An atheist was taking a walk through the woods. "What majestic
trees! What powerful rivers! What beautiful animals!" he said to himself.
As he was walking alongside the river, he heard a rustling in the bushes behind
him. He turned to look and saw a 7 ft. grizzly bear charging towards him.
He ran as fast as he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder and
saw that the bear was closing in on him. He looked over his shoulder
again, and the bear was even closer. He tripped and fell on the ground. He rolled
over to pick himself up but saw the bear right on top of him, reaching for him
with his left paw and raising his right paw to strike him. At that instant, the
atheist cried out: "Oh my God, help me!".
Time stopped. The bear froze. The forest was silent. As a bright light shone
upon the man, a voice came out of the sky: "You deny my existence for all
of these years, teach others I don't exist, and even credit creation to a
cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to
count you as a believer?"
The atheist looked directly into the light, "It would be hypocritical of
me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps could you
make the bear a Christian?"
"Very well," said the voice. The light went out. The sounds of the
forest resumed. And then the bear dropped his right paw, "Lord, bless this
food, which I am about to receive from thy bounty, through Christ our
Lord."
"Amen."