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 thought.
As he was walking alongside the river, he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned and saw a massive Kodiak Grizzly charging all 500+ pounds toward him. He ran as fast as he could down the path. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the bear was gaining on him. Despite the bear’s huge size, it moved with swiftness and grace the atheist had never considered before, so he tried to run even faster. He again looked over his shoulder and saw the bear was so "danger close" that it brought tears to his eyes and fear to his soul (if he had one, that is).
His heart pumping to the point of explosion, he tried to run even faster, yet he tripped and fell to the ground. As he scrambled to get up, he saw the bear looming what must have been 14 or more feet over his head. He tried to roll to get out from underneath the bear but it was no use, a massive paw as big as the atheist’s chest stopping him as the bear raised the other paw to strike.
At that instant, the atheist cried out, "OH MY GOD!"
Time stopped.
The bear froze.
The forest was silent.
Even the river stopped flowing.
A bright light, brighter far than the noon-day sun, descended upon the atheist and a voice of rolling thunder pierced right through him, saying, "You deny my existence all these years, teach others that I don’t exist, and even credit this grand creation surrounding you every day to a ‘cosmic accident’. Do you expect Me to help you out of this predicament? Am I now to count on you as a believer?"
The atheist gathered what little courage he had left and for perhaps the first time in his life was brutally honest as he looked into The Light ans said, "I realize it would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask You to treat me as a believer, as a Christian, but perhaps you could make the bear a Christian?"
"So be it!" boomed The Voice.
The light returned to normal sun. The river again flowed. The sounds of the forest returned.
The bear dropped his paw… looked "kindly" down on the atheist (who was still in a state of shock)… the bear brought both paws together in supplication and said, "Oh Lord, for this food which I am about to receive, I am truly thankful, Amen!"
