God and the Barber… (A Forwarded Email)
I recently checked my mail and I was forwarded a really amusing story about God’s existence… I enjoyed it a whole lot that I am sharing it with you… may this simple story touch your hearts and make it open spiritual realities in your lives.
Story follows…:
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 a 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.”
This story was very nice, and I will most likely use when talking about the existence of GOd. But as you know this story does has many holes that a arrogant skeptical atheist will attack point blank. First, the barber you can actually see, using all of your senses, and deem him as real. And second, although there are those who are suffering because they have not sought out God; ther are those who believe in him and search for him every single day and still endure the sufferings and tribulations of life. That story will hold up with devout believers, but not atheists.
Either way I like what your doing keep it up!
wow a very powerful story. reminds me of the book I’m reading “morsels of meaning” and “1000 stories”. I like these kind of anecdotes. actually I collect them in my inbox for future use. I also have some clippings of them that I used in one of my homilies during my seminary days.
I think youd like to see the last post i left on the same categoory of God…..quite the contrary I might add