"Tavern vs Church"

The story is told of a man who got a permit to open
the first tavern in a small town. The members of a
local church were strongly opposed to the bar, so
they began to pray that God would intervene.

A few days before the tavern was scheduled to open,
lightning hit the structure and it burned to the ground.
The people of the church were surprised but pleased
- until they received notice that the would-be tavern
owner was suing them.

He contended that their prayers were responsible
for the burning of the building. They denied the
charge.

At the conclusion of the preliminary hearing, the judge
wryly remarked, "At this point I don't know what my
decision will be, but it seems that the tavern owner
believes in the power of prayer and these church
people don't."