by moman 19 Replies latest jw friends
I would be irate if a Jehovah's Witness calls me apostate. The reason being, I have not turned my back on Jesus Christ
LyinEyes,
That's a very understandable point. However, you can retort back saying:"I am a WatchTower Society apostate. NOT a Christian apostate."
As you well know, JWs are not Christians. They don't follow JesusChrist, they follow the WatchTower Society.
Regards and Say Hi to Wild Turkey for me.
Ajax
For me, calling my self apostate throws the word and its meaning right back in the JWs face. They use it as a pejorative, like calling someone an asshole or a son-of-a-bitch; it's almost a curse word to them.
So adopting their term completely disarms the word and makes it useless to them. When they call us apostates and we react by saying, "Yep, apostates, that's us. I get my five year apostate pin next month," it neutralizes the word.
Anyway, name calling is an infantile tactic in the first place, and JWs is a religion, a cult, for spiritual children.
Francois
Ah, the infamous "A" word.
Personally, I'm a proud apostate. The words I have the most trouble with are ex-JW or ex-Xtian. To me it's like saying I'm an ex-child, an ex-infant. I'd rather say what I am, not what I used to be.
I'm a grown, spritual man, freed of the chains of superstitious religion. Infidel, free-thinker, thinker, rationalist, skeptic, atheist, barbarian, all work for me. Also don't mind friend, father, lover, crazyman, wildman, funnyman, traveler, drinker, worker, or, of course, seeker.
S4
OK, then I am a "APOSTATE" & damn proud of it!
Amazing, I'm suprised you would say the word apostate is unique to the borg. There are many references in Jewish scholarly text that refer to messianic jews, and Jewish Women of The Wall..(big time femminist refrom movement). And the mormons....
According to former LDS Apostle LeGrand Richards, a millennium and a half of the "complete apostasy" of Christianity necessitated a name change. Richards said that "the designation `Latter-day Saints' was given to differentiate between the members of the church of Jesus Christ in this dispensation and those of the church established by Jesus in the meridian of time" (A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, pg. 130).It would seem they got their name because of "apostacy"...As well, the catholics have a long history of dealing with apostates. Now they usually ignore them or label them as reformers. Massimo Introvigne is a Catholic apsotate for sure. See link below.
http://www.kelebekler.com/cesnur/storia/gb04.htm
muslimsn have specific laws that deal directly with those accused of apostacy..Fairly long paper on the subject here:
http://www.answering-islam.org/Hahn/2statements.htm
From Webster's Dictionary:
One entry found for apostate.
Main Entry: apos·tate
Pronunciation: &-'päs-"tAt, -t&t
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
: one who commits apostasy
- apostate adjective
Main Entry: apos·ta·sy
Pronunciation: &-'päs-t&-sE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -sies
Etymology: Middle English apostasie, from Late Latin apostasia, from Greek, literally, revolt, from aphistasthai to revolt, from apo- + histasthai to stand -- more at STAND
Date: 14th century
1 : renunciation of a religious faith
2 : abandonment of a previous loyalty : DEFECTION
One thing is, JWs don't think all XJWs are apostates. Amazing would be a good example of an apostate, because his views began to diverge from the collective mindset of the org. His truth is not the same truth our loving brothers and sisters still in. Its really the noticeable difference in belief, the unwillingness to bend to the will of the elders on spiritual matters, and being outspoken in regards your belief, that makes one a good apostate. Now though, I think some of us have become apsotate because we display some of the same characteristics in that we try our best to dismantle and expose the WT, each in our own way. An the forum is a good way for us to do so, without having to be visited by guys w/bookbags and polyester suits.Never waver in your effort to spread the good news of the
apostacy!
Sincerely,
District Overbeer
If you're proud to apostate , clap your hands! Ra RA
They also call us the Evil Slave
I was in some personal denial when I read in this post about the dictionary definition for apostate so I looked it up.
Wooohooo! I'm an apostate!!!! First thing that came to mind was to go get a vanity license plate made at the mall for my car that reads "APOSTATE".... LOL
Great idea ! Go all out of JW in a blaze of glory!!!Just accept their silly term , for they are fools, and tell them you dont care what think. I hope I will very soon tell some the truth about how I feel and my disbeilf . Might be fun watching them pass out in shock.
I am what I am , I guess. Point being, I know my relationship with God is not defined by their wt terminology.
I don't consider myself an apostate at all. If I am then I'm an apostate from the JW's, but certainly not in the biblical sense of apostacy. I think I was more of an apostate as a witness then I am now. So in a sense we could turn the tables on them as nobody has more false "apostate" teachings then the JW's do.
-Rick
I consider myself an apostate by the jdub definition. I understand what they are saying, I just don't believe it.
