Wednesday 9 June 2010

The Athiest

I had a discussion yesterday with a friend about this blog. I was getting concerned that it had possibly served its purpose, over the weekend it seemed nobody read it. She assured me that was not the case; she had in fact read them all. She also reminded me of at least one person who reads this daily. Sure enough there he was yesterday making comment. In the midst of all the things going on in his life, he still makes his positive comments. I write the blog his comments uplift me, and set me up for the next day. This seems like a good arrangement. I also get a lovely invite from Sharon to attend her book of memories launch, which I will make every effort to attend. So let me tell you a story that has its own little message, and one that I hope will start the day for anybody who reads it with a smile, if not a laugh.


A committed atheist (that's someone who steadfastly does not believe in a god of any sort) was on a trekking holiday when he became lost in some dense woods.

A large angry bear, with ten starving cubs back in the cave and claws like kitchen knives, suddenly emerged from the undergrowth.

The atheist screamed in terror, turned and ran. The bear was quicker however, and after a long and desperate chase eventually cornered the atheist in a gully.

The exhausted atheist sank to his knees, shaking.

The bear, seeing that its prey was trapped, moved slowly towards the petrified man, drooling. The bear was drooling too.

The atheist lifted his head, with tears in his eyes, and uttered the words he thought he would never say in all his life: "God help me..."

With these simple three words, a blinding flash of lightning lit up the sky. There was a deafening crash of thunder. The clouds parted. A brilliant light shone down. The forest fell silent. The bear froze still, in a trance. The atheist stood gaping, transfixed.

A voice came loud from above. Louder than twenty pop concerts all happening at the same time. We can safely assume this voice to have been the voice of a god of some sort.

"You atheists make me seriously mad," boomed the god, "You deny me all your life. You tell others to deny me too. You put your faith in all that bloody Darwinian airy-fairy scientific nonsense, and then what a surprise - you get lost because you can't read your stupid map, and now you're about to get eaten by an angry bear all of a sudden you're on your knees snivelling and begging for my help?......... You must be joking..."

The atheist looked down, realising that he was not arguing from a position of strength.

"Okay, I take your point," said the atheist, thinking on his feet, while he still had them, "I can see it's a bit late for me to convert, but what about the bear?... Maybe you could convert the bear instead?"

"Hmmn... interesting idea..." said the god, thinking hard, "...Okay. It shall be done." At which the brilliant light dimmed and vanished; the clouds closed; and the noises of the forest resumed.

The bear awoke and shook its head, a completely different expression on its face. Calm, at peace.

The bear closed its eyes, bowed its head, and said, "For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful, Amen.."

Sometimes changing your belief does not always result in a change in actions. Maybe we need to be sure about what it is we believe before the crisis arises. Decisions made under pressure are seldom wise decisions.

This blog is linked to my other where I discuss the art.  Misty

7 comments:

  1. This was fabulous, Ralph. Made me smile (and acknowledge the truths within).

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  2. I just found your blogs yesterday- and I've enjoyed them immensely! You are a wonderful writer and artist with a tremendous gift of spirit. Thank you for sharing and I'm glad you are here!

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  3. Good Morning Ralph, today will be a great day. I always read your blog, and often come back to it during the day to reread it and see the comments. Regretfully sometimes my energy level is so low I am unable to comment, but they always make me smile or think and I appretiate all of them. I find strength in them and I enjoy your art and especially the stories behind your art. and now I am beginning to enjoy your garden plot as well. Thank you, my friend.

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  4. You'll not abandon your blog, Ralph--because you are doing it for other people instead of in an ego driven way.
    Love the story and the painting. Spaniel?

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  5. Ralph, please don't stop blogging. I seldom comment but I read it every day and feel uplifted. Today's post made me laugh out loud. Thanks : )

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  6. Ralph, I just want to say again that I really look forward to your posts . . . everyday. I agree with Celeste Bergin, above, that you are not ego driven and it's the ego that depends on the comments of others.
    Nora

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  7. Hello Ralph, I think Blogs should only be abandoned when you need a break from Blogging. I have to have a break at the moment to get the energy to finish my book. Weekends are often tricky for people to find time to read and comment. I know that I rarely have time to even check email on the weekend. Take Care and hope all is well with you. xx
    ps Sharon's launch sounds like fun. I hope you both post on it. It will be interesting for you to meet The Bookish Blonde. She is such a proactive lassie, isn't she?

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