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Glossary of American English Hacker Theocratese

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=== T ===

T-shirt
A cotton shirt, usually short-sleeved, very comfortable, but worn only in the most casual situations. Most Witnesses don't have reservations about wearing T-shirts with logos or writing on them as long as they don't reflect or promote unchristian styles or attitudes. But T-shirts that feature celebrities or product advertising are considered unacceptable dress for work at a Kingdom Hall build site. (Compare {bumper sticker}.)
tact
An awareness of the feelings of others that causes one to deal with them considerately. Christians have great freeness of speech because they know and speak the truth. (Heb 10:35) They need to be careful that their utterances are always ``seasoned with salt'' so they do not needlessly offend unbelievers in speaking about the good news. (Col 4:6) <<I know that as a Baptist you think you're a good Christian, but did you know the Bible says you're a Devil worshiper?>> Whereupon the householder calls the police.[194] <<And now Brother Slashenburn will present the {local needs part} on the theme ``Be Good or God'll Kill You.''>>
[194] This reminds me of the old joke with the punch line that says ``For a fat girl you don't sweat much!'' Invent your own lead-in if you don't know the rest of it.
take a stand
To maintain a position in defense of one's beliefs, especially in the face of opposition. <<To take a stand at school on matters such as nationalism, politics, drug abuse, or morals, you must first understand the reason for the Christian stand and must sincerely believe in it.>> [w91 7/15 23]
take the count
See {count}.
talk
An assigned segment of a meeting. We never hear theocratic talks referred to as speeches in English, even though the {school} progressive record is called a {Speech Counsel Slip}. Politicians and people receiving awards give speeches; Christians give talks. <<Listening to Brother Pierce's talks is sort of like getting a vaccination: they make you a little bit sick at first, but are ultimately good for you.>>

NOTE: Preparing talks is a large part of the routine of many brothers, especially elders. Jehovah's organization is an organization of teachers teaching teachers. The average brother is quite good at public speaking compared to someone in the world with no training, and the best platform teachers are a complete joy to listen to.

Therefore, many brothers apply themselves hard to become good {speakers}. After a while they discover that the more often one gives talks, the more liable he is to put his foot in his mouth. (Compare Pro 10:19.) So there is always room for improvement.

Young and beginning speakers should be advised that a good talk and a good speaker need more than superficial polish. All the technical aspects of talk preparation and delivery may have been perfectly executed, yet a brother's talk can still be as exciting as a bowl of yesterday morning's oatmeal. Once a new brother told me he first became seriously interested in the Truth because of the good speaking ability of one particular brother. <<Brother Animanto was the first speaker I heard who didn't sound like a robot.>>

A good talk always needs several things: it needs Jehovah's spirit, it needs heart, and it needs fire. And it needs to be delivered with the authority that only maturity can bring. (Compare Mat 7:28, 29.) Speakers who master these traits will almost always give good talks.

talk coordinator
See {public talk coordinator}.
taxes
Jesus taught that because the governments supply us with many services, they are entitled to require payment for them in the form of tax monies. (Mat 22:17-21) So Christians around the world willingly comply with local laws in this regard, paying their taxes in full, even though attempting to cheat the government is common on the part of {worldlings}.

NOTE: No one is obligated to pay more than what is required. {Caesar} wrote the enormously complex tax laws. If there are loopholes and provisions in them that allow a person to pay less, a Christian is just as entitled as any other citizen to take advantage of them. After all, taxes are a governmental extortion foisted upon the citizenry, not a form of voluntary contribution.

teach
See {preach}.
teaching box
A box containing review questions found at the end of every Watchtower {study article} and at the ends of chapters in many Society publications that include {study questions}.
Teaching Committee
A subcommittee of the {Governing Body} that supervises schools, assemblies, conventions, and Bethel family instruction.
tears
Salty liquid that pours from the eyes during times of distress or great joy, something readers of Awake! seem to be given to shedding, judging from the letters published in the ``From Our Readers'' column. Hardly an issue goes by where a reader comment is not published of the type: <<When I read about little Johnny with two heads and no arms and legs who is still able to special pioneer I broke down in tears.>> <<The story about the 96-year-old great-grandmother wrestling crocodiles in dioxan-polluted swamps in order to get to the meetings brought a tear to my eye.>> <<My eyes welled up with tears when I learned ...>> Etc. Apparently some ``Awake!'' readers are volatile. Or perhaps some Glossary authors are insensitive.
telephone territory
A phone list made up of persons who live in inaccessible territories, e.g., guarded apartments and communities, or who have No Trespassing signs on their homes, or who are repeatedly not home. Phone numbers of such persons can sometimes be obtained from the white pages of the phone book. Unlike the world of telemarketing, names are never added to telephone territories without first attempting to make personal contact with people at their homes. (Compare {letter-writing territory}.)
telephone witnessing, telephone work
Preaching activity carried on by calling people on the telephone. This work is similar to the modern business practice of telemarketing, except that Jehovah's Witnesses do not attempt to sell anything.
temporary construction worker
A person with skills in construction trades and related businesses who works full time on special construction projects, such as branch office homes and factories, and Assembly Halls. His availability may last only a couple of weeks, or as long as his skill is needed on the project.
temporary pioneering [obs], vacation pioneering [obs]
Former terms for the privilege of service that is now called {auxiliary pioneering}. When we used these expressions, the hour requirements were different than for today's auxiliary pioneers. In those days regular pioneers were expected to average 100 hours a month. A person could sign up to put in 75 hours of field service time in two weeks, a typical vacation period, or match a regular pioneer's 100 hours in the period of a single month. When the time requirement was reduced to 60 hours and rolled into one category, far more people were able to enroll in the work, with a net gain that was substantial.
Ten Words, Ten Commandments
The first ten ultimata Jehovah dictated to the nation of Israel at the time of his making a covenant with them to be his name people, upon which the entire rest of the Law was based. Christendom uses the term ``Ten Commandments''. NW uses the expression ``Ten Words'' three times. (Exo 34:28; Deu 4:13; Deu 10:4) Although the way of numbering them differs, it is universally agreed upon that there are ten. Sometimes they are called the ``Ten Big Ones''. :-) <<Jehovah's Witnesses will be coming to town with the Ten Commandments and a $10 bill, and you can be sure they won't break either![195]>>
[195] In reality, we observe only nine of them, because the sabbath law is not imposed on Christians.
territory [card, map]
Synonymous expressions for the map of {territory} that is checked out to {publishers} by the {territory servant}. Form S-12 is used.
territory servant
The person, usually a {ministerial servant}, who is in charge of checking out {territory maps}.
territory, congregation territory
1. A geographical area assigned to preach in. A {congregation} is given a well-defined area, specified in a letter from the Society that is kept in the congregation records. This area is mapped and divided into pieces that are likewise called territories. Publishers check out {territory maps}, and may assign pieces of it to others in service. <<In Maine our territory included some islands.>> 2. A shortened form for the {territory card}. <<Give me back my territory so I can keep it in my call book.>>
Tetragrammaton
The four-consonant sequence of Hebrew letters that represent God's personal name. It is used 6,828 times in the Hebrew text printed in Biblia Hebraica and Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. These four letters are translated into English as YHWH or JHVH. Some brothers have a hard time pronouncing that many letters in one word, so that Tetragrammaton comes out something closer to Tretragrmblmumph.
The Watchtower
See {Watchtower}.
thee [obs]
See {common archaisms}.
theocracy
Government by God. There is only one true Theocracy, the Kingdom of God, including its visible organization on earth. [w93 1/1] The second study article in [w94 7/1] makes a major point of demonstrating that theocracy is essentially equivalent to {headship}, and the third study article emphasizes: <<Since theocracy is rule by God, and God is love, therefore, theocracy is rule by love.>>
Theocrat
Used in a general sense, anyone who rules in or lives under a theocratic form of government. Therefore it can apply to subjects of such a government as well as to a ruler, just there are many democrats in the USA, one of whom happens to be the nation's highest officer at this writing. Of course, there is only one true Theocracy, which has only one permanent Ruler. Therefore, in the Society's literature Theocrat often coupled with Great, is always capitalized, and applied only to Jehovah. <<To the Great Theocrat goes the credit for revealing his purposes to humble, willing servants on earth.>> [w84 05/15 15, par. 9]
Theocratese, theocratism
A {neologism} meaning the language of theocratic speech. It is pronounced the-OC-ra-TEEZ; the last accented syllable is heavier than the first one. It is capitalized, as is the name of any other language. The superset I've dubbed American English Hacker Theocratese, the subject of this book, has become the lingua franca of Witnesses who communicate on the {Internet}. A theocratism is an expression characteristic of Theocratese, e.g., most of the headwords in this Glossary.
theocratic
Adjectival form of {theocracy}. It means becoming an imitator of God. It is sometimes used, usually as a compliment, to describe one's loyalty and obedience to God's Word and his {organization}, its activities and way of life. <<Sister Shine is a very theocratic person.>>
Theocratic Ministry School [counselor, overseer]
An elder who presides over the Theocratic Ministry School. When he is conducting the meeting, he acts as counselor. In his capacity as overseer, he cares for school schedules and records.
Theocratic Ministry School, school
A weekly meeting to train Witnesses for platform speaking, Bible study work, and the public ministry, sometimes referred to simply as ``the school''. <<How could you possibly have assigned all four of my children talks in the school on the same night!?>> Oops, sorry 'bout that. This boo-boo could be the catalyst that triggers the onset of a case of {Camille syndrome}.
Theocratic News
A feature of nearly every edition of Our Kingdom Ministry. It consists of a series of short bullet items concerning baptisms, {increases}, and other successes having to do with {the work} in other parts of the world.
Theocratic School [obs]
Former term for {Theocratic Ministry School}. To leave out Ministry is to ignore the purpose of the school, so the short form is no longer used.
thine [obs]
See {common archaisms}.
things you won't hear
Here is a list of things you are unlikely to hear among or around Jehovah's Witnesses. (At least not in the USA.)

thou [obs]
See {common archaisms}.
Thousand Year Reign
See {Millennium}.
three P's
When working on the school {counsel point} dealing with modulation, students are often told to remember the three P's of modulation, the three most important aspects of the technique, which all happen to start with the letter P: pitch, pace, and power.
thrilling
Causing a sudden sharp feeling of excitement. It is a perfectly good word, but not used as much in daily speech as it may once have been, perhaps because modern people have become jaded on excitement and are not as easily moved as in previous days. The only reason I mention it is that I found it 342 times in my online literature collection. That makes sense. After all, if the good news of God's Kingdom, the theme of the Bible and all the Society's literature, is not thrilling, then surely nothing is!
Thursday, Thursday meeting
The most common choice for a night to have the {Theocratic Ministry School} and {Service Meeting} is Thursday, so people sometimes refer to the two together as the Thursday meeting. In many places where congregations share a hall, one will have this meeting on Tuesday, while the other conducts its {Congregation Book Studies} in private homes, and then on Thursday they swap. In halls shared by more than two congregations, the scheduling can get hairy. <<Fallen Mountain has its Thursday meeting on Tuesday, and Sooty Sky has its Thursday meeting on Wednesday.>>
thy [obs]
See {common archaisms}.
tie
A torturous device worn around the necks of men and little boys, designed to cut off circulation to the brain, and therefore increase the need to depend on Jehovah's spirit to help them think and speak articulately. Some hackers call it a brain depletion device. Standard meeting and service dress for Witness males, and also Mormon elders. Something with which the person who invented it should be hanged.[196] Sometimes useful for wiping off glasses and dipping in soup at formal dinner parties. One of the first things that will be discarded in God's new world, as soon as the need for glasses disappears. (Lynn 1:2)
[196] The article ``Who Invented the Necktie?'' in [g96 5/8] points out that the tie has military origins. Hmmm, all the more reason for suspicion!
time
The number of hours spent in field service, normally reported on a monthly basis.

NOTE: Some people tend to emphasize the time spent in service rather than the effort or the quality of that time. (See both {hours} and {national average}.) Regrettably we sometimes hear the following announced: <<It's the end of the month so be sure and turn in your time.>> Bad! Such verbiage reflects an orientation around the hours spent, as if that were the only thing expended. How much better it would be if brothers would consistently say ``Be sure to turn in your field report.'' End of sermon. (Lynn 1:3)

NOTE: Consider the hypothetical case of a brother who is an elder and whose {six-month average} is well above the national average. He conducts a progressive Bible study, and he counts four hours a month for conducting his faithfully held family study. Then both his Bible study and his last child get baptized. The brother stops reporting the time for both and takes a sudden eight-hour hit on his monthly average, which brings him below the national average. Yet his family study continues as it always has. It could be reasoned that now that he no longer has a Bible study he has the time to engage in more door-to-door and return visit work. But the study was conducted on a weeknight. It is not realistic to expect that he will be able to replace all that time with nighttime service. And he is already doing the best he is able on weekends. Meanwhile, he does spend more time in shepherding and other activities that can be carried on in the evenings. But because his average has fallen below the national average, he becomes the object of counsel to improve, and a candidate for removal from oversight, although he is working just as hard as he ever did. The dilemma illustrates an inconsistency that has never been resolved by some directive from the Society. It also illustrates that field service time does not show the complete picture of a brother's activity.

time of the end
See {last days}.
timing
Observation of a time limit, especially in connection with giving talks. The duration of each meeting part is predetermined. Speakers should strive to fill the time as closely as possible, without going overtime. Most speakers have difficulty with this. The frequently heard comment: <<We all need to give attention to our timing>> means that brothers have been consistently going overtime recently. Although the most reliable way to assure that a talk will be of the proper duration is to run through it once, practice runs are common only among beginning students anxious to achieve perfection early in their speaking careers. Unlike other speech qualities that improve with great experience, this one tends to degenerate.[197]
[197] I heard Brother Franz go forty minutes overtime at a Yankee Stadium district convention in 1971. In addition, the talk was so deep no one had a clue what it was about when he was done. He kept going on about ``the oooolder men!'' No one had a clue that he was outlining the scriptural background for the elder arrangement, which was announced on that Sunday's program.
tithe
The compulsory payment of one tenth of one's earnings as a tax to support a religious organization. Jehovah required this of the nation of Israel in order to support the Levitical priesthood. (Lev 27:30-32; Num 18:25-29) Religious organizations that do not acknowledge the passing away of the Law with the death of Christ, are delighted to continue imposing this requirement on their adherents as a means to finance their activities. (Compare 2Co 12:14.) <<The only god demanding tithes today is the God of Socks that lives inside my washing machine. For every ten socks I put in the machine, he returns only nine.>>
toasting
The practice of raising and sometimes touching glasses to drink in honor of a person or in recognition of some sentiment. Because toasting is a superstitious practice, Jehovah's Witnesses don't do it. How to handle it gracefully in the presence of worldly people, especially when it comes up unexpectedly, which is usually the case, is an eventuality that Christians should prepare for in advance. In most cases it is possible to abstain unobtrusively and without causing hurt feelings, avoiding the need to stand up and give an unwanted witness before all at an awkward or inappropriate time.
Too
Spelled with a capital because some people use it much too frequently as the first word of a sentence to begin a new thought, as though it were a transitional expression. It is not objectionable if used about once a year. <<Too, something else to avoid is starting a sentence with an adverb.>> <<Too, ending a sentence with a preposition is a practice to stay away from.>> Too, even worse is heaping repeated redundancy upon redundancy: <<Also too, in addition, my children are likewise high school dropouts.>>
Topic for Conversation
A suggested field service {presentation} outline formerly published in {Our Kingdom Ministry}, consisting of at most two points and two scriptures. This has been discontinued in favor of newer methods.
Tower
Short for {The Watchtower} magazine, or sometimes for the meeting called the {Watchtower Study}. <<We had 110 present for the Tower today.>> The only persons I've heard use it are a few Bethelites.
tract
A small, usually single folded sheet leaflet dealing with a single subject. <<The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society has lived up to its name: it has distributed many billions of tracts all over the world.>>
transfiguration
The occasion when Jesus' face and garments shone brilliantly while disciples Peter, James, and John looked on. (Mat 17:1-9) <<At Jesus' transfiguration Peter wanted to erect tents for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.>>
translation
Synonymous with {version}.
transliteration
The representation of a foreign word by rendering the spelling in the alphabet of another language. <<The Hebrew term she.ohl' and its Greek equivalent hai'des have been transliterated as Sheol and Hades respectively in the New World Translation.>>
traveling overseer
A {circuit overseer} or {district overseer}, so called because he travels from congregation to congregation each week.
traveling work
An assignment of any brother that requires him (or him and his wife) to move about frequently, especially {circuit work} and {district work}. <<The Wayfarers have been in the traveling work for 40 years: 25 in circuit work, and 15 in district work.>>
trek
A journey, especially one involving difficulties or complex organization. <<[Jesus] had spent the morning trekking through the hilly country of Samaria and arrived at the well tired, hungry, and thirsty.>> [w95 7/15 15, par. 1] Some people view our door-to-door service as a form of trekking. <<Why do you people spend every Saturday morning trekking through our neighborhood?>>
trend
A prevailing direction in patterns of social conduct. Changes of habit, most of them good but some of them bad, arise among Jehovah's socially close-knit people, who are continually under attack by Satan's world. The {Society} has been alert to warn Jehovah's people about the possible adverse consequences of social changes occurring in places all over the world. Assemblies and circuit overseer visits are common occasions to learn about these. <<It has been observed that in some areas there has been a trend toward laxness in personal study, with a consequent sag in field service activity.>>
Trinity
The bogus teaching that there are three divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, each eternal, almighty, coequal, each one God, but the three together forming one God. This belief is the central doctrine of the religions of Christendom; acceptance of it is a brand mark of the great {apostasy}. (2Th 2:3) The brochure Should You Believe the Trinity? presents a full exposition on the topic.
troubleshooter
On occasion, when problems have developed within an isolated congregation or area that could not be resolved locally, the Society has sent in one or more representatives to investigate, report back to the Society, and assist in straightening things out. I know of at least one case, and there are probably others, of an entire congregation that was {disfellowshipped}. These envoys have been dubbed ``troubleshooters'' by some. I doubt the term was ever official. The existence of these skirmishes is not widely publicized, undoubtedly to protect the reputation of Jehovah and his congregation, and for the sake of loyal innocent ones, so as not to shock them with disturbing news.
true Christian
Synonymous with ``one of {Jehovah's Witnesses}'' among people {in the Truth}. The implication is that the one referred to is {doing well}. Of course there are many {unbelievers} who have a different opinion. <<A faithful, hospitable widow in Canada was raising four young daughters as true Christians.>> [w95 10/15 32] She was raising them to become Jehovah's Witnesses.
true religion, true worship
The worship of Jehovah as outlined by Jehovah himself in the Bible, and not by men, and carried out by his {organization}, both the heavenly and visible parts. (Joh 4:23)
truth, Truth
That which is actually so; it is never at odds with itself. When spelled with a capital (in mid-sentence), it refers to the full body of revealed Truth about God and his purposes as explained in his Word, and taught by his {organization}. The practice of consistently spelling it with a capital when referring to the Truth in the sense defined here may be my own, and is modeled after Acts 9:2 and other verses that show the early disciples used the phrase ``The Way'' to refer to true Christianity. (Note that The is capitalized, as it appears all three times in NW.

NOTE: The scriptural and divinely inspired name for the true worshipers of Jehovah, {Jehovah's Witnesses}, is a recent acquisition, seen in retrospect to have been given to satisfy a need to be distinct from other groups who likewise profess to be Christian. Thus when outsiders ask us what our religion is, we quickly reply: ``We're Jehovah's Witnesses!'' Under such circumstances it would not be adequate to say: ``We are Christians.'' A Roman Catholic or Baptist might give the same reply. Nor would it be meaningful to say: ``I'm in the Truth.'' However, inside the organization, among one another, we refer to our religion as ``the Truth'', because that is what it is. <<How long have you been in the Truth?>>

Tuesday, Tuesday meeting
The most common choice for a night to have the {Congregation Book Study} is Tuesday, so people sometimes refer to it as the Tuesday meeting. In many places where congregations share a hall, one will have this meeting on Tuesday, while the other conducts its Congregation Book Studies in private homes, and then on Thursday they swap. In halls shared by more than two congregations, the scheduling can get complicated, especially when congregations need to have midweek afternoon or Saturday morning book studies. <<Swollen River congregation has a book study at the hall at 7:45 AM on Saturday.>>
type, antitype
A type is a prophetic model that prefigures something fulfilled by a later reality. The antitype is that which is prefigured. <<The Passover lamb was a type of Jesus Christ, and Christ impaled is the antitype.>> (1Co 5:7)

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The Glossary of American English Hacker Theocratese is written and maintained by

Lynn D. Newton
Glossary: Go to Site Map
Last modified: Wed May 6 21:27:23 MST 1998