A Christian man went to the barber shop to get his hair cut and his beard trimmed. He and the barber were having long conversations about many things. When they got to the subject of God the barber said "I don't believe in God. If there was a God there would be no suffering people out there." The man thought for a minute. He wanted to say something but could not figure out what to say. He decided to keep quiet because he did not want to start a fight. He payed the barber and left. While walking home he was looking around at all the people walking by. He saw a man who had long shaggy hair and an untrimmed beard. He ran back to the barber and said " I dont believe in barbers." Then the barber said "how could you say that, I myself just cut your hair and trimmed your beard." The man then said "If there were such things as barbers there would be no people out there with long shaggy hair and untrimmed beards."
2007-09-14 06:16:48 · 28 answers · asked by Transformed 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
But what about the pious man with the shaggy hair who pleaded with the barber to cut it. Who offered the barber money, his life, anything if the barber would just cut his hair for him (as there was only ONE barber).
But- the barber said 'no'.
The reality is bad things happen to good people.
so- there either is no god, or god has a wicked sense of humor and doesn't seem to care about human suffering (or is powerless to do anything about it)
2007-09-14 06:24:25 · answer #1 · answered by Morey000 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Insightful, but we've never been told as children and adults that barbers all knowing and benevolent beings and I may be going out on a limb here, but don't think anyone would be so bold or brash as to make that statement. On the reverse we're told in countless ways and situations that god is the most benevolent and only all know being in the universe. You can thus stand to reason that even with barbers in the world each one is only so capable leaving the chance that there will be unkempt people with shaggy hair and untrimmed beards. God however is all capable, all powerful, and all knowing leaving him with no room for flaws and errors which I'd say war, poverty, suffering, or just general unhappiness are blatant examples of.
2007-09-14 13:33:00 · answer #2 · answered by jenny m 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Very good analogy. I will have to remember that one.
On the other hand, a man with a shaggy beard does not prove or disprove that there are barbers. The man had a good comeback to the barber for his flawed reasoning, but on the other hand just because there can be a God and suffering in the same world does not necessarily mean that there is, in fact, a God.
2007-09-14 13:20:24 · answer #3 · answered by wizard8100@sbcglobal.net 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Oh no, not the barber story again!
This horrible "analogy" is flawed on so many levels.
1) People with long hair and untrimmed beards know full well about the existence of barbers. The inability to find a barber, or not knowing of their existence, is NOT the reason why people have their hair like this.
2) The analogy is trying to imply that suffering is simply due to people not paying God a visit by their own choice. First of all, this doesn't explain how there have been many people who DID act very devout to the notion of God yet still weren't healed. Second of all, we don't live in a world where there is one and only one barber, who makes house calls. Which brings me to the next point.
3) Extending the analogy, we find some points that would upset most monotheists. Since there's more than one barber in the world, this analogy would try to imply polytheism. Never mind the fact that people often shave themselves and sometimes even cut their own hair, and thus don't have a need for barbers.
2007-09-14 13:19:58 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 7⤊ 3⤋
I don't like that analogy, because it suggests that a person who turns to God will no longer suffer, just as a person who turns to a barber will no longer have long, shaggy hair and an untrimmed beard.
Any Christian can attest that building a relationship with God does wonderful things for your life, but it does not eliminate all your suffering and hardships. To present it differently is inaccurate and ultimately sets people up for failure.
2007-09-14 13:25:52 · answer #5 · answered by ◦Delylah◦ 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Many unshorn people go on to live peaceful and fulfilling lives. Some people find ways to cut their own hair, defying the pantheon of barbers. And what do we make of the barber who produces a bad haircut?
The citizens of the Roman Empire had access to some very good barbers and being short-haired and clean-shaven were marks of status. In fact, the migrants coming in from the East were called "barbari" (literally "hairy") because hairiness was associated with being uncivilized. Yet the Empire was tyrranical and corrupt, and it ultimately fell to the "barbarians". Too many Christian apologists are more interested in the appearance of moral rectitude than in actual ethical reform.
2007-09-14 13:37:44 · answer #6 · answered by skepsis 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Apples and oranges. Bad analogy as barbers are NOT all powerful or have the universal might to trim EVERYONE's beard.
I appreciate your effort though but you should realise that the ONLY person who can prove God exists is God. When we humans try to, it NEVER works.
So why don't you just let God do the proving huh?
2007-09-14 13:25:01 · answer #7 · answered by pixie_pagan 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it's an interesting tale, but my opinion is that it's not a good comparison because the long haired people could go to a barber and be helped. Lots of suffering people have called out to God yet their suffering continues. I do not know the answer to why all suffering is not wiped away by God.
2007-09-14 13:21:33 · answer #8 · answered by martinmagini 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
It's an argument that has no logic. Because there is suffering in the world God cannot exist? Sometimes it's a matter of asking the right questions. Why is there suffering in the world? Well look what I've found. There's a book written over many millenia, by people that seem to be connected, and they all talk about the problems of man because of his folly and disobedience to God, who, I read in the very beginning, is good.
2007-09-14 13:23:11 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Sweet story. I liked the ending.
But, sad to say, it's not a very good analogy.
There is suffering in the world because of sin.
Think about this...if everyone were to behave as Jesus taught, we could cut suffering by maybe 90%. We could dispense with armies and police forces...we wouldn't need them any more. We could do away with governments, since everyone would treat others as they wish to be treated.
*shakes her head sadly*
Yeah, I know. Never gonna happen.
There is too much greed, too much jealousy, too much hatred in the world.
And then, we DARE to blame it all on God....
2007-09-14 13:37:01 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋