Glossary of American English Hacker Theocratese

=== W ===

Wallkill

The location of {Watchtower Farms}, and therefore synonymous with that facility. <<My Bethelite son had a change of assignment that required him to be moved to Wallkill.>> (Compare {Brooklyn}.)

was

Past tense of the verb to be, used with the first and third person singular. Everyone knows this, but some people carelessly use was also for the second person singular and the plural forms. Gak! I once heard a district overseer use it consistently this way throughout an assembly, at least a dozen times. With all due respect for traveling brothers, the use of this form by one on an assembly does not sanction its use. This is an embarrassing grammatical boo-boo of the first magnitude. <<Me and him was talkin' to some college perfessers one day. Fer some reason they was actin' like they was lookin' down the ends of they noses at us.>> Guess why?

Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania

See {legal corporation}. Note this is spelled with a space between Watch and Tower.

Watching the World

A collection of short news items that has been a column near the end of {Awake!} magazine for many years.

Watchtower

Since 1879 The Watchtower magazine has been the primary tool of the {faithful and discreet slave}, second only to the Bible itself, for dispensing {spiritual food} to the {domestics}, {other sheep}, and other {interested persons}, in the {last days}. (Mat 24:45) Notice that the word The is part of the magazine's name. It is acceptable to drop The when referring to it for grammatical purposes. Notice how awkward it would be to say: <<I found the information in a The Watchtower article.>> The periodical is subtitled ``Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom''. Its original name was Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence.

Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.

See {legal corporation}.

Watchtower Educational Center

An extension of the Society's world headquarters facilities, located in Patterson, New York. It is designed to accommodate 1,200 persons, and is presently the center of operations for the {Gilead School}.

Watchtower Farms

A facility near {Wallkill}, New York, where food is produced for the {Bethel family}, and where there is a printing facility that produces hundreds of millions of {magazines} a year.

Watch Tower Society, Watchtower Society

Watch Tower Society is short for {Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania} and Watchtower Society is short for {Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.}. Notice that although the magazine name and New York corporation spell Watchtower as one word, the Pennsylvania corporation spells it as two. The Pennsylvania organization, first called Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society, is the primary legal agency of Jehovah's Witnesses today. Therefore the three-word form Watch Tower Society is what is seen almost exclusively in our publications, unless the New York corporation is explicitly meant.

Watchtower Study

A congregation meeting usually held following the {Public Meeting}, at which a scheduled article from {The Watchtower} is studied. It is generally acknowledged to be the most important meeting of the week. Every issue of The Watchtower contains two or three articles designed to be used at this meeting.

Watchtower Study conductor

The elder who presides at the Watchtower Study.

water immersion

A synonym for {baptism}. The longer term draws attention to the procedure, in that the person presenting himself is totally submerged in water for a moment, according to the scriptural pattern. <<Baptismal candidates should remember to bring a modest bathing suit to the water immersion.>>

WCL

AMOOFL for ``With Christian Love'', used frequently in the signature line of {email}.

we

First person plural pronoun used to include the speaker. No examples are needed of its primary use.

NOTE: Sometimes people carelessly word things so as to implicitly include themselves in groupings they are not really closely connected with, e.g., with national, geographical, social, or sports groups. Witnesses who are no part of the world need to be particularly careful about this. Some examples:

<<We have troops in Bosnia.>> We do not have troops in Bosnia. Various governments may be represented in that way, but if we presently have any special representatives there, they are missionaries, not troops. (But compare {pioneer}.)

<<We beat the Chicago Bulls.>> In reality, we sat on the couch, drank beer,^[200] ate pizza, and shouted like unrestrained fools while watching TV. Twelve giant men did all the beating of the Chicago Bulls.

[200] In moderation, of course.

weak

When used to describe spirituality, the weak are primarily those whose faith is not strong. The usual symptoms are low publisher hours,^[201] poor meeting attendance, failure to participate in meetings, lack of personal study and meeting preparation, failure to pray, and displays of worldly thinking and conduct. These traits are sometimes outward symptoms of deeper problems, possibly even of unrevealed wrongdoing on the part of the weak one, with a consequent removal of Jehovah's spirit. Rather than condemning the weak, every effort is made by those who are spiritually strong to build them up. (Act 20:35)

[201] But see {time}.

Web

See {World Wide Web}.

wedding

The weddings of Jehovah's Witnesses are no less festive than those of others. They are dignified and happy affairs, free from excesses. There is no scriptural requirement that the wedding ceremony be conducted at a Kingdom Hall, though the majority are.^[202] The vows that Jehovah's Witnesses exchange, where required by law, are standardized by the Society. They are published most recently in [w96 3/1 19]. Gimmicks incompatible with the seriousness of the occasion are considered inappropriate, e.g., there are no persons exchanging vows while sky diving or running the Boston Marathon.^[203] Our receptions are not uncontrolled drunken orgies, but carefully organized and well-supervised family gatherings. The traditions of exchanging wedding rings and kissing the bride (an overtly sexual act, considered appropriate on the Kingdom Hall platform in front of everyone) are followed by nearly all Witnesses.

[202] My wife and I were married in the spacious front yard of a brother.

[203] I know one couple whose wedding was held at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, which is accessible only by walking a full day's hike to the bottom and then walking up again. Personally, I thought it was a wonderful idea.

Wednesday

Wednesday is rarely reserved for any congregation meetings, except where there are three or four congregations inhabiting the same hall. But Wednesday is commonly used as a night for the elders to make shepherding calls, or to have elders' meetings. It is also a good night for conducting {home Bible studies} and for personal study.

weekend warrior

A Witness who works in field service primarily on the weekends, normally because secular work schedules preclude participation in {midweek service}.

what question(s)

Near the beginning of many Watchtower articles one may find a {study question} that begins ``What questions ...?'' Its purpose is to prepare the reader for what is to follow; the remainder of the article is devoted to answering them. <<What questions should we ask as to why we personally believe that the Bible is from God?>> (See [w94 6/1 8], question 3b.) When asked at the {Watchtower Study}, these study questions are frequently answered by children who reiterate the questions by quoting them from the paragraph.

where the need is greater

1. A territory where there are few Witnesses, and perhaps not even a congregation. <<While serving where the need was greater, my own need got greater, so I had to move back to a city where I could get secular work.>> 2. A congregation where there is a need for workers in the form of elders and ministerial servants. <<When I called the Society to find where the need is greater in the general area I wanted to move to, they suggested a congregation that had no elders and only one ministerial servant.>> <<A call went out to serve where the need is greater, but Brother Sledge misheard it as ``where the great are needed.''>>

whole-souled

With every aspect of one's being. Jesus said that the greatest commandment is ``You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.'' (Mat 22:37) So we frequently hear exhortations from the platform and in the literature to apply ourselves as fully as possible to God's service. <<As for young Witnesses, in their schoolwork they should remember Colossians 3:23, which states: ``Whatever you are doing, work at it whole-souled as to Jehovah, and not to men.''>> [w92 11/1 17, par. 8]

wicked

1. As an adjective wicked means morally bad, evil. Although in common use in the literature, it is less common in everyday speech. This may be because of the judgmental connotation of the word, and the pressure in this immoral world to condone or at least wink at what is bad. 2. As a plural noun the wicked are all wicked people as a class. Expressions such as <<God will soon wipe the wicked off the face of the earth>> are common among Jehovah's Witnesses, but are rarely heard from anyone else.

widen out

To extend one's brotherly love toward others previously neglected. The expression comes from 2 Corinthians 6:13 where Paul exhorted Christians to include more persons within the scope of their tender affections. <<Can we widen out to include some of the widows in the congregation in our plans for recreational outings?>>

wily

Crafty, sly, tricky, usually deviously so. My online literature collection includes the word 20 times, less than I anticipated. In 16 cases it refers to Satan. <<Finally, the Seed of God's woman, Jesus Christ, will bruise Satan, that wily old Serpent, ``in the head,'' and that will mean his complete annihilation and his total removal from the affairs of mankind.>> [re 14, par. 25]

STORY: The song ``Make the Truth Your Own'' (number 191 in Sing Praises to Jehovah) includes the phrase in verse 3: <<Satan's wiles are not unknown.>> We had a family in our congregation by the name of Wiles. Whenever this verse was sung they always smiled and looked at each other knowingly.

window

1. An opening in a wall that allows light and criminals to come in and concentration to go out.^[204] Something rarely seen in Kingdom Halls, though there are exceptions. <<How come you JWs never have windows in your churches?>> I have never seen an answer to this query in print. The best explanation I heard is that a bunker style building is harder to break into, and therefore cheaper to insure. One person quipped that the real reason is to prevent people from staring out the window when they should be paying attention to the meetings. Another brother, an architectural designer, commented that a building without windows is like a face without eyes. 2. A form of graphical computer interface, something frequently seen on the personal computers of brothers.

[204] And an occasional disciple. (Act 20:9)

wisdom

See {knowledge}.

Wise King Solomon

The Bible says that Solomon was ``wiser than any other man''. (1Ki 4:29-34) And so it has become a cliché to refer to him as ``Wise King Solomon,'' as though Wise were a part of his title or name. I found the expression Wise King Solomon 74 times in my online literature. The man's judgment was not infallible, however, as his experience with women demonstrates. (See {polygamy}, also {Rahab the harlot}.)

without charge, without cost

In places where a specific contribution is not asked for literature, it is said to be available without charge.

NOTE: In my locale I have frequently heard without cost, meaning at no cost to the householder. This is entirely different from saying that the literature is {free}. It is not free; the Society incurs expenses in producing it. If the householder does not absorb that cost, then someone else must. Therefore it is wise to avoid leaving people with the impression that we are out giving away Bible literature.

Witness of Jehovah

Another way to say ``one of {Jehovah's Witnesses}''. The variety of phrases we use to describe ourselves is because of the awkward sounding possessive grammatical structure of our name. <<Only one Witness of Jehovah was affected by the flood.>> Among ourselves, it is more common to use the plain one-word descriptor {Witness}. (See the NOTE under {Jehovah's Witnesses}.)

Witness, witness

1. As a noun, and in upper case, short for {Jehovah's Witness}. <<Were there any other Witnesses at the concert?>> 2. As a verb (in lower case), to speak to someone about the Truth. <<Use each occasion possible to witness to those we meet.>> 3. An instance of witnessing, frequently used with the indefinite article. <<Her quiet endurance of persecution at the hands of her unbelieving husband is a witness to others in her family.>> 4. The verb means to bear testimony, and the noun refers to a person who bears testimony. When used in the generic sense, it is not capitalized. <<Jehovah had many human witnesses even before the Christian era.>>

witnessing bag, witnessing case

See {book bag}. Witnessing case appears in the publications, e.g., [km 3/95] ``Question Box''.

womenfolk

See {menfolk}.

Word of Jehovah, Word of God

Synonyms for the collection of writings that collectively came to be called the {Bible}. The designations Word of Jehovah, and Word of God, which appear 213 and 36 times respectively in NW, more directly describe what it is. The work was never given an official title by its Author, and so has come to be referred to by a variety of expressions. Other terms in use include the Scriptures, the Holy Scriptures, the holy writings, and the Divine Library.

STORY: One time I was channel surfing and came across the schedule for a local public access station, which included:

    12:30 AM   Family Nudism in Arizona
     1:00 AM   The Word of Jehovah
	

Apparently the Word of Jehovah is as hard to come by in Arizona as it sometimes was in ancient Israel.

word whisker

A largely meaningless phrase used as a filler. Some school counselors take great delight in counting them and reporting the number in order to discourage speakers from using them. <<And so we see, do we not, in regard to this brother's, uh, way of speaking, that it is, er, like, you know, uh, halting, and well, um, sort of like not really too fluent, and so we see, in harmony with the point made in the paragraph, it no doubt helps us to appreciate why word whiskers ought to be avoided, is that not so, brothers and sisters?>>

NOTE: Though they should be avoided where possible, word whiskers are tolerated as a normal part of conversational speech, because they serve the useful purpose of helping to prevent gaps of silence. They should never be allowed to become so noticeable as to be distracting.

work

When used without further explanation, the work, always with the definite article to distinguish it from work in general, refers to the primary assignment that the Christian organization has been given, particularly in these {last days}, namely to preach the {Kingdom good news} in all the earth. (Mar 13:10) <<The work in eastern Europe is growing almost beyond our ability to keep up.>>

world headquarters

See {headquarters}.

world report

The chart entitled ``Service Year Report of Jehovah's Witnesses Worldwide'', published near the beginning of each {Yearbook}, and duplicated in each January 1st edition of The Watchtower. The chart lists by country statistics for the number of {peak} publishers, percentage of increase for the year, number of congregations, total {hours} in preaching reported, {Memorial} attendance, and other interesting facts.

World Wide Web

The service of the {Internet} that allows jumping to information sources all over the world by simply pointing a mouse and clicking on links to them. Links may include not only text, but also graphics, animation, and sound. If you are reading the hypertext version of this Glossary, then you already know that. Most people just call it the Web, or sometimes they use the abbreviations WWW or W3.

world, worldly

Organized human society outside the Christian congregation. As such, it is in a state of alienation from God and his purposes. In {NW}, world translates forms of the Greek word ko'smos. (Jam 4:4; 1Jo 2:15-17) Thus worldly is used to describe an attitude of conformance to the world in appearance, thinking, and actions, and is in contrast to {spiritual}. <<Since slacking off on his study and meeting attendance, Brother Slide has begun to display some worldly speech and habits.>>

worldling

A person engrossed in the concerns of the world, a {worldly} person. Although a perfectly legitimate word, it is sometimes spoken with a supercilious air of superiority as though to elevate the speaker above the one to whom it is applied. <<Do you see that worldling across the street, the one with long hair and shabby clothes?>> One brother remarked: <<When I see the word worldling it reminds me of earthling, and that makes me think of a Martian with green skin and antennae sticking out of his head.>>

worldly holiday

See {holiday}.

worldwide work

A general term for the activity of {Jehovah's people} around the earth. We refer to it on the {contribution box} labeled ``For the Worldwide Work'' and in explaining the {donation arrangement} to {householders}. <<The literature is yours without cost, but we do accept voluntary contributions to support the worldwide work of teaching people the Bible.>> It is sometimes simply called the {work}.

NOTE: Worldwide is spelled as a single word in my dictionary. It is also seen in the Society's publications as two words, and sometimes as a hyphenated word. In contrast, {World Wide Web} is always written as three words.

Would you like ...?

Many {release talks} at district conventions include a dissertation on some topic that leaves the audience hungering for more information. Then, to build anticipation, the speaker says: ``Would you like ...'', where the ellipsis is filled in by a brief description of a new release about to be announced. <<Would you parents like to have something to assist you in teaching your little ones about God's will?>> Followed by thunderous acknowledgment and the announcement of a new publication designed for that very purpose.

Writing Committee

A subcommittee of the {Governing Body} that supervises the putting of {spiritual food} into written, recorded, and video forms for worldwide consumption.

written review

The test-like retrospective of information recently studied, conducted at the end of each four-month segment of the {Theocratic Ministry School}. <<A stranger walking into the hall during a written review might think he had mistakenly arrived at a Quakers meeting because of the quiet.>>

wrongdoing, wrongdoer

Terms usually applied to sins and persons who commit them, respectively, of sufficient gravity that they could be {expelled} from the {congregation}. <<Christians should have the courage to speak up when they know that wrongdoing exists in the congregation.>>

WT

AMOOFL for The Watchtower, i.e., always referring to the magazine, not the Watch Tower Society.

WTB&TS, WTS

AMOOFLs for the {Watchtower Bible and Tract Society}, and {Watch Tower Society}, respectively. Notice the ampersand. It is used primarily in writing rather than in speech. <<Dear Mom, This note is to let you know that there are two new WTB&TS publications available that you will surely want to read.>>