The straw man didn't need a diploma to be intelligent, the Lion didn't need his medal to act bravely, the Tin Man was already capable of loving. All of this notwithstanding, the Wizard was called upon to help them discover these truths about themselves and to give symbolic recognition of them. He was able to do thisd by utilizing community - by creating a situation in which their strengths could be shared and tested with others who cared about them. I have discovered that a minister can come out smelling like a rose when he or she can help members discover in the context of a religious community some things that are possible for them that they had not realized. That, of course, is dependent upon their willingness to commit and risk.
Churches present great opportunities for growth.
The kind of caring that is shared in a vital church gives us the freedom to dare to do things that we probably wouldn't attempt in another setting, because in a real church community we have the freedom to fail sometimes as well as to succeed. It was in doing for others that Dorothy and her friends learned about themselves - not in individual therapy. In his notes, Hearn suggests that the Wizard is confronted with a psychological conflict between role and self. He is feared because he is not understood. He is most dreadful when .