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| Not the minister mentioned |
A number of years ago, my wife and I were on a train from Vienna to Budapest. Across from us sat an attractive couple about ten years younger than we were. Being rather gregarious, I started small talk ... learning that they were German from Hamburg and on vacation throughout Eastern Europe. I was surprised when I discovered, at his age, that he was a retired Lutheran minister ...well appointed and taken care of financially.
We then went through the standard questions back and forth ... children, pets, hobbies, trips, etc. But then I stopped things cold when, at the end of some religious conversation, I blurted out an impulsive query ... prompted by some of his wishy-washy answers. I said, "Do you believe in God?" After I saw his reddening face and some sullen silence, I realized I had stepped over a cultural line.
After taking my wife's elbow in the ribs, there was no more polite conversation all the way back to the now-wider Danube.
2 comments:
Were you intending to buy his unused soul?
No, but I did think I might have seen nubs of horns on his forehead.
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