“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. He saw a 7-foot grizzly bear charge towards him.
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 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. “It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a believer now, but perhaps you could make the BEAR a believer?”
“Very well,” said the Voice.
The light went out. The sounds of the forest resumed. And the bear dropped his right paw, closed his eyes, and spoke: