Most of us are familiar with the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society's association with the UN as an NGO. This fact has been confirmed via correspondence with the UN numerous times, notably in a letter received recently by one of our own members. For details and photocopies, see here:
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/11/65439/1.ashx

In the letter, the United Nations staffer indicated that she had received "scores" of similar letters and was unable to respond to them all. This prompted several members here to start talking about a letter writing campaign to petition the United Nations to post details of the WTBTS' association as NGO on the official UN web site. This would enable people who want the facts to confirm them easily and reliably, and it would hopefully relieve the UN Department of Public Information of some of its workload.

The steps are easy:

1. Use the letter below as a general template. If you copy-paste the template, please be sure to replace with three [ bracketed sections ] with your own content.
2. Please strongly consider writing the letter entirely in your own words. Our goal is not to send a thousand identical letters to the UN. Instead, we would like to put a thousand different human faces on the issue to show the UN why this request is so important to us.
3. Please definitely include the highlighted bulleted points, which detail the specifics of our request.
4. Drop the letter in the mail.

If each person posts a reply to this thread when they have sent their mail, we can keep an unofficial tally of roughly how many letters have been sent. Please encourage your friends and family to write as well. Spread the word on other XJW boards. An hour spent by each of us can help us accomplish this great goal!

On your marks! Get set! Go!

SNG, on behalf of several others here

[ template letter follows ]
##############################################################

Chief, NGO Section
Department of Public Information
Room S-1070L
United Nations, New York, N.Y. 10017

January 27, 2004

To Whom It May Concern:

I recently read excerpts from a letter sent by Ms. Isolda Oca to an acquaintance of mine which detailed the association of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society with the United Nations as a Non-Governmental Organization between 1992 and 2001. On behalf of the scores of people who have viewed this letter, I wish to express my sincere thanks to your office for providing this straightforward verification of the facts. I would also like to describe why such information is so important to people in my situation, as well as to make a special request that you publish this information on your official United Nations web site.

First, please allow me to give a brief history. [ Briefly describe how this information has benefited you. ]

The reason this relates to the United Nations is that for decades the Watchtower Society has demonized the UN, portraying it as the Wild Beast of Revelation, on which the Great Harlot rides. [ Include some quotations if you like. ] The UN figures prominently in Watchtower predictions for the end of the world. Because of this fact, and because Witness doctrine enforces strict political neutrality ? even in the face of death ? the association of the Watchtower Society with the United Nations in 1992 poses a contradiction of extremely shocking nature. So utterly unbelievable is it that when faced with this information to this effect, Witnesses will insist that it must be a fabrication. Actual proof of such association would indicate hypocrisy in the extreme on the part of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.

In her letter to my acquaintance (postmarked 20 January 2004, but accidentally dated 19 January 2003), Ms. Oca mentioned that your office has received scores of letters requesting verification of these facts. She also requested that the letter be shared, since it was not possible to respond individually to each request. I would submit that there are two groups of people sending you requests for verification of the Watchtower Society?s membership in the UN: 1) People trying to secure concrete proof of the Watchtower Society?s involvement to show to friends and family still in the organization, and 2) People in the organization who are shown such proof, but who refuse to believe it unless it comes directly from official channels. Since Witnesses are indoctrinated that disseminating information harmful to the Watchtower Society is ?apostasy? ? the worst type of sin possible for humans ? it is not realistic to expect current Witnesses to share the facts regarding this matter.

I would like to petition your office urgently to consider posting a brief statement of the facts regarding this subject on your official web site. Such a clear statement on the UN web site would accomplish two things: 1) It would allow the thousands of people who are confused as to the truth of this matter to get an accurate and trustworthy account of the facts, and 2) it would relieve your office of the considerable volume of mail you are likely to continue getting on this subject for years to come.

Ideally, such a page would include the following facts:

• The dates of the Watchtower Society?s membership as an NGO.
• The names of the Watchtower Society officers who signed the agreement.
• The then-current terms an organization must agree to in order to become an NGO.
• Photocopies of the agreement with signatures.

As long as the page were a part of the un.org domain and could be found using the search function, it would be more than adequate.

I realize that this is a very unusual request. But I hope you are able to understand why it would be so important to so many people. There are literally millions of friends and family members out there who stand to benefit immensely from knowing the facts. I can assure you that your help in this regard would mean a great deal to me personally, and to many of my friends.

I have the utmost respect for your organization. I thank you for your kind consideration in this matter.

Very sincerely,
[ Signature and typed full name ]

#########################################################

I highly doubt the UN would involve themselves in this fiasco.  I don't think the UN would go out of it's way to villify a world religion of 6 million people.  Nor would I want them to. It would be ludicrously bad PR.

Bradley

Here's what the UN position will be: let sleeping dogs lie.  They're not going to clutter their website with nonsense from a (comparatively) small sect. They have far more important things to do. Come on.

Bradley

Send out to media too.  Especialy your local area and others such as CNN, FOXNEWS, etc.

Thanks SNG.  Good work!

There will be naysayers, but we must keep doing (something) and not nothing.  It is really just that that simple.

Who knows what might cause the shift in the WT foundation.  All efforts are appreciated and duly noted. 

sKally

Bump.

This is important.  Thanks, Seattle!

Maybe some pictures from WT publications that depict govnment builldings and churches being burned and blown up will open their eyes to Watchtowers real thoughts towards them.

you know this will be seen as an attack on the remnant by the wild beast of revelation, dont you? if the UN do this, then we'll be making WTS prophecy come true folks!

The UN is a political organization which means they will try their damndest to be "politically correct."  This action you want them to take is anything but.  The UN, rightfully, stays out of religious matters.  That's basically what this is -- a religious matter.

The UN has nothing to gain by posting information which will be derogratory of a worldwide religious faith.  Stroking the apostates dicks is not exactly on their agenda.  The UN has already provided plenty of information to individuals regarding the Watchtower's NGO status with the UN.  This information is easily found all over the net and in the most recent version of Crisis of Conscience.  Honestly, what more needs to be done?

Letters of this sort will only make many ex-JWs look like a bunch of fanatical dissidents out for revenge against their former religion.  And, if by some miracle this action is taken, the WT will only point to it as a fulfillment of prophecy ala their "persecution complex."  I thin more harm than good would come of this action.

But hey, if you think otherwise...good luck.

Bradley

Bradley: We're not asking for any derogatory information to be posted. You acknowledge as much when you recommend that we

Basically, we're saying, you've received hundreds of letters asking for confirmation of a fact. This indicates that there are many people out there who would like to be able to confirm a simple fact easily and reliably. You can continue to answer letters, but we, the tens or hundreds of people who are writing you, ask that you consider a more permanent form: a simple page. Seems like a reasonable thing for the Department of Public Information to do. If a million people wrote asking what the lunch menu was, they would probably consider posting it on their web site.

There is no attack. We're not asking for a headline on the front page with an "Expose!" starburst and a link to the article. I'm looking for a page at www.un.org/way/down/directory/hierarchy/wt.html that states the facts. Calm down, Bradley. It's okay.

SNG

I don't see any "bashing" in what SNG is suggesting.  Logan, you are correct that the WTBTS actions only appear scandalous from an insider's point of view.  I don't blame the UN for being puzzled as to what the kerfuffle is all about.  I like SNG's neat solution.  You and I both know that the "apostates" could put out an ad in the New York Times for the next ten years, and the UN would still be flooded with letters.