# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2018, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/81 "2018-04-28T06:31:42Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > It’s too early in the morning to deal with so many mis-defined words used to describe an idea that doesn’t have a shred of evidence supporting it. You give it too much credit. I don’t see how it \*could \* have evidence to support it. The idea is not well-defined enough. ---
**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:** [April 28, 2018, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/82 "2018-04-28T10:21:26Z")
I see a connection between Satan and satin and steer clear of The Devil Fabric. But at least we’ve established that you assume only one specific God, which designed the universe with modern English word forms in mind. ---
**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:** [April 28, 2018, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/83 "2018-04-28T13:04:22Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > I wouldn’t call them all believable or valid, no. As with any other religious writing, I’d have to look at the message and the actions and see if I agree with the message being broadcast. There are some people for example who see Donald Trump as the Saviour of the World; I am not one of these people, because I do not see goodness in what he preaches nor what he practices. Same with David Koresh or Jim Jones or many other cult leaders, yet there are those who live and breathe the word of their particular saviour. That’s why religion is a very powerful and potentially very dangerous force in the universe. And whether or not God exists, religions certainly do. My point was that they all, without exception, redefined the term “God” for their own means and ends. What’s different about the way you are redefining “God” by calling it “Life”? Can you not see that once you’ve convinced enough people of your point of view, it’s a short walk to start establishing parameters of how to honor “Life” by how one lives and behaves? I know you wouldn’t manipulate this idea to something nefarious, but plenty of others might, and have done exactly that throughout history and present. Also, re-read the definition of _deepity_, as posted earlier. It really should persuade anyone interested in logic and reason to avoid the type fatuous arguments you’re (unintentionally?) promoting. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2018, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/84 "2018-04-28T13:27:15Z")
What I gleaned from a quick scan of the article is that if you completely redefine the words “God” and “Life” you can make them interchangeable. But you could probably do that with any two words. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2018, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/85 "2018-04-28T13:35:26Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Perhaps your definition of God needs revisiting. Or your definition of Life. Neither. ---
**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:** [April 28, 2018, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/86 "2018-04-28T14:02:05Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Neither. I feel like I need to redefine the words, “agree with Clothahump”. 😉 ---
**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:** [April 28, 2018, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/87 "2018-04-28T14:05:18Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Perhaps your definition of God needs revisiting. Or your definition of Life. I just check several dictionaries, and it seems that “God” and “Life” still aren’t synonyms…unless of course you have evidence that “God” was once the name of a board game, breakfast cereal or magazine. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2018, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/88 "2018-04-28T14:14:37Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I just check several dictionaries, and it seems that “God” and “Life” still aren’t synonyms…unless of course you have evidence that “God” was once the name of a board game, breakfast cereal or magazine. At one time matter and energy were defined as two separate and distinct items. ---
**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:** [April 28, 2018, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/89 "2018-04-28T14:17:32Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > My point was that they all, without exception, redefined the term “God” for their own means and ends. What’s different about the way you are redefining “God” by calling it “Life”? Can you not see that once you’ve convinced enough people of your point of view, it’s a short walk to start establishing parameters of how to honor “Life” by how one lives and behaves? I know you wouldn’t manipulate this idea to something nefarious, but plenty of others might, and have done exactly that throughout history and present. > > Also, re-read the definition of _deepity_, as posted earlier. It really should persuade anyone interested in logic and reason to avoid the type fatuous arguments you’re (unintentionally?) promoting. I like the definition of “deepity,” although I don’t think that’s what I’m promoting. I think, based on the numerous threads on the same subject, that the concept of God is problematic for a great number of people. So easy to disbelieve in. Walsch’s description got me thinking however, over ten years ago, and the shoe still fits so I’m wearing it. I have no problem with redefining God, since I don’t think He or She was all that well-defined to begin with. ---
**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:** [April 28, 2018, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/90 "2018-04-28T14:18:09Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > At one time matter and energy were defined as two separate and distinct items. At one time I could ride a public bus from March AFB to downtown Los Angeles for only a $1.50. ---
**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:** [April 28, 2018, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/91 "2018-04-28T14:18:55Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I just check several dictionaries, and it seems that “God” and “Life” still aren’t synonyms…unless of course you have evidence that “God” was once the name of a board game, breakfast cereal or magazine. That’s your problem: you’re attempting to find a truth about the universe using a dictionary. This requires some deeper thinking. ---
**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:** [April 28, 2018, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/92 "2018-04-28T14:21:32Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > What I gleaned from a quick scan of the article is that if you completely redefine the words “God” and “Life” you can make them interchangeable. > > But you could probably do that with any two words. True, on a purely semantic level. But what Walsch is proposing is not simply semantics, I don’t think. If you think about what life does, what its purpose is, there is much more to contemplate. No one doubts the existence of life either. ---
**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:** [April 28, 2018, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/93 "2018-04-28T14:25:01Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > I like the definition of “deepity,” although I don’t think that’s what I’m promoting. I think, based on the numerous threads on the same subject, that the concept of God is problematic for a great number of people. So easy to disbelieve in. Walsch’s description got me thinking however, over ten years ago, and the shoe still fits so I’m wearing it. I have no problem with redefining God, since I don’t think He or She was all that well-defined to begin with. Okay, here’s an immediate problem that I can see: If you redefine “God” as “Life”, any potential issues with respect to a woman’t right to abortion? Perhaps not for you, but for those who take this concept of “God is Life” a little too seriously. ---
**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:** [April 28, 2018, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/94 "2018-04-28T14:26:42Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > That’s your problem: you’re attempting to find a truth about the universe using a dictionary. This requires some deeper thinking. Your thinking is rather wide, but under no circumstances would I call it “deep”. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2018, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/95 "2018-04-28T14:30:57Z")
There are plenty of things in the Universe that don’t depend on life, including some that are very beautiful and complex. And indeed, so far as we know, for most of the Universe’s history, there was no life at all. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2018, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/96 "2018-04-28T14:31:37Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > At one time I could ride a public bus from March AFB to downtown Los Angeles for only a $1.50. How much is it now? ---
**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:** [April 28, 2018, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/97 "2018-04-28T14:36:21Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > How much is it now? Who gives a shit? It has about as much to do with the topic of this thread as your little bon mot “At one time matter and energy were defined as two separate and distinct items.” ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2018, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/98 "2018-04-28T14:41:30Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Who gives a shit? It has about as much to do with the topic of this thread as your little bon mot “At one time matter and energy were defined as two separate and distinct items.” My point exactly, though it is apparent you still missed it. Hint look up “philosophical thought experiment” ---
**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:** [April 28, 2018, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/99 "2018-04-28T14:43:01Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Again, it depends how you define God. If I define God as Life itself, then your darn tootin’ there’s a rational basis for my belief in God. If you define God as Life itself, then at _best_ you might(if you don’t think about the consequences too deeply) establish some sort of internal consistency in your mind…but rationality has nothing to do with it. Unless you have your own private definition of “rational”, of course. ---
**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:** [April 28, 2018, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192/100 "2018-04-28T14:44:21Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > At one time matter and energy were defined as two separate and distinct items. Does it ever bother you at all that religious/theistic thought hasn’t had an original idea in centuries (if not millenia), yet is completely shameless in plagiarizing & co-opting scientific concepts and discoveries without doing the hard work required to show why all of a sudden, ‘God=Life=Love=Pie’? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-and-life/813192.md?page=6)