Jonathan H. B. Lobl

If I were Christian, that statement would not make me feel good.

It's a bad place for most of us. Atheists get the death penalty and they are not fussy about definitions.

In a sense, we are organic machines. I don't feel qualified to pass judgement on an artificial organic life form. I don't know and I can't know.

I discovered that I was a Levi. A member of the hereditary subordinate Jewish priesthood. It doesn't change anything. I find it vaguely amusing.

Truly, there is so much that we don't know. I don't like to pretend other-wise.

I have spent a lot of time in the company of cats. I'm not ready to say that "other animals" don't have souls.

Or if they exist but only for organic life.

It may also have something to do with modern Africa -- which has a growing exorcism industry and where "witches" are being lynched.

Uh-huh. Before prison, they weren't real Christians. They became real Christians after they were convicted of their crimes. when they got out, they lost those shiny new convictions. Uh-huh. Shall we take off the stupid hats now? Career criminals learn how to game the system. That includes washing their shiny new hearts and souls in the blood of the Lamb -- until they get out and they can be their authentic rotten selves. Grow up. Or stop playing Devil's advocate.

America's prisons -- with the rest of the world -- overflow with Christian criminals. It follows that all this religious instruction can't be all that effective in reducing crime.

First, what does that even mean? Is this something more than platitudes? Second, by what means are the donated materials supposed to achieve these ends -- what ever they are? Vague ill defined goals and an even more vague, ill defined process, are not going to go anywhere useful.

If "the Word" is different from "the Book" -- then we really don't need "the Book."

Here we go again. Full circle. Which God would that be? Something that actually exists? A creation of the priestly class? The god of Pantheism? A mass projection? The Trinity? Aein Soph? We keep dancing around it. The God word has no meaning. In this context, the default meaning of God is the author of the Bible. Fine. Full circle -- again. Is this the best book that God could manage? At best, it reads like something put together by committee(s).

Society is not a corporation. Neither is the world.

Sometimes, I wish to speak plainly and bluntly. Why does God need a book? In particular, this book, which is so badly written? Is this really the best we can get from the supream, all powerful, all knowing, omni-present, etc. etc.? If the author were perfect, would we really be arguing over content, meaning and interpretation? Over what is literal and what is allegory? Over what is and is not history?

"When we talk to God, it's called prayer. When God talks to us, it's called schizophrenia." unknown source

Here's a thought. If the "Holy Spirit" were enough to avoid error -- we would not need "the word." Maybe, we don't. I don't. By all means, let us pause, so that someone can protest that we do need "the word."

I was going to say something similar.

I was created by my parents. I never worshiped my parents. Neither did I seek to kill them. Neither did they threaten to kill me. Welcome back. I think that most parents are more balanced than that. At least, regarding their own children.

Buddhism is concerned with enlightenment rather than salvation. Buddhist enlightenment is about basic questions. 1. Why do we suffer? 2. What can we do about it? I don't know how any of this will translate to AI. In particular, how would AI deal with the idea of releasing desires? Then again, the focus on developing compassion might lead to interesting results. How would AI deal with the idea of meditation? Does AI want to slow down it's thoughts? Does AI need training to focus it's attention? What could AI possibly gain from mindfulness training? Breath work of any kind might be a problem. Consider basic Dharma. Does AI need to be told that all things are transitory?

No. I have gotten sick from food that I thought was good. The taint in tainted food is not an opinion or an expectation. Not even a belief. It is objective.

I thought ULC got it's start in 1959.

The tree that falls in the forest does make a sound.

Counting the breath might be a problem. Would AI need meditation?

That didn't occur to me. Why Zen?