Parable of the Donut

[Virus]

DISCLAIMER: Not my work, but a nice analogy here. Tell me what you think.

There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the Western United States.

Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course his or her freshman year regardless of his or her major.

Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously.

This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going onto seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor's class.

One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. "How many pushups can you do?"

Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."

"200? That's pretty good, Steve," Dr. Christianson said. "Do you think you could do 300?"

Steve replied, "I don't know . . . I've never done 300 at a time."

"Do you think you could?" again asked Dr. Christianson.

"Well, I can try," said Steve.

"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind, and I need you to do about 300 pushups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," said the professor.

Steve said, "Well . . . I think I can . . . yeah, I can do it."

Dr. Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have in mind."

Friday came, and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. Now these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls.

Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson's class.

Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?"

Cynthia said, "Yes."

Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"

"Sure." Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.

Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe, do you want a donut?"

Joe said, "Yes."

Dr. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten pushups so Joe can have a donut?" Steve did ten pushups, and Joe got a donut.

And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got their donut, and down the second aisle, till Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship. When the professor asked, "Scott do you want a donut?"

Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?"

Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."

Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."

Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?" With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten pushups.

Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!"

Dr. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow. Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry.

Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?"

Sternly, Jenny said, "No." Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten more pushups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?" Steve did ten, and Jenny got a donut.

By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say "No" and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each pushup to make sure he did the full ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely.

Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room.

He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.

Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set. Steve asked Dr. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?"

Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your pushups . . . You are in charge now. You can do them any way that you want." And Dr. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!" Jason didn't know what was going on.

Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come."

Professor Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him?"

Steve said, "Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut"

Dr. Christianson said, "Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now.

Jason, do you want a donut?" Jason, new to the room hardly knew what was going on.

"Yes," he said, "give me a donut."

"Steve, will you do ten pushups so that Jason can have a donut?" Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.

Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each pushup in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. Sweat was profusely dropping off of his face and, by this time, there was no sound except his heavy breathing, there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?"

Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."

Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?" Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda.

Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a donut?" Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. "Dr. Christianson, why can't I help him?"

Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has to do it alone, I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not.

When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Steve, here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work.

Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do pushups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your pushups. He and I made a deal for your sakes.

Steve, would you do ten pushups so Susan can have a donut?" As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said. "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, 'into thy hands I commend my spirit.' With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, he yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten."

Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile. "Well done, good and faithful servant" said the professor, adding "Not all sermons are preached in words."

Turning to his class the professor said, "My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who spared not the only Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all for the whole Church, now and forever.

Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid. Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it laying on the desk?"

[Reika Noko]

Wow. What a good man. I admire his efforts.

[Angel]

Ummm...no.

that was wrong in so many ways.

That's what some people would call physical torture. 350 when he could only do 200?

That's called "overexertion" and "pushing it to the limit".

and my mother has to wonder why i don't like christianity anymore.

[Reika Noko]

Well, you know how the church is. With its strict rules and whatnot. Still, I don't like some things about Christianity, but that student willingly [s]pulled his life on the line[/s] doing that for his teacher regardless of the fact that he wasn't healthy enough to go over his limits, as such. Still, he shows the "never giving up" thing in front of the whole class.

Then again, I guess you're right when you say that it's wrong in [s]some[/s] ways....

[Angel]

Originally Posted by Reika Noko

Well, you know how the church is. With its strict rules and whatnot. Still, I don't like some things about Christianity, but that student willingly [s]pulled his life on the line[/s] doing that for his teacher regardless of the fact that he wasn't healthy enough to go over his limits, as such. Still, he shows the "never giving up" thing in front of the whole class.

Then again, I guess you're right when you say that it's wrong in [s]some[/s] ways....

Well, the professor properly illustrated the story, I guess.

he chose a student that was popular and religious, and seemed to get intense pleasure from watching him [s]bleed[/s] sweat.

still, he proved that Catholicism more often than not does more harm than good.

[Poker Face]

Now, that is scarey. The part of it I hated the most is that I can see that happening in real life. :(

[Forever Atlas]

Okay, you all do realize this is just an illustration of sorts. It is most likely something that didn't really happen. First sign? "Dr. Christianson" who happened to work at a Christian school. So don't get worked up over a fictional story. Ever heard of Aesop's Fables? They weren't real. It was usually animals that were in some sort of situation that we learned a lesson from. You know how many things we could point out that were wrong in those stories? First off, they're animals with human-like personalities and qualities. Who cares? The stories drove a point home.

Quit trying to turn a story into "another reason Christianity is evil" parade. It makes a point from the story. If you don't care for or appreciate the story, why post negatives about it when you can not deny that it get's it's point across.

This parable can be used for anything that a person paid a high price for to give to others. Don't just look at it as for Christianity, especially those of you who are not Christian or who do not believe in any sort of God/religion at all. People give gifts at high costs to themselves all the time, look at it as a lesson in that if you want to. What people may go through to give something special to us and how we appreciate or show lack of appreciation for the gift they give. Just try not to detract from the story just because you are on some personal vendetta to destroy all credibility to religions of all sorts.

[Virus]

Thank you, Atlas. Guys this isn't a true story. I said it was an analogy. As far as the church having strict rules, that's not true. A church doesn't necessarily have strict rules, and those that do, wel i have to say i don't really like them. I'm Protestant, and the only rules we have are the 10 commandments. We seek to please God, and we don't need to do silly things just to do that. Priests not marrying? That's not right. God gave men women, for them to MARRY. It is almost what God didn't want. European churches made their own rules that they felt pleased God. The Crusades? They thought those pleased God, but in fact they didn't. Not in the slightest. God wanted them to just preach, he would do the rest. They brought violence into the equation and forced others to follow. Point being, the Church makes up those rules, there are no rules of Christianity except those that God Almighty lays down.

[Angel]

Originally Posted by Retribution

Thank you, Atlas. Guys this isn't a true story. I said it was an analogy. As far as the church having strict rules, that's not true. A church doesn't necessarily have strict rules, and those that do, wel i have to say i don't really like them. I'm Protestant, and the only rules we have are the 10 commandments. We seek to please God, and we don't need to do silly things just to do that. Priests not marrying? That's not right. God gave men women, for them to MARRY. It is almost what God didn't want. European churches made their own rules that they felt pleased God. The Crusades? They thought those pleased God, but in fact they didn't. Not in the slightest. God wanted them to just preach, he would do the rest. They brought violence into the equation and forced others to follow. Point being, the Church makes up those rules, there are no rules of Christianity except those that God Almighty lays down.

orly?

[Enchanted Rose]

Originally Posted by bamak93

Ummm...no.

that was wrong in so many ways.

That's what some people would call physical torture. 350 when he could only do 200?

That's called "overexertion" and "pushing it to the limit".

and my mother has to wonder why i don't like christianity anymore.

I'm tempted to neg rep you, for so tactlessly distorting the message of that parable.

You don't like Christianity anymore because you think all priests force their entire congregation to do push ups? Lmao, get real.

We all have to make sacrifices, for the sake of others, and its better if these are recognized and then appreciated.

Originally Posted by bamak93

he chose a student that was popular and religious, and seemed to get intense pleasure from watching him bleed sweat.

Stop hinting that Christianity is sadist. No one would buy that. In fact, the opposite is more true. Christianity works to alleviate suffering, be it physical or mental.

I personally liked the parable as a way to illustrate Christ's crucifixion which is sometimes hard to understand.

Originally Posted by Bamak93

orly?

YA RLY.
Eve was explicitly created as a companion for Adam, at Adam's request.

[Chevalier Sombre]

It's a nice little parable, I suppose. Didn't do anything to quench my skepticism, but it's a cute story.

[Cissy]

It's pretty much a re-telling of what Jesus sacrificed, but in a way that the kids could directly relate to and understand emotionally, huh?

I agree, it's a cute story. And yes, pushing someone that far isn't exactly right (even though, in the story, said person continued of his own volition) but it's just that: a story. It preaches a common theme in light of a certain audience in an attempt to inflict a stimulus of revelation, not to applaud cruelty. Reminds me of The Wave, in fact.

[Angel]

Originally Posted by Enchanted Rose

I'm tempted to neg rep you, for so tactlessly distorting the message of that parable.

I apologize.

I know I could've been a lot more objective in my analysis of the story. I let my feelings as an ex-Catholic get in the way.

You don't like Christianity anymore because you think all priests force their entire congregation to do push ups? Lmao, get real.

No, I dislike Christianity because it sometimes pushes it's members to the extreme.

I am fully aware of the symbolism of a lot of the acts (fasting on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays in Lent) but come on.

We all have to make sacrifices, for the sake of others, and its better if these are recognized and then appreciated.

I can agree with this, but I still think that it doesn't apply to EVERYTHING.

Stop hinting that Christianity is sadist. No one would buy that. In fact, the opposite is more true.

Again, I apologize for my clouded judgment.

Christianity works to alleviate suffering, be it physical or mental.

Oh really? My grandfather passed away awhile ago, and Christianity has done 0 to alleviate my suffering, and the suffering of my mother for that matter.

And when I told my mom that I was Agnostic, she was close to inflicting physical suffering on me.

I personally liked the parable as a way to illustrate Christ's crucifixion which is sometimes hard to understand.

And I personally recognize the symbolism, but still view it as the wrong thing to do.

YA RLY.
Eve was explicitly created as a companion for Adam, at Adam's request.

Thank you for this objective view on women's rights.

[Virus]

Originally Posted by Cissy

It's pretty much a re-telling of what Jesus sacrificed, but in a way that the kids could directly relate to and understand emotionally, huh?

I agree, it's a cute story. And yes, pushing someone that far isn't exactly right (even though, in the story, said person continued of his own volition) but it's just that: a story. It preaches a common theme in light of a certain audience in an attempt to inflict a stimulus of revelation, not to applaud cruelty. Reminds me of The Wave, in fact.

Now that i think of it, it is similar to the wave.

Its just a way of explaining something that wasn't fathomable before.....that's all....

[Lycanthrope]

This story could never turn me back to being a religious person.