I found thus on a blog essjee , while clicking the next blog button. Its awesome. Here it is—-
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 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 un-kept.
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! 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.”
yep, sure does explain why hoboes are religious, er well… bad example. yes and it seems that people “get whats coming to them” by not believing, or by accidently growing up in the wrong country and not having the opportunity know the right god. its a shame how people like that think that people deserve or blame the victims of the world because they dont have the right faith.
wether this is sarcasm/satire or what have you:
you don’t need a barber to cut your own hair. you can do it yourself.
By: digg makes me mad on March 20, 2007
at 11:25 am
What a load of bull!
So why do so many people who go to god still suffer?
I don’t have all the answers but I do feel that the universe was designed by something, something that is at a much higher level than to need to care about the little insignificant beings on a tiny planet in amongst billions of others. So don’t bother praying because there isn’t anybody listening!
By: Clive on March 20, 2007
at 12:43 pm
Sweet story…Clive (of India?) above must be talking about Brahma.
By: michael on March 20, 2007
at 1:00 pm
Well, Clive, None was there to witness the big bang or other theories which say that universe wasn’t created by GOD. Earth and other planets are perfect spheres, had they been a result of a bang, they shud be irregular figures. This all points out someone’s hand in creating all this.
By: Shakti Mehra on March 20, 2007
at 3:09 pm
Clive, you say that someone so big has created this all that he doesnt care about us small beings. Then why ever were we created? When we bear a child, we see to it that we look after it, no matter we have 10 children! we take care of all. Then why would GOD (or any power), who has created us all, not look after us?????
Do you have an answer?
By: Shakti Mehra on March 20, 2007
at 3:12 pm
Does he look after us? Look out the window and show me the proof.
We look after our offspring because of evolution! We’ve evolved over millions of years to do this, if we didn’t look after our offspring – to pass on our genes then we wouldn’t be here to thing about it!
There are billions of stars and planets in our galaxy and there are billions of galaxies in the universe. You really think your that special!
We have to live our lives as we see fit. Everything might have been design to evolve in this way but whatever it is isn’t going to change anything because you believe in it. Just live your life, look after yourself and the ones you care for and enjoy the life you have. This is what I do and I don’t feel the need to try and let something somewhere know how thankful I am, because I know I’d be wasting my time…….
By: Clive on March 20, 2007
at 4:24 pm
Clive,
The proof that God “looks after us” is Jesus Christ. People suffer because people (possibly themselves, possibly others) ignore Him.
By: How I See It on March 20, 2007
at 5:12 pm
hmmm!!!
so u browsed thoroughly… and thanks for dropping by,
God! is really testing our faith..our endurance.. if he gave me everything…how could i ever be able to feel the pain??? how could i ever learn to be grateful??
By: esSJee on March 20, 2007
at 5:26 pm
lolz.. good story
By: DotMySpot on March 20, 2007
at 5:44 pm
This God sentenced a 100 billion souls in Hell for eternity. When so much of your entire human race is in eternal suffering, JUST LOVE GOD.
By: lover on March 20, 2007
at 6:17 pm
Clive,
You are able to live and enjoy your life. Shouldn’t you thank God for this?
You got a point that there are billions of galaxies and we are not special. Fait enough. But things happening around us are somewhat influenced by GOD. there is something known as “luck”. In any case, there is 95% hard work and intelligence but also is 5% luck. If you pray, you can get that 5% in ypur favour. Thats what I think. It depends, whether you have faith or not.
Lastly, GOD BLESS ATHEISM!!!!
By: Shakti Mehra on March 20, 2007
at 6:43 pm
ESSJEE,
Yeah, I love browsing random blogs and commenting on them. Thats increases knowledge and friends too. All the blogs in my blogroll are a result of this. keep blogging.
By: Shakti Mehra on March 20, 2007
at 6:44 pm
Simply put:
“If I could see proof in this world that there was a god who listened then I would be a believer”
I just can’t see the point of showing faith to something when there is no benefit. Some people do find benefit to believe but I don’t, but at the same time I appreciate and empathise with people who do, each to their own!
By: Clive on March 20, 2007
at 6:53 pm
Clive, You are very correct! One’s faith is one’s own. And there is no proof that people benefit or not. There would be numerous instances where people say that they beneffited and might even exaggerate. If seeing is believing, then He aint there. But if perception is believing, He is definately there.
Most people argue this way—
“(1) In my younger days I was a cursing, drinking, smoking, gambling, child-molesting, thieving, murdering, bed-wetting bastard.
(2) That all changed once I became religious.
(3) Therefore, God exists.”
And this is truly dumb. The only time we’ll come to know the truth behind the grand question is after death and I guess that’ll be too late
By: Shakti Mehra on March 20, 2007
at 7:17 pm
You guys are asking the wrong questions.
People believe in God because people need something to believe in. This is changing as we better understand our universe. You have to remember the context that all of this stuff comes from. If someone tried to convince you that Zeus and all the Greek Gods were flying over our heads manipulating the oceans you’d laugh in their face. But at the time, that’s all anyone knew. They couldn’t explain why the oceans got rough, what the sun was, why it got cold. People needed answers and they created tons of gods to answers all these things.
Why is that any different than the current god that people talk about?
When the bible was written, everything in it was taken as LITERAL FACT. It wasn’t until hundreds of years later that many of the thing in it were disproved. Today, people say that the stories were written as lessons for all of us, which is just not true.
After Jesus died his followers were promised that they would be saved and rise to heaven. Yes, they literally believed that their bodies would rise out of the ground and fly into space. When this didn’t happen, the idea of the soul was invented so that Jesus’ promises would not be broken.
One last thing, you keep saying that evolution is a ‘theory’ which is technically correct. But the way science works, things are constantly analyzed, rehashed and revised. This is COMPLETELY different from religion, where concepts and ideas are molded to fit into what science currently knows. Evolution may be a ‘theory’ but religion, which supposedly should be a concept is always being re-interpreted in the context of current times so that it’s still possible just to believe.
By: Chris on March 20, 2007
at 7:49 pm
Maybe that GOD was born to answer some phenomenons. And the bible and other religious books are mere lessons.
GOD might not exist. If it is so, then You know why pain and suffering in the world exist? Because of you, because of me and all the other humans. We do evil, we fail to attain our ideals, to do the right thing etc.
And the sooner we stop blaming somebody else – be that god, the devil, the tooth-fairy or some ancestral spirit – for everything that happens, the sooner we can start truly bettering ourselves and our world. Granted, we may never attain perfection, but we can do a whole lot better than now.
B. t. w. there are a lot of people who go to god and look for him but unfortunately end up with poisonous charlatans and false prophets like Jerry Falwell and the like.
By: Shakti Mehra on March 20, 2007
at 8:08 pm
On a lighter note
Evolution can’t be true, since I lack the mental capacity to understand it; moreover, to accept its truth would cause me to be uncomfortable
If evolution is false, then creationism is true, and therefore God exists
By: Shakti Mehra on March 20, 2007
at 8:10 pm
Why can’t both creationism and evolution be true. As mention earlier I may not pray to a god but I do believe something created the universe, designed the building blocks and we see around us what has evolved from these building blocks over time.
I obviously do wonder sometimes why we are here and what life is all about but I don’t have a desire to follow a faith, perhaps it will come to me one day when I least expect it
By: Clive on March 20, 2007
at 9:30 pm
you know what Clive… God is creator and pillar in my life, I have experienced first hand God’s work in my life and when I read this I have to admit man all I could do is laugh and say amen ! because I have seen the work of the lord in my life I can see with the spirit of the lord the miracles that play out in this life and that story really touched me in the perspective that God truly does work in mysterious ways and he will ALWAYS present a solution to any problem we just have to be available to present the work that he has laid for us to do.
By: Sapo on March 20, 2007
at 11:05 pm
I’ve actually been thinking a bit of this before. How the world were created, evolution and what’s happening after death. Before we’re born, then we are like nothing, because I can’t remember anything, therfore nothing
.
So, [b]something[/b] must been giving us ‘life’, perhaps not life, but a consciousness or something. A human be borned into this world without senses (can’t taste, see, hear, feel or smell) but still there must be something that kicked the body to start, some ‘aura’, ’spirit’ or so on. You get my point.
My opinion is that we didn’t get it from here, that something made it for us. That’s why I got some kind of belief in God.
But I do not deny an evolution, created by environment, years, actions etc. And I don’t know how it really started up, because even if their were a ‘Big Bang’ there should be things before it, and how can a planet with no living materia start raising people after a couple of billion years? There are many question, but I do belive that there are [b]Something[/b] that are watching us…
By: Kristoffer on March 20, 2007
at 11:22 pm
Shakti I have to comment on something you mentioned about luck and would like to share my point of view on that if you don’t mind… God intended everything the way he made it, and as we all know God does not make mistakes correct ? well then define luck to me cause to say that life is 5% luck is like saying that 5% of what we depend on is not God and God made us in his image to FULLY depend on him, 100% so when you speak of luck I see it as a guardian angel or divine intervention or something but not luck. We can never truly understand God’s purpose or intent in our lives, however; one thing I think that, well most of us can agree on is that God does exist and we are his children and when something goes wrong in our lives it IS a test of our faith or a punishment of our denial of him… and I praise God for even the punishments he has given me cause when I think about it, it’s no different than my parents punishing me when I was a child, they didn’t do it out of spite or hatefulness rather out of “Love” that they strive to teach us of our faults in making decisions for ourselves.
By: Sapo on March 20, 2007
at 11:24 pm
—->
Clive (18:53:25) :
Simply put:
“If I could see proof in this world that there was a god who listened then I would be a believer”
I just can’t see the point of showing faith to something when there is no benefit. Some people do find benefit to believe but I don’t, but at the same time I appreciate and empathise with people who do, each to their own!
I would like to add to this statement.. clive this is testimony that your reluctance to understand the lord is made evident through the words you share here… “If I could see proof ?” Clive the story in which these comments are made on is proof enough. As a Christian you learn that God is a living spirit and through his spirit all things are made possible, the fact that Mary was made pregnant with Jesus without a father is equally testimony to this fact, sometimes in life what we consider to be every day occurances or mishaps that just to convenient to be prevalent to the lords work is the core of the problem with our society, for one WE consider and think for ourselves what the lord our God does within our lives is just simply what is, and that is wrong. WE did not create ourselves, WE did not create the earth, WE did not create the water which falls from the heavens WE, however;’ simply use what God has made tangible in our lives to progress how God intends for us to live… the rest is just a matter of faith. I challenge ya brother to take what you would normally see in life… and well this would be a perfect example, but take moments like this to possess a little faith in what most people consider to be works of God, understand I am not asking you to do it nor am I telling you to do it, just simply implying a challenge what have you got to lose ? I mean if your worried that someone will notice, it’s just a simple matter of percpective and that is between you and God, it “Could” save your life
By: Sapo on March 21, 2007
at 12:12 am
everything in the universe is so baalanced and in a proper manner that it cant be just running around by itself..and a devine power must be controlling it….and that is a single God…cz only a sovereign can govern in such a harmony of even particles…
and thanks Mehra!
By: esSJee on March 21, 2007
at 12:54 am
this one is to Kristoffer… about your point of view of evolution when God created the world in just 7 days at then end of each completion he finished by saying, “And this was good.” in everything that God does in his works, his creations everything material and tangible was orgionaly created in God’s eyes to exist how God made them.. referring from the topic story as an example. imagine if you will that you possess the ability to creatively create something with such a profound exhistance that it’s very nature would defy everything that had been created through out history and this, “Creation” was created with such perfection that even superceded your expectations.. ( hence we are humans and no human is perfect) but in the exhistance of this, “Creation” it carries on an exhistance of it’s own. Part of the protocals of this exhistance would be to collectively learn as it progressed through it’s routines.. as you watched it progress through it’s expected and intended routines, the AI capabilities were starting to take an unexpected change… within these changes they took on almost an exhistance all to themselves carrying on with protocols that origionaly didn’t exist and because their AI capacity only understood what they were intended to understand they took it to be that they were the only existance around in their, “Little world” and the sense of realization that they were “Created by a much bigger entity is beyond them… you see the same can be said about God and his creation within us.. we question a lot of what God has to do with us because we instinctly do not inherit the “Protocols” to understand his intentions.. we were, However; created to understand that we are to live our lives according to his word and his law… the fact that we do not is testimony that by “Choice” do we not believe and by choice do we decide not to believe in faith of the Holy power that is lord God … in fact if anything we Disbelieve the truth of the real meaning to supliment what we as humans interperate through means only by what we see… again stated by choice. Evolution is complicated in the end it will always come down to faith but the fact is evolution changes because WE change and the environment has to accomidate to what “WE MAKE OF IT” but if you pay attention one detail. Why in life when all things around us change, why is it that the very principals of the negativity or mishaps, if you will, still effect us the same ? It is because they reside in effect of a spiritual nature and that ! my friend is something that you or I or anyone on this planet have no control over for that is by God’s will and his alone and God is very patient.
By: Sapo on March 21, 2007
at 1:20 am
This does not prove god exists. It doesn’t even prove barbers exist.
Christians just can’t grasp the fact that parables and cute stories don’t prove anything. Just because it gives you goose bumps, and sounds good at bible study is not proof of anything.
Mythology has a place in society, but don’t use it as an excuse to rule other people’s lives.
By: Jeff on March 21, 2007
at 1:54 am
Sapo:
“fact that Mary was made pregnant with Jesus without a father”
You don’t really expect me to believe something like this. The bible is a story book written a long time ago. Before you ask, no I haven’t read it. Why would I spend the time to read something that I really can’t believe. Not because it is religious, that has nothing to do with it. It is the fact it was written so long ago and collated over such a long time with so many aspects of it being passed verbally before reaching parchment or paper.
This is fundamental to the reasons why I’m not religious, because I can’t trust the foundations they are based on.
By: Clive on March 21, 2007
at 2:00 am
Jeff, that mythology is some of the most historical records we have in the entire world…
If we evolved from muck per se, show me the transitional fossils! WHERE ARE THEY? Even stasis is a poor excuse that does nothing to prove any gradual evolving from say a fish, to a human. Talk about a lack of proof.
Oh, and how about the soft tissue recently found on a T-Rex bone fossil thought to be millions of years old?! That would never last that long (blood, muscle found)- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12952172&dopt=Abstract
And Clive, to disregard something before researching the facts or even the content is to allow your own argument to be negated. You claim aspects were passed verbally, but where is evidence of this? You can’t just make up claims without support…
What about that NO point mutations have EVER given rise to NEW, FUNCTIONAL INFORMATION? Cat got your tongue on that one?
Mind you, according to evolution, our thoughts are all random chemical reactions, so what makes yours so special?
By: Kendal on March 21, 2007
at 3:17 am
Shakti,
I do believe in a creator but your arguments for believing in God are flawed. How can you praise God for all the good in the world and deplore humans for creating all the evil? Are humans more powerful than God? I thought God was all powerful? So either God is all powerful and is just watching all the pain and suffering and sitting on his/her ass doing nothing or God is just not all powerful and is not deserving of any praise from me. Which is it?
If a boat load of people narrowly escape a drowning death from a terrible storm people want to praise God even if among those saved was a child molester. But then why did God stand by and do nothing while the child molester harms some poor 8 innocent 8 year old?
Personally, my God does not get involved in the affairs of humans. That way my God neither deserves the blame nor the praise.
By: Island in the Net on March 21, 2007
at 6:17 am
Island on the net,
I believe that God influences a part of our lives but its us ultimately who is on the driving seat. The good happening in the world and even bad too are influenced by God. I believ in God but have a big problem with Him too. I live in New Delhi, a bomb blast occured some 500 metres from my place a few months ago. About 200 people were killed in the terrorist attack. I do feel, why couldn’t God make anyone doubt the Briefcase which was lying there unattended? Why didnt anyone inform the police about it? The market was full of people!
Several times, I feel that God is sleeping. Or maybe making us pay for some weird reason which he alone knows.
By: Shakti Mehra on March 21, 2007
at 6:52 am
Amen. God does exist. He created us and blessed us with the choice to follow him or not to. I will pray for you all. SEEK Him! God will never forget you!
By: arace on March 21, 2007
at 8:52 am
Its all about one’s personla believe. It is a big debatable topic. There is no solution or solid end to it.
As my personal belief-God does exist ! But humans should keep themselves in limit . Why there is a need to follow so many rules or restrictions before entering a temple or Church or Mosque ?
Anyways , good post in deed !
By: Tarun on March 21, 2007
at 11:14 am
Rules and restrictions!!! Which rules or restrictions are u talking about? We only take off our shoes before entering a religious place. Thats just for showing respect and for maintaining cleanliness too. Anyways, rules and restrictions are there when you follow a religion to fanactically. One should never be orthodox. that just divides the society. I cant think of rules and restrictions in any other context!
By: Shakti Mehra on March 21, 2007
at 11:37 am
Kendal:
“You claim aspects were passed verbally, but where is evidence of this?”
I haven’t got evidence I use my intelligence to imagine and that is good enough for me. You may be forgetting but they didn’t have computers and photocopiers in them days to mass produce texts
How long would it take to write down multiple copies of an event to distribute?
How long would it take for the public to pass on the same event as chinese whispers?
As mentioned previously I was brough up in a non-religious environment. If god wanted me to join him why would he make it so complicated for me?
What religion should I choose, which sort of church should I go to? Why would he allow so many variations. If there was a god surely it would be clear, and the entire world would be in unity and it wouldn’t be so complicated to join him.
Or perhaps how I see it that all these varitions have been fabricated over time depending on peoples imaginations at the time and peer pressure and family traditions entice you into a certain religion. Once you’ve been brought up in your own religion you have a blinkered vision about all other religions and this is one of the major causes of bloodshed around the world.
Now for a non-religion person, god show me how I enter your world? Because at the minute the door is shut and I’m happier to stay outside.
Ahmen!
By: Clive on March 21, 2007
at 1:19 pm
Well well, another inconclusive debate. I do agree to those who said that people created a fictional creature called GOD just to explain certain unexplained phenomenon. I believe that it wasnt GOD who created humans but it was actually humans who created GOD. In their minds as the all powerful being.
Before we draw the lines of conclusiveness here, just wait a bit more for science to progress. Like people have stopped blaming Posiedon for wild sea behavior, right..??
In the same way, people will one day understand how, when everything got created. And some day we may well as might get out of the Hen-Egg loop..!!
Wait on…
By: Prashanth on March 21, 2007
at 1:23 pm
CLIVE,
Even I am vrought up in a non-religious environment. I dont even know what I have to follow. My ancestors were Hindus and prayed to Hindu Gods. One fine day, a sect was started in the name of “Arya samaj” that claimed that there is no God and only 5 elements namely fire, earth, water, sky and air exist. My grandparents followed Arya Samaj vehemently and didnt believe in God. My parents do not follow anything, the result being that I dont pray to a particular God But in general. I just pray to the power which supposedly created us (maybe).
There are so many religious complications that its so confusing whom to pray…..
By: Shakti Mehra on March 21, 2007
at 4:33 pm
From what I’ve heard – everyone can reach the heaven in the afterlife. Either if you’re a savage och well-eduicated religious person. It’s just that God got higher demands on that person with eduication.
This sounds fair, right?
By: Kristoffer on March 21, 2007
at 9:19 pm
Shakti Mehra! Your argument is lovable. You proved your being from Northern India and from Dehli (the home of civilization). The theory of evolution is odd-legged because one, as you said, nobody saw anything happening so it is only imagination. Two, a bang never ocsures in vacuum, so where from that material came which was part of the big bang? Someone created that, who? God can be the only answer.
By the way, have you read this
http://iabhopal.wordpress.com/2007/03/11/fantastic-use-of-logic/
By: iabhopal on March 23, 2007
at 11:09 am
Shakti , I think you are not aware of MANY RULES AND RESTRICTIONS !
There is one famous temple in TN where people have get their head clean shaved before they enter the temple. Isn’t that funny ? Isn’t it a rule ?
In LOTUS TEMPLE at Delhi one has to keep quite ! Why ? Can’t a devotee speak his/her prayers lil bit aloud !
Its all about personal belief ‘n attitude.
P.S : The information about the temple in TN is not imaginery ! Its true !
There are many more things which can be termed as RULEs And REGULATIONS !
By: Tarun on March 23, 2007
at 3:21 pm
Oh yeah Tarun, I wasn’t aware of these things. thanx for the info.
Whazzup with your blog anyway? Starting it tomorow?
By: Shakti Mehra on March 23, 2007
at 5:38 pm
Yeah. May be. I’ll be starting soon , perhaps on 28th with full swing !
By: Tarun on March 24, 2007
at 3:28 pm
Maybe god just made you that way and you’re going to be in hell.
By: Dustin on March 30, 2007
at 2:11 am