The organization was started by religious zealots way back when and it has taken on a life of it's own. It's ways have been spread to others and its success lies in it's ability to fill (for some people) the basic human craving to have answers and certainty in an uncertain world. The answers don't always have to make complete sense so long as they are somewhat plausable but more importantly, mask the fears caused by uncertainty.
People get caught up for decades gladly spending their energies and giving support in return for the distraction from the realities they fear.Many of them stay with it for a lifetime but mostly it's a continuous Circus Carousel of people stepping on and stepping off at different intervals.
Many were placed on the Circus ride by their well meaning parents or were themselves attracted by the pretty ponies and bright lights of everlasting life in a perfect new world. Each rider pays his fare, clings on to the shiny brass pole and calls out to other potential riders still standing on the sidelines because they truly believe that being on the carousel is the best place to be.
In time, for one reason or another most start to see the chips in the paint and the dust collecting on the bright lights. They see oddities of the other riders and notice the crazed looks in the eyes of the garish ponies they are riding on. They begin to realize they are only going around in circles. They know they must step of the endlessly spinning ride or be flung off by those who have no time of riders who don't love the Carousel anymore....riders who remind them that they too are getting tired of the merry-go -round they are trapped on.
Sadly they acknowledge that their fare has long ago been spent by the man in charge of the ride and that he is only interested in finding new customers. They've been reaching for the brass ring for decades keeping themselves busy pulling new ones on board and getting them settled onto pretty ponies of their own. They understand now that although Carousels do serve a purpose in this world, they aren't meant to be ridden on for a lifetime. They also know they've been dazled by it's bright lights for years and are uncertain how to walk in a straight line of their own choosing. Despite this, they return to solid ground but must for a time put up with the spinning sensation that lingers from their years of circular thoughts and movement.
The Governing Body members are an older more heavily entrenched version of this. They have reached a level where there's no turning back. They are being carried along by the heavy momentum of an already moving machine. They keep changing the colored lights, freshening the paint and updating the music in an effort to make the ride make more sense or seem more interesting to the millions who are being carried along just as they are. One by one, former riders are leaving and fading into the crowd while new ones are climbing on board, neither one noticing as they pass eachother by.