September 13, 2005

This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and
suffering that I have seen. It's an explanation other people
will understand.

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed.
Barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation.
They talked about so many things and various subjects.
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 realize 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 job and the customer left the shop. Just
after he left the barbers shop, he saw a man in the street with long,
stringy, dirty hair & an un trimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt.
The customer turned back and entered the barbershop again and he
said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not 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 exclaimed.
"Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people
with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards like that man outside."
"Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me."
"Exactly!" affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES
exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him.
That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."