The term apostate is used freely on this forum, don't you find it offensive (page 2)

moshe

I'm Jewish now, and so I don't think JW's could rightly call me an apostate without pointing the finger at themselves, too.

It's like the famous scene in "Don't Look Back", the documentary on Bob Dylan in the mid-60's. Bob's reading the London newspaper article about his previous nights concert, and his manager tells him they have started to call Bob an "Anarchist", because he is not providing any answers in his songs, only questions.

Anyway Bob is taken aback by this and says "An anarchist!! Wow! I can't believe that! An anarchist! Give me a cigarett.....Give the anarchist a cigarette..."

So bring it on WTS!! Give the apostate a cigarette!

Pope

heathen

he problem comes in with the Witness teaching that an apostate is a person who goes against the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses as stated in the Flock Book.

To be a jehovah witness means to go against the bible on some teachings . I'm not even a christian so I don't worry about what those fools say behind my back .I don't have to answer to them on anything , wasn't even a dubby , so according to them was never a christian .Then you find out that they don't even think the great crowd are christians since they don't eat and drink at the memorial they are not in the covenant anyway.

gaiagirl

I've been called much worse, including "witch", "pagan", and "heretic", anyway, I suppose I am "apostate" as regards the beliefs of the WTBTS, so as a descriptive term, it is reasonably accurate. Words cannot hurt you unless you choose to let them hurt you. If you allow words to hurt you, then you are surrendering your own power to them. You are saying that the words are stronger than you are. If I chose to, I could insist people not call me names. I could claim that had I reserved those terms for my own use. I could allow myself to become offended if anyone defied my wishes, perhaps even making implicit or explicit threats toward them. However, if I did follow this course, I would then be showing myself to be less socially evolved. Why should I become offended when I'm not damaged by their words? The answer is, of course, that there is no reason why I should be offended. So, no, I'm not offended by the term "apostate".

SWALKER

It can also mean:

"One who has abandoned one's religious faith, a political party, one's principles, or a cause."

[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin apostata , from Greek apostates , from aphistanai , to revolt.]

So if you left any religion it could be viewed as apostasy, the same as changing your political party. Jesus Christ left/apostatized from the Jewish Faith and started Christianity...so it's not always a BAD thing to be an apostate. It has been used in a degrading manner and thus many feel stigmatized by the terminology. I will gladly embrace the term apostate rather than be associated with a religion that is so corrupt and misleading!

I wonder if the Bush supporters will apostatize as well?????

Swalker

pobthespazz

Btt , The WTS is apostate, so does it matter?

bigmouth

'Apostate' is name given to any who openly disagree with the WTB&TS and so in that context the label has been adopted as a badge of membership here.

You may think of it in the same way that a black American has adopted the derogatory term 'nigger' as an empowering title.
Gay people have similarly adopted the terms 'queer', 'queen' and 'faggot' in the same way.-ref. Joe Jacksons song 'Real Men'.

I think people in this group can call themselves Apostate with a sense of subversive irony.

hopelesslystained

i like your description, jgnat, 'I think there is power in owning a word that is meant to injure.'

As that is all it is, a weilding of power over the minds of those who accept it as a negative implication. to bad so many do not have the knowledge of the true meaning.

why? because they refuse to accept their beliefs could possibly be turned away from by honest, good hearted individuals.

AK - Jeff

You know what? I was called an 'apostate' long before I ever heard of JWD. Practically before I knew much about the internet.

I was a JW in good standing, not much removed from being a pioneer of several years, and a MS of many more. Yet they did not hesitate to label me with the most reprehensible title they use in Watchtowerjargon - apostate! I hated that. I was upset. I called thier hand and told them I might sue them.

Eventually, they proved to be right. I apostacized - I stepped away and abandoned their little cult of lies. I did so because they were wrong, they were the liars, they were the spiritual fornicatrix they accused other religions of being.

Three years, and a million billion synaptic pulses of reality later - here I stand. Proud to call many of the people here 'My fellow apostates'. We paid the price - years of our lives, hunks of our hearts, buckets of our tears. That was the price we paid.

The word means what it means - we left! Period!

I, for one wear the label with pride, for it means, " I think, therefore I am."

Jeff [Apostate proud]

uninformed

Swalker, your wrote: I wonder if the Bush supporters will apostatize as well????? You are pretty smart for a girl. I never heard a witness (except for myself) say apostitize, which is correct, rather most say, apostacize, which is incorrect. Good job.

I am still a conservative, but I have to hand it to you liberal nut cases, you did have the prez figured for the dumb-ass that he is. Sorry I every argued with you.

Brant

Back to the Thread: It does offend me when I think that 45 years worth of friends and acquaintances think I am apostate, especially when I know that it is them and their worship to a man made organization that is the apostasy.

On the DB, though, I think the use of the word apostasy is kind of cool. Someone said that we own the word. I agree.