New York, NY -- Hail Mary, got a light? A New York church is trying to skirt the smoking ban with the power of prayer.

Robert Porter, a reverend with the Universal Life Church, has founded a church based on followers who want to exorcise New York's ban on smoking in restaurants and bars because they claim it infringes on their religious rights.

Porter heads the so-called People United For Freedom (PUFF) even though he doesn't smoke. But he says, "I consider smoking tobacco as a sacrament just as the drinking of wine is in many Christian churches."

PUFF's 300 followers are now working to get restaurant and bar owners to allow them to hold fellowships in their facilities where the group can smoke more than Joan of Arc did.

Porter theorizes police won't be able stop them from smoking in public areas if they are holding religious vespers.

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