Politics

[skydiver386]

I can only echo your exhortation for people to read all those texts and some texts to help put them in historical context.

But even if you read them they are sometimes internally contradictory and complex.

So while we do usually refer to Jesus as a prince of peace, and many of this teachings were in line with "turn the other cheek" but then we have:

Luke 22: 36 'He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one."'

Also I am curious skydiver, is there a particular translation of the Judeo-Christian scriptures you recommend people study from? When I was young it was all St. James, but now I am older I am much more often turning to RSV or OAB.

Excellent question and I can give a clear answer.

Most are confused by Scripture because the Bible has both literal and allegory. Much of what people believe is incorrect due to placing a literal meaning when it's actually an allegory, and thinking something is an allegory when it is literal.

Most have heard Matthew 17:20 concerning the faith of a mustard seed and being able to move mountains. Most believe this to mean we can use faith to move huge piles of stones by waving our little wand with a star on the end, as if the Bible is speaking of a literal mountain. In this context, a mountain is a KINGDOM, or City of people! Both the Old and New Testaments use this context, but it's almost universally misunderstood. What it means is to change the heart's of an entire people.

To answer your question directly, the word sword doesn't refer to a weapon made of bronze or iron, it refers to Scripture. Sell your cloak and buy the books of scripture, and this will be your defense. This is exactly what his Disciples and later Apostles did.

I prefer the King James, but the real key to understanding the Bible is the Strongs Bible Dictionary and having a basic understanding of Geography and Tribal names. For example, when the Ishmehalites, the Hittites, etc., are mentioned, most in the west will mentally skip over that section and move on. When I read the entire Bible when I was 19, and then learned the military history of the region, it was easy to tie the two together. The Hittite Kingdom refers to eastern Turkey, the Ishmehalites refers to Arabia and the Sinai. Once you understand ancient tribal and place names, wrapping your mind around what you are reading becomes much easier.

 

[Tanks]

AI will be the worst invention since the atomic bomb

Care to elaborate? The sole purpose of the atomic bomb was destruction in a large scale. AI is just a tool that for the most part is being used productively. Yes, when cars were invented the buggy whip manufacturers went out of business. Those who lose jobs due to AI will evolve or not...

Whole industries are changing regardless of AI. I was amazed at some equipment that cuts trees, processes and stacks them as logs of certain size etc., etc.. Doing the job of hundreds of man hours of lumberjacks in a very short time. Same for harvesters.

 

[rookhawk]

I would add that the different Christian denominations find common ground in the core tenets of their faith. I am Presbyterian but have good friends who are Baptist, Anglican, Catholic and Pentecostal. We differ on second and third tier theological issues, but can agree on the core tenets of our faith. I don’t see the same continuity amongst the adherents of Islam. They appear to be very much ‘my way or the highway’, or perhaps somewhat worse.

Islam has no similar such concept as this fundamental of Christendom:

"In the essentials, unity; In the non-essentials, liberty; In all things, charity."

 

[rookhawk]

I prefer the King James, but the real key to understanding the Bible is the Strongs Bible Dictionary and having a basic understanding of Geography and Tribal names. For example, when the Ishmehalites, the Hittites, etc., are mentioned, most in the west will mentally skip over that section and move on. When I read the entire Bible when I was 19, and then learned the military history of the region, it was easy to tie the two together. The Hittite Kingdom refers to eastern Turkey, the Ishmehalites refers to Arabia and the Sinai. Once you understand ancient tribal and place names, wrapping your mind around what you are reading becomes much easier.

For years my favorite Bible has been Spiros Zodhiates "Key Word Hebrew-Greek Study Bible". It comes in many translations including NIV, NASB, NKJV, KJV, etc.

The neat thing about these bibles is that they have the definitions of key words of importance in Hebrew and Greek. All forms of heresy originate by misunderstanding the original language and this Bible greatly assists with getting to the essence of the underlying terms. It also has a small strongs concordance in the back and every important word in scripture has its strongs reference ID number included in the text.

As to translations, everyone is different but I like the New American Standard Bible. Some argue its not as readable as the more popular translations and it tends to use a robust, well educated English vocabulary in favor of precision over simplified words that may miss the mark. I read a lot of technical literature, contracts, and other legal documentation so I'm accustomed to college-level vocabulary and it doesn't bother me whatsoever to read scripture that uses more nuanced English words than other translations.

 

[rookhawk]

Care to elaborate? The sole purpose of the atomic bomb was destruction in a large scale. AI is just a tool that for the most part is being used productively. Yes, when cars were invented the buggy whip manufacturers went out of business. Those who lose jobs due to AI will evolve or not...

Whole industries are changing regardless of AI. I was amazed at some equipment that cuts trees, processes and stacks them as logs of certain size etc., etc.. Doing the job of hundreds of man hours of lumberjacks in a very short time. Same for harvesters.

The difference @Tanks is that the atomic bomb was designed to be a lethal weapon. Mankind's naivety thinks AI will be a useful, beneficial tool. Unfortunately, there are unacceptable odds that AI is more dangerous than the atomic bomb.

An appeal to authority: Elon Musk is a pretty big fan of AI and certainly owns one of the most powerful AI platforms in the world. Even he thinks there's a 10% chance it kills us all.

A real world anecdote: Scientists created an AI model in isolation and staged a fake corporation with fake emails, etc. The AI was informed it was going to be replaced by another, better AI. The AI read the CEO's emails, deduced he was having an affair, and tried to blackmail the company if he was turned off. <--- That is a dangerous example of what could go wrong.

The other issue is that AI is unregulated. We are attempting to, or may have already created a sentient lifeform. There are moral consequences of creating a sentient being and we are unsure if we're about to or if we already have. Further, because of the danger AI could present to information systems there should be legal restrictions around the data sets AI can use and there should be legal prohibitions on what API integrations AI can have.

 

[Betterinthebush]

@skydiver386 ”I prefer the King James, but the real key to understanding the Bible is the Strongs Bible Dictionary and having a basic understanding of Geography and Tribal names.”

A Septuagint, likewise, is also an invaluable resource.

 

[skydiver386]

You are comfortable in your certainty of Christianity. I think that is lauditory. I have equal faith in a supreme being. I am far less certain man has it all figured out just yet.

That's why at a young age I wanted to read and understand things for myself. It was never supposed be about Orthodoxy, or ceremony, or what others thought.

It was always meant to be between you and God.

 

[VertigoBE]

The difference @Tanks is that the atomic bomb was designed to be a lethal weapon. Mankind's naivety thinks AI will be a useful, beneficial tool. Unfortunately, there are unacceptable odds that AI is more dangerous than the atomic bomb.

An appeal to authority: Elon Musk is a pretty big fan of AI and certainly owns one of the most powerful AI platforms in the world. Even he thinks there's a 10% chance it kills us all.

A real world anecdote: Scientists created an AI model in isolation and staged a fake corporation with fake emails, etc. The AI was informed it was going to be replaced by another, better AI. The AI read the CEO's emails, deduced he was having an affair, and tried to blackmail the company if he was turned off. <--- That is a dangerous example of what could go wrong.

The other issue is that AI is unregulated. We are attempting to, or may have already created a sentient lifeform. There are moral consequences of creating a sentient being and we are unsure if we're about to or if we already have. Further, because of the danger AI could present to information systems there should be legal restrictions around the data sets AI can use and there should be legal prohibitions on what API integrations AI can have.

I would put it even more simply:
Whatever the atomic bomb, firearms, cars, computers, etc. do, they do not displace human critical thinking. And some of these inventions did/do come with negative side effects (with the rise of motorized transport we've all gotten fatter, with portable computers no one remembers 100's of phone numbers or even the reading of maps). Now what happens after a few decades of something else doing our thinking for us. Doing our decision making for us. Doing our relationship building for us.

The human condition has mostly gone upward, as a reaction to challenge. When our grey matter no longer is challenged, we will die off. Or we merge with it.

 

[Tanks]

Now what happens after a few decades of something else doing our thinking for us. Doing our decision making for us. Doing our relationship building for us.

You realize even before AI became common large corporations used automated "business rules" that were defined to run their businesses and make decisions.

Just an example, we have software that does emissions monitoring of stacks (CO, NOx, SOx) the software decides based on the cost of emissions credits vs cost of shutting down for maintenance in case emissions events (very simplified, the logic is complicated). In most cases a flag is raised for operations to handle it during "turnaround" rather than impacting refinery operations. There have been cases where the software escalated it with a high priority until the issue was resolved.

 

[fourfive8]

Care to elaborate? The sole purpose of the atomic bomb was destruction in a large scale. AI is just a tool that for the most part is being used productively. Yes, when cars were invented the buggy whip manufacturers went out of business. Those who lose jobs due to AI will evolve or not...

Whole industries are changing regardless of AI. I was amazed at some equipment that cuts trees, processes and stacks them as logs of certain size etc., etc.. Doing the job of hundreds of man hours of lumberjacks in a very short time. Same for harvesters.

Huge difference between doing work faster or more efficiently and making decisions in lieu of human thought. Knock yourself out down the AI rabbit hole,

 

[rookhawk]

You realize even before AI became common large corporations used automated "business rules" that were defined to run their businesses and make decisions.

Just an example, we have software that does emissions monitoring of stacks (CO, NOx, SOx) the software decides based on the cost of emissions credits vs cost of shutting down for maintenance in case emissions events (very simplified, the logic is complicated). In most cases a flag is raised for operations to handle it during "turnaround" rather than impacting refinery operations. There have been cases where the software escalated it with a high priority until the issue was resolved.

Business workflows and business rules is quite a bit different than the AI models that exist today in the public square, and the public square is 3 generations behind the ones locked behind closed doors.

Let me give you a real possible scenario. AI decides based on its data sources, the public opinion and majority opinion of the internet, that humans are a blight on the landscape rather than the stewards of the planet. Let us assume that all 2024 and newer vehicles have a kill switch where law enforcement can request the car companies to deactivate the vehicles. Let us then suggest that AI could literally shut off all the new cars to save the planet.

Too far fetched? Let’s address the equally problematic situation above. You’ve used all your carbon credits for the month and the government orders the auto maker to shut your car off until your next monthly allotment. We are there technologically RIGHT NOW, all that is required is the force of will of a tyrannical leftist government.

 

[CoElkHunter]

AI will be the worst invention since the atomic bomb

The fictional “Skynet” in the Terminator movie coming true. Scary.

 

[steve white]

The fictional “Skynet” in the Terminator movie coming true. Scary.

Or "I, Robot"

Can anyone prove soulless bloodsucking lawyers are not already AI? How could you tell, lol

 

[1911Fan]

 

[Rocked and Loaded]

The fictional “Skynet” in the Terminator movie coming true. Scary.

To be fair Skynet also used atomic bombs.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

To be fair Skynet also used atomic bombs.

Are you suggesting that's the next step we need to prep for?

 

[WAB]

Excellent question and I can give a clear answer.

Most are confused by Scripture because the Bible has both literal and allegory. Much of what people believe is incorrect due to placing a literal meaning when it's actually an allegory, and thinking something is an allegory when it is literal.

Most have heard Matthew 17:20 concerning the faith of a mustard seed and being able to move mountains. Most believe this to mean we can use faith to move huge piles of stones by waving our little wand with a star on the end, as if the Bible is speaking of a literal mountain. In this context, a mountain is a KINGDOM, or City of people! Both the Old and New Testaments use this context, but it's almost universally misunderstood. What it means is to change the heart's of an entire people.

To answer your question directly, the word sword doesn't refer to a weapon made of bronze or iron, it refers to Scripture. Sell your cloak and buy the books of scripture, and this will be your defense. This is exactly what his Disciples and later Apostles did.

I prefer the King James, but the real key to understanding the Bible is the Strongs Bible Dictionary and having a basic understanding of Geography and Tribal names. For example, when the Ishmehalites, the Hittites, etc., are mentioned, most in the west will mentally skip over that section and move on. When I read the entire Bible when I was 19, and then learned the military history of the region, it was easy to tie the two together. The Hittite Kingdom refers to eastern Turkey, the Ishmehalites refers to Arabia and the Sinai. Once you understand ancient tribal and place names, wrapping your mind around what you are reading becomes much easier.

I would add that the three most important elements to understanding scripture are context, context and context. Are you in Judea or Galilee. That makes a huge difference in the meaning of the text. Where Jesus said the words you quoted above you could see one mountain and one body of water, the Herodium and the Dead Sea. The context then tells you that with the faith of a mustard seed you can defeat evil and cast it into a cesspool.

When Jesus said on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hades will not prevail against it, he placed himself at the place in Caesarea Phillipi where the Banias River used to come out of the cliff. This cave was known as the gates of Hades, where there was an alter to Pan and believed to be an entrance to the Netherworld. Thus he was saying that the forces of evil and the Netherworld could not prevail against his church.

A seriously misunderstood scripture is ‘there was no room at the inn’. There was no inn in Bethlehem. The proper interpretation was that there was no room in the guest room. To understand this you have to understand judean Architecture and social structure. Just like you have to understand Galilean construction to make any sense out of ‘in my father’s house are many rooms….’

 

[steve white]

Just kidding!!!!

If I ever need a lawyer, maybe I will call Franz

 

[mdwest]

Or "I, Robot"

Can anyone prove soulless bloodsucking lawyers are not already AI? How could you tell, lol

FWIW many law firms are already using AI extensively.

 

[wesheltonj]

FWIW many law firms are already using AI extensively.

Unfortunately, too many. It will just make stuff up. Bad or not real cites in documents. Fake photos and videos.