It is true: Politics does make strange bedfellows. And religion and politics makes even stranger bedfellows. Nowhere is that more evident than in the unlikely political partnership between the professedly “politically neutral” Watchtower and the purported “disgusting thing”—the United Nations. It is so incredible, even when informed of the matter many of Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse to believe that the Watchtower could ever have made such a compromising alliance. But it did. Here are the facts of the distasteful affair.
“An old saying is: ‘Politics makes strange bedfellows.’ It is true—there is much rivalry in politics...But when something threatens their way of operation…or if it in some way seems to stand in the way of their plans, they join forces with erstwhile rivals or even enemies and distastefully work together”
Watchtower-- March 15th, 1967
It is true: Politics does make strange bedfellows. And religion and politics makes even stranger bedfellows. Nowhere is that more evident than in the unlikely political partnership between the professedly “politically neutral” Watchtower and the purported “disgusting thing”—the United Nations. It is so incredible, even when informed of the matter many of Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse to believe that the Watchtower could ever have made such a compromising alliance. But it did. Here are the facts of the distasteful affair.
On October 8th (2001) Stephen Bates, the religious affairs correspondent for The Guardian newspaper in London, originally broke the story revealing the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society was registered with the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) as an officially recognized NGO (non-governmental organization). Unbeknownst to millions of Jehovah’s Witnesses, it turns out that the Watchtower had been secretly affiliated with the United Nations for nearly a decade.
No doubt anticipating a tsunami wave of criticism and perhaps even an official UN investigation, the Watchtower quickly requested that its NGO registration be terminated. Shortly afterwards, Paul Gillies, the Watchtower’s spokesman in London, released a statement to The Guardian saying that it had been necessary to register the organization as an NGO so that Bethel’s research staff could have access to the Dag Hammarskjöld library at the United Nations’ headquarters in New York City, and that was all there was to it. However, following the anticipated flood of inquiry from Jehovah's Witnesses around the world—many of whom read the story on the Internet—a few weeks later the Governing Body also issued a more detailed “explanation” to inquiring Watchtower field offices. (A photocopy of the Watchtower’s branch letter and other related documents are published on the Internet at www.jehovah-has-become-king.com) The official branch letter implied that the Watchtower’s NGO relationship was not secret at all. In the opening sentence the Watchtower states:
“Because of published allegations by opposers that we have secret links to the United Nations, a number of branches have inquired about the matter and we have replied.”
In view of the fact the Watchtower has never publicized its NGO connection to the United Nations in any of its publications, prior to the Guardian expose’ none of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the field were aware of the relationship—not even numerous branch overseers of the Watchtower, who themselves inquired about the matter—surely, then, it is disingenuous for the Governing Body to casually dismiss the matter as being mere “allegations by opposers that we have secret links to the United Nations.” Even to this day the vast majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses are still unaware of the NGO affair. Contrary to their carefully crafted suggestion, the Watchtower’s connection to the United Nations was and still is secretive.
