UPDATE: The waitress who posted the receipt online has since been fired by her employer.

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Another week, another person making headlines for scribbling on a restaurant receipt. This time, it’s a customer who seems to think that claiming he’s a pastor absolves him of having to leave a tip.

The photo, which began tearing up the Atheism page on Reddit not long after it was posted a few hours ago, shows a receipt for $34.93 with an automatic gratuity of 18% ($6.29) included.

But the diner has scratched out that tip, writing instead that “I Give God 10% Why do you Get 18” and adding the word “pastor” above his signature. And instead of leaving a tip that was merely less than the 18%, just wrote a big “0.”

In the comments on the post, the person who submitted the image explains that this was just a portion of the total bill for a table of 20, which means the 18% tip is automatically put on the bill.

“Parties up to eight at my work may tip whatever they’d like,” explains the server, “but larger parties receive an automatic gratuity. It’s in the computer, it’s not something I do.” The auto-gratuity policy is apparently also listed on the menu.

In total, the group ran up more than $200 worth of food before tax and tip, says the server. As for whether or not the zero-dollar tip reflect the quality of service, the waiter writes, “They had no problem with my service, and told me I was great. They just didn’t want to pay when the time came.”

We understand why someone might be upset about an automatic gratuity. But we can’t recall any religious texts that claim the best way to combat an unpleasant situation is to leave a passive-aggressive note while simultaneously penalizing someone who did not create the problem.

Thanks to Zack for the tip!

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