The Watchtower Society as a United Nations NGO

Some claim Jehovah's Witnesses had “secret deals” with the United Nations, agreed to support it and it's goals, and then lied to cover it up. Is this conspiracy theory true? We show direct evidence from the UN itself showing these accusations to be just plain wrong. We also can demonstrate how accusers use deliberately misleading “evidence” and make many mistakes. Furthermore, one of the most prominent promoters of this conspiracy theory on the Internet knows full well that the claims are erroneous but has tried to silence his critics and cover-up the evidence.

Chapters

Introduction: In the Beginning
In October 2001 The Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom accused Jehovah's Witnesses of hypocrisy for being registered with the United Nations' (UN) Department of Public Information (DPI) as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). Read this chapter...

Chapter One: Know Your NGOs!
When you hear that the Watchtower Society was a United Nations NGO, you may not be aware that there is actually more than one kind of NGO. This fact is important, and is often deliberately obscured by those who try to condemn and criticize the Society. Read this chapter...

Chapter Two: Please Sign Nowhere
In the forms the Society completed there is no place to put a signature. This corroborates the Society's letter to The Guardian newspaper, where Bethel explained, “At the time of the initial application no signature was required on the form.” Read this chapter...

Chapter Three: The changing world of NGOs
The United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) produces a brochure for it's NGOs. This brochure stipulates the requirements of being an NGO. Apostates quote from the current version, but we know it changed. Read this chapter...

Chapter Four: Following it to the Letter
When The Guardian first published it's article, the London Bethel wrote to the Editor correcting the article and clarifying the situation. However, critics claim Bethel's letters of explanation are a “cover-up”. Is this accusation valid? Read this chapter...

Chapter Five: Hail to the Chief
The United Nations DPI was inundated with requests for information on the Watchtower NGO matter. Hence, Paul Hoeffel, the chief of the DPI's NGO section wrote an open letter. What does it tell us, and is it accurate? Read this chapter...

Chapter Six: Principle Support
The modern requirements for DPI NGOS state that “The NGO must support and respect the principles of the Charter of the UN”, however the version the Society saw years earlier did not say this. What did it say? Read this chapter...

Chapter Seven: Awake to Propaganda?
As part of the alleged “secret deals”, the conspiracy theorists say the Watchtower Society wrote “propaganda” for the UN. Is this a reasonable assessment of the evidence, or is it shallow circumstantial evidence for a crazy conspiracy theory? Read this chapter...

Chapter Eight: Self-condemnation?
Accusers say the Society has “condemned itself” in the NGO matter by it's stance on YMCA membership and from when it condemned the Catholic Church for having NGOs with the UN. Are these fair points, or are the critics being misleading? Read this chapter...

Chapter Nine: Consider the Source
One man has spent thousands of dollars sending letters to the elders of every congregation in the USA, some in the UK, and all the branch offices to tell them about the NGO “apostasy”. He also wrote a book. Who is he, and should you listen to him? Read this chapter...

Conclusion: A Not-Guilty Verdict
We have shown you how the Watchtower Society's DPI NGO status has been blown out of proportion by opposers — and how those same opposers tried to silence us. We have seen how the Society's version of events has been vindicated by the evidence. Read this chapter...

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Misc Questions

Appendix

Charts

Scans

Know Your Stuff?

Changelog

30th September '06 Added Appendix C and added some paragraphs to two chapters.
22nd July '06 Fixed some typos.
19th July '06 Fixed typos, added question.
18th July '06 Website online.