Check this out! Someone just mailed me this excerpt from:

  http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41682.htm

There are no laws regarding the registration of religious organizations. The GOC remained the only religion with legal status in the country, although some religions registered affiliated NGOs. This lack of legal status prevented religions from renting or registering property; many groups registered property under an individual or affiliated NGO, although this complicated ownership issues and exposed individuals to personal liability. The new Government has not addressed a previous draft law to allow for registration or proposed other changes. Unregistered religious groups are not officially permitted to rent office space, acquire construction rights, import literature, or represent the international church, although many religious groups accomplished these goals through their locally registered NGOs. Unregistered religious groups were also subject to an administrative fine.

In late 2003, the new Government allowed the registration of the Jehovah's Witnesses NGO The Watchtower Bible Society. Jehovah's Witness Groups reported that since then, unlike in previous years, there has been no violent persecution and they have had no difficulties in importing their literature.

While less harassment was reported during the year, minority religions continued to report intimidation from local government authorities and obstructions to constructing worship halls. The Catholic Church, True Orthodox Church, Baptists, Armenian Apostolic Church, and Protestant denominations had difficulty in building churches during the year.

 

WHAT's UP WITH THAT???? They were supposed to have disassociated themselves from the U.N. in 2003? Let's find out more!

Randy

United Nations cover-up: http://www.randytv.com/secret/unitednations.htm

 

Dogpatch:

Yes Randy, thats a good question!   What Is Up With That?   Deserves more checking into.

Ken  Carella found that one, and he is a good researcher!

I'll see if I can find anything more on it!

Thanks!

If I understand the original UN debacle correctly, the problem wasn't because they were/are an NGO, but what they had to do to apply for association with DPI, which requires that they accept the charter and principles of the UN. And after the article in the Guardian came out, they only disassociated themselves from the DPI.





So, I don't think there's any secret coverup here...


http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/watchtower.pdf

sorry for the all the edits, trying to post a link with Mozilla seems to pain in the NGO!!

The next one I found is a listing of all the religions that have NGO's..unless the WTBTS is listed under a different profession..and I looked a few of them up..they are no longer considered to have the NGO status!

You have to click ALL in the two places and a third will pop up..click all again and it will pull up all the NGO members...

http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/asp/form.asp

Let me know what you think.
Snoozy...

The reports I saw from Georgia were that in 2003 they recognized the WTBTS as still having a NGO status still....

And yet the UN wrote a letter stating the WTBTS resigned from their NGO status in 2001..So the fact is..who is lying? Did the WTBTS still claim to be a NGO member to them in 2003 or is Georgia trying to cover their abusive butts by saying they had come to some agreement with the NGO laison comittee about the WTBTS in 2003 and the "Selling" of their literature..not knowing that the WTBTS had resigned from the NGO in 2001.

Snoozy....who had to look this all up on the UN website and read all the reports to try and understand what was going on...

They even put up a special letter concerning the fact about the WTBTS saying it had received so many inquiries about the NGO and WTBTS involvement!..And they were refusing to give out anymore information.

This is a site that shows how Georgia was in 2003..

http://atheism.about.com/b/a/013765.htm

 

Being an NGO was what required acceptance of the UN charter. 'Association with the DPI' and 'NGO status' in this context are synonymous. It is important to have the facts when making claims of a scandal.

Everyone has their own interests..if this doesn't interest you..move on...

(Said in a nice motherly tone to a non interested child...)

I understand what you are trying to say..They were only NGO's .(As far as we know).I understand that.. I'm really not a dummy..

The only thing that interests me is why they were recognized as still being a NGO member in Georgia at least a year after they resigned..get it?  Either Georgia is lying..or the WTBTS signed up again..and I don't think they did as they are no longer listed under NGO's

Snoozy...Who finds the subject fascinating..

To clarify once and for all (hopefully):

"NGO" is not now, nor has it ever been a status of any kind. It is an adjective.

Please forgive me for shouting, but this is exactly the kind of lack of attention to detail that would be accused as deceit by Witnesses who might otherwise wake up.

NGO means non-governmental organization. It does not in any way mean a status with respect to any organization. The Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses is an organization. It is not a government. It is, and always will be (until it crumbles), a non-governmental organization.

Georgia (formerly part of the USSR) has recognized the Watch Tower Society as an organization that is non-governmental in nature. The Orthodox Church (the GOC) was the only one that was formerly recognized in this way.

Respectfully,
OldSoul

No Apologies:

Actually, that is the very misleading question the WTS keeps asking. They were never registered with the UN/DPI. It is not possible to register with the UN/DPI. It is likewise impossible to withdraw a registration that never existed in the first place. They do not have registration papers on file, because there is no such thing. There is no relationship called "registration" between UN/DPI and any NGO, and there never has been. UN/DPI is not a registrant, and the WTS did not and could not have "registered."

That is not the one I ask. I ask, "Were they voluntarily affiliated to, associated with, or partenered with a department of the UN from 1991 to 2001?" The answer to that one is, yes.

Respectfully,
OldSoul

As if, Kaput, the WTBTS would get the story straight.  The WTBS was never a DPI.  They were an NGO.  Now they are not.