An atheist was walking 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 seven foot grizzly bear charging towards him.
He ran as fast as he could up the path. Glancing over his shoulder he saw that the bear was closing in on him. As he looked over his shoulder again...the bear was even closer. Suddenly he tripped, fell down and rolled over to pick himself up, but the bear was on top of him. It reached for him with it's left paw and raised it's right paw to strike him.
That instant the Atheist cried out, "Oh my God!" Time stopped, the bear froze, the forest was silent. Then a bright light shone upon the man, and and a voice came out of the sky. "You deny my existence for all these years, teach others I don't exist, and even credit creation to 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 and asked, "It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly expect you to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps you could make the bear a Christian?"
"Very well," said the voice. The light went out, and the sounds of the forest resumed,
The bear dropped his right paw, reverently brought both paws together, bowed his head and prayed, "Lord bless this food, which I am about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our Lord. Amen."
