The story above is not true, naturally. It is set forth as a joke (and it is humorous :) )...but, the writer appeared to have had a purpose. Below is an explanation posted to Snopes.com regarding this little "story"..... Ed
Snopes comment:
The story isn't supposed to be read as relating something that happened in real life; it's a modern day admonition to
churchgoers not to allow transient secular needs to get in the way of their faith. What a person believes or will
stand up for shouldn't change because there's a monetary factor involved; otherwise, it's not true belief. As the
fictional judge points out, there is something untoward about a congregation so willing to put worldly matters first
that it denies it believes in prayer.
While the tale is an exaggeration of its underlying moral, that overstatement is a way of prompting folks to measure
the contents of their hearts against those of the fictional congregation to see if they themselves aren't at times
engaging in a bit of religious distancing. Do they set aside their faith, and their pride in it, when faith becomes
inconvenient? Or do they stand up for their beliefs and proudly proclaim them, even when doing so is to their
disadvantage, financial or otherwise?
Posted by Barbara "standing order" Mikkelson to
www.snopes.com End Snopes comment...
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The last sentence of the comment could be changed to read something along the lines of "Or do they stand up for their beliefs and proudly proclaim them, even when doing so is to their
carnal/earthly disadvantage, financial or otherwise?" Interesting little story...
Ed