The story goes: A man goes into a barbershop to get his hair cut and beard trimmed. They start talking about many things and the customer says "Do you belive in God?" The man says "No I don't believe in him. If he existed there wouldn't be so much pain and suffering in the world." The customer was hurt and didn't say anything for a while. Then a man is outside with long dirty unkept hair walked by and sat outside. The customer saw him and said " You know I don't belive that barbers exists" The barber said "What? Are you crazy? W?hat are you talking about I just did your hair!" The man says "I don't believ ethat they do. if they did there wouldn't be people like that man outside in the streets with unkept hair." The barber said. "Thats stupid, the problem is that people like that don't come to me."
"Thats just it" the customer said. "God exists too the problem is that people don't come to him or look for him. Thats why there is so much pain suffering in the world."
2007-08-28 08:19:40 · 27 answers · asked by That Person 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
BEAUTIFUL STORY! And It Is So True. I was just thinking this a.m. That SO MANY People are going to Hell, Just because they won't come to JESUS.
It is so Sad......But Your Little Story says It "ALL". ...... God Bless You real Good. (smile)
2007-08-28 08:27:22 · answer #1 · answered by minnetta c 6 · 1⤊ 3⤋
You call that Logic?
That can be applied to everything, just look:
The story goes: A man goes into a barbershop to get his hair cut and beard trimmed. They start talking about many things and the customer says "Do you believee in Giant Mole Rats?" The man says "No I don't believe in them. If they existed there wouldn't be so much pain and suffering in the world." The customer was hurt and didn't say anything for a while. Then a man is outside with long dirty unkempt hair walked by and sat outside. The customer saw him and said " You know I don't believe that barbers exist" The barber said "What? Are you crazy? What are you talking about I just did your hair!" The man says "I don't believ that they do. if they did there wouldn't be people like that man outside in the streets with unkempt hair." The barber said. "That's stupid, the problem is that people like that don't come to me."
"That's just it" the customer said. "Giant Mole Rats exists too the problem is that people don't come to them or look for them. That's why there is so much pain suffering in the world."
See what I did I changed all references to God to references to Giant Mole Rats, so by your logic Giant Mole Rats must exist.
2007-08-28 15:27:45 · answer #2 · answered by The Return Of Sexy Thor 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Ahem. The difference: God is supposed to be omnipotent, and the barber isn't. The barber has to demand pay for doing his job in order to survive in a capitalist world, but God doesn't need to demand anything, he can do whatever he wants anyway.
Besides, even if this were not the case, there is another difference. In your analogy, the idea is that theists/atheists are like people who go to the barber/people who don't go to the barber and suffering is like having messy hair. If this analogy were correct, then presumably theists who have come to God should not endure any kind of suffering. This is of course not true, they come to God and yet they continue to suffer.
I'm not sure if there are any other reasons your analogy is invalid, but who cares? The two above are quite enough to refute everything you just said.
2007-08-28 15:27:41 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You logic is flawed. Many people who truly believe have had complete calamity in their lives. Across the world, believers of all kinds of religions are subjected to the loss of family, children, identiy, freedom. You comparison here is that all those who experience pain and suffering have not come to God, and that's simply not true.
So, what is the reason for this pain and suffering? God's plan? Is that it? Or, will you use the excuse that these people don't REALLY believe, or God wouldn't let bad things happen to them?
Scripture says, ask and it shall be given unto you. Do these people ask for these horrible events in their lives?
I am not arguing the existence of God...just your faulty logic. You might as well say that all pain and suffering can only happen to those who don't believe...which isn't true at all....
2007-08-28 15:32:27 · answer #4 · answered by Night Owl 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We know Barbers exist, you can see people walking around with haircuts. There is solid, empirical evidence that Barbers exist. As for God, there is nothing suggesting his existence other than myth and conjecture.
2007-08-28 15:29:57 · answer #5 · answered by Shawn B 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If everyone agrees on any doctrine, there would be no wars about that.
There still would be diseases but people wouldnt suffer from it because the doctrine consoles and give peace with the disease.
Babies would still die from starvation but the doctrine would console the parents and give peace with this unfortunate event.
suffering is only in the humans mind dont you think ?
2007-08-28 15:27:38 · answer #6 · answered by gjmb1960 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The pain and suffering of this world are part of this world, it is part of the process of being human. Often, we stay stuck in our pain, and self-pity, and never see, that out of painful experiences, come rebirth, change, growth.
We are here to grow spiritually, and part of the growth process involves pain. If we were always content, would we ever change?
2007-08-28 15:29:17 · answer #7 · answered by Grace 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your analogy fails on one point. We can both see barbershops and walk inside them. We both agree that they exist.
And by the way, I've never used the argument that "pain and suffering exist, therefore gods do not". That puzzle is for people who do believe in a god (why is he so callous?), not for those who don't.
2007-08-28 15:27:27 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Begging the question: Logical fallacy.
You can't start with the presumption that god(s) exist.
The barber in your story
The god in your story
2007-08-28 15:28:32 · answer #9 · answered by Rusty Knight 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
heh, I like this story, it seems true enough, but do you realize the story uses an analogy comparing God and a barber? Those two don't seem all that similar to me.
2007-08-28 15:26:57 · answer #10 · answered by Uryx 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Any allegory of God always comes up short since we try to explain Him with finite created minds.
This one comes up short in more ways then one, since it suggests that we have a choice to come to Him or not.
We don't. We are called, then we come. We love Him, because He first loved us. Any other way is heretical.
2007-08-28 15:27:53 · answer #11 · answered by biblegracespirit 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋