the best gramatically, but it avoids the usage that I find annoying) or sometimes, "I was a member of Jehovah's Witnesses."

  What do you guys think?
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  Narkissos

  English is not my first language, so I didn't find it too odd to find it odd -- especially as the wording cannot be calqued into French; "I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses" translates more simply as je suis Témoin de Jéhovah, which is the equivalent of "I am a Jehovah's Witness" -- except it is correct. :)

  I often felt (rightly or wrongly) that it emphasised the collective self-designation (as if only the group could be properly called "Jehovah's Witnesses") over the individual quality (nobody in particular is a "Witness of Jehovah"). Such a nuance couldn't be exactly translated into French (except by an even more painful periphrase, e.g. "I am a member of 'Jehovah's Witnesses,'" and afaik it was never attempted in French WT literature). But if this is the only correct way to apply the collective name "Jehovah's Witnesses" to an individual without breaking it by reversing the terms (I am a Witness of Jehovah), it may well be that no such nuance is implied.
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  Fe2O3Girl

  Native English speaker here. Another way of being a more "correct" drone, getting the lingo, the jargon correct. A lot of the sense of belonging is the shared syntax and vocabulary.
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  SixofNine

  I think it's just a consequence of the word "Witnesses" being plural.
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  Billy the Ex-Bethelite

  I'm a Jehovah Witness.
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  dissed

  In Canada...

  Gehovah Witness

  Brooklyn, NY....

  Jehover Witness

  National Lampoon called the JW's...the witnesses of Jehoshaphat God

  Does anyone remember when National Lampoon, lampooned the Awake magazine with a full edition called "Wake Up!" (circa 1975)?
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  mouthy

  I'm NOT a Jehovah Witness.
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  asilentone

  My Dad and Mom ALWAYS say I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
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  BorgHater

  Oh no! After reading this thread i've got that bloody kingdom song going round in my head

  'We're jehovah's witnesses, we speak out in fearlessness....' urgh!!
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  jeanniebeanz

  'ourz iz the gawd of truu... Pro... faaa... seeeeeeeee!...'

  *next*