If you don't agree, you're better than me.

[drrocketanski]

I think it may be true that:

1) The unity of a society grows to the extent that there is agreement on what offends.  Friendships seem to grow in the same way.

2) There is (almost?) nothing that is "naturally" offensive.  I would suggest that God is never offended by anything (though He is saddened and angered by things).

What I mean by "to be offended

Comments

[panheadgirl]

"Being offended, as in being hurt, I think, is different. Being offended in a disattached way is something different."

I think so too. Maybe "not being taken seriously" is offensive both ways--on one hand it's because "I want people to listen to me because I'm awesome" but it can also be (at the same time) hurtful, because other people are putting no value into you or your thoughts whatsoever.

And, I don't know, maybe the foul language example is hurtfully offensive, too. Maybe you (the hypothetical offended person) HAVE been wronged. Even if foul language isn't morally wrong, another person's use of it before you, who are sensitive to it, can hurt because that person is putting his own need above your own (his desire to express his feelings in the way most satisfying to him vs. your sensitivity to the language). Maybe even you think you're just offended by the language, but somewhere in the deeper recesses of your subconscious you are really hurt by the other person's selfishness, and maybe you dont even realize it, but it could be the real reason why you're "offended."

But I don't know if any of that is even relevant to the main point.

I keep thinking about it and wondering if I agree/disagree/don't care. At first I thought "Well, a society could band together on things other than offense, like what is considered right and wrong." But even if you agree on some absolutes there will be a lot of things that people will not really know/be able to decide if they are absolutely right or wrong. I"m guessing that a lot of these "offensive" things come from those foggier areas that people who are not completely like-minded with Christ (i.e. everyone) have a hard time figuring out. But I dunno. I'm really only writing this because I want you to think I'm intelligent and take me seriously (ha,ha).

[drrocketanski]

Your paragraph on being hurtfully offended seems to be not an example against what I said, but an explanation of the selfishness of being offended.

But I still think you're really really smart. Really.

[drrocketanski]

I also think that there are other (positive) reasons for groups forming. But they (almost?) always degenerate (within, say, 10-20 years) into a unity formed on a unity of being-offended. So, a church may form with a vision of mission or some other positive thing. Within a generation, it will be a church whose unity is defined by an agreement on being-offended.

That said, a vision of right and wrong is usually confused with being offended. In other words, we usually think that the more things there are that offend us, the more righteous we are.

[panheadgirl]

Okay, then I agree completely. Especially about me being smart :) (and thanks)