Good Friday 2024

 I love this poem and think it's perfect for today.

**CROSSPOST** Um, Guys? What About AI Bible Study?

 AI tools

I can't decide how I feel about this but I found a YouTube channel that tells Bible Stories using AI. Of course, I had lots of questions but when I did a search for "AI Bible Sagas" (the name of that channel), the rabbit hole expanded. Here are some things that came up:

• An actual AI Bible version called, well, the AIV Bible.
• A Bible study tool called Bible AI described on the About page as "An AI (artificially intelligent program) that can accurately answer factual questions about the Bible and provide pastoral advice based on biblical principles." It is made by Everprise which has other programs.
• Bibly is like ChatGPT for the Bible. This is what came  up on the search info: "Tailor your Bible study sessions with AI that understands your learning style and spiritual goals, offering verses and insights that resonate with your personal journey." I was thrown a bit by a typo on the main page.

Did they use AI to proof the page?

What's so weird to me is that I'm just now noticing all this AI-for-the-Bible stuff. Remember I mentioned that Everprise has other apps shown on the page? Here is one for notetaking and I'm relieved to see it seems to be created by an actual human. There is one called Church Stats that is "to help 'grow' healthy churches". The words 'grow' and church, in my opinion, should not be highlighted. Church is about sharing the gospel, not 'growing' the congregations. ~shrug~

I do know that AI can be useful and I'm not bothered by combining the capabilities of AI with Bible study. What worries me is what AI thinks of the Bible. Sounds weird to be talking about AI as if it is a person but... There are too many "baby" Christians and Christians who are not as discerning as they should be. If AI starts to twist the teachings of the Bible, will some people know?

Some things to like. A lot.

In scanning the AIV Bible, I found some things I liked. The layout is nice and navigation is easy. Also, the AI-generated art - what I saw of it - looks great.

The layout of each book of the Bible is useful and the other page elements are nice.

Notice the left-side navigation choices

This was okay, IMO

Nice the way the books are grouped

And some things not to like. At all.

First, let me say that I think this project was made for wide acceptance. That's already a huge problem because Christianity is not made for wide acceptance - at least not on the terms many people would like. To follow Christ is, after all, the "narrow way".

What I notice is that this Bible project (I don't know what else to call it) does try to offer a variety of viewpoints. That sounds like a positive thing, however, just by doing that, it's veering away from the truth of Christ. There are not many ways, opinions, realities, etc. when it comes to following Christ. There is the way the Bible teaches. Of course people do interpret the Bible in different (and oftentimes wrong) ways but that is why it's important to let Scripture guides us on interpreting Scripture.

The biggest fault I found

Here is where I really got worried. When I was perusing the pages, I glanced down at the very bottom and saw links to 

• Christian Answers, and
• (steel yourselves) What Jesus Thinks

Wait. What? 

The Christian Answers section poses some interesting questions to start a user off. Looking at the answer page for the first question I saw, I was still worried but again I could see the effort made. The answers come from various viewpoints - giving voice to reps from different denominations. 

What do I really think?

If someone is studying to see what other denoms think or to get a very wide overview of thoughts on or about Christianity, this is a decent resource. If someone is not familiar with Bible doctrines, they need to start their Christian journey under sound teaching - not an AI project.

I think of myself as discerning enough to spot dangerous doctrine (most of the time). I will probably peruse this AIV project a bit more. As I said, it's a good resource/study tool. It's just not a tool for a new Christian to on which to base a foundation of study. Think of the Christian as a driver and the Bible as a car. Someone whose never driven a car wouldn't want to learn how on a busy road in, say, Seattle or Dallas. Put me in that analogy and I will say that I am really good in small towns but not on busy highways during rush hour. And I will never drive the Autobahn!

Finally

I applaud the idea of tech delving into providing Bibles and Bible study tools. However, something like this (AI, I mean) isn't meant to be specific to the doctrines of Christianity. AI is meant to be helpful to all people or all persuasions. 

Since I've pushed my brain too far tonight and might be getting a little foggy, I will let another photo "speak" to what I mean. This is one of the questions and it's an excellent one:

So you can see the answer better, here:

To the Bible-believing Christian, that answer sounds nice and friendly but it's not correct. Not according to the Bible itself. This is what the Bible teaches:

According to this verse in the Bible, no one - not us, our friends, the nice neighbors, the kind strangers - no one unless they come to the Father through the Son. When I asked Bibly what John 14:6 had to say, it didn't just respond by quoting the passage, it gave me this:

Maybe the AIV app needs to talk with its cousin Bibly.

While I appreciate that Bibly seems to base its answers from a biblical viewpoint, I still prefer using GotQuestions as my starting point when researching topics.

Bottom line, people, use AI if you like but don't let AI manipulate you. Study your Bible for yourself and find some good teachers. Have group study sessions with other believers. And, of course, search the Scriptures for answers. 

Peace

--Free

P.S.: Forgot to mention that, as I worked on this post, not all of the books of the Bible were available (linked) in the AIV.

Asurion Is… Not Worth It. At All.

 For years, I've been cautious when buying appliances - small and large. If I get them from Amazon, I always buy an Asurion plan. I figured, why not? It's a few dollars (usually) for peace of mind. For example, when I bought a food sealer, the Asurion plan was under 6 bucks. And how reassuring does it sound that they make replacements and repairs seem so easy and convenient? Well, notice my input (in bold):

• No Additional Cost: You pay $0 for repairs – parts, labor, and shipping included. (But I will have to find a UPS store and get the item there to send. NOTE: I don't drive. BTW - you have to print your own shipping label.)
• Coverage: Plan starts on the date of purchase. Drops, spills and cracked screens due to normal use covered for portable products and power surges covered from day one. Malfunctions covered after the manufacturer's warranty. (My problem was a broken minor part. I asked for a part replacement but they want the entire item back.)
• Easy Claims Process: File a claim anytime online at www.Asurion.com/Amazon or by phone. Most claims approved within minutes. We will send you an Amazon.com Gift Card for the purchase price of your covered product. (Not so fast! You don't get that refund UNTIL they get the item shipped back to them.) In some instances, we will replace or repair it. (Yeah, right.)
• Product Eligibility: Plan must be purchased with a product or within 30 days of the product purchase. Pre-existing conditions are not covered.
• Terms & Details: More information about this protection plan is available within the “Product guides and documents” section. Simply click “User Guide” for more info. Terms & Conditions will be available in Your Orders on Amazon. Asurion will also email your plan confirmation with Terms & Conditions to the address associated with your Amazon account within 24 hours of purchase.

Most insulting of all, I'm pretty sure I might have been chatting with an AI when I was starting a claim. If not, the "humans" were easily confused with basic conversation and questions.

I can't really even be mad. People did warn me about buying these plans. Now that I have gone and bumped my hard head against the wall of reality, I will go a safer route. From now on, I will make sure to use a credit card so that I get some reassurance at least. And at no additional cost.

The item I was trying to get a part for cost under 35 bucks. The plan was under 6 bucks. Trying to get the replacement would cost, gas, wear and tear on a vehicle and the hassle of finding a UPS store. Not to mention, the original box and packing has been disposed of - because I have the item for almost a year. I suppose I was going to have to purchase the "bubblewrap and boxing" for the return.

So, yeah. No more Asurion for this gal. It would be easier to just replace the items in most cases. 

I'm not telling anyone not to bother buying an Asurion plan; I'm just telling you how that worked out for me! And this is the one and only time I've ever tried making a claim. 

I have to go now. I'm off to see if my credit card can help me out with this situation...

Peace

--Free