Monday, January 24, 2011

Lightning Strikes

From My Buddy Ed In Florida...
Texas Beer Joint Sues Church

In Mt.  Vernon, Texas, Drummond's Bar began construction on expansion of their building to increase their business. 


In response, the local Baptist church started a campaign to block the bar from expanding with petitions and prayers.  Work progressed right up until the week before the grand reopening when lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground. 


After the bar burning to the ground by a lightning strike the church folks were rather smug in their outlook, bragging about the power of prayer, until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church "was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building, either through direct or indirect actions or means."

 
In its reply to the court, the church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise. 


The judge read through the plaintiff's complaint and the defendant's reply and at the opening hearing he commented, "I don't know how I'm going to decide this, but it appears from the paperwork that we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer, and an entire church congregation that now does not." 


True Story?
Snopes sez no; I tend to believe 'em.  But it IS a good story.  This also brings to mind Pennington's First Law on the Desirability of Municipalities:
Never live in a town with more churches than bars.
I'd wager I'm in violation of my own rule these days, seein' as how P-Ville has but two watering holes and god-only-knows how many churches.  But then again... bars don't mean as much to me today as they did back when I wrote the law.

6 comments:

  1. I know a guy who pastors a church up in Chilliwack, BC. He is a great guy and could make a living as a comedian if he ever had to. But anyway, his brother owns a tavern just down the street from the church.

    One time they were arguing. The pastor said "The Christians in my church are getting tired of your drunks acting like they own the whole street." The tavern-owning brother said back "Yeah? Well, my drunks are getting tired of your Christians!"

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  2. I'd like to meet that judge. Or the guy who came up with the story!

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  3. Inno: Heh. I've felt like both brothers on occasion, but more so the bar owner.

    Moogie: You and me BOTH.

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  4. Havre, Montana, my hometown at one time had 26 and 26. Nice ratio of 1:1!
    Not that many now but still a bit raucous. During Prohibition, it was rougher than a lot of major cities.

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  5. Funny, but besotted New Orleans may have a bar on every corner, but its churches give them a run for the money in heavily Catholic New Orleans--but then the Catholics aren't exactly blood-brothers with the Southern Baptists when it comes to booze and its relation to the Church, are they Buck? :)

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  6. Havre is in God's Country, Glenn. Or at least SOME people think so. ;-)

    Virgil: I think Catholics have the BEST attitude toward alcohol of any of the majors. ;-)

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Just be polite... that's all I ask.