55 Loaded Language Terms ONLY Jehovah’s Witnesses Use and Understand
“Loaded language are words and phrases to produce “thought-terminating clichés” which result in a narrowing and constriction of thought processes.” Cult Expert Stephen Martin
The so called relation of Jehovah’s Witnesses which is really a cult use a large number of loaded language terms.
For this article I’ve gathered only 55 of them, but I know there are more. (Also check my video down below).
1) Jehovah
The name Jehovah that Jehovah’s Witnesses believe to be the name of God, is actually NOT the name of the God of the Bible which is unknown at best or better interpreted as Yahweh.
Jehovah, is actually a made up name that Jehovah’s Witnesses took in the early 1930’s to identify themselves with. As a matter of fact, they have pretty much replaced the word God in the Bible with Jehovah.
As a matter of fact, Jehovah’s Witnesses rarely use the word God to speak of God, they prefer using Jehovah.
2) Kingdom Hall
You don’t go to church when you’re a Jehovah’s Witness, you go to the kingdom hall. They are the only Christian based religion to use such term instead of church.
3) The Good News
What JWs call the good news is the message that they preach. Interestingly though, this good news includes the destruction of billions of people.
4) The Watchtower/Awake magazines
For the typical JW, even though he may deny it if asked, they value the information in the Watchtower magazine more than they do the information in the Bible.
Just show a Jehovah’s Witness a contradiction between something written in the Bible and something written in their Watchtower magazine and they will find a way to explain to you that if the Watchtower says it this way, it’s because it is so.
5) Watchtower study
The Watchtower stud is what the average Jehovah’s Witness believes to be the study of the Bible, but it’s really the study of the Watchtower as its name indicates.
6) Memorial
Jehovah’s Witnesses use this term in two different circumstances.
a) They call the commemoration of Christ last supper “The memorial” which they celebrate according to their own doctrines and beliefs, and b) they use the word memorial to speak of a member’s funeral.
They actually rarely use the word funeral. They’d rather say “I went to brother or sister so and so’s memorial.” Meaning that they went to brother or sister so and so’s funeral.
7) Torture stake
Since Jehovah’s Witnesses organization is the only so-called Christian denomination that persists on saying that Christ didn’t die on a cross, they had to find a name for it, so it became “torture stake.”
Christ didn’t die on a cross, he died on a torture stake instead.
8) True Christians
Any Christian that is NOT a Jehovah’s Witness is not a true Christians, since they believe that they are the ONLY true Christians which is ironic enough when we realize that Jehovah’s Witnesses are actually NOT Christians at all.
9) The world
Jehovah’s Witness consider themselves to be “no part of the world.” The world is a pejorative term in the mouth of Jehovah’s Witness, which is the world as we know it. The world that we all live in.
10) Worldly people
Worldly people is a pejorative term in the mind of a Jehovah’s Witness as well. A worldly person is anyone who is not a JW which will be destroyed by their God Jehovah at Armageddon, unless they become a Jehovah’s Witness before then.
11) The truth
The truth is the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses. However, what many JWs don’t know is that other cults call their religion “the truth” as well.
12) Brothers/Sisters/The friends
This is how Jehovah’s Witnesses refer to their co-believers. The term “the friends” however, is mostly used in the English language. For example, French, Spanish or Korean languages don’t use the term “the friends” while they do use brothers and sisters.
13) Disfellowshipped
Someone disfellowshipped is a member that was excommunicated from the religion, whether because they committed a “sin” according to the religion’s doctrines or disagreed with some of the doctrines and were thrown out of the organization for that reason.
14) Apostate
Someone who’s left the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses and openly says that they do not believe in the teaching of their former religion or even speaks against it to warn the public about the cult’s lies and deceptions.
However, according to the dictionary an apostate is anyone who renounces a religious or political belief or principle, which makes any Jehovah’s Witness who has left their former religion to become a Jehovah’s Witness an apostate.
15) Talk
Jehovah’s witnesses do not use the term “sermon” they refer to their religion sermons as “talks.” Yet another way to differentiate themselves from the rest of religions.
16) Ransom Sacrifice
Since they deny that Christ died on a cross like any other Christian denomination, they speak of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as the “ransom sacrifice.”
17) System of things
The system of things is the present world that we live in and that will be destroyed by their God Jehovah in an ever so very short amount of time.
18) Waiting on Jehovah
This is a term that Jehovah’s Witnesses love to use when there is an issue within their members or religion that they can’t or don’t want to fix. They even use this term when it comes to pedophiles in the religion. Rather than calling the authorities, they’d prefer to wait on Jehovah.
19) Field Service
Going in field service means to go preaching. Speaking about their beliefs and doctrines to strangers in their neighborhoods, commonly known as door to door.
20) The kingdom ministry/ the ministry
This term refers to their preaching activities, announcing the “kingdom” of their God Jehovah to be taking place on earth very soon.
21) Assembly
You will hear Jehovah’s Witnesses use the term, going to the assembly. Assemblies are big regional gatherings of several congregations (churches) where they listen to talks (sermons) all day long. They have three such assemblies per year.
22) The other sheep
For Jehovah’s Witnesses they are two groups of people within their religion. The ones who go to heaven which supposedly number 144,000 and the “other sheep” also called the “the great crowd” which refer to the group of people who are not going to go to heaven but live on a paradise earth.
23) The 144.000
The small group of people who are destined to go heaven after death, rather than living in the paradise earth. This small group is handpicked by Jehovah, according to their beliefs.
24) Armageddon
The war of Jehovah when he will destroy pretty much all mankind except for MOST of Jehovah’s Witnesses. But they do believe that even some disobedient members of the religion might be destroyed at Armageddon.
25) The society
This refers to the organization of Jehovah’s Witness, but it’s a term that was used more in the past than it is now.
26) The organization
Synonym of “the society” and term that is preferred today.
27) The governing body
The group of men that lead the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses which today counts 7 men, but the number has varied all throughout Jehovah’s Witnesses history.
28) Elder
Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t have priests or pastors, they have elders. They are usually several elders per congregation. Elders are the leaders of a congregation. Congregation is the term for church in JWs world.
29) Ministerial servant
A ministerial servant is an apprentice elder, so to speak.
30) Overseer
An overseer is an elder who supervises several congregations and who is above an elder, so to speak.
31) The anointed class
The group of Jehovah’s Witnesses that will go to heaven when they die rather than live on the “paradise earth.”
32) The Faithful and Discreet Slave
The faithful and discreet slave is the group of anointed male members that make decisions for the 8 million Jehovah’s Witnesses all over the world.
33) The arrangement
The arrangement is basically the rules under which the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses is leading the rank and file under.
34) Publisher
A publisher is each individual member of the congregation of Jehovah’s witnesses. In other words, it’s an active Jehovah’s Witness. Active meaning that they go to preach and attend their “meetings” (church) regularly.
35) Field service
Field service refers to the preaching work. Jehovah’s Witnesses use the term “going in field service”, meaning going to preach.
36) Inactive publisher
An inactive publisher is a Jehovah’s Witness who doesn’t go in field service. In other words, someone who doesn’t preach the doctrines of the cult to the public.
37) Pioneer/Regular pioneer
This term refers to a Jehovah’s Witness who preaches 70 hours a month. In the past, it used to be 90 hours a month.
38) Auxiliary Pioneer
An auxiliary pioneer, unlike the regular pioneer, doesn’t have to commit every month of the year. They can choose to auxiliary pioneer one month out the year, three months out of the year, it’s up to them. An auxiliary pioneer needs to report 30–50 hour per month when they decide to auxiliary pioneer. Back in the days, it used to be 60 hours.
39) Return visit
The second or following calls on someone who has accepted the literature of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
40) New light
New light among Jehovah’s Witnesses refers to their latest supposedly understanding of a certain part the Bible that used to be understood differently.
Jehovah’s Witnesses leaders never make false prophecies, you see, it’s just that “the light is getting brighter” which is another term they’re using to refer to their “new light.”
41) Independent thinking
Using your own brain to think as an individual is referred to as “independent thinking” among Jehovah’s Witnesses, and it’s looked down upon.
42) To give a witness
To give a witness means to peach the religion’s doctrines of Jehovah’s Witnesses to someone who is not a Jehovah’s Witness.
43) Shepherding call
A shepherding call is a visit made by the elders of the congregation, generally two of them at a time, to a member (rank and file) of the congregation to “help them spiritually.”
44) Spiritually strong
Someone spiritually strong among Jehovah’s Witnesses is basically someone who adheres to all the religion’s commands blindly. The more indoctrinated you are the more likely you’ll be considered spiritually strong as a Jehovah’s Witness.
45) Spiritually weak
The more a Jehovah’s Witness is going to live on his own accord the more likely he’s going to be considered spiritually weak. If he or she doesn’t attend meetings regularly, preach regularly, or even comment at meetings regularly he or she will be considered spiritually weak.
46) A spiritual brother/sister
That’s how they refer to another member of the religion that is considered spiritual according to the criteria mentioned above.
47) Great crowd
This means all Jehovah’s Witnesses who are not part of the 144,000 members that will go to heaven. “The great crowd” is made of those who are saved at Armageddon.
48) Little Flock
The little flock is the 144,000 that will go to heaven when they die rather than living on the paradise earth.
49) Paradise earth
Where the saved Jehovah’s Witnesses will live after Armageddon.
50) New System
Another term for the paradise earth as Jehovah’s Witnesses see it.
51) Judicial committee
A meeting lead by three elders of the congregation where an individual will be heard and judged on the spot. People who are called to judicial committees are either accused of a sin or of disagreeing openly with the teaching of the organization.
52) Wife’s head
A “Wife’s head” is her husband. In the world of Jehovah’s Witnesses the husband is the head of his wife and while she’s allowed to give her advice he’s supposed to have the final say.
53) On reproof
An individual who is not excommunicated (disfellowshipped), but has some type of privileged restrictions, such as commenting at meetings. However, someone on reproof is still expected to go preach door to door.
54) Bad association
Anyone out or even in the religion that is not viewed as “spiritual” according to the doctrines of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
55) Shunning
This is a term that they do not use as much as they practice it. Shunning is the practice of ostracism that Jehovah’s Witnesses practice against anyone who has left the organization for any reason. Shunning even apply to close family members. It’s as if they totally discard anyone who leave their religion as if they were dead, or worse even.
There you have it, 55 loaded languages terms that only Jehovah’s Witnesses use and understand.
Sylviane Nuccio, CPC, LLC
Relationship Coach who also helps ex-cult members
