[aron]

Originally Posted by Cal

It's easy to see how the cognitive dissonance produced by fearing retribution from God for questioning the MOTA or some other "apostle" can produce something approaching mental illness in those subjected to it.

It's all so vague. Is he or isn't he? What if he is? Am I supposed to know? (Come on, you know you know!) Do I? Where is the line drawn? What if he is far from perfect? Does a "great ministry" make up for that? (Shut up and submit, or face judgment!) Where's God? (Submit! MOTA is the acting God!)

Help!

Human authority is not supposed to work this way. It compromises the conscience of the believer to such an extent that the problem can only be resolved by mindlessly turning one's life over the the "apostle" or blowing him off completely!

Does God really present that choice to us concerning men? Or is someone else doing it?

This is a good question, a set of questions really - what happens to your conscience when you're conditioned/trained to be reflexively obedient to a "spiritual authority" that's arguably misbehaving? And, how can you follow the Holy Spirit when your conscience becomes so compromised? And, what spirit are you then following, if it's not the HS?