"Fifty years of frustrated efforts "
After being accepted as an associate NGO in 1992, the staff writers for both the Watchtower and Awake apparently wrote a number of articles that were specifically intended to demonstrate to the DPI that Jehovah’s Witnesses share the same political ideals as the United Nations.
As an example of how the Watchtower Society further carried out its obligation towards the DPI, on the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, in 1995, the October 1st issue of the Watchtower carried an article entitled: “Fifty Years of Frustrated Efforts.”The following quotation is a sampling of the high praise the Watchtower magazine lavished upon the “disgusting thing”:
“For 50 years the United Nations organization has made notable efforts to bring about world peace and security. Arguably, it may have prevented a third world war, and the wholesale destruction of human life through the use of nuclear bombs has not been repeated. The United Nations has provided millions of children with food and medicine. It has contributed to improved health standards in many countries, providing, among other things, safer drinking water and immunization against dangerous diseases. Millions of refugees have received humanitarian assistance.”
For an institution that claims to be politically neutral, it would certainly seem as though the Watchtower was biased in their tribute to the United Nations. When has the Watchtower ever commemorated the birth of an individual nation on the anniversary of its inception? Why not, for instance, commemorate the birth of the United States?
And why single out the humanitarian aid provided through the United Nations, as though it were doing something unique in the world? As evidence of their partiality, according to the Global Policy Forum the United Nations total expenditures for 1995 were over $13 billion. Of that amount, about seven billion dollars is listed as “voluntary spending,” which was presumably used for humanitarian purposes. However, in 1995 the Japanese government, alone, contributed over 14 billion dollars to overseas development causes—more than double the contribution of the United Nations—yet, the Watchtower ceaselessly praises the generous humanitarian efforts of the United Nations, while omitting any commendation of independent nation states, such as Japan, for their charitable works.
The Peace Corps, for instance, is certainly an outstanding example of a worthy humanitarian organization. It has trained and deployed thousands of volunteers from the United States to assist in Third World countries. (173,000 to be exact) Why is it, though, that the Watchtower has not so much as once even acknowledged the selfless contributions of the American Peace Corp to the betterment of mankind? There are literally hundreds of references in Awake and Watchtower magazines informing the public of the UN’s programs and not one word of commendation for the Peace Corps. Why is that? How can the Watchtower Society claim to be politically neutral when it has gone to such lengths to extol the virtues the United Nations, lauding the efforts and accomplishments of its myriad agencies and programs, while completely ignoring other organizations that do similar things?
But, it goes even deeper than that.
While seemingly criticizing the United Nations for thus far failing to unite the world in peace, the Watchtower actually echoes the “criticisms” of the UN’s most ardent supporters! In what way?
The primary architects of the United Nations originally intended that the UN should eventually replace the nation-state system with a non-democratic, socialistic world government. For instance, the British imperialist, H.G. Wells, wrote a book back in 1932 called The Open Conspiracy, in which, Wells calls for the abolition of traditional religions, as well as the nation state. Here is a quote:
"The fundamental organization of contemporary states is plainly still military, and that is exactly what a world organization cannot be. Flags, uniforms, national anthems, patriotism sedulously cultivated in church and school, the brag, blare, and bluster of our competing sovereignties, belong to the phase of development the Open Conspiracy will supersede. We have to get clear of that clutter."
Following Wells’ outline for world government, the globalists’ propaganda in recent decades has attacked nationalism (“competing sovereignties”) as the scourge of mankind. To that end, the Watchtower has lent its own credibility to the globalists’ cause by biblically reinforcing the call for the abolition of religion and the nation-state system and the creation of a new world order. For a certainty, the similarity of the Watchtower’s “kingdom message” and the globalists’ propaganda makes for easy counterfeiting. (The prophetic significance of this is discussed in later chapters.) That is why we can discern the faint outline of H.G. Wells’ propaganda in the same Watchtower devoted to commemorating the UN’s 50th anniversary:
“As powerful as the United Nations may appear to be, its efforts are often thwarted by politics and the media. The United Nations is powerless if it lacks the support of its members. But without the public’s approval, many UN members will not support the United Nations. For instance, according to The Wall Street Journal, the “spectacular failures in Somalia and Bosnia have persuaded many Americans that the organization isn’t just wasteful, but actually dangerous.” This attitude of the public has, in turn, persuaded some American politicians to propose reducing U.S. financial support of the United Nations.”
So, it would appear that the Watchtower supports the argument that populism and stubborn nationalism are the real reasons the United Nations has thus far failed to create utopia. The Watchtower also apparently agrees that the United Nations is powerless if it does not have public support. And unbeknownst to it readers, the Watchtower was doing its part to change that situation by educating the public about the United Nations; which is exactly what is expected of NGOs.
The article indicts false religion as the fomenter of war and disunity, and while making mention of the fact that Bible prophecy foretells the destruction of babylonish religion at the hands of the beast-like 8th king, it does not directly connect the United Nations with the prophecy, as the Society had on many occasions prior to becoming an NGO.
It is most telling that the 1995 Watchtower subtly shifts from their previous interpretation that the scarlet-colored wild beast specifically symbolizes the United Nations; instead, now the beast merely represents the non-specific “governments” that will turn upon religion. As an example of how the Watchtower has adulterated their own prophetic interpretations—ostensibly to assuage the UN—we read on page 6:
“These governments are depicted as “a scarlet-colored wild beast,” upon which the harlot rides in comfort. Known as “Babylon the Great,” this powerful and immoral woman is named after ancient Babylon, the cradle of idolatrous religion. Appropriately, today the harlot represents all the world’s religions, which have mingled in with the affairs of governments.”
Perhaps most disturbing, though, is that in a separate box of the same issue of the Watchtower, the Society admits that in the past they have identified the United Nations as the scarlet-colored beast; but the purpose of the auxiliary information has nothing to do with confirming Bible prophecy. Instead, the additional information is a shameless attempt to scripturally justify their own pandering to the United Nations by making a special point to remind Jehovah’s Witnesses that Christians are commanded by God to show respect to the governmental, “superior authorities”—particularly the United Nations! It would appear as if the Governing Body used its ecclesiastical authority over Jehovah’s Witnesses to allay any suspicion that may have arisen as to the appropriateness of the Society’s friendlier relationship with the United Nations. Under the heading of “The Christians View of the United Nations,” we are informed:
“In Bible prophecy, human governments are often symbolized by wild beasts. Hence, for many decades the Watchtower magazine has identified the wild beasts of Revelation chapters 13 and 17 with today’s worldly governments. This includes the United Nations, which is depicted in Revelation chapter 17 as a scarlet-colored beast with seven heads and ten horns.
However, this Scriptural position does not condone any form of disrespect toward governments or their officials…Jehovah’s Witnesses view the United Nations organization as they do other governmental bodies of the world. They acknowledge that the United Nations continues to exist by God’s permission. In harmony with the Bible, Jehovah’s Witnesses render due respect to all governments and obey them as long as such obedience does not require that they sin against God.”
