A tale is told about a small town in the South of England, late 1800's that had historically been "dry" (no alcohol sold), but then a local businessman decided to build a tavern.

A group of Christians from a local church were concerned and planned an all-night prayer meeting to ask God to intervene.

It just so happened that shortly thereafter lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground.

The owner of the bar sued the church, claiming that the prayers of the congregation were responsible, but the church hired a lawyer to argue in court that they were not responsible.

The presiding judge, after his initial review of the case, stated that: "No matter how this case comes out, one thing is clear......... The Tavern Owner believes in the power of prayer and the Christians do not."