i think i can answer your question. i was never in the way. i joined an offshoot last year because i went to one fellowship with someone i became friends with and i really enjoyed the fellowship and the way it all worked out....however, more and more into it they started reading a lot of wierwille books, so i did some research and asked some questions on another forum. raphael from living epistles wrote me an email just asking why i questioned so much. i found this site through his and continued to read up on the history of the way.
i love/loved our fellowships very much until they started presenting our fellowships with wierwille tapes and constantly referring to him as "a great man, dr. wierwille" and etc. i cringe when i hear someone refer to him as great because i felt the fellowship should be about the word of god, and not the teachings of a man.
the people at these fellowships are 90% people who got into the word long after vpw died and they look up to him as a leader of a great ministry. whenever i asked about twi, they just explain that after vpw died, that it became corrupt.
some of the things i have noticed is the words these people use. the way these people all speak is very difficult for me to accept and the fact that there are words that i have been told recently not to say bothers me. god forbid i say luck, create, and etc.... i get a lecture about each of these words and why as a christian i should not say such things.
i also have been told that i should not refer to people outside the word as "friends" and my family is my "worldy family." wtf is that? these are people who raised me and loved me when i had nobody. i am so thankful i found this site. i was hungry for the word of god (now i am starting to sound like them) but instead i got disciplined and alienated from the people i dearly love. i miss my "worldly" life and even though i am not half as messed up as the people who were wrecked by twi, i definately have been damaged by what i thought was a loving bible research ministry.
the fellowships are very loving and the only really uncomfortable thing about them is manifestations. i love learning about the word of god, but lately, i find that i haven't been believing in it as much as i did before i realized that i should make my move to get out. while these people are very kind and love god, the kind of love i need doesn't seem to come from them. i'd rather get a hug from my parents and know that it's genuine and that they love me no matter what, not just because i'm part of their fellowship.