Well the other thread has gotten long concerning the association of te WTBTS and the UN so I started this one here. I just got off the phone with a man in Patterson concerning this issue and I will post most of convo here.
First of all if you do call BEWARE they play kingdom melodies when you are on hold!
Ok a man answers the phone giving me his first name. Then I introduced myself, using my full name and stating my mother is an active JW who requested I call to verify the info. I called him by his first name and he was at a loss for words and refused to give me his last name. He said he thought this was a personal call and their policy is not to give out their names. Of course I called him by it the rest of the convo though, just so he knew I would remember it
My first quetion was, "Is it true that the WTBTS has been associated with the UN since 1991?" His reply is that they have had many inquiries concerning this info and they are currently looking into it. He told me if they were it was more of a "historical thing" and they are currently not associated.
I then asked, "What kind of impact do you think this will have on active members after they realize this association?" He replied, He doubts tht it will have much of an impact.
I asked, "How do you think the UN will feel after reading some of the printed material the WTBTS has published condemning their organization? His reply, Because their stand is to remain neutral and not have any association with govt does not mean they are against govt. He even told me he attended a meeeting and there was a flag in the room, but he was not offended by this(well good for him) he does not pledge allegience to it, but he respects it for the symbol it is. He also commented on many Jw's who work for the govt agencies, but do not hold the beliefs that the govt holds...such as the scripture Dan 2:44...Ok I will spare the rest of the lecture.
I told him I understand their views, and asked again how the UN might react to this information. He then again tried to avoid that issue by telling me I needed to write a letter to them (WTBTS), and by then the investigation will be completed. I asked how long to expect before a reply and he said 2-3 weeks...I am holding my breath
Again I asked...I was very persisitent and wanted this answered I quoted a few of the criteria listed to be an NGO to him~
a) The NGO must support and respect the principles of the Charter of the United Nations;
f) The NGO should have a satisfactory record of collaboration with UN Information Centres/Services or other parts of the UN System prior to association;
I even asked about needed 4 references to complete the application. I told him I saw a copy of the application and he sounded suprised that there was an application and he claims to not be aware of the requirements. He asked me to send it to them in the letter. I told him it was readily available online at the UN site. But, I will inclusde it in the letter.
I told him I hoped that he was not going to say that working in a govt agency and actually seeking out association with the UN is the same thing, because clearly it is not. Working for an employer is MUCH different.
He did tell me that the Awake! has used the UN library in the past, as they do much research at many different agencies. I asked if there was any association with the Watchtower and he said not that he was aware of. Hmm, why not? Of course I didn't ask that! Perhaps that will be their scapegoat that only a writer for the Awake is associated!
Well, the convo was dwindling down, I asked if there has ever been a formal admission to the association with the UN in any of their publications, he denied this. He reiterated that any association was not "current" and only a historical.
SO we have it...
wendy
Edited for Typos...Also I want to say that an application is not available online at the Un site. The copy that I saw was obtained and printed here.