# 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:** 23
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/441 "2018-05-09T18:03:04Z")
I apologize for being harsh and/or “negative”. On one hand, I’m not ashamed to be negative about stuff that isn’t true, and I’ll continue to be negative about it; on the other hand, being harsh or mean to people is bad and is not going to help. Sorry that I mixed them together. ---
**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 9, 2018, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/442 "2018-05-09T18:47:43Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > I apologize for being harsh and/or “negative”. On one hand, I’m not ashamed to be negative about stuff that isn’t true, and I’ll continue to be negative about it; on the other hand, being harsh or mean to people is bad and is not going to help. Sorry that I mixed them together. I appreciate that, David, with or without an R. I shall endeavour to be as clear as I can possibly be, even if a little out there at times. ---
**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 9, 2018, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/443 "2018-05-09T19:35:19Z")
Whelp… I’m really outta here this time, before y’all break out in a chorus of _kumbaya_. ---
**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 9, 2018, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/444 "2018-05-09T21:32:36Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Whelp… I’m really outta here this time, before y’all break out in a chorus of _kumbaya_. Famous last words. You’ll be back. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/445 "2018-05-09T21:38:45Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Whelp… I’m really outta here this time, before y’all break out in a chorus of _kumbaya_. I f’ing hate that song. I’d rather talk about God=Random Other Word. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2018, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/446 "2018-05-09T21:46:01Z")
Kumbaya my Life, kumbaya Kumbaya my Love, kumbaya Kumbaya my Life, kumbaya Oh Tomato Sauce, kumbaya ---
**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 11, 2018, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/447 "2018-05-11T00:53:58Z")
Boy. If it wasn’t confusing enough already, why don’t we throw music into the mix? God=Love=Life=Music 😉 [https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180511/c3ca507fe19dd14fcf9df413022995dc.jpg](https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180511/c3ca507fe19dd14fcf9df413022995dc.jpg) ---
**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 11, 2018, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/448 "2018-05-11T00:59:24Z")
I think for many intents and purposes, Life is really a catch all term for experience or existence. It’s my story or your story. Go ahead with your own life, leave me alone. When one speaks of life in this way, I don’t think the biological definition really enters into it so much. And I’d say there’s probably as mean interpretations of the word Life as there are people on this planet. [https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180511/4a2212c97810d8f666a9c5b0212d8529.jpg](https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180511/4a2212c97810d8f666a9c5b0212d8529.jpg) ---
**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 11, 2018, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/449 "2018-05-11T01:08:54Z")
Just let it die with dignity, man! ---
**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 11, 2018, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/450 "2018-05-11T01:19:07Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Just let it die with dignity, man! Naw, man, I’m into eternal Life. 😃 Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/451 "2018-05-11T09:00:26Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > I think for many intents and purposes, Life is really a catch all term for experience or existence. It’s my story or your story. Go ahead with your own life, leave me alone. When one speaks of life in this way, I don’t think the biological definition really enters into it so much. And I’d say there’s probably as mean interpretations of the word Life as there are people on this planet. > > [https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180511/4a2212c97810d8f666a9c5b0212d8529.jpg](https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180511/4a2212c97810d8f666a9c5b0212d8529.jpg) I think my inner rationalist and inner linguist are both screaming and you badly need to read “[A Human’s Guide To Words](https://www.lesswrong.com/sequences/SGB7Y5WERh4skwtnb)” by Eliezer Yudkowsky. It’s not just that you’re communicating badly, it’s that you seem to be doing so gleefully and _intentionally_, because if you communicated clearly it’d become very obvious very quickly how nonsensical the concepts you’re talking about are. This is pretty damn common in new age woo philosophy. ---
**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 11, 2018, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/452 "2018-05-11T13:22:11Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > I think my inner rationalist and inner linguist are both screaming and you badly need to read “[A Human’s Guide To Words](https://www.lesswrong.com/sequences/SGB7Y5WERh4skwtnb)” by Eliezer Yudkowsky. It’s not just that you’re communicating badly, it’s that you seem to be doing so gleefully and _intentionally_, because if you communicated clearly it’d become very obvious very quickly how nonsensical the concepts you’re talking about are. This is pretty damn common in new age woo philosophy. To life, to life, la heim! La heim, la heim, to life! It gives you something to think about, something to drink about! Thank you for the suggestion, though I must say you are mistaken on at least one front. Certainly I communicate intentionally, but not badly. I am intentionally a word like Life, a very common word, and looking at the connotations it has to demonstrate that if you have a stick up your arse regarding the meanings of words, you’ll miss the beauty of the poetry of the language. La heim! ---
**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 11, 2018, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/453 "2018-05-11T14:30:42Z")
La Heim = is not a thing. But Haim is a common yiddish name. L’Chaim = To Life; a common hebrew/yiddish toast. Seriously, Biff. Brush up on your language and communications skills. I know you think you’re being colourful and whimsical, but that’s not how you’re coming across at this point. Words, even those foreign to you, have meaning and aren’t subject to your feel-good interpretations and poetic license. ---
**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 11, 2018, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/454 "2018-05-11T14:31:40Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Certainly I communicate intentionally, but not badly. That’s just, like, your opinion, man. It isn’t mine. > [@](#): > > I am intentionally a word like Life, a very common word, and looking at the connotations it has to demonstrate that if you have a stick up your arse regarding the meanings of words, you’ll miss the beauty of the poetry of the language. Yes, how dare people expect to use standard meanings of words in an attempt to communicate with others! What sticks up our asses! If only we realized that words could mean anything each individual wants, then turtle barge transistor antihistamine ennui paleopalynology! Also, every time a thread we start seems to be dying a merciful death, we must [keep bumping it](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18061943&postcount=375)! ---
**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 11, 2018, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/455 "2018-05-11T16:22:37Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > That’s just, like, your opinion, man. > > It isn’t mine. > > Yes, how dare people expect to use standard meanings of words in an attempt to communicate with others! What sticks up our asses! If only we realized that words could mean anything each individual wants, then turtle barge transistor antihistamine ennui paleopalynology! > > Also, every time a thread we start seems to be dying a merciful death, we must [keep bumping it](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18061943&postcount=375)! Funny how that works. Thing is, a word like Life has even more interpretations than a word like God, at least according to Merriam-Webster. Who’s to decide which is the common usage? I gave the definitions I tend to lean toward, so how about you? Does Life have no connotative meaning for you? That was the purpose of the inspirational quotes I provided: to demonstrate how the word Life has many other associations beyond the dictionary definition. ---
**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 11, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/456 "2018-05-11T16:24:47Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > La Heim = is not a thing. But Haim is a common yiddish name. > L’Chaim = To Life; a common hebrew/yiddish toast. > Seriously, Biff. Brush up on your language and communications skills. I know you think you’re being colourful and whimsical, but that’s not how you’re coming across at this point. Words, even those foreign to you, have meaning and aren’t subject to your feel-good interpretations and poetic license. > **[What does "la heim" mean in English?](https://www.quora.com/What-does-la-heim-mean-in-English)** > > Answer (1 of 7): Nothing; it's Hebrew. L’chaim means “Cheers” in that language, but it's used by non-Hebraists in UKland & USland, as well as the equivalent in several other languages, in a jocular manner ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/457 "2018-05-11T17:24:45Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > [https://www.quora.com/What-does-la-heim-mean-in-English](https://www.quora.com/What-does-la-heim-mean-in-English) Yeah, and on that note I’m outta here too. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/458 "2018-05-11T17:36:07Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Funny how that works. Thing is, a word like Life has even more interpretations than a word like God, at least according to Merriam-Webster. Who’s to decide which is the common usage? I gave the definitions I tend to lean toward, so how about you? Does Life have no connotative meaning for you? That was the purpose of the inspirational quotes I provided: to demonstrate how the word Life has many other associations beyond the dictionary definition. You keep **changing** the definitions you lean toward. It’s damn-near-impossible to pin you down. Possibly because you’d find the subject a lot less interesting if you could stop playing a shell game with words. Personally, I _refuse_ to believe that “Life is really a catch all term for experience” is compatible with the idea of a shared entity that exists outside of any one human. That’s because experiences are _events_, and a shared entity is the sort of thing that _experiences_ events. You might as well say that your experience of driving to the pub walked in with you, sat next to you, and bought a pint. You’re conflating things that are of fundamentally distinct and incompatible types. Now, if you want to discuss whether there’s some sort of entity, force, collective, database, deity, or large sheet of scratchpaper that exists either outside of or as a collective of humanity, I’m absolutely cool with discussing that. Hell, I once wrote a fiction book that presumed a scientific basis for psychic powers, despite the fact I don’t believe in psychic powers - I can discuss _anything_. However I do require that I actually be discussing _a thing_, not a teasingly elusive semantic concept that is only teasingly elusive because words are hard. ---
**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 11, 2018, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/459 "2018-05-11T18:54:20Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Yeah, and on that note I’m outta here too. Au revoir. Thanks for visiting. ---
**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 11, 2018, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/460 "2018-05-11T18:57:03Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > You keep **changing** the definitions you lean toward. It’s damn-near-impossible to pin you down. > > Possibly because you’d find the subject a lot less interesting if you could stop playing a shell game with words. > > Personally, I _refuse_ to believe that “Life is really a catch all term for experience” is compatible with the idea of a shared entity that exists outside of any one human. That’s because experiences are _events_, and a shared entity is the sort of thing that _experiences_ events. > > You might as well say that your experience of driving to the pub walked in with you, sat next to you, and bought a pint. You’re conflating things that are of fundamentally distinct and incompatible types. > > Now, if you want to discuss whether there’s some sort of entity, force, collective, database, deity, or large sheet of scratchpaper that exists either outside of or as a collective of humanity, I’m absolutely cool with discussing that. Hell, I once wrote a fiction book that presumed a scientific basis for psychic powers, despite the fact I don’t believe in psychic powers - I can discuss _anything_. However I do require that I actually be discussing _a thing_, not a teasingly elusive semantic concept that is only teasingly elusive because words are hard. Okay. Let’s start with the large sheet of scratch paper. Does it have super powers? Is it conscious? Why is it here? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192.md?page=22) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192.md?page=24)