TweetieBird, here are some things I know about the UN situation:
In 1991 several people in the Writing Department at Bethel decided to get a UN library pass. In order to do that, they had to become associated with the DPI (Department of Public Information of the UN) as an NGO (Non Governmental Organization. In 1992 the Watchtower Society was officially signed up as an associated NGO.
Given what Hawkaw has discovered, namely, that almost all of the information directly available at the UN library is available through other sources, it's not clear why they would need a library pass. The man who actually used the pass most often is one Ciro Aulicino, a researcher in the Dept. He apparently got permission from his boss, one Harry Peloyan. The latter is actually the editor and head of production for Awake! magazine. Both have been in Bethel 40-50 years. They had to get permission from at least one Governing Body member, since the application forms required the signature of a top official of the NGO. This GB member in 1991 was Lloyd Barry. Barry was listed on the original application as the corporate official, and Aulicino was listed as the contact man. In 1998 Barry died, and so another GB member (I don't know which one) has been required to sign the yearly renewal application since then.
In 1991 there appeared in Awake! an article about the UN that appeared to non-JWs to be praising the UN and its goals. It was so cleverly worded, however, that JWs could easily read between the lines and, using their prior knowledge of how severely the Society had always bashed the UN, conclude that it was a tongue-in-cheek article that was really bashing the UN in the usual manner. Each year since then, Awake! has run articles concerning UN issues. These articles were necessary because the Society had to include sample material with the yearly renewal application that showed that it was continuing to actively promote the goals of the UN that it had agreed to support by reason of becoming associated with the DPI as an NGO in the first place.
While I don't doubt that the original reason for these men signing up was to get a library pass, I think that they and a few other highly placed WTS people quickly realized that they could use their NGO status to advance other WTS goals. During the 1990s the Society was heavily involved in lobbying various political agencies in the U.S. and Europe for more religious rights, or for less restrictions on their activities. One of their most effective means of lobbying was to address the European Human Rights Commission about things like abuse in Russia. I'm sure that the associated NGO status really helped get them in the door on this.
So one way or another, the Society has become involved in politics because it is now involved in lobbying political bodies for various reasons. Various JWs may try to argue that such lobbying is not really playing politics, but it certainly is. For example, Martin Luther King lobbied various political organizations in the 1960s for rights for black Americans. No one disputes that King was involved in politics by doing this.
JWs might try to compare the Society's current lobbying to going to court to get justice. This does not work, though, because going to court is simply demanding an enforcement of already-existing law, or of clearing up fuzzy interpretations of that law. But the Society's present activities are not like that, because they are actually trying to get laws changed -- which is precisely the goal of politics. The Bible specifically allows for Christians to get justice in "worldly" courts, but the Society has always taught that it is wrong to get involved in politics.
My opinion is that the men who actually set up the NGO status, Aulicino and Peloyan, did not initially realize that their desire for a UN library card would compromise the Society's teachings about the UN. However, the fact that Peloyan, in his position as editor-in-chief of Awake!, obviously allowed or caused an apparently supportive article to appear in his magazine proves that he, at least, knew exactly what was involved. I have no doubt that all of the others who actually have taken advantage of the associated NGO status, such as Aulicino and certain men in the Legal Department, knew perfectly well that they were compromising long-standing Watchtower principles. That's why hardly anyone outside that very tight circle knew anything about the NGO status. I know from certain insiders that most Bethelites had no idea what was going on. That's really the reason they withdrew so quickly after their faux pas became public. The hypocritical officials could not justify their wheelings and dealings to other officials who were not in on it.
Don't let the elders intimidate you. They're only men, and they will quickly fold if you stand up to them. Do rely on some of the fine people on this board to help you. Let your husband run interference, and by all means have him present when you talk to the elders. I'm guessing that you're not going to tell the elders to just piss off because you want your son to see what kind of nonsensical answers they'll come up with. You might even consider having him around to watch the show.
I hope this information is of some help.
AlanF
