It's a cult. Simples....
Lying to its members is perfectly fine and encouraged from the top down. The Truth can't handle the truth.
How many former Jehovah's Witnesses bury their head in the sand when it comes to reasoning about the NGO "conspiracy"?
by Change Name 130 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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BluesBrother
I was quite new here when all this came out - exciting times...
Just two simple points.
1] The WT sent many of us a letter in response to our equiries. They admitted that the terms of their NGO membership were not compatible with their principles but implied that the terms might have been changed, without their noticing, over the years.
2] The U N then publicly stated that the terms of NGO membership had not been changed.....
There you go, hoisted by their own petard. !
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Emery
I hardly flinched at the UN scandal when learning the TTATT. It was just one of many pieces of evidence that showed how the WT cannot even meet the very standards they set. They are ALWAYS apologizing when they shit the bed, they only apologize or give an explanation when they're caught red handed. "Oh we were just using a library!...Oh we were only eager for the end to come in 1914... err 1918 err..1925.. err 1975!" They are full of freaking excuses and cover ups. WAKE UP Change Name! Truth doesn't need to be apologized for --bureaucratic authoritarian organizations who invoke the name of God do. They have everything to lose if they were to be honest with the public.
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00DAD
I have not read the entire thread, so I apologize in advance if anyone else has already posted any of this:
The WT's excuse for their NGO affiliation with the UN was supposedly to obtain a "library card."
But when you compare that to the fact that, if any R&F JW went to the YMCA to go swimming they would be labeled an apostate and summarily DF'd, then we get a sense of the hypocrisy going on here!
• "In joining the YMCA as a member a person accepts or endorses the general objectives and principles of the organization. He is not simply paying for something he receives, such as when buying things being sold to the public at a store. (Compare 1 Corinthians 8:10; 10:25). Nor is his membership merely an entry pass, as when a person buys a theatre ticket. Membership means that one has become an integral part of this organization founded with definite religious objectives, including the promotion of interfaith. Hence, for one of Jehovah's Witnesses to become a member of such a so-called "Christian" association would amount to apostasy." - w79 1/1 p. 31 - [Emphasis added]
This is excerpted from a letter dated March 4, 2004 from Paul Hoeffel, the then Chief of the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Section of the U.N. Department of Public Information. It was written in response to "numerous inquiries regarding the association of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York with the Department of Public Information (DPI)."
The letter states:
"This organization [the WTBTS] applied for association with DPI in 1991 and was granted association in 1992. By accepting association with DPI, the organization agreed to meet criteria for association, including support and respect of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and commitment and means to conduct effective information programmes with its constituents and to a broader audience about UN activities." - [Emphasis added]
In addition, the criteria for NGOs to become associated with DPI include the following:
• that the NGO share the principles of the UN Charter;
• operate solely on a not-for-profit basis;
• have a demonstrated interest in United Nations issues and a proven ability to reach large or specialized audiences, such as educators, media representatives, policy makers and the business community;
• have the commitment and means to conduct effective information programmes about UN activities by publishing newsletters, bulletins and pamphlets, organizing conferences, seminars and round tables; and enlisting the cooperation of the media.
[End excerpt]
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See also:
The article that broke the story:
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Amelia Ashton
I wonder if the OP knows about Jimmy Swaggart?
That was even more massive than the NGO scandal for me
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wallsofjericho
I kind of got a sense that the Ted Turner quote a couple weeks ago was almost a teeny-tiny UN (NGO) article considering what a spokesperson he is for the UN
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Finkelstein
They have everything to lose if they were to be honest with the public.
No truer words,
The jest of the WTS. is that (we) are god's solemnly chosen ones and everyone else who is associated with the organization are of lower perceived power.
This is really like most other religious institutions, a set amount of narcissistic, self justification that exudes by the top leaders of these organizations.
The NGO situation among many others is prime example of do what we say, but what we say doesn't necessarily applies unconditionally to us.
Particularly if what we do helps supporting and expanding the organization of which we direct and have complete control over.
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00DAD
Look, it was the WTBTS that told us the UN was a "disgusting thing."
No one put a gun to their head and told them to join.
As has been amply proved, the WTBTS would label YOU an apostate if you went swimming at the YCMCA. So how in the world to they think they could be labelled as anything LESS than immense hypocrites for becoming a NGO of the UN?
Look, cut the bullshit. The leaders of the WTBTS are complete liars and hypocrites. They have betrayed the trust of tens of millions of people and ruined the lives of countless others by their abusive controlling policies, rules and regulations.
Their actions are completely inexcusable. It is a crime against humanity.
End of story.
00DAD
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sd-7
I don't see this NGO issue as some 'conspiracy', per se. It's mainly that it looks suspicious, questionable, and could stumble JWs if they knew about it. The big problem to me is that the Society knew quite well or should have known how any kind of affiliation with the UN would look to their 'brothers', but they did it anyway. If it was perfectly fine and dandy, they could easily have maintained their NGO status and released a public statement to the entire organization explaining their reasons and justifying it scripturally if necessary. Instead, they terminated their status and never mentioned it to anyone who didn't ask. That contributes further to suspicion.
And again, any JW who did the same thing, or who got a job as a UN librarian for instance, I wonder what would happen to them? Either way, Awake! very clearly backs up the DPI's letter about what the Society had to do to keep NGO status--inform the public of UN activities and accomplishments. This is what the Society did, and they used JWs to do it by having them place Awake! articles about the UN's activities and accomplishments...around the same time they applied for NGO status. Hey, I'll even give the benefit of the doubt--maybe not all of the 'top men' knew this was happening. But enough knew that it happened and involved every JW in the process.
The distinction between DPI and ECOSOC would be relevant as a counterargument if the Society hadn't published certain Awake! articles around 1991 that clearly fulfill the NGO requirement as listed in DPI's letter in response to the public inquiries on this issue. So...this isn't as complicated as you're makin' it out to be. Even if they were perfectly on the up and up about this one issue, there really is so much other questionable and outright wrong stuff that this seems like chump change by comparison. I mean, at least nobody died over this issue. People have died over other stuff the Society has done.
--sd-7
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Honesty
It seems that Change Name has disappeared down a rabbit hole.