Hacker News with Generative AI: Religion

Around the World, Many People Are Leaving Their Childhood Religions (pewresearch.org)
In many countries around the world, a fifth or more of all adults have left the religious group in which they were raised. Christianity and Buddhism have experienced especially large losses from this “religious switching,” while rising numbers of adults have no religious affiliation, according to Pew Research Center surveys of nearly 80,000 people in 36 countries.
God didn't have a plan for Gelsinger at Intel; Maybe there's one for his new gig (theregister.com)
Pat Gelsinger, once CEO of VMware and later Intel, has announced he's taken a new job as executive chair and head of technology at Gloo, a Colorado-based outfit offering technology tools for churches and other faith-based organizations.
Tokyo court orders former Unification Church to disban (nhk.or.jp)
A court in Japan has ordered the group once called the Unification Church to disband as a religious corporation. The group is expected to appeal.
We're Still Not Done with Jesus (newyorker.com)
Scholars debate whether the Gospel stories preserve ancient memories or are just Greek literature in disguise. But there’s a reason they won’t stay dead and buried.
The Vatican's Latinist (2017) (newcriterion.com)
In 1970, the Procurator General of the Discalced Carmelite Order, Finian Monahan, was summoned to the Vatican for a meeting. The subject of the meeting was a promising young American priest by the name of Reginald Foster.
Revealed – The Largest Pirate Radio Operator, the Irish Catholic Church (blogspot.com)
Yet by 2020 we are in the midst of a pirate radio phenomenon that is being led by the clergy of the Irish Catholic Church.
Friars to barricade in historic Florence monastery destined for luxury sale (cnn.com)
Christianity "Borderline Illegal" in Silicon Valley. Now the New Religion (vanityfair.com)
There was a time, Tan says, when such a gathering would be “maybe even reviled in San Francisco.”
The Two-Thousand-Year-Old Virgins (newyorker.com)
As far as we know, Jesus never said anything about gay sex. He did, however, take a stand on family life: he was opposed. Those who are worthy of Heaven, he says, in Luke 20:35, need not bother with marriage; in fact, per Luke 14:26, the true disciple must “hate” the family he already has.
We wash our trash to repent for killing God (world.hey.com)
Denmark is technically and officially still a Christian nation. Lutheranism is written into the constitution. The government has a ministry for the church. Most Danes pay 1% of their earnings directly to fund the State religion. But God is as dead here as anywhere in the Western world. Less than 2% attend church service on a weekly basis. So one way to fill the void is through climate panic and piety.
Is God a Mushroom? (longnow.org)
New research into the role of psychedelics upends our understanding of spirituality — and with it, our vision of the cosmos.
The Trials of an Exorcist, 1597 (gethistories.com)
It’s October 1597, and something is wrong with William Somers, a young man of around 19 or 20, living in Nottingham, England. We’re told he
The Church FAQ (scalzi.com)
A few years ago, we bought a church building. Since then, every time I mention it online and/or on social media, someone always responds, “wait, you bought a church, what” and then asks some standard questions. At this point it makes good sense to offer up a Church FAQ to answer some of those most common questions. Let’s begin!
Pope condemns Trump's mass deportations as unchristian and unconscionable (skwawkbox.org)
Pope Francis has issued a written condemnation of US president Donald Trump’s mass racist and ‘dehumanising’ deportation programmes, which are targeting legal migrants as well as refugees and asylum seekers and those in the naturalisation process.
Italian priest close to pope was target of surveillance tool used by government (theguardian.com)
An Italian priest who has a close relationship with Pope Francis and was previously in telephone contact with him was notified he had been a target of a sophisticated surveillance tool used by a government, a revelation that will increase pressure on Giorgia Meloni’s government after other similar cases.
Theoi Greek Mythology (theoi.com)
Welcome to the Theoi Project, a site exploring Greek mythology and the gods in classical literature and art. The aim of the project is to provide a comprehensive, free reference guide to the gods (theoi), spirits (daimones), fabulous creatures (theres) and heroes of ancient Greek mythology and religion.
Gambling on papal conclaves (wikipedia.org)
Gambling on papal elections has at least a 500-year history.
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.
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.
Seeking God, or Peter Thiel, in Silicon Valley (nytimes.com)
When tech luminaries talk about their Christian faith, people listen.
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.
Silicon Valley Is Embracing Christianity (With the Help of Peter Thiel) (nytimes.com)
When tech luminaries talk about their Christian faith, people listen.
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.
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).
My 20 year journey to make a video game about the Bible (youtube.com)
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.
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.
Curse tablet found in Roman-era grave in France targets enemies by invoking Mars (livescience.com)
Saint Peter Basilica digital experience (basilicasanpietro.va)
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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.