The bar burned down
I've just recently been told (though I'm not sure it's
to be taken as historical fact) that in a small mid-western conservative
town in the USA, a newcomer decided to build a bar/tavern. A local
church started a campaign to block the opening with petitions and
prayers. The petitions failed, however, and so did the prayers and the
work progressed right up to the week before opening; that's when
lightning struck the bar and burned it to the ground.
The church folks were all smiles ("Prayer works!" they told each other, "even if it takes a bit longer than expected!"). They congratulated one another until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that it was ultimately responsible for the destruction of his property.
The church folks were all smiles ("Prayer works!" they told each other, "even if it takes a bit longer than expected!"). They congratulated one another until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that it was ultimately responsible for the destruction of his property.
The church hired a lawyer and denied they had anything to do with the destruction of the building.
The judge looked over the paperwork at the hearing
and commented, "I don't know how I'm going to decide this, but as it
appears from the paperwork, we have a bar owner that believes in the
power of prayer and an entire church congregation that doesn't!"
Now there's something about that little story that leaves me uneasy but I can't quite put my finger on it.