Reasonfirst

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Posts by Reasonfirst

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  54

  Is AI going to change the world?

  by Reasonfirst in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  had lunch with a friend, whose a lecturer in the accounting dept.

  of one of australia's best universities.

  he told me he expects to lose his job at some point in the next 5 years, as the accounting dept, will disappear, as all accounting will be done by ai programs, so why teach it.. if his fears are correct, that means that any profession that involves the mind, may one day face the same future.

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  Reasonfirst

  There's an very interesting court case coming up in the USA. The NY TImes is suing Microsoft and OpenAI, ( the creator of ChatGPT) claiming misuse of articles published by the NY Times.

  It brings into the open, an interesting aspect of AI, as the NYTimes case points out, AI has to be fed data - which I guess is exactly what happens with humans through various forms of education and training, including, of course, religious ideas.

  I have little understanding of how Microsoft and OpenAI may have "misused" the NY Times copyrighted information, but perhaps it means that data fed to an AI program can be slanted - again just as in the example of the human mind.

  A human mind fed with biased information can refuse to examine contrary ideas, our experiences as JW's (or, any other religion, for that matter) illustrates the problem, Rubbish in - rubbish out, some call it.

  Will AI be like that???

  FYI, I reads about this case, on an Australian Media service, the ABC, a government owned (but, supposedly independent) media group.

  Check it at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-28/new-york-times-sued-microsoft-bing-chatgpt-openai-chatbots/103269036

  
  
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  68

  Are Atheists Hypocritical in Celebrating Christmas?

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  richard dawkins revealed that he celebrates christmas on radio four's today programme.. here is is quoted as saying: .

  'i am perfectly happy on christmas day to say merry christmas to everybody,' dawkins said.

  'i might sing christmas carols - once i was privileged to be invited to kings college, cambridge, for their christmas carols and loved it.

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  Reasonfirst

  The real santa, resurrected...Oh!! Sorry!!! I meant to type reconstructed.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sCUp1127PA&t=27s

  Well, at least their doing better than bloody old yhwh, whose given up resurrecting anyone.
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  68

  Are Atheists Hypocritical in Celebrating Christmas?

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  richard dawkins revealed that he celebrates christmas on radio four's today programme.. here is is quoted as saying: .

  'i am perfectly happy on christmas day to say merry christmas to everybody,' dawkins said.

  'i might sing christmas carols - once i was privileged to be invited to kings college, cambridge, for their christmas carols and loved it.

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  Reasonfirst

  Sea Breeze: Quote - "Here's what I believe after 60 years on this planet. I believe the most fundamental feature of humans is their ability to lie. They lie to others all the time, but mostly they lie to themselves."

  So ...Are your lying to yourself? Are you lying to us?

  Another Sea Breeze comment: Quote - "But, the ultimate hypocrisy will occur here in a few days when atheists enjoy all the good things associated with God's birthday, while at the same time claiming (lying to themselves) he doesn't exist."

  A bullshit statement!!!
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  68

  Are Atheists Hypocritical in Celebrating Christmas?

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  richard dawkins revealed that he celebrates christmas on radio four's today programme.. here is is quoted as saying: .

  'i am perfectly happy on christmas day to say merry christmas to everybody,' dawkins said.

  'i might sing christmas carols - once i was privileged to be invited to kings college, cambridge, for their christmas carols and loved it.

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  Reasonfirst

  Surely, this was a dumb question.

  I understand the sem-christian origins of Xmas, but in the contemporary celebration, what precisely is christian?

  Both in my own suburban shopping centre and in the centre of Sydney today I notice very little that may have christian significance.

  Santa Claus and xmas trees rule supreme
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  41

  Jesus never existed!!

  by jw_uncovered in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  buddha of india .

  he performed miracles and raised one man, el-azar-us, from the dead.

  the sun is the "light of the world.

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  Reasonfirst

  Josephus wrote about lot's of things. For example, he seems to have thought Vespasian was foretold in the Jewish writings, and here I include someone else's thoughts:

  Quote: "Josephus seems to have thought Emperor Vespasian was the Messiah. He writes in Jewish Wars:

  "What more than all else incited them [the Jews] to the [1st Roman] war was an ambiguous oracle ... found in their sacred scriptures, to the effect that at that time one from their country would become ruler of the world. This they understood to mean someone of their own race, and many of their wise men went astray in their interpretation of it. The oracle, however, in reality signified the sovereignty of Vespasian who was proclaimed Emperor on Jewish soil" — Josephus' Jewish War 6.312-13. (End of qutote)"

  
  

  Interestingly, many conclude that Vespasian was actually proclaimed Emperor when he and his army had reached Egypt.

  When we examine the writings of ancient people, we can't conclude events were as well-known as they may be today, when radio and TV etc. can make events widely known. Even so opinions can vary.
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  54

  Is AI going to change the world?

  by Reasonfirst in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  had lunch with a friend, whose a lecturer in the accounting dept.

  of one of australia's best universities.

  he told me he expects to lose his job at some point in the next 5 years, as the accounting dept, will disappear, as all accounting will be done by ai programs, so why teach it.. if his fears are correct, that means that any profession that involves the mind, may one day face the same future.

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  Reasonfirst

  More on AI: https://asiatimes.com/2023/12/artificial-intelligence-now-decides-who-lives-and-dies/
• 
  32

  Life in a spiritual (UN)-paradise

  by Reasonfirst in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a long, long time ago, when i was young, i became a 'special' pioneer.

  it meant that i had to spend 150 hours a month, and i received a small allowance.

  i was then assigned to a small country congregation, in western nsw (australia).

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  Reasonfirst

  Quote: " Reasonfirst, would be interesting to know what you personally did to help the people in that congregation."

  It's more than 30 years since I was chucked out of the spiritual paradise, and about 60 years since the experiences I've described.

  I no longer think that there's someone up in the sky, looking after "his" (or maybe "hers," or even "its") people on earth. Did all the hours spent in preaching or "helping" people, by myself or anyone else, ever have any real benefits?

  I did try to be some sort of comforter to the Sister I (the one who lost her son in a blood issue), but from my present perspective I suggest that she needed 'help' from someone with far more training and experience in providing psychological/psychiatric assistance than a young bible basher could ever provide.

  From a more general perspective, has anything that christianity or any other religious group done, ever made an iota of difference to the human condition. I've visited Asian countries many times, and see buddhist adherents praying fervently, but no modern day buddha has appeared to relieve their problems.
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  32

  Life in a spiritual (UN)-paradise

  by Reasonfirst in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a long, long time ago, when i was young, i became a 'special' pioneer.

  it meant that i had to spend 150 hours a month, and i received a small allowance.

  i was then assigned to a small country congregation, in western nsw (australia).

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  Reasonfirst

  Special Pioneer partners:

  This little town certainly tested pioneers.

  Just why Sister A, lost her zeal and married town drunk I don't know. Her partner was tougher and was assigned to another cong. in another town and continued as a Sp.Pio. for many years.

  And, why did young Brother M, wait until he was a Sp. pio. in this town to satisfy his sexual needs. As, I recall these long ago events, it wasn't long before both M. and his parents were no longer living in the spiritual paradise.

  Brother J's family were JW old-timers (from before WW2) an no doubt influenced him. But 2-3 weeks after we bother arrived in this town, he suddenly claimed he had to go back to Sydney, but would be back in a week or so. Some 2 months later he returned, but only stayed for a little while and disappeared again. The last time I heard of Bro. J. he had divorced his wife and bought a beachfront house in an area called Surfer's Paradise.

  Maybe the guys in the Aussie branch office had problems finding more people to be Sp. pioneers. A couple of months later I was notified by the branch office that bro X from Perth (on the other side of Aust) would be my new partner. He duly arrived, took a look around the town and after 2 days said he was going back to Perth.

  A couple of months later, Bro. Z was assigned. But, by then I'd had enough of this assignment and it was my turn to tell him, I was gonna piss off too. In fairness, I should say that Bro Z. was made of sterner stuff and stuck that town out for a long time, until he was appointed as a circuit overseer.
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  The background to Xtianity

  by Reasonfirst in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  saw this great article, backgrounding the beginnings of christianity, on australia's abc ( a government owned-supposedly independent media group).

  and thought that some here may be interested in reading it.. the author is philip jenkins, who is distinguished professor of history at baylor university and co-director of the program on historical studies of religion at the institute for studies of religion.

  his most recent book is the many faces of christ: the thousand-year story of the survival and influence of the lost gospels.. https://www.abc.net.au/religion/a-most-violent-year-the-world-into-which-jesus-was-born/10097496.

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  Reasonfirst

  Saw this great article, backgrounding the beginnings of christianity, on Australia's ABC ( a government owned-supposedly independent media group). And thought that some here may be interested in reading it.

  The author is Philip Jenkins, who is Distinguished Professor of History at Baylor University and Co-Director of the Program on Historical Studies of Religion at the Institute for Studies of Religion. His most recent book is The Many Faces of Christ: The Thousand-Year Story of the Survival and Influence of the Lost Gospels.

  https://www.abc.net.au/religion/a-most-violent-year-the-world-into-which-jesus-was-born/10097496
  
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  32

  Life in a spiritual (UN)-paradise

  by Reasonfirst in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a long, long time ago, when i was young, i became a 'special' pioneer.

  it meant that i had to spend 150 hours a month, and i received a small allowance.

  i was then assigned to a small country congregation, in western nsw (australia).

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  Reasonfirst

  Rivergang, I don't think that the situation between young brother, and the girl was similar to a priest (or, any other holy joe) taking advantage of a young girl. J would never explain to me, how that young man had got to know that girl, or how the relationship had developed, but I have never imagined that he had any position of responsibility to the girl. So, to me, it was just two young people losing control of their feelings and going all the way.