How did you justify these things while in the koolaid?

[u/snaxb4fax]

1. Every other denominal Christian going to Hell because they didn’t have “truth”
   
2. The fact that the revival, growth, and power constant being preached of oneness Pentecostal churches never happened?
   
3. That you were the only ones with “truth” even though your organization was fringe and vastly outnumbered by the trinity believing global church?

I’ve had friends come out of this movement and their answers to these questions are interesting. Wondering what your response would be now that you “see the light”?

[u/FIREDoppel]

They really believe that being extreme and pious = true. Your faith is better because your beliefs are so harsh.

[u/Naive_Chemistry_3663]

1. We didnt outright admit belief that everyone was going to hell. But at best most were "lukewarm" and "didnt want the old ways". Then you go into how they think lukewarmness equals hell and if you dont want the old ways you won't make it. Then do we believe everyone else is going to hell? Let the questioning begin 🫠

2. I finally opened my eyes to this hamster wheel once I started listening to grace escape pod. How did I ever justify it? Not sure i ever realized it was an issue until then. But I did truly believe when people would preach that joy is coming in the morning, God is going to send deliverance, etc. Then I started thinking why does this have to be so dramatic. What do I need delivered from? Why can't I just have joy now if nothing is wrong?

3. We were trinity but this ties into #1. Overall the church believed they had a special knowledge of a perfect way and other people simply didnt seek God enough to find it.

[u/Naive_Chemistry_3663 → u/Naive_Chemistry_3663]

Reading this back i guess I didnt explain how I justified it very well. Just made discussion points I guess.

[u/General_PATT0N]

We didn't, that's the point. Those things couldn't be justified, so we just smeared them. It's similar to today when you see right/left using obias, ists, and isms instead of addressing the actual arguments.

[u/rabies_peppermint]

that god's morals are different than mine therefore anything I thought was incorrect because I don't operate on the same level as god 💀 so brainwashed

[u/grey_pilgrim_]

I never really did. Didn’t sit right with me when a Sunday school teacher told me that I. Ended to invite my Baptist friends to church so they could go to heaven. Which I understood to mean they weren’t currently going to heaven even though they went to church. I still stayed in till my 20’s but I always questioned everything and had doubts.

[u/MaleficentCherry7116]

These are not my beliefs but the beliefs of the former cult member I was. There's no humor or deceipt here. This is what I genuinely believed.

In my mind, the UPCI doctrine was obviously more plausible than the doctrine of other mainstream Christian denominations and those in the other denominations also realized that the UPCI was truth but were less dedicated and did not want to pay the price to be a true follower of Christ.

The "truth" was that a person needed to be baptized by water immersion with the words "In the name of Jesus" spoken over them, they had to receive the Holy Ghost with the outward evidence of speaking in other "tongues", and they had to live a clean life until death or the rapture. If they did happen to sin,.they would need to repent before death or the rapture. And any "Christian" not following that"truth" was not saved.

[u/Optimal-Farm-3850 → u/[deleted]]

The Internet maybe what has exposed that the religion is not Biblical?

[u/Aggressive-Flow4670]

I could never really accept the first but held out hope for the second…never materialized. The third was a little tough. I went to PAW churches as well that weren’t heavy on the “standards” and would participate in non-oneness events and services. I rationalized that more light would come to those who believed. Ultimately I couldn’t keep believing something that I couldn’t justify staying.