Watchtower Society submitted an application to become a member of the United Nations as an N.G.O. in 1991. They were accepted in 1992. They remained a member of the U.N. until The Guardian newspaper in the UK printed an article in 2001/2002, exposing their membership. They resigned as a U.N. member a few days or so later.
Representatives of the WTS tried to spin it as needing access to the U.N. library, but membership is not required in order to access the library. They later tried to say it had been a mistake (or misstep) by a single person. Trouble with that excuse is that the U.N. membership requires renewal (and signature on the renewal) each and every year. It also requires member organizations to publish two articles a year that support/extoll the virtues of the United Nations and their respective works. November 1998 Awake! mag has a whole cheerful spread on the U.N. (remember it because it's the same month my mom died).
What is so significant about the years the Watchtower was a member? We were all huddling in book study groups on Tuesday/Thursday evenings, studying the "Revelation is at Hand!" book, which equates the U.N. as being part of the disgusting thing at the end times.
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Another UK article (came out this past summer): the trial and conviction of Gordon Leighton (child molester).
What's significant about his case?
- He was not Disfellowshipped for his crime of molesting/raping a young child. He was "reproved". He was DF'd a short time later for "violence".
- he confessed his crime to the elders before being taken to court. He was DF'd at the time of trial, and yet three elders stood by his side for three years, forcing the court through a lengthy fight in order to hear the man's confession. They claimed "clergy-laity privilege". Again, this was a disfellowshipped man, who committed the crimes in question.
After the confession was heard by the court, he was found guilty for all but one count against him (think it was 7 out of 8 charges).
Likewise, as far as the Conti case goes: The Watchtower Society excuses themselves from caring about children by asserting that if the child is not a baptised member, then the Watchtower and its underlings are not responsible for what happens to that child. At the end of the original trial, the Watchtower Society alone had a judgment against them : "(Watchtower Society) who alone acted with malice" (paraphrasing; there were 3 defendents, if mem serves: the molester; the congregation; the Watchtower itself)
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Research: "Theocratic Warfare/War Strategy". It's the term used when the leadership and immediate underlings give themselves permission to LIE, even about mundane crap.
