“Labels are invented to foster feelings of segregation and competition. Serious seperations results when labels are utilized with the intent to demean... If we allow nicknames to be used or adopt or even sponsor those nicknames ourselves, [The Savior] is offended.” - Russell M. Nelson vs “To be offended is a choice we make... One of the greatest indicators of our own spiritual maturity is revealed in how we respond to the offensive actions of others. Choosing to be offended is a symptom of a much deeper and more serious spiritual malady.” - David A. Bednar | wasmormon.org
“Labels are invented to foster feelings of segregation and competition. Serious seperations results when labels are utilized with the intent to demean... If we allow nicknames to be used or adopt or even sponsor those nicknames ourselves, [The Savior] is offended.” - Russell M. Nelson vs “To be offended is a choice we make... One of the greatest indicators of our own spiritual maturity is revealed in how we respond to the offensive actions of others. Choosing to be offended is a symptom of a much deeper and more serious spiritual malady.” - David A. Bednar

On Choosing to be Offended

When members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leave the church, they are often met with oversimplified explanations from those who remain. The common refrain is that people leave for one of three reasons: they were offended, they wanted to sin, or they were simply lazy. This narrative is pervasive among both …

“To believe that someone or something can make us feel offended, angry, hurt, or bitter diminishes our moral agency and transforms us into objects to be acted upon. As agents, however, you and I have the power to act and to choose how we will respond to an offensive or hurtful situation. In many instances, choosing to be offended is a symptom of a much deeper and more serious spiritual malady.” - David A. Bednar, LDS Apostle, And Nothing Shall Offend Them, October 2006 General Conference | wasmormon.org
“To believe that someone or something can make us feel offended, angry, hurt, or bitter diminishes our moral agency and transforms us into objects to be acted upon. As agents, however, you and I have the power to act and to choose how we will respond to an offensive or hurtful situation. In many instances, choosing to be offended is a symptom of a much deeper and more serious spiritual malady.” - David A. Bednar, LDS Apostle, And Nothing Shall Offend Them, October 2006 General Conference
“You and I cannot control the intentions or behavior of other people. However, we do determine how we will act. Please remember that you and I are agents endowed with moral agency, and we can choose not to be offended. One of the greatest indicators of our own spiritual maturity is revealed in how we respond to the weaknesses, the inexperience, and the potentially offensive actions of others. A thing, an event, or an expression may be offensive, but you and I can choose not to be offended.” - David A. Bednar, LDS Apostle, And Nothing Shall Offend Them, October 2006 General Conference | wasmormon.org
“You and I cannot control the intentions or behavior of other people. However, we do determine how we will act. Please remember that you and I are agents endowed with moral agency, and we can choose not to be offended. One of the greatest indicators of our own spiritual maturity is revealed in how we respond to the weaknesses, the inexperience, and the potentially offensive actions of others. A thing, an event, or an expression may be offensive, but you and I can choose not to be offended.” - David A. Bednar, LDS Apostle, And Nothing Shall Offend Them, October 2006 General Conference
“It ultimately is impossible for another person to offend you or to offend me. Indeed, believing that another person offended us is fundamentally false. To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else.” - David A. Bednar, LDS Apostle, And Nothing Shall Offend Them, October 2006 General Conference | wasmormon.org
“It ultimately is impossible for another person to offend you or to offend me. Indeed, believing that another person offended us is fundamentally false. To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else.” - David A. Bednar, LDS Apostle, And Nothing Shall Offend Them, October 2006 General Conference
“We live in a world where everybody is offended about almost everything. We don't take offense, we just ask people to respect what, to us, is very sacred. The name of the church was revealed. We didn't have a task force and test it with focus groups, it was revealed by the head of the church, who is Jesus Christ. And we simply are asking people to respect that, and call us what we are.” - David A. Bednar, LDS Apostle, Addresses the National Press Club, 2022 | wasmormon.org
“We live in a world where everybody is offended about almost everything. We don't take offense, we just ask people to respect what, to us, is very sacred. The name of the church was revealed. We didn't have a task force and test it with focus groups, it was revealed by the head of the church, who is Jesus Christ. And we simply are asking people to respect that, and call us what we are.” - David A. Bednar, LDS Apostle, Addresses the National Press Club, 2022

Major Victories for Satan

LDS Church leader, Russell Nelson, has for decades wanted to do away with the nickname of the church. It seems to have been a pet peeve of his, and he single-handedly announced a plea to use the full name of the church in 1990 when he was a junior apostle. The next conference, however, President …