Lilies of the Field: The Mystic and The Atheist

The child, ecstatic, came rushing like a bolt of wind into the room.

"Father!" he shouted, "There are lilies in the field! Hundreds of them! Oh, they are so beautiful, Father. A whole field of them! I've never seen anything like it!"

He'd been wandering through the forest all day before coming upon the open field and, feeling himself the heir of her treasure, lay down among the lilies and revelled in their floral scent.

At last, overcome with joy, he ran straight home to tell whoever would listen about the incredible beauty he'd experienced.

Unfortuneately for the boy, his father was an atheist.

"Nonsense!" said the father, "I've seen no such field."

"Oh, Father, but it's true. Just come and see."

"See what? Where are your flowers? Show them to me."

"You must come, through the forest, to where they are. Oh, the scent is divine!"

"Hogwash! I smell nothing. Produce them here and now, if they're so real. Come on, let's hear your arguments."

"Arguments? Father, you must come, if you wish to see them."

"Oh, I see. How convenient. I suppose you expect me to rise from my chair and go to all the trouble of trekking through the woods, on the absurd chance that what you say might be true?"

And, with this, the father gave a roaring belly-laugh.

"But, Father..."

"And I suppose there's a flying spaghetti monster out there, too, eh?"

Now the father was really in hysterics, but the boy was close to tears.

"Spaghetti monster? I'm just taking about lilies. I can show them to you. I can lead you right into their presence, and you can experience their beauty for yourself, if you will just have a little faith and follow me."

"Look, kid, I'm sorry, but I just don't believe in anything I can't see, and the existence of which cannot be proven by rational argument. No sale."

And, with this seemingly final word, the child sank into dejection. Fortuneately, though, the boy's mother had come into the room and overheard the last part of the conversation.

"I'll go with you," she said, with a light in her eyes.

"Bah!" said the father and ruffled his newspaper.