cool academic lecture on angels live right now (12/12/2023, 7 EST). i am really enjoying it, currently talking about nephilim and the "sons of God" in the book of Genesis.
i think it gets into the realities of corporations. i had thought of the anthropomorphic nature of corporations and how that affects human consumption and i was nice to read another person's thoughts on it.
though i don't quite understand the ai-angel connection. is it that they were both created to serve and are not human?
@superheroine@religion@religiousstudies
The AI:angel connection. I'm seeing it materially as complex information systems (albeit different substrates). I would say that in both cases, as you say, there is also a 'created to serve' dimension, and also 'subverted for ill' -fallen angels /aingels .
Probably not made sufficiently explicit in that post (I'm taking note for future) is the idea that sometimes 'angel' seems to refer to corporised entities made of humans (see chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation, for example).
Charlie Stross's 'slow ai' remark was really helpful to me in affirming that it wasn't 'just me' seeing it.
I've been thinking that maybe the next post should be to unpack the Revelation 2 & 3 thing a bit...
but i don't feel trapped by faith anymore, i feel "free". like not in a "no restrictions" sense. i have given up things. like i cuss much less (more cultural) and i abstain from alcohol and excessive caffeine.
and I am happier and mentally healthier and so very grateful. i understand this is a personal experience.
so it's also a joyous laugh! i value that time of agnostic atheism a lot too. it wasn't a dark time of sin, it was a time of growth.
i really have! it's not always easy, organized religions will always have some institutional problems. as long as we work to improve conditions and embrace the worth of all, we can minimize harms and instead bless our communities.
my community does that. not perfectly but consistently! and they have helped me grow spiritually and personally.
i enjoy being with those doing their best to honor God and honor the covenants we made with God and each other. brings light to my life
it's personal scripture, but there are revelations and messages for the Saints therein. for ex.,
one of the sections is titled and speaks to the "Unity of the Saints"
since i am writing the record, in a word processor rather than gold plates like #Mormon and Moroni, i have titled it "The Book of Wednesday"
as more is written and revealed i will likely share some of it.
"Fundamentally, Latter Day Saints embrace truths as they are revealed from any number of places. Our faith tradition encourages us to adapt, thrive, and grow. To be curious about the productivity of the tree, and picking up new techniques to help it grow.
We learn from the grove of trees around us. Trees different from our individual churches, but still part of the interdependent/interconnected grove that is the Body of Christ."
i was inspired by the parable of the Fig Tree (the one with the gardener) in Luke, the allegory of the Olive tree in the Book of Jacob, Alma 16 (i think LDS Alma 34. the part with the tree metaphor), more direct communication with the Divine, lived experience, and a letter where Prophet-President Joseph Smith Jr defined #Mormonism in a way I find Inspired.
it does not escape me that i take on the sins of #Christianity and Christians, to be railed on by angry white male atheists.
i am willing to take on those sins and repent and atone for them.
but a little perspective please.
it's their ancestors who created this modern #christian landscape, not mine. rejecting the faith doesn't remove the mindset, culture, or learned ideals. there is a ex-christian brand of #atheism that is still authoritarian, eurocentric, and paternalistic.
@superheroine@religion we are all sinners, and that we should all repent of our sins. However, we should also be forgiving of others, and we should not judge them for their past mistakes.
The crowds are back in Kyoto, but I showed an American and Japanese journalist couple a scenic route with few visitors, from the temple and pond of Daikakuji through the Arashiyama area. Dan @dangillmor and Noriko-san were refreshed when we could enjoy mountain forest scenery a short walk from train stations.
The first photo shows the spacious temple Daikakuji (大覚寺) from across Osawa Pond, Kyoto's oldest man-made pond, harking back around 1,200 years to Emperor Saga in the early Heian Period. The experience of visitors is deepened when the history and lore is explained.
This is not one of the spectacular seasons, but there is some subtle beauty in early fall with leaves starting to change, and bush clover like in the second photo.
Third is the bamboo cathedral of Arashiyama.
Last is a photo by Dan of the gorgeous gorge. One of my favorite places, yet few tourists find it. I often also walk along the other side of the river through the mountain forest.
i think it's and important message for #Christian people in general and especially for those of us who are #Mormon (broadly speaking). If we know better, we can do better.
i hope to see anyone interested in the chatter day saint chat! would love to fellowship with you and hear your thoughts.
Food Can Be Literally Addictive, New Evidence Suggests—Scientific American
“Cigarettes all over again.” Same pattern—decades of professional and common knowledge negated by producers. Another marketing downfall with a harmful P for Product. 1 Cor. 6:19
"For so long my practice of faith was marked by creating in groups and out groups. It started with “Believers” and “Non-believers”. Within the “Believers” there were the “Committed” and “Nominal”. Within the “Committed there were the “Faithful, Available, and Teachable” and their counterparts.
I certainly was not practicing religion. My practice of faith simply functioned to divide and separate.”
@danielmrose@religion 100% I wrote it. I didn't write it because of my disappointments with monotheism, but more in reaction to the groundswell of hurt I see every day from people who have been hurt, usually by American Christianity.
@jason_w_karpf@bookstodon@religion If there are aliens, they probably would not want to come to our plastic, toxic planet. I keep hoping for aliens to come and rescue me! lol! So, it stands to reason we are all alone in our, as you put it 'lousy stewardship'...how very apt!
Lately, I have felt called to pray on the behalf of people who feel like they could use a little spiritual support.
If you would like me to pray for you, please comment your name or nickname below.
If you wish, you can also add some context if you'd like me to pray for you for a specific reason. Otherwise, it'll be a generic prayer for prosperity, wellbeing, happiness, and spiritual guidance. I'll pray for you once a day from today until next Tuesday. 💕
@khthoniaa@religion I could certainly use some prayerful support in the way of improving and maintaining health. I’m going through a process with a bunch of medical people checking me for possible issues that might require some future intervention. If that’s needed, then so be it, but the process can be wearing and energy draining. So, a little boost in healing and support would help a great deal, thank you! ~~fran
There is a reason why the Greek word "pneuma" means both "breath" and "soul." This is part of my personal gnosis on the matter:
When you inhale, you're not sucking the air into your lungs: You're contracting your diaphragm and expanding your lungs to create space. The resulting decrease in pressure is what allows the air to flow into and fill the space created.
Exhalation is much the same, only in reverse: By contracting your lungs and relaxing your diaphragm, you close the empty space in your lungs, pushing the air out as it has no where else to go.
Spirituality and religion are much like inhalation: When you make space for the Divine, Spirit will flow into your life like air into your lungs, easily and effortlessly.
@khthoniaa@religion@theology@spirituality
The ancient Hebrews used the word "ruach" (breath, wind, spirit) which was used to describe when the first breath of life was breathed into the body.