Hacker News with Generative AI: Religion

Tegmark's Mathematical Universe Defeats Most Proofs of God's Existence (astralcodexten.com)
It feels like 2010 again - the bloggers are debating the proofs for the existence of God. I found these much less interesting after learning about Max Tegmark’s mathematical universe hypothesis, and this doesn’t seem to have reached the Substack debate yet, so I’ll put it out there.

Philosophy, Mathematics, Religion

5 points by feross 3 days ago | 1 comments

The Erasure of Islam from the Poetry of Rumi (newyorker.com)
A couple of years ago, when Coldplay’s Chris Martin was going through a divorce from the actress Gwyneth Paltrow and feeling down, a friend gave him a book to lift his spirits.

Religion, Poetry, Culture

12 points by handfuloflight 3 days ago | 0 comments

Vatican Astronomer Releases 'A Jesuit's Guide to the Stars' (vaticannews.va)
The latest book from the director of the Vatican Observatory combines personal reflection with a detailed history of Jesuit engagement with astronomy.

Astronomy, Religion, History, Books

13 points by reaperducer 5 days ago | 0 comments

Seeking God, or Peter Thiel, in Silicon Valley (nytimes.com)
When tech luminaries talk about their Christian faith, people listen.

Silicon Valley, Religion, Tech Industry, Christianity

6 points by archagon 9 days ago | 6 comments

How A Skeptical Philosopher Becomes a Christian [Larry Sanger] (larrysanger.org)
It is finally time for me to confess and explain, fully and publicly, that I am a Christian.

Philosophy, Religion, Christianity, Personal Experiences

17 points by Boogie_Man 10 days ago | 9 comments

Silicon Valley Is Embracing Christianity (With the Help of Peter Thiel) (nytimes.com)
When tech luminaries talk about their Christian faith, people listen.

Silicon Valley, Christianity, Peter Thiel, Technology, Religion

18 points by cpymchn 10 days ago | 11 comments

Thomas Aquinas' skull reveals appearance and cause of death (ncregister.com)
On the heels of the skull of St. Thomas Aquinas touring the nation, a new study released this week gives Catholics a glimpse at what the “Angelic Doctor” may have looked like.

History, Science, Religion, Archaeology

232 points by new_vienna 12 days ago | 89 comments

Antiqua et Nova: Note on the relationship between AI and human intelligence (vatican.va)
With wisdom both ancient and new (cf. Mt. 13:52), we are called to reflect on the current challenges and opportunities posed by scientific and technological advancements, particularly by the recent development of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy, Religion, Technology

580 points by max_ 22 days ago | 476 comments

My 20 year journey to make a video game about the Bible (youtube.com)

Video Games, Religion, Personal Projects

12 points by andygeers 25 days ago | 4 comments

Why Brazil fell for Pentecostalism but not liberation theology (aeon.co)
In 1962, the Colombian priest and sociology professor Camilo Torres Restrepo travelled to the north of the country to investigate a dispute between powerful landlords and subsistence farmers.

Religion, Brazil, Sociology, Theology

5 points by rbanffy 29 days ago | 0 comments

Should we use AI and LLMs for Christian apologetics? (2024) (lukeplant.me.uk)
The other day I received an email from Jake Carlson of the Apologist Project asking permission to use the apologetics resources I’ve written as input for an AI chatbot they have launched on their website.

Artificial Intelligence, Religion, Christianity

170 points by hwayne 31 days ago | 252 comments

Curse tablet found in Roman-era grave in France targets enemies by invoking Mars (livescience.com)

Archaeology, History, Ancient Rome, France, Religion

32 points by diodorus 32 days ago | 14 comments

Saint Peter Basilica digital experience (basilicasanpietro.va)
Your browser does not support the video tag.<p>Select an experience</p>

Virtual Reality, Tourism, Italy, History, Religion

114 points by matco11 36 days ago | 23 comments

Pastor who saw crypto project in his "dream" indicted for fraud (bleepingcomputer.com)
A pastor at a Pasco, Washington, church has been indicted on 26 counts of fraud for allegedly operating a cryptocurrency scam that defrauded investors of millions between 2021 and 2023.

Cryptocurrency, Fraud, Religion, Law Enforcement

8 points by botanicals6 37 days ago | 5 comments

Introduction to Buddhism (fsi.stanford.edu)
Buddhism, one of the major world religions, began in India around the sixth century, B.C.E. The teachings of Buddhism spread throughout Central and Southeast Asia, through China, Korea, and Japan. Today, there are Buddhists all over the world.

Buddhism, Religion, History, Asia

5 points by wslh 38 days ago | 0 comments

"Project Russia," Unknown in the West, Reveals Putin's Playbook (washingtonspectator.org)
Between 2005 and 2010, a set of books called “Project Russia” was distributed to high-ranking officials in the Russian government and other influential thought leaders. The books offered a detailed program of spiritual warfare against Western democracies culminating in “controlled global collapse” and the establishment of a “supranational” state headed by a Prince-Monk who “best understands the world.” The plan described is ultimately a program for subjugating the world, which would also be united together in a single religion.

Politics, Russia, International Relations, Conspiracy Theories, Religion

41 points by api 39 days ago | 34 comments

Seeing Hell through the Reason and Imagination of C. S. Lewis (discovery.org)
As a semi-retired pastor, having preached on Hell from time to time, I distrust any preacher or writer who seems to enjoy giving his people a steady diet of brimstone. C. S. Lewis reluctantly addressed the subject in his writings. In The Problem of Pain he admitted that there is no Christian doctrine that he’d rather remove more than the doctrine of Hell.

Religion, C.S. Lewis, Theology, Hell

14 points by Michelangelo11 53 days ago | 7 comments

Can LLMs accurately recall the Bible? (benkaiser.dev)
I've often found myself uneasy when LLMs (Large Language Models) are asked to quote the Bible. While they can provide insightful discussions about faith, their tendency to hallucinate responses raises concerns when dealing with scripture, which we regard as the inspired Word of God.

Religion, Bible, Artificial Intelligence

223 points by benkaiser 55 days ago | 153 comments

Does Morality Do Us Any Good? (newyorker.com)
Nothing kills your appetite, they say, like discovering how the sausage is made. In the realm of superhero cinema, origin stories explain our protagonist’s driving motivations. But in the realm of faith and values? I stopped believing everything the tabloids said after I went on a school trip to the offices of my local paper. Others have grown disillusioned once they scrutinized the early history of their religion as historians, not as adherents.

Morality, Philosophy, Religion, Ethics, Culture

11 points by vo2maxer 57 days ago | 11 comments

Ossuaries and the Burials of Jesus and James (jstor.org)

History, Religion, Archaeology

6 points by handfuloflight 58 days ago | 0 comments

Texas school district bans the Bible because of its sexual content (msn.com)

Education, Censorship, Religion, Sexuality

37 points by impish9208 60 days ago | 24 comments

Silicon Valley's Obsession with AI Looks a Lot Like Religion (mitpress.mit.edu)
The tech world’s fixation on artificial intelligence has spawned beliefs and rituals that resemble religion — complete with digital deities, moral codes, and threats of damnation.

Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Culture, Religion

10 points by ____H____ 62 days ago | 2 comments

Khalid Sheldrake: The East Dulwich man who would be King (nationalarchives.gov.uk)
Bertie Sheldrake was a South London pickle manufacturer who converted to Islam and became king of a far-flung Islamic republic before returning to London and settling back into obscurity.

Biography, History, United Kingdom, Religion, Islam

59 points by Geekette 65 days ago | 31 comments

Burial Spot of St. Nicholas, Inspiration for Santa Claus, Discovered in Turkey (livescience.com)

History, Archaeology, Religion, Turkey

10 points by Anon84 77 days ago | 0 comments

Nun arrested over suspected mafia links (news.sky.com)
A nun has been arrested in Italy on suspicion of colluding with the mafia.

Crime, Mafia, Italy, Religion

6 points by austinallegro 78 days ago | 1 comments

Whose Weil? Simone, Patron Saint of Everyone (thedriftmag.com)
In a sordid twist of the kind social media has perfected, Weil has also become a mascot for misguided youths seeking to blend a fetishized Catholic ritualism with aestheticized eating disorders: memes and graphics free-associate Weil’s name and face with half-knowing coquettishness, inane religious references, and anorexia, mirabilis or otherwise.

Social Media, Religion, Culture, Art

47 points by apollinaire 79 days ago | 18 comments

Sales of Bibles Are Booming, Fueled by First-Time Buyers and New Versions (wsj.com)
Hallelujah! Bibles are a bright spot in books this year.

Religion, Books, Sales, Consumer Trends

7 points by paulpauper 81 days ago | 4 comments

Prayer, Placement, and Absolution: Peter Hristoff on Islamic Prayer Rugs (2015) (metmuseum.org)

Islamic Art, Rugs, Museums, Religion, History

127 points by handfuloflight 88 days ago | 77 comments

Pope announces web designer as first millennial saint (politico.eu)
The Catholic Church will soon get its first millennial saint, an Italian teenager who designed websites for the church, Pope Francis announced Wednesday.

Religion, Catholicism, Millennials, Saints

6 points by Tomte 88 days ago | 2 comments

AI Jesus is ready to dispense advice from a booth in historic Swiss church (theregister.com)
If you find yourself in the Swiss tourist destination of Lucerne with a guilty conscience, there's someone waiting at the historic Peterskapelle Catholic Church to hear your prayers - someone who cares, you might say: Your own personal AI Jesus.

Artificial Intelligence, Religion, Switzerland

5 points by beardyw 90 days ago | 0 comments