The origin of the church that always was

The church that always was — and its origin

I have always wondered, since I began to think more skeptically, whom of the older generations knew of the history of the church and did not tell, but let others believe the beautiful falsehood.

Of the ministers, known as workers, there must have been several amongst the older generation when I was growing up who knew well of Irvine and true history of the religion.

My childhood religion lost its written history some time during the 20th century.

In the time of my childhood, and into young adulthood, "The Truth" was for me the one true way, a nameless church that had always been.

"Lost" may not be the right word — accurate, but incomplete. Members of the church briefly disregarded the history — and afterward, the information remained lost for a generation and a half.

William Irvine, a Scotsman, originated "The Truth" in Northern Ireland in 1897. He believed he'd revived the original "Way." [I'm not sure, any more, what that word is supposed to mean It all gets very murky when you start to think about it.]

After a few years, Irvine fell out of favor with members — he'd clearly lost much of his remaining sanity. The terminal disagreement may have had more to do with the fact that he had an unacceptable sexual relationship; but in any case there was a schism. Irvine was kicked out of "the fold." [that word is just older English, from the King James Bible, early 17th century.]

Irvine's major disagreements with the church started in 1914. He went on to develop a grander delusion, and he died in Jerusalem, where he'd gone to pursue his great destiny.

Those members who remained after the shakeout stopped talking about him. That's all. It doesn't seem to have been a conspiracy to create the "original" religion — it just worked out that way.

Without discussion of its founder, the church developed a mythology about its divine beginning.

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