Cinemas, mosques and the power of prayer
A little humour for a Monday morning. I don't know if it's true or not, but that it seems very plausible and that we believe from our instincts about human nature that it might be true, is telling in itself...
In a small town in East Africa, a person decided to open up a cinema showing films of disrepute, which was right opposite to the mosque. The Members of the congregation started a campaign to block the tawdry business from opening with petitions and prayed daily against his business. Work progressed. However, when it was almost complete and was about to open, a lightning bolt struck the construction and it was burnt to the ground.
The mosque folks were rather smug in their outlook after that, till the cinema owner sued the mosque authorities on the grounds that the mosque authorities through their congregation and prayers were ultimately responsible for the demise of his project, either through direct or indirect actions or means.
In its reply to the court, the mosque autorities vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection that their prayers were reasons to the cinema's demise.
As the case made its way into court, the judge looked over the paperwork at the hearing and commented:
"I don't know how I'm going to decide this case, but it appears from the paperwork, that we have the owner of a disreputable cinema who believes in the power of prayer and we have devotees from the mosque who don't!"
In a small town in East Africa, a person decided to open up a cinema showing films of disrepute, which was right opposite to the mosque. The Members of the congregation started a campaign to block the tawdry business from opening with petitions and prayed daily against his business. Work progressed. However, when it was almost complete and was about to open, a lightning bolt struck the construction and it was burnt to the ground.
The mosque folks were rather smug in their outlook after that, till the cinema owner sued the mosque authorities on the grounds that the mosque authorities through their congregation and prayers were ultimately responsible for the demise of his project, either through direct or indirect actions or means.
In its reply to the court, the mosque autorities vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection that their prayers were reasons to the cinema's demise.
As the case made its way into court, the judge looked over the paperwork at the hearing and commented:
"I don't know how I'm going to decide this case, but it appears from the paperwork, that we have the owner of a disreputable cinema who believes in the power of prayer and we have devotees from the mosque who don't!"
posted by Shelina Zahra Janmohamed at 09:53
3 Comments:
Reminds me of the story of the Catholic priest who complained to the landlord of the pub opposite his Church that he always opened the pub doors five minutes before the end of Mass on Sunday, resulting in nine-tenths of the congregation going straight from Communion to their beer.
"You're a wicked heathen," said the priest to the landlord, "tempting my flock from the narrow way to heaven."
"Have mercy Fr. Pat," cried landlord Mick, "on a man just trying to make an honest living. You've got your trade and I've got mine. I promise not to serve Mass if you promise not to serve Guinness."
BTW...congratulations on your award. Richly deserved.
Thanks for the kind wishes Peter. Not sure I entirely understood your joke tho' (perhaps being teetotal I missed it somewhere along the way?)
that's really an interesting story.
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