One sunny day, while walking through the marketplace, the atheist chanced upon the old man preaching to a small crowd. "Why is this old man wasting their time?" thought the man. "I've got to put an end to this nonsense once and for all." So, he strode up to the old man and declared, "I challenge you to a debate. Let all the village come to hear us. However, if you lose the debate, you must promise never to preach about God again!"
The old man quietly accepted the challenge, and they agreed upon a date and location for the debate. The day of the debate arrived, and people began gathering on the slopes of a small hill overlooking a winding river. The air was warm and sweet with the scent of jasmine. Almond and pomegranate trees lined the banks of the river.
The atheist soon appeared and took his place at the top of the hill. He scanned the audience, looking for the old man, but he was nowhere to be seen. "The old man is afraid," jeered the atheist. "He knows that the universe was created by chance, not by God."
Just then, in the distance, the old man could be seen walking along the riverbank. After taking his place next to the atheist, he apologized to the audience for being late and explained, "On my way here, I could not find a boat to take me across the river. So, I waited and waited on the bank when suddenly I saw some wooden planks appear in the middle of the river. They quickly came together and assembled themselves into a rowboat. Then the rowboat rowed itself across the river to me. I got into it and arrived here."
The atheist scoffed, "This man is crazy! How could the wood become a boat without someone to build it? How could a boat move without someone to control it? Your story is completely ridiculous!" The old man smiled and replied gently, "Is it any more ridiculous than your claim that this immense and grand universe was not created by God?"
