Word Redefinition is a VERY powerful technique used by the 2x2 cults. I will try to spell it out clearly here.

Avoiding true knowledge and understanding

Their goal is to avoid more frequent use of verses that specifically define biblical terms. Instead they redefine the word through misuse to the person being recruited. Then when the recruited person reads their Bible, they think of the new meaning (from the worker's context) instead of the true meaning of the word as learned from Bible or dictionary.

An example

When I was a child, I thought that the direction "West" (from where I lived) lead towards Multnomah Falls (which is actually East of where I lived). Since my sense of direction was messed up, if you verbally told me to "walk West" I would have walked to the East. If you wrote down on a piece of paper "Walk West", then I also would have walked towards the East. Since somehow my sense of direction was messed up, it led to lots of problems concerning direction. In fact, I wasn't good at knowing which direction was which. When I became a teenager, I ran into problems following directions and then I realized my sense of direction had been messed: Because as a child, I had learned something incorrectly. I had to come to the realization that my whole life up to that point had been in error (as far as directions are concerned) because I was wrong about which direction was West. If I was too proud to admit my error, then I would still have problems to this day.

Somewhere in my childhood, I had picked up someone else's error, or misunderstood something. We learn the meanings of things and many things that help us navigate through life through the word usage of others, insinuations and other people's responses.

Another example

This is well proven and can be demonstrated with relative ease. For example: say you tell a young child to raise their right hand, but then you raise your left hand. If they then raise their right hand and you frown, they will often lower their right hand and raise their left to copy you, thinking they were in error. Because you are the adult, right? If you then smile, then they will affirm in their mind that they have raised their right hand (even though it is their left hand! poor kid). They you will have redefined in their mind which hand is their right hand. But don't stop thinking about how this will affect the poor kid! What are they going to do about their other hand? They have two hands and if that is their right hand, than the other must be their left? Right? I mean, that's only logical. So now after simple reasoning the hapless child may think that their other hand must be their left! And who can blame the poor chap? And what about when the child goes to proudly show off to their friends that they know which hand is their right and which hand is their left? Will they not only be influenced? It's only until they run into someone who really knows the truth that their lives can be preserved. But think of the damage that can happen to so many by one deceitful worker. Now just think of the damage when people come to believe that the cult is truth and not Jesus. Or worse yet, that they believe that the cult and Jesus Christ are one and the same.

Common word redefinition - "the truth"

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

We learn from Jesus Christ (creator of heavens and earth) that HE is the TRUTH, not a group of people.

Cult usage - A worker may say "I was 15 years old when I found the truth" (referring to the group, not Jesus, but not stating such clearly, just using insinuation)

If you want people to not know that Jesus is the truth, then you simply don't use this verse in meetings much. OR, better yet, you use it, but not much. That way it appears you are not afraid of the proper meaning, or even better yet, you equate (make equal) the group and Jesus. So now people will think that the group is God (in the flesh) and that God is the group.

How do you redefine words?

As mentioned before, people learn the definition of words through the word usage of people around them. If you minimize a person's contact with Christians and instead keep them in meetings, you can give them a big dose of redefined words used in sentences and throughout their preaching. Since you are not allowed to talk or ask questions during their speaking, then you will likely forget your questions and simply come to accept theirs as fact. Because, how can all these seemingly nice people be wrong? Unless you learn to ask questions, how would you know their intent?

Since Cults want you to follow them instead of Jesus, they have used word redefinition to get people to think that the group is "the truth". To get you to follow them instead of Jesus, they simply redefine this word. But they cannot stop at just one. They cannot tell one lie, they must cover it up with more redefined words and soon they have a complicated mess.

Common cult usage of "the truth"

• "I was raised in the truth" (they mean in the group in this case, not Jesus Christ)
• I found the truth when I was 18 (they mean they found this group, not Jesus Christ)
• Are they in the truth? (means, are they professing, not "are they in Jesus Christ)
• I'm so glad I found the truth (means they found the workers, not Jesus Christ)

Other redefined words

Having a college degree does not protect you from being involved in a cult.

Did people with college degrees exercise sound judgment and see past Hitler's brainwashing?