I never became a JW. Nor will I ever become one. I married one instead. From the first, I examined the literature critically, poking holes in it, figuring out how the writing style managed to sound so convincing. There are several features that stand out in the Watchtower writing style.
- The language is padded, soothing, creating an almost hypnotic effect. In the "real world", editors would rip these articles apart and cut them to a tenth of their size to expose what is really being said.
- The most outrageous claims are buried near the back, after a half-dozen agreeable statements have been made. This is a tried-and-true sales technique. Get the householder to say "yes" a few times, (are you the head of the house?) and they may just say "yes" to the sale.
- Use a big word where a little one would do. To the uneducated, this sounds "scholarly".
- They speak in the third person, which sounds more neutral.
- Manipulative words such as "likely", "reasonable", "apparently", "should" guide the reader to the "right" way of thinking. A good mental defence is to highlight them.
- Are there any http://www.fallacyfiles.org ?
- Does the topic hint at the issues worrying Brooklyn?
- Do other translations give another slant to the meaning?
- What was left out between the three dots?
For the person making an outrageous claim (such, as, Follow the Faithful and Discreet Slave or Die), the burden of proof is on them. I don't have to go to great lengths to prove that a lie is a lie.