What can we say to someone who says that they cannot believe in God because of all the wickedness and suffering in the world?
This little story from an unknown author illustrates one response to such a comment.
A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed.
As the barber worked they talked about many varied things.
When they eventually touched on the subject of God the barber said: “I don’t believe that God exists.”
“Why do you say that?” asked the customer.
“Well, you just have to go out in the street to realise that God doesn’t exist.
Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people?
Would there be abandoned children?
If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain.
I can’t imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things.”
The customer thought for a moment, but didn’t respond because he didn’t want to start an argument. The barber finished his task and the customer left the shop.
Just as he went out of the door he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard.
The customer went back to the barber and with a smile said to him, “You know what? Barbers don’t exist.”
“How can you say that?” asked the surprised barber. “I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!”
“No!” the customer softly said. “Barbers don’t exist, because if they did there wouldn’t be people with long, dirty hair and shaggy beards, like that man outside.”
“Ah, but barbers do exist! What happens is that people do not come to me.”
“That’s just it!” affirmed the customer.
“God DOES exist! But what happens is that people don’t look for him or come to him. When God is left out of lives, and the instructions he gave us on how to live and care for each other are ignored, that is why there’s so much pain and suffering in the world.”
Author unknown
Image Credit: Barbershop Logo Vectors by Vecteezy