[Got this in an email, found it interesting, so here it is for you to read and THINK!]
“WHAT DO U FEEL ABOUT THIS?
A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the 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 barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt.
The customer turned back and entered the barber shop 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! ” answered the barber. ” 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.”
Yeah, that is a very convincing answer.
Ummm……..no. Even people who “come to God” endure pain and suffering. This little story indirectly implies that if you come to God you won’t suffer but thats obviously not true.
Also, suffering and pain in this world might not be a bad thing when you factor in the afterlife. But thats another topic.
Very true. But then from what I understand the sufferings that we are talking about is at a more global level. As a whole, if humanity were to submit to God, the sufferings would certainly lessen.
At an individual level, I agree, the time horizon must extend to cover the hereafter – and only then can really be justice be seen. 🙂