Analogies, Parables, and Teaching Stories- Part 5

I've always had a thing for analogies, parables, and the like. As teaching tools, they use every-day situations and ideas to explain complex principles, making those complex ideas a whole lot easier to understand. Often, they can explain ideas that would otherwise be nigh impossible to explain accurately.

Jesus Himself used parables all the time in His teaching. Sometimes this was to make the teaching of a certain principle easier. But often He didn't give an explanation. He simply allowed people to take from the "nice story" what they would- an act of mercy, given that we are each held accountable for following the doctrines we understand.

The first in this series was about ducks. The second one was about medicine.. and salvation. The third was about math class. The fourth was about engines and society.


This time, I'd like to talk about dirt--

A seminary teacher was trying to teach a rather delicate topic and not making any headway. He finally took the class outside, asked the kids what was the cause of all the life around them- the trees, flowers, grass...

Dirt? NOOO, NOoooo, Nooo... it's Soil.

With the nutrients in the soil, the plants could grow, bloom, and produce their various seeds and fruit.

He then took the kids back inside, and he took a handful of soil from a potted plant and crumbled it, scattering it all over a desk, a student's lap... making a massive mess...

He asked his students what it was now... Just filth.

Just as sex in the right context and place is a beautiful live-giving thing, when it's scattered all over or in the wrong place/time, it's just filth.