Did Joseph Smith leave the church because he was offended?

[_SatanWasSetUp]

By church I mean the Methodist Church. This is an excerpt from "Mormon Enigma"

"Emma's uncle, Nathaniel Lewis, preached as a lay minister of the local Methodist Episcopal church. His congregation met in the homes of the members for Sunday services. On Wednesdays a regular circuit preacher visited Harmony. In the spring or summer of 1828 Joseph asked the circuit rider if his name could be included on the class roll of the church. Joseph "presented himself in a very serious and humble manner," and the minister obliged him.

"When Emma's cousin, Joseph Lewis, discovered Joseph's name on the roll, he "thought it was a disgrace to the church to have a practicing necromancer" as a member. He took the matter up with a friend, and the following Sunday, when Joseph and Emma arrived for church, the two men steered Joseph aside and into the family shop. "They told him plainly that such character as he . . . could not be a member of the church unless he broke off his sins by repentance, made public confession, renounced his fraudulent and hypocritical practices, and gave some evidence that he intended to reform and conduct himself somewhat nearer like a christian than he had done. They gave him his choice to go before the class, and publicly ask to have his name stricken from the class book, or stand a disciplinary investigation." Joseph refused to comply with the humiliating demands and withdrew from the class. His name, however, stayed on the roll for about six more months, either from oversight or because Emma's brother-in-law, Michael Morse, who taught the class, did not know of the confrontation. When Joseph did not seek full membership, Morse finally dropped his name."

The church was simply trying to begin the repentence process by working with Joseph Smith through a disciplinary hearing including a confession, renouncing his sins, and never doing them again. It seems if Joseph wanted to be a Methodist, he needed to follow their rules. Instead Joseph was prideful. Rather than being obedient to his ecclesiastical leaders Joseph chose to be offended and resigned from the church.

[_Trevor]

The church was simply trying to begin the repentence process by working with Joseph Smith through a disciplinary hearing including a confession, renouncing his sins, and never doing them again. It seems if Joseph wanted to be a Methodist, he needed to follow their rules. Instead Joseph was prideful. Rather than being obedient to his ecclesiastical leaders Joseph chose to be offended and resigned from the church.

Truly, pride cometh before the fall.

That was quite clever.

[_karl61]

this is one issue that is brought up about his 1840's plus version of the first vision. If he was told that all the churchs were wrong then why, in 1828, was he hanging around in the wrong church.

[_Trevor]

this is one issue that is brought up about his 1840's plus version of the first vision. If he was told that all the churchs were wrong then why, in 1828, was he hanging around in the wrong church.

Don't you see, styleguy? This is what ex-Methodists do! They sin, get offended when they are caught, and then they turn on the Methodists as if it were the Methodists who were at fault! Then they start spreading hateful lies about how the Methodist Church is not true, and then they make up their own rules, live according to their own devices, and go to hell.

[_karl61]

this is one issue that is brought up about his 1840's plus version of the first vision. If he was told that all the churchs were wrong then why, in 1828, was he hanging around in the wrong church.

Don't you see, styleguy? This is what ex-Methodists do! They sin, get offended when they are caught, and then they turn on the Methodists as if it were the Methodists who were at fault! Then they start spreading hateful lies about how the Methodist Church is not true, and then they make up their own rules, live according to their own devices, and go to hell.

wow! I should have done that - (still could I guess)

[_Gadianton]

LOL! great call.

[_Ray A]

Rather than being obedient to his ecclesiastical leaders Joseph chose to be offended and resigned from the church.

That's beause he wanted to sin.

[_Dr. Shades]

The church was simply trying to begin the repentence process by working with Joseph Smith through a disciplinary hearing including a confession, renouncing his sins, and never doing them again. It seems if Joseph wanted to be a Methodist, he needed to follow their rules. Instead Joseph was prideful. Rather than being obedient to his ecclesiastical leaders Joseph chose to be offended and resigned from the church.

Gadianton was right--GOOD CATCH, SatanWasSetUp!