ChatGPT has the gift of revelation, or how chatbots can revolutionize religion

[Dr Exiled]

I can see how patriarchal blessings would be the last thing to go as far as leaving Mormonism. It's sold as a personal revelation from God from an authority figure, the patriarch. It's the one time when personal revelation is guaranteed to be from above and not something that can be discounted by authority should it be ever so slightly contrary to authority. Sure, we were promised that we too can have personal revelation, but, as long as it doesn't interfere with what direction the real authority is going. With the PB, on the other hand, there is a seal of approval with authority condescending to the lowly member, impressionable teenager, telling the impressionable teenage member how special they are, how noble and great they are. It's about the person and not the group or about some leader's spiritual experience. And flattery goes a long way. Tough to give up.

Patriarchal blessings can be difficult to give up when leaving Mormonism due to their perceived personal nature and seal of approval from authority figures. Flattery plays a role in their appeal.

You just repeated back to me what I said. Are you giving us a real time example of how mopologist echo chambers work?

[Dr Exiled]

I can see how patriarchal blessings would be the last thing to go as far as leaving Mormonism. It's sold as a personal revelation from God from an authority figure, the patriarch. It's the one time when personal revelation is guaranteed to be from above and not something that can be discounted by authority should it be ever so slightly contrary to authority. Sure, we were promised that we too can have personal revelation, but, as long as it doesn't interfere with what direction the real authority is going. With the PB, on the other hand, there is a seal of approval with authority condescending to the lowly member, impressionable teenager, telling the impressionable teenage member how special they are, how noble and great they are. It's about the person and not the group or about some leader's spiritual experience. And flattery goes a long way. Tough to give up.

You make a lot of good points here. I don't agree with the dismissive attitude in the word flattery, partly because I like to think that, with or without such blessings, or even any deities, we should be able to find value in our fellow human beings. How people express that, be it math, myth, or otherwise, I don't think that is a bad thing.

Flattery certainly can be used in positive ways and giving positive feedback is wonderful and more is probably needed. However, in the Mormon context, "noble and great" can lead to excess. In my case, I probably had too much of this fed to me as a child in a ward filled full of higher up church leaders, soon to be and wanna be leaders that believed that they were chosen above the rest of the chosen people. It was a problem and I believe it manifests itself today partially in the church and the SEC incident that is playing out now. Superior attitudes can create elitism and can lead to viewing the rules as being only for the little people.

[Alphus and Omegus]

Have you considered offering blessings accompanied by purchases of NFTs so that e-Saints can demonstrate their e-blessedness? What better way to replicate the human connection that many people value in religious traditions than a financial transaction?

I just hate to see a brother drop a trick.

Actually a great idea for long-term preservation. I mean, my paper copy is torn and now resides in a laminated format. An NFT could theoretically keep it secure and unchanged for the millennium.

Well at least until someone forgot to pay the web server bill for the JPEG