I know it's implied. I know they talk at least once a conference about members who were offended needing to forgive those who offended them and return to the fold. But have any of them come out and said "The reason most people leave is because they are offended?"

I ask because it would make a good argument with TBMs when they say "Most people leave because they are offended" to reply "Who said that?" Then point out that while talks are given reaching out to the offended, it doesn't say anywhere that it's the reason a majority of the inactives leave. Say you understand the church reaching out to the few who were offended because those are the only ones they have any hope of reactivating. People who leave for historical and doctrinal and spiritual reasons will never return and the leaders know that. So they concentrate on the one in one hundred they can get back - the offended. Of course, it won't work if GA's have come out and bald-face lied and said that most members leave because of an offense.

No, but they refer to "the offended" in such blanket terms that their listeners perceive and interpret their words as such. Here are three classic examples:

April 1982, Neal A. Maxwell, "A Brother Offended"
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1982/04/a-brother-offended?lang=eng

August 1998, Denise Turner, "If Any Man Offend Not"
https://www.lds.org/ensign/1998/08/if-any-man-offend-not?lang=eng

October 2006, David A. Bednar, "And Nothing Shall Offend Them"
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2006/10/and-nothing-shall-offend-them?lang=eng

In a similar vein, my bishop told me that everyone who he knows who ever left did so because either they were offended or were covering up a secret sin. He is very successful in the business world but I laughed inwardly. He missed the council and so missed my full explanation.

When I left, I was told (!) that my apostasy was due to being offended, lack of faith and sexual sin. They were wrong on all counts. And there have been endless talks and lessons in the various manuals about people being offended and how it leads people out of the church. In retrospect, I think being offended is an extremely good reasons to leave, actually.

Yes, I agree - there are talks about people leaving because they are offended and how they should repent and come back. But has anyone ever said "MOST people leave because they are offended" that you know of? It's implied but is it ever stated clearly?

Personally,as far as your last sentence goes, I think a good comeback is "Why are you NOT offended - what's wrong with you?" Because sensible people don't stay around offensive people and for the offensive people to blame the victim is really messed up.

As someone whose spouse has been harassed by these idiots for twenty years, I'm sure offended, and so is my spouse, so they'd have called it right. This kind of thing goes hand in hand with "What did we do to offend you?" Well, gee, you visited, uninvited. You told me you had a right to be in my home. You sent letters and made phone calls after you were told to knock it off. You called all over Salt Lake and bothered her family when you couldn't track her down, and then her family "updated her records" to make it easier to pester her, even though we didn't invite you here. Her family set you loose on trying to contact her as she battled serious illness. The letters and phone calls continued. It says "No Trespassing" outside the door, yet, you ring the bell and pound on the door.

I'd say I'm offended, GD right. Stop the visits, LDS types, and you'll stop offending people. Best part is that my spouse is considering formal departure from this cult. Who pushed her out, eh?

I think early on there was a sermon about two types who leave. The "offended" were illustrated by the milk strippings story, and the "left to sin" type by some of the witnesses leaving the early church and getting their good names slandered in retaliation.
I'm never totally sure on the deep history, but this is of very old origin in TSCC.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2012 01:11AM by WinksWinks.