…or perhaps just a sense of the true purpose behind the Atheist Prayer Experiment (APE).
Imagine that you were a baby-faced, silver-tongued Christian radio personality fed up with the slings and arrows of outrageous atheist malcontents. You've been putting up with these blowhards for years, and you're ready for your revenge… but you want to make some money at the same time.
How much money could you make if you bet an Oxford philosopher that you could get at least fifty confirmed atheists to PRAY for forty days?
"Pshaw!" says the Oxford philosopher. "Even atheists aren't THAT stupid."
"No," says JB, "I'm serious. I can get at least 50 atheists to pray for forty days."
"SNCHT!" Snorts the Oxford philosopher. "Next you'll be telling me you can get them to do it for free."
"Bet me?" says the baby-faced evil genius.
Oxfordboy rubs his jaw speculatively. "You're serious."
"I'll even get them to write about the experience," says JB, grinning maniacally. They share a moment of sinister laughter.
"OK, 20,000 pounds, but you have to give them a hint that you're setting them up," says Oxford. "It's only sporting, old chap."
"What kind of hint?"
"Name the project something that sounds scientific," says Oxford, "but that has an acronym that tells them what you REALLY think of them. Bonus points if it's a wordplay on evolutionary theory."
And so a legend is born among practical jokers...
