Why use the word apostate?

greendawn

Why should we define ourselves by what the FDS defines us?

Our enemies who seek emotional control over us even after we left their destructive cult have invested a lot of effort to demonize us with the word apostate and when we use the term ourselves we do their work for them.

Most so called apostates simply thought about things deeply and came up with many questions that the JWs instead of answering in a logical manner labelled these inquiring minds as demon inspired apostates doubting the god appointed FDS and expelled them from their org.

It's all about the art of language and avoiding words that do not describe the ideals of those opposed to the WTS. It's the FDS that is clearly apostate in thought and action.

That's my drift on this issue for what it's worth.

BrentR

I have never considered myself one. For the sake of JWD I refer to myself as a former JW.

bigdreaux

i know what your saying. let me get slightly off topic for a sec, then i will return. i don't think the average witness even knows what the definition of an apostate is. it is simply someone who abandons, or rejects a previously held belief. so, many of the jehovah's witness, jesus, and his disciples, are all apostates.

back to the topic. the society has demonized that word, although it is harmless. they do this to scare people away from speaking to us.

so, i propose, we come up with our own name. something catchy, something less-threatning.

JH

greendawn is an apostate

Gopher

I love using the word "apostate", inaccurate though it is. It takes the power of the term away from the bastards.

I use it in a tongue-in-cheek way. Actually I think of it as a badge of honor, synonymous with "mentally free from the Brooklyn bastards".

If the Brooklyn bastards don't like me enjoying their term, there's a bridge near their headquarters from which I would invite them to take a jump!

blueviceroy

Maybe the " I SURVIVED MEMBERSHIP TO A CULT AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS LOUSY HEADACHE" club

OnTheWayOut

Personally, I never did abandon my former beliefs. Instead, I grew past them by further
research. That makes me not an apostate. JW's that converted from something else
would be apostates by their own definition.

While I agree with the post here, the vast majority use the term "tongue-in-cheek" to
embrace what WTS tries to demonize. Sort of like this- "If they are going to call us
apostates, then I am going to make 'apostate' something wonderful."

It is semantics. If they said the term was "spiritually dead," then only those that
leave spiritual activity would embrace the term.

Gopher

Besides, if I couldn't hijack their term "apostate", then what would we call our apostafests?

blueviceroy

Labels are always used to dehumanize any percieved enemy Uncle Sam trains the military during ~~brainwashing~~ training using this technique and so do all extremists when introducing threats or maintaining a staus quo.You know being on this forum has stimulated my peabrain I feel fortunate to be here

Gopher

Labels are always used to dehumanize any percieved enemy

True, and to the WT Society, former members (a.k.a. "apostates") are more demonized than the Devil himself !! That's because the WTS wants total information control, and former members (having the real scoop on the JW's) are perceived as a threat to that.

However, this dehumanizing of "apostates" is strictly within the boundaries of JW's. They cannot convince other people that their ex-members are evil.

So we "apostates" can go about our everyday life, not bothered much by JW's any more (except for those with family still in).

Why use the word apostate?

Share this