"Oh, the irony!
"I remember my parents didn't consider JWs a "religion" because Rutherfraud had made it a bad word. (Snare and Racket) That attitude was prevalent throughout the Borg until the 1960s if I recall".
It must have been embarrassing to have to walk it back, probably part of the damage control in the wake of da Judge's demise. In their pursuit of the almighty dollar, the WT probably found itself needing to refer to itself as a religion to get all those juicy taxpayer dollars and tax exemptions.