The Soap Maker

A minister and a soap maker went for a walk together. The soap maker said, “what good is religion? Look at all the trouble and misery of the world! Still there, even after years – thousands of years – of teaching about goodness and truth and peace. Still there, after all the prayers and sermons and teachings. If religion is good and true, why should this be?”

The minister said nothing. They continued walking until he noticed a child playing in the gutter.

Then the minister said, “Look at that child. You say that soap makes people clean, but see the dirt on that youngster. Of what good is soap? With all the soap in the world, over all these years, the child is still filthy. I wonder how effective soap is, after all!”

The soap maker protested. “But, Pastor, soap cannot do any good unless it is used!”

“Exactly!” replied the minister.