One of the techniques that the Society uses to justify their errors and prophetic failures is the redefinition of words. When they say something that turns out to be wrong, they merely go back and "clarify" their original statement, showing that what you thought it meant, didn’t really mean that at all. Here are some examples:
They say that Babylon the Great has "fallen", yet an objective observer could not in any way say that it fell in 1918. It has more members and wealth than it did 100 years ago. Babylon itself cannot even notice any difference. So, they make up a new definition for the word "fallen", claiming that Babylon “fell”, in the respect that they no longer had power over God’s true people, making them the focal point of world events.
They do the same thing with Christ's second coming. They say Jesus is "present", and that he "came" in 1914 (approximately). Yet, the foretold signs of Jesus second coming have not yet happened. Besides, if he has come, then the memorial should be discontinued, since Jesus said to keep doing this "until I return". So they redefine the word "presence" and "coming" to have special meanings, allowing Jesus to come, be present, but yet still to be coming.
Here’s another one. The Bible says that, when Jesus returns, “every eye will see it”. JWs say that Jesus has been invisibly present for nearly 100 years. This is a problematic claim, because it requires almost every one of the words in the phrase to be redefined. First of all, not “every” one sees it. Secondly, how can your “eye” see something invisible. Thirdly, the word “see” implies visibility (especially when used in conjunction with the word “eye”). So, they redefine the words. “Every” one refers to those who have the opportunity to see. The “eyes” are the eyes of discernment. And they “see”, in that they understand. Finally, they even redefine the word “will”. Since not everyone agrees that they see him (in fact 99.9% of the world’s population do not), they say that the word “will” means “will be able to”.
Probably the best example is the redefinition of the word “generation”. It has gone through multiple changes. Originally, they said that the generation was around 33 years, then they stretched it to be the maximum life span of a person, and now, it refers to any group of contemporary people, which could have virtually any length. They originally said that the generation must be at least 15 years of age in 1914, then 10, then newborn, then the starting point was removed. So, what is a generation now? Well, it basically means that the group that sees the end, will see the end. This means nothing. This word has been defined right out of existence.
Yet another example is their fast and loose definition of the word "truth". They say one thing, claiming to have the “truth”. Then, they change their mind, saying the opposite, yet still claiming to have the “truth”. How can this be done? By redefining the word truth to mean “whatever they happen to be saying right now”. Now, this is a little stupid, even for Witnesses, so they have invented the phrase “present truth”.
Can you add any others?