A Story: I hurt and am sick, therefore there is no God!

The problem of pain and suffering as it reflects on the existence of God has been discussed for a long time. The existence of pain and suffering cause many to conclude that there must be no God as a good and loving God wouldn't allow suffering.

It seems a valid argument on the surface, but there are two factors that most fail to consider: sin and our choice not to turn to God. I will discuss this more in the future, but for now read the story below and see what you think.

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! 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."

That is the bottom line. Why is there pain and suffering? It isn't because God doesn't exist. It is because we are sinful and we turn our backs on God. How can we expect God to bless us when we turn our backs on Him and disobey Him. We want Him to continue to bless while, at the same time, we ignore and rebel against Him.

This would be like a criminal asking for the freedom and benefits of everyone else (i.e. to be free of the suffering, restriction and isolation of jail) despite the fact that the criminal broke the law (stole something, or hurt someone, ...). We would not bless that criminal. They must suffer the consequences. And the horrible conditions in jail is more a cause of the way criminals are and behave that it is of the conditions in which they were placed by the justice system.

It is the same with us and God. God has "put us in jail" with isolation from Himself for our sin. It is the just and right punishment for our law-breaking. The conditions on this world are caused by our own sinful behaviour more than they are caused by the punishments of God.