The Atheist

An atheist was taking a walk through the woods, admiring all that the “accident of evolution” had created. “What majestic trees! What powerful rivers! What beautiful animals!”, he said to himself.

Walking along the river he heard rustling in the bushes. As he turned, he saw a 7-foot grizzly charging him. He ran as fast as he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the bear was closing in. He tried to run faster, so scared that tears were coming to his eyes. He looked over his shoulder again and the bear was even closer. His heart was pumping frantically as he tried to run faster, but he tripped and fell. He rolled over to pick himself up and saw the bear right on top of him raising his paw to kill him. At that instant he cried out the phrase most of us do, out of habit “Oh my God!” Just then, time stopped. The bear froze, the forest was silent, the river even stopped. A bright light shone on the man, and a voice came out of the sky saying, “You deny my existence all these years, teach others I don’t exist and credit my creation to a cosmic accident and now you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?”

The atheist, ever proud, looked to the light and said “it would be hypocritical to ask to be a Christian after all these years, but could you make the bear a Christian?”

“Very well,” said the voice. As the light went out, the river ran, and the sounds of the forest continued, the bear put his paw down. The bear then brought both paws together, bowed his head and said: “Lord, thank you for this food which I am about to receive.”