It may not be a fixable problem - the "top down authoritarianism" I mean. It's not Biblical, it's evil. Powered by the idea that a human being can condemn someone to the fire. Sad. Thanks for your thoughtful reply.
It would be fixable if there was a hint of the Holy spirit and a care for following scripture amongst them; but, the problem is, that the philosophy has supplanted scripture and truth a long time ago. This is why the inquisitions were even possible to come from something claiming to be Christian and last for what 700+ years. This is why the example of Christ in Telling Peter to put the sword away and the sinners to put down their rocks and leave the adulterous woman alone cannot penetrate them. Their philosophy is their master, not Christ's direction. They turn from his direction scoffing. They know better because they have reasoned it out and are wiser than all. They've been around for some 1500 years so they are right - or so the claim goes...
I too wish the Scriptures would penetrate. They can, but only if God allows it. When people are given over to strong delusion so that they will believe a lie, they will never accept the truth on their own. It's also a big part of why you see them projecting their own actions and their own problems on everyone else. But you can always pray that God will get hold of them.