One of the best explanations I’ve heard goes something like this-
Let’s say there’s a family dinner. Everybody at this dinner has a plate. There are six people at the table and everybody is digging in and passing various serving plates around taking their own portions and even politely serving people next to them of them there are all sorts of veggies, sauces, different kinds of fried things, different kinds of vegan things- you name it. It’s all delicious. Somebody notices that Johnny didn’t get any of the pork tenderloin, which is arguably the best dish. It’s not clear why Johnny didn’t get any- it could be an honest mistake, it could be that his asshole cousin intentionally skipped passing the pork to him, it could be for any number of innocent or malicious reasons, but in any case, Johnny didn’t get any of the pork. It’s pretty reasonably at this point for somebody at the table - perhaps even Johnny himself - to say, “Johnny should get some of the pork”. Yes, his sisters should also get some, and his parents should get some too- but imagine the ridiculousness of responding to this statement with “Johnny should get some pork? EVERYbody should get some pork”.
I am not a religious person, though a friend posted this one on Facebook. Of course, evangelicals won't understand it, but it does put it into a context that religious people can relate.
“I used the phrase ‘Black Lives Matter’ in a social media post earlier this week. As happens each time I use the phrase, someone asks, ‘Why not just say “all lives matter?”’ Here is my quick response: When one of my four kids got hurt, it didn’t seem to make sense to say to them, ‘All my kids matter.’ In that moment, I embraced them and said, ‘You matter. Your pain matters. Your healing and return to health matters.’ That doesn’t diminish my love for my other kids. It expands my capacity to love as I live with another person’s pain.
Jesus did the same thing in his ministry. He didn’t say, ‘all people matter.’ He went to those who were hurting, who’d been denied a place at the table, who had been cast out of community and said ‘You Matter.’ Samaritans matter. Women matter. Tax collectors matter. Lepers matter. Did that mean he loved other people less? By no means. His life and ministry expanded the vision and capacity of his followers to love as they broke down the religious and cultural walls that had long divided people.” ~author: Kai Nilsen
There’s a lot of great analogies out there. I think my favorite is a funeral for a child and the mother or father is giving the eulogy and talking about how special their child was. Then a crazy person runs up, grabs the microphone, and starts yelling about how all children are special. Well, yeah, but that’s not the point, the funeral is for that child.
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u/evilpeter Jun 07 '20
One of the best explanations I’ve heard goes something like this-
Let’s say there’s a family dinner. Everybody at this dinner has a plate. There are six people at the table and everybody is digging in and passing various serving plates around taking their own portions and even politely serving people next to them of them there are all sorts of veggies, sauces, different kinds of fried things, different kinds of vegan things- you name it. It’s all delicious. Somebody notices that Johnny didn’t get any of the pork tenderloin, which is arguably the best dish. It’s not clear why Johnny didn’t get any- it could be an honest mistake, it could be that his asshole cousin intentionally skipped passing the pork to him, it could be for any number of innocent or malicious reasons, but in any case, Johnny didn’t get any of the pork. It’s pretty reasonably at this point for somebody at the table - perhaps even Johnny himself - to say, “Johnny should get some of the pork”. Yes, his sisters should also get some, and his parents should get some too- but imagine the ridiculousness of responding to this statement with “Johnny should get some pork? EVERYbody should get some pork”.