

Wars and Fortune Telling
One of my older students had a friend whose father was a fortune-teller. Before the attack on Pearl Harbour, the Japanese air force called him in. Just imagine…
- We, the Japanese people, the divine race, are about to wage war on inferior humans to subject them to our emperor, the Sun God. So, are we gonna win or not?
- Oh, yes, yes. We will win. Of course we are.
What else could the poor man say? He knew if he predicted anything but great victory, he would be put to death immediately. The whole class couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the story. If you ask someone something, but intend to kill the person unless he gives you the answer he wants, then what’s the point?
Remember Ahab and Zedekiah (I Kings 22)? Evil people are all the same: absurdly hilarious.











