In a surprising move contradicting its usual stand against interfaith movements, the Watch Tower Society has joined common defense efforts with other "new religions" seeking to legitimize themselves:

Official Watch Tower delegation at CESNUR

Official Watchtower representatives share the speaker's platform with Moonies, New Agers, occult groups, vampire sects, and others at the CESNUR conference (the Center for Studies on New Religions) in Torino, Italy, September 10-12, 1998.

According to its official website CESNUR defends sects against charges of "the brainwashing or mind control model of conversion" since "In the 1990s it became apparent that inaccurate information was being disseminated to the media and the public powers by activists associated with the international anti-cult movement." (http://www.cesnur.org/whatisit.htm)

The program schedule -- available free from CESNUR, Via Juvarra 20, 10122 Torino, Italy and also posted on the Internet at the URL below -- lists the Watch Tower delegation as including representatives from the Society's French and German branches and from Brooklyn and Patterson in the U.S. (http://www.cesnur.org/Torino98progr.htm) See Session 18 titled "Jehovah's Witnesses: Sociological and Legal Perspectives."

Brigham Young University speakers represent Mormonism in Session 8. Session 19's speakers immediately following Jehovah's Witnesses explore "Finding Enlightenment: Ramtha's School of Ancient Wisdom."

On political panel with Muslim and Scientology representatives

A July 23, 1998, press release from the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe announced a joint hearing with the House International Relations Committee on "Continuing Religious Intolerance in Europe." (See http://www.house.gov/csce/)

The U.S. government press release lists "Panel 2" as including "Mr. Jerry Powers, Director, Office of International Justice and Peace, US Catholic Conference; ... Mr. Philip Brumley, Counsel for Watchtower Bible and Tract Society; Father Alexander Karloutsos, The Ecumenical Patriarchate; Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, President, Muslim Women's League; Mr. Colby May, Esq., Trinity Broadcasting Network; Wilhelm Bluemel, Counsel for the Church of Scientology in Germany."

The Commission explains that the hearing is to address concerns affecting several religious groups:

For instance, the Belgian and French parliaments listed as "dangerous" groups such as independent evangelical Protestant churches, Catholic communities, Baha'i, Jehovah's Witness, and Hasidic Jews. Negative effects have been felt by these religious groups due to these reports.

(Memorial services for two police officers shot at the U.S. Capitol led to the panel's postponement as we went to press. -- editor)

For obvious reasons, the Watch Tower Society has been keeping its inter-faith efforts hidden from rank-and-file Jehovah's Witnesses.