Baptists... believing in the power of prayer until it works...

[Fish Actuary]

An amusing example of the silliness of religious people and small towns...

Texas beer joint sues church...
Laugh A Little

In a small Texas town, ( Mt. Vernon ) Drummond’s bar began construction on a new building to increase their business.. The local Baptist church started a campaign to block the bar from opening with petitions and prayers. Work progressed right up till the week before opening when lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground.

The church folks were rather smug in their outlook after that, until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building, either through direct or indirect actions or means.

The church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise in its reply to the court.

As the case made its way into court, the judge looked over the paperwork. At the hearing he commented, “I don't know how I’m going to decide this, but as it appears from the paperwork, we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer, and an entire church congregation that does not.”

[anon3]

I like the judge. He seems to be the only one with common sense.

[Standtall]

I like this story a lot.

[Steve Grondin]

I think the bar owner is one smart dude.

He does fall into a trap about prayer. Some people expect that prayer works like a natural phenomena. By that I mean: if you do x, y will result every time. The way I understand prayer to "work" is that you ask and God decides. Let the bar owner sue God.

[gosuruss]

This is awesome.

[4sigma]

Great quote from the bar owner.

Can't wait to see how this one is decided.

ETA: If it's true, that is. There seems to be a distinct lack of linkage to any actual court records here.

[gomer_tree]

Comments:

1) The story is funny
2) @ the OP being unable to resist just posting a funny and ironic story without implying that religious people are silly
3) I agree with Steve. Smart bar owner.
4) I also agree with Steve that God's actually the one who did it. Though, maybe they can be sued for inciting God... If you asked someone to make sure that a place wouldn't open, and then that person burned it to the ground, you may have some liability.
5) One irony in the need to point out the silliness of religion is that they actually got what they prayed for, and the OP would seem to agree with the congregation that they had nothing to do with it, and yet the OP calls them silly for saying that. Yet, if the bar opened and the prayers "failed" (in the eyes of those who see prayer as a pass/fail examination of God) then the OP would surely consider them silly for believing that prayer does anything.

[gomer_tree]

Originally Posted by 4sigma

Great quote from the bar owner.

Can't wait to see how this one is decided.

ETA: If it's true, that is. There seems to be a distinct lack of linkage to any actual court records here.

It's not true.

http://www.snopes.com/humor/iftrue/prayer.asp

[_BullDog_]

this story is rather old

[gosuruss]

blah. i sent this to a few friends now i feel bad.