Rocky

Of course it makes sense. EVERY human is highly qualified to rationalize and therefore justify what they believe about anything, including what they consider God. Same goes for EVERY religion. There is no religion that can rightly claim their God (or god or gods) is/are the only true God and that they can prove it. It's all about taking it on faith. IOW, every religion has an origin story and a narrative about what they believe is THE truth.

Even IF it's "belief that since God can do no wrong, it is always wrong of the person if they leave the faith..." that's just how a person's very human rationalization for their criticism is simply a manifestation of the human tendency to criticize something they disagree with.

I certainly don't speak for anyone who criticizes anyone like you. But I do suspect the culprit may be human nature which finds ways and reasons to justify criticizing anyone with whom they disagree. I'd recommend, to the extent possible, you just let go of your irritation (or whatever you experience) when recognizing such criticism of you and your path. We ALL get criticized. Sometimes justly, other times not.

Yeah, I get it. However, you became the you that you are because of the decision that you made. IOW, I look at the fact that I didn't graduate from college until I was 31 differently, though my detours were both US military service and TWI. I lived some life and gained some insight I wouldn't have been able to if not for the experiences, good and bad, I had as a young adult. Ultimately, I expect to reach my 70th birthday this year. I'm a survivor. My first introduction to twi was in October 1974.

I hope you eventually did go to college.

IMO, not only did decision makers at HQ not "get revelation" for making good decisions, they apparently also lacked good business sense as well as sound foresight. Especially concerning disruptive technological innovation and the accelerating nature thereof. Just sayin'.

One might reasonably surmise that to be the reason he said it.

Already obsolete?

Not to mention that Wierwille, though clearly also highly paranoid like Jones, didn't incite a mass murder/suicide event.

Three episodes. Link to watch on Hulu. Subscription required. Also, I started reading a former People's Temple member's book, Seductive Poison by Deborah Layton, published 1998. Many parallels btwn Jones' cult and TWI.

Sounds political...

and shellfish? Leviticus 11:9-11 New International Version 9 “‘Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams you may eat any that have fins and scales. 10 But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales—whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water—you are to regard as unclean. 11 And since you are to regard them as unclean, you must not eat their meat; you must regard their carcasses as unclean.

A man sees/hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest...

It (changing one's thinking or values or understanding of spiritual matters) requires time and patience. It doesn't (and can't) happen overnight. What should one do when they lose trust and become disillusioned? 1) realize they aren't proving anything either wrong or right. Rather, they are coming to grips with reality. 2) realize the narrative on which they have built their "relationship with God" is all about stories. The stories, it appears, are not holding true under the challenges of contemporary life.

More than likely it says they don't let themselves be consciously aware of all the bad stuff that WE couldn't overlook. It reminds me of when, as a young adult, hearing in some church (probably a military base chapel somewhere) people justifying their loyalties to the Baptist Church or some other such group that was also highly flawed. I understand you being aware of the evil in twi. Denial is a very powerful emotional defense mechanism.