They (i.e. The WTS) can argue forever that they "never said in print that Armegeddon will come in 1975":
- but this, however, is never going alter the fact that what they did put in print was written in such a way as to leave readers to arrive at that conclusion.
Furthermore, this was done deliberately - simply because they wanted their readers to reach this conclusion.
For example:
- Awake of October 8, 1966: (p.19). I can remember like it was yesterday my non-JW mother's remarks after reading this article. To quote "They say Armegeddon is going to be in 1975."
- Watchtower of August 15, 1968: The title of this article was "Why are you looking forward to 1975?" (p.499). This mentioned a matter of "weeks or months - not years" between the end of 6000 years of human existence and Armegeddon.
- Awake of October 8, 1968: This featured an article entitled "What will the 1970s bring?"(p.13). Amongst other things, the phrase "how fitting" was used if Armegeddon coincided with the end of 6000 years of human existence. (This article also stated that "The Generation" was that which was old enough to actually have understood that it was witnessing the beginning of the Time of the End - not old enough to have been merely alive then).
Elsewhere they actually cautioned about "hiding" (their words, not mine) behind the scripture that "the day or the hour, nobody knows".
However much the WTS has tried to wriggle out of this ever since, at the end of the day their own literature still condemns them. It matters little that they "did not outright print that the end will come in 1975." The thought that their literature did leave hanging there was just as destructive as if they had said it outright. Furthermore, this was not in any way accidental - the WTS wanted us to believe that.
Bill.
PS:Many now claim that they never believed what the Society said about 1975. However, in the years leading up to that date, I never met one JW who expressed any such doubts. The expression "Hook, line and sinker" comes to mind!
