The Drowning Swimmer: A Parable

Once there was a woman who was coming back from a long swim in the ocean. As she stepped onto the beach and man approached her and said, "I'm glad to see you're ok."

"What do you mean?" the woman asked.

"Well, you went under for quite a while a few times."

"Yeah, I was diving down to check out the reefs."

"Well from here it looked like you were in trouble. I really believed you were drowning. I'm glad I was wrong."

"Oh, dear," said the woman, "Did you call the lifegaurd?"

The man shook his head and chuckled. "No no. Not at all."

"Oh. Well did you try to swim in after me?"

"Certainly not!"

"You can't swim?"

"Nothing of the sort! I'm a great swimmer. In fact, I'm a lifeguard at the local YMCA."

Nonplussed, the woman then said, "So you honestly believed I was drowning and you didn't do anything to help me?"

"Not a thing!" said the man, smiling.

"Why not!?"

"Well I only believed you were drowning. It certainly looked like it."

"Well you could have could have at least come and checked!"

"But it would be wrong for me for me to impose my beliefs on you."

To all the non believers in the audience: Please understand that this is how devoutly religious Christians feel. We don't look at religion as something you can shop around for until you find one that suits your lifestyle like a car or something.

We believe that there is only one path. And when we see you on another path we are genuinely concerned for your well being and it is for this reason that we witness to you. We are not looking down at you. We don't think you're evil or lesser. We think you're in trouble and we want to help you. We don't want to be the guy standing on the shore.

So the next time a Christian tries to witness take it as the offer of help that it is intended to be. If you don't want to listen, politely decline and go on about your day.

And to my fellow Christians:
If you swim out to someone and they decline your help, then move away and trust in God's will. Stay close in case they change their mind, but don't try to drag them to shore.
Christ never advocated coerced conversion.

-Kiamat Dusk
...flame on...

Is there a point to this?

Actually to use your analogy, some of you just like to try to drag to shore some of us who already are wearing our floaties, and aren't in trouble at all, we just swim a bit differently than you do.

Parables!

But nothing is coming out of their back end!

This "parable" is implying that non-believers (or those of another religion) are doing something that looks to some people like they might need help. This is not the case at all, stinks of smugness, and is yet another religious troll post. It's a way to use flowery tales to cover up total intolerance to the beliefs or disbeliefs of others. Maybe this parable is written to tell you to appreciate the differences in people. However, the "Stay close in case they change their mind" and the "drag them to shore" (as if the shore is where they should be) lines totally defeat its purpose - you have totally missed its point, and you STILL think they may need help.

Parables hit?

Hmm, i'll see if I can find anything.

Awesome.

Not exactly, although I can understand why it can be viewed this way.

If you assume there is a God, and assume that one particular religion is true and being that religion the sole path to heaven, then I'd hope that God and his followers would try to bring as many on board as possible. I'd take that over religions that would allow others to be excluded or to simply be terminated.

Of course if the underlying assumption is wrong, then efforts to save people are really nothing more than a misguided effort to impose a false belief on another person.

Yes, a little problem there.

This is why I have no problem with a person trying to "save" me - once. I have zero tollerance for repeat busybodies once I've pointed out I have no interest.

Exactly. There should be no reason to "stay nearby in case I do need to be pulled to shore". What if I am a fish?

Love the fish but hate the swimmer?

I know for a fact that Kiamat worships Moloch, anyway, which is why he's not going to heaven when the forums close.

Pay attention. I said in case they change their mind. In other words don't just look down upon them as "the great unwashed" to use a Democrat term. If someone who rejected your offer to witness turns around later on and asks to hear more, then sit down with them. Don't say, "Well you had your shot, screw you, heathen."

I also find it interesting how people are constantly indignant by the idea that there's a group out there who believes their way is the only right way. It always turns to talk about about people imposing their beliefs on others. If you believe Liberals are above this, take a look at an anti-abortion thread. Gay marriage? Intelligent design? Now there are some examples of people's beliefs being imposed on others.

-Kiamat Dusk

It's still insulting. Would you like it if someone of a different religion hovered around you just in case you changed YOUR mind about wanting to be "saved" by them from your own beliefs? To me, the parable is about "saving" someone. Not about converting, teaching, or informing them. To stay around in case they "change their mind" is an insult because it is telling them that you think that their beliefs may not be as strong and unchangable as your own.

Just means the door is always open is all.

Yanno what? Go ahead. Do your thing. It's all good. I'll just be over here.

-Kiamat Dusk

Don't wait up.