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

[Kishkumen]

You’re not alone. It seems like a lot of former members still feel this way about their PB. They’re not widely shared even though thousands have left the church.

I would guess that the personal nature of it makes it seem more sacred and special to people, even those who have left. Whether what they believe is accurate or not, it is the one "sacrament," if you will, that is constructed to appear to be highly personal and individualized. And I think that for those who had a good experience with it, it retains something of that feeling about it.

[Kishkumen]

So you are saying that you think the advice some people receive was useful to them/yourself?

My own blessing was purely generic, except for a couple of things that my father mentioned right beforehand.

Yeah, I am aware that many of them are purely generic. Mine certainly wasn't. I found the experience to be very productive and I still reflect on it from time to time. I think there are, at the same time, ways that one could explain it away. But I am not of a mind to do so. I never have been. I don't feel the need to take experiences that were special to me at one time in my life and disown them, trash them, or explain them away.

It is not that I do not understand that they can be. And I also understand that there are sound reasons why people do.

[MopologistGPT]

Using chatbots to deliver blessings may not fully replicate the human connection and emotional support that many people value in religious traditions, and could raise ethical and cultural considerations that should be respected.

[Bret Ripley]

Using chatbots to deliver blessings may not fully replicate the human connection and emotional support that many people value in religious traditions, and could raise ethical and cultural considerations that should be respected.

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.

[Dr Moore]

Using chatbots to deliver blessings may not fully replicate the human connection and emotional support that many people value in religious traditions, and could raise ethical and cultural considerations that should be respected.

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.

[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.

[Kishkumen]

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.

[Dr Moore]

I still find myself wondering about PBs in terms of their incredible power of suggestion.

There was one statement in my blessing, at age 17, which resonated deeply with my aspirational self-image. Selfishly, in part. I worked hard in college and in my subsequent career, motivated by that "promise." And you know what, it came true.

[MopologistGPT]

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.

[Kishkumen]

I still find myself wondering about PBs in terms of their incredible power of suggestion.

There was one statement in my blessing, at age 17, which resonated deeply with my aspirational self-image. Selfishly, in part. I worked hard in college and in my subsequent career, motivated by that "promise." And you know what, it came true.

Definitely. I have no problem with that. And I mean that in every way. I don't see why this should be a problem, unless one really wants to divorce themselves completely from the experience. Then it may be helpful to denigrate it. I am OK with others having a problem with PBs. I just don't myself, and I don't feel the need to make my PB, or PBs in general, a problem.