Translation of an official Watchtower answer written to a single witness:
(the original will be available through Kent or Randy)
Association of Jehovas Witnesses
SCC 2001 Oct., 8th
Dear Brother:
Some days ago we received your letter in which you tell how worry you feel about something you red on an Online brochure of the United Nations, about the WTBTS of New York. So we are glad to provide some commentaries about that matter.
Just at the beginning we want you to know that we apreciate your feelings about this matter and that you want to see Jehovahs name and the name of his earthly organization clean and holy.
While answering your question we would like to quote something wich is said in that brochure about what it means to be an NGO. In the brochure we can read the following:
“What is an NGO? A non-governmental organization (NGO) is any non-profit, voluntary citizens’ group wich is organized on a local, national or international level. …NGO’s perform a variety of services and humanitarian functions, bring citizen’s concerns to Governments. …Some are organized around specific issues, such as human rights, the environment or health. Their relationship with offices and agencies of the United Nations System differs depending on their goals, their venue and their mandate.”
As mentioned above, the goals of the NGO’s registered with the DPI differ. Some of them are registerd as Human Rights Organizations, as it happens with the WTBTS of NY. (If you take a look, the Society is listed as an NGO wich defends Human Rights). However, that doesn’t mean that it [the Society] has nonbiblical links with the UN. As told above, the kind of relationship the NGO’s have with the offices and agencies of the UN differ from one organization to another, depending of their own goals.
So, to make it easy to understand, what happens is that since the Society wants to defend the rights of our brothers in countries where their human rights are violated, sending them medical care, food and other kind of assistance (as it happened in Ruanda and in many other countries and most recently in Georgia, where our brothers are without the most elementary human rights). For this it is necessary that the Society is registered at the UN as a Human Rights Organization.This is the only way to help our brothers, many times doing this while asking for meetings with highly positioned members of governments, embassadors and so on. However this does not mean that the Society is in any way involved politically with th UN or giving support to their political decisions. No! Jehovahs people continues to keep itself politically neutral. We are just using a right wich was given to us with the goal to –as Paul said- “go on leading a calm and quiet life wth full godly devotion and seriousness.” (1st Thimothy 2:1,2)
In biblical times the apostel Paul used his citizenship (a right given to him by the state without demanding a political involvement in state affairs) as an argument to get a trial in the highest courts in the country giving a good testimony that way. (Acts 25:11) In the same way the WTBTS of NY is making use of a position wich the UN gives to several non governmental organizations without going against his christian neutrality. Doing this, the Organization is able to ‘defend and legally establish the good news’- Fil. 1:7.
A similar thing happens, as an example, with the unions. A christian could, if he wished so, be associated with a union, wich would defend his rights as a worker, and he would pay his fee to the union getting benefits in case that the union would defend his rights if they would be violated. However, even if the christian could recive certain benefits while being associated with a union, he would not involve himself in the union activities, nor would he accept any position in the union and he would not involve himself in any political activity wich would violate his well trained biblical conscience. The same rule applies to this matter you asked about. The brothers are just using a right given to them by the UN when they got registered as a NGO defending Human Rights. So they can better assist the interests of our brothers and take care that their voice is heard in the highest levels of governments (as Paul did) without at any time being involved or giving any kind of support to the “biest” of Revelation.
So we apreciate your feelings but you can be assured that the WTBTS of NY is keeping his strict neutrality in political questions, while not getting involved with anything wich is non biblical nor giving any support to the “biest”.
We hope that this information will be helpful for you, brother, and that it may have cleared evreything about this matter wich made you feel worry. Without any other issue at this time we close this letter and use the oportunity to send you our christian love.
Your brothers,
Association of Jehovahs Witnesses
(Stamp)
