A hairy parable

I was sent this story yesterday, and although it doesn't do justice to the profound questions it raises - about suffering and pain - it does highlight one very important factor often omitted in attacks on the existence of a loving God, and that is the freedom we have in relation to him. He doesn't compel us to involve him in our lives. Some of the responsibility is on us.


A man went to a hairdresser's to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the hairdresser began to work, they started to have a good conversation. They talked about a lot of things and various subjects.

When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the hairdresser said: 'I don't believe that God exists.'

'Why do you say that?' asked the customer, interested. 

'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. He wanted a good haircut.

The hairdresser finished his job and the customer left the salon.

Just after he left, 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 salon again and he said to the hairdresser: 'You know what? Hairdressers do not exist.' 

'How can you say that?' asked the surprised hairdresser. 'I am here, and I am a hairdresser. And I just worked on you!'

'No!' the customer exclaimed. 'Hairdressers 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 hairdressers DO exist! That's what happens when people do not come to me.'

'Exactly!' affirmed the customer. 'That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! That's what happens when people do not go to him and don't look to him for help. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world.'

I have to say that there's a great post on the Diary of a Wip blog called God's silent witnesses which gives a much better perspective than this has been able to.