# God and Life **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 26, 2018, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192 "2018-04-26T22:27:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/281 "2018-05-05T16:02:04Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Here’s a challenge: find a picture of life. Should be easy, right? Just find a picture of something that’s alive. Ah yes, but that would be something that has the quality or characteristic of possessing life, not a picture of life itself. You may think that you are saying something deep and profound and interesting, but I do not share that position. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/282 "2018-05-05T16:27:52Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > So by your logic, “God” is “Life”, “God” is “Death”, and “Life” is “Death”? Congrats-using that same level of reasoning, because both cats and dogs are animals, cats are dogs. BTW, until Walsch pops in here to discuss his reasoning, you get to be his surrogate because you are presenting this idea to us. That’s not what I said, but if you wish to believe that, I’ll try to be respectful. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/283 "2018-05-05T16:29:00Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > You may think that you are saying something deep and profound and interesting, but I do not share that position. No problem. So can you produce a picture of life? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/284 "2018-05-05T16:40:07Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Here’s a challenge: find a picture of life. Find a picture of wind. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/285 "2018-05-05T16:46:23Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > No problem. So can you produce a picture of life? Let me be more blunt (pre-pun intended.) You can say the same about anything. You can take a picture of snow but not of “snow.” You can take a picture of food but not of “food.” You can take a picture of a planet but not of “planet.” You can take a picture of a computer but not of “computer.” I get what you are trying to say, I just think that what you are trying to say is really, really, really, really _stupid_. It is something that should only seem deep to a stoned teenager. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/286 "2018-05-05T16:55:45Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > That’s not what I said, but if you wish to believe that, I’ll try to be respectful. If you want to drop in ideas like “death” is a conception, don’t be surprised if others use that idea against your argument. “Try to be respectful” is all very well and good, but it isn’t exactly a response to what was said, is it? If you want to claim that “Life” and “God” are somehow closely related because they are both concepts, then bringing up the fact that “death” is also a concept is your mistake, not mine. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/287 "2018-05-05T17:00:33Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > No problem. So can you produce a picture of life? Can you produce a picture of death? “Life” is “Death”! ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/288 "2018-05-05T17:49:50Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Find a picture of wind. Exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/289 "2018-05-05T17:55:10Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > If you want to drop in ideas like “death” is a conception, don’t be surprised if others use that idea against your argument. “Try to be respectful” is all very well and good, but it isn’t exactly a response to what was said, is it? If you want to claim that “Life” and “God” are somehow closely related because they are both concepts, then bringing up the fact that “death” is also a concept is your mistake, not mine. Fair enough. But perhaps life and death are more closely related than we think. For animals, the difference between these two states is demonstrated by, among other things, breathing. The body is the same in both states, but in one state, the body is breathing while in the other it is not. Oddly enough, the word “spirit” is derived from the word for breath. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/290 "2018-05-05T17:58:03Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Can you produce a picture of death? > > “Life” is “Death”! Because two nouns are abstract nouns, like Love and Hate, does not make them the same. Same with Life and Death. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/291 "2018-05-05T18:00:38Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Because two nouns are abstract nouns, like Love and Hate, does not make them the same. Same with Life and Death. Same with Life and God. That’s the point. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/292 "2018-05-05T18:04:19Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > And yet here you are, taking part in a discussion of nonsense. Either you’re not as annoyed as you claim to be, or this is not actually nonsense. False choice. Wait… _now_ you’re attempting to be discerning? Ironic, given your propensity to conflate unrelated concepts. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/293 "2018-05-05T18:12:20Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Same with Life and God. That’s the point. Fair enough. Perhaps they are not the same, but I can sure see some similarities. Or perhaps I should say sense some similarities, since I cannot “see” either one. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/294 "2018-05-05T18:13:38Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Because two nouns are abstract nouns, like Love and Hate, does not make them the same. Same with Life and Death. Ow! Some of the debris from that irony meter cut me! ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/295 "2018-05-05T18:15:36Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Ow! Some of the debris from that irony meter cut me! You’re always good for a chuckle, Darren. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/296 "2018-05-05T18:21:51Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Fair enough. Perhaps they are not the same, but I can sure see some similarities. Or perhaps I should say sense some similarities, since I cannot “see” either one. And no matter how many similarities there are between cats and dogs(they both have an average of four legs apiece, they both have heads and tails, they both have eat food etc) There are still differences between the two that cause people to use the term “Cat” when referring to cats and “Dog” when referring to dogs. The same with “God” and “Life”-you might find similarities between the two, but the only way to make the claim that one IS the other is to deliberately ignore the differences between them. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/297 "2018-05-05T18:35:50Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Fair enough. Perhaps they are not the same, but I can sure see some similarities. Or perhaps I should say sense some similarities, since I cannot “see” either one. I’m so glad we had this time together. So… same time next week? Topic: Salt v. Pepper Always together. Both in nearly identical containers. What is the deal?!? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/298 "2018-05-05T19:29:46Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > And no matter how many similarities there are between cats and dogs(they both have an average of four legs apiece, they both have heads and tails, they both have eat food etc) There are still differences between the two that cause people to use the term “Cat” when referring to cats and “Dog” when referring to dogs. The same with “God” and “Life”-you might find similarities between the two, but the only way to make the claim that one IS the other is to deliberately ignore the differences between them. Though you might be hard-pressed to find a picture of Life, as opposed to “things that are alive,” there is no shortage of pictures of God. And every single one of them, drawn by a human, seems to appear humanoid somehow. Can’t imagine why that might be. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/299 "2018-05-05T19:31:31Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > I’m so glad we had this time together. > > So… same time next week? > > Topic: Salt v. Pepper > > Always together. Both in nearly identical containers. What is the deal?!? > > 😉 When I was a kid, I used to think if you put too much pepper on your food, putting an equal amount of salt would make it better again. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2018, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/300 "2018-05-05T19:34:37Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Though you might be hard-pressed to find a picture of Life, as opposed to “things that are alive,” there is no shortage of pictures of God. And every single one of them, drawn by a human, seems to appear humanoid somehow. Can’t imagine why that might be. We got it-_ **You Can’t Take A Picture Of A Concept** _. Next point, please? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192.md?page=16)