AI, a Nobel Prize & a Nano-Chapel

 

                                      Geoffrey Hinton, co-winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize for Physics

Last week Canadian Geoffrey Hinton, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics, along with a colleague. He has been described as the Godfather of AI (Artificial Intelligence) because of his work in "deep learning" stretching back to the 1980s. He isn't actually a physicist but his collaboration on artificial neural networks (I have no idea what those are) led to the award. He admitted that when he was contacted by the Nobel committee he was "flabbergasted." There should be an award for the use of the excellent word flabbergasted which has fallen into sorry disuse. 

Here are a couple of paragraphs from the University of Toronto news release suggesting that Hinton sees AI as a mixed blessing: 

“It’s going to be like the Industrial Revolution – but instead of our physical capabilities, it’s going to exceed our intellectual capabilities," he told the BBC “… but I worry that the overall consequences of this might be systems that are more intelligent than us that might eventually take control.”...

“I want to emphasize that AI is going to do tremendous good,” Hinton told the Globe and Mail after receiving the news about the win. “In areas like health care, it’s going to be amazing. That’s why its development is never going to be stopped. The real question is can we keep it safe?”

What will the consequences be for communities of faith with the expansion of the use of AI? For fun a couple of ministers I know have used ChatGPT to create a hymn and a sermon and were surprised by the results. Son Isaac used AI to create a poem of the Sunday morning announcements and it was amusing. 

Recently a reader of this blog sent me an article about the use of AI in congregational life which seems rather ominous to me, despite the enthusiasm of the parish priest: 

Poland’s – and possibly the world’s – first “nanochapel” has opened in the city of Poznań. Using a special app, parishioners can access the space 24 hours a day to pray, meet with others, have a coffee, and even talk with a ChatGPT-powered AI assistant about their faith.

“In our parish, we are looking for solutions on how the church can adapt to parishioners and not the other way around,” Radek Rakowski, priest of the Roman Catholic parish of Łacina, told local news service wPoznaniu.

The nanochapel, Rakowski’s brainchild, was born out of a desire to make space available to parishioners outside of Mass or service hours. Initially, the priest provided worshippers with keys to the chapel but soon came to the conclusion that “something more was needed”.

Um, who will be in charge here as AI becomes more sophisticated? Will we end up reading about a cyber-exorcism performed on technology gone rogue? As Hinton points out, AI is already being used in medicine and elsewhere to positive effect and we can celebrate this. We also know that it's being employed for deeply disturbing and nefarious purposes, including fake endorsements by superstars for a certain orange political candidate. 

 Given that many congregations in the United Church can't find clergy, will AP (Artificial Pastors) be next? 

How would you feel about being called a tree-hugger? Today's Groundling blog 

https://groundlingearthyheavenly.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-courageous-witness-of-tree-huggers.html

Christopher Columbus was Jewish?

 

In fourteen hundred ninety-two

Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

He had three ships and left from Spain;
He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain...

Christopher Columbus was probably Spanish and Jewish. So read the headline of a BBC story, also covered by other sources, about a detailed DNA search which has found a high likelihood that Columbus was born in the region of Valencia and that he was an Ashkenazi Jew in origin.  

This announcement was intriguing on the weekend when the United States celebrates Columbus Day in honour of the man who "discovered" America. Of course, he did no such thing given that the Americas were already inhabited by Indigenous peoples. This along with evidence that Polynesians, Vikings, perhaps an Irish monk named Brendan all preceded Columbus. I noted yesterday that the US has officially recognized Indigenous Peoples Day to counter recognition of a European who opened the way to colonization. 

The year Columbus set sail was 1492, as the old poem many of us learned as children states, the same year that Ferdinand and Isabella, monarchs of Spain, expelled Jews and Muslims. A hundred years before what is known as the Alhambra Decree the religious tolerance of Spain was shattered by a massacre of Jews and the conversion of thousands to Christianity in order to avoid persecution

The decree of 1492 resulted in many more conversions and and between 40,000 and 100,000 Jews were expelled. Columbus could well have been part of a family that was compelled to convert in order to stay in Spain. 

The image above shows Columbus arriving in the Americas (probably Bermuda first) with a tonsured Catholic priest at his side. He was explicitly Christian in terms of his religious loyalty.There is a Catholic charitable organization called the Knights of Columbus, formed in the late 19th century, taking the explorer as their patron. He is even entombed in a cathedral.

       The Christopher Columbus tomb in Seville cathedral in Spain. Photo by Menachem Wecker.

There is already plenty of controversy and condemnation regarding Columbus and scores of statues have been removed in the United States and elswhere, sometimes by force. It will be fascinating to see how this latest revelation plays out in a time when anti-semitism is on the rise. 

Canadian Thanksgiving and US Indigenous Peoples Day

 This is Canadian Thanksgiving Day, celebrated a full six weeks before the American version. In both countries there is a public holiday and families are inclined to gather for a meal. In the States Thanksgiving is a bigger deal, with a longer weekend, wall to wall football, endless retail sales, and family gatherings which are bound to be contentious this year given that an election will have just occurred. 

The role of Indigenous peoples in the US Thanksgiving is an important part of the mythology. The theme is of hospitality extended to the European settlers who probably wouldn't have survived otherwise. I've noticed over time that there are plenty of cartoons suggesting that Native Americans would appreciate a reset on that welcome.

In Canada we don't place the same emphasis on the role of First Peoples in putting out the welcome mat for settlers but history tells us that Indigenous peoples in what we now call Canada were likely instrumental in their survival. They established treaties with the British Crown which made it possible for exploration to take place and settlement to happen. Often Christian missionaries were involved in first contact and the gospel was shared.

Given the sorry outcome of these encounters, filled with broken promises, decimation by disease, and attempts to extinguish culture and spirituality, perhaps we can temper our Thanksgiving with a side dish of repentance. I keep thinking of our June trip to Haida Gwaii and learning that the Haida people refer to the post-missionary era, beginning in the mid-1960s, with the resurgence of their culture. The residential schools and the insistence on giving up language, art, and potlatch gatherings because they were pagan is a bleak aspect of our history.

Thanksgiving can be a time for Truth and Reconciliation, of acknowledging respect and gratitude for First Peoples and our shared relationship with the Creator.  

I should note that in the United States this is Indigenous Peoples Day a proclamation of the Biden administration as a counterbalance to Columbus Day, or There Goes the Neighbourhood Day. Again, the two nations are different in that June 21st, the Summer Solstice is Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada and September 30th is National Truth and Reconciliation Day. 

In my other blog, Groundling, I consider the hymns of Thanksgiving and why celebrating the harvest still matters https://groundlingearthyheavenly.blogspot.com/2024/10/all-good-gifts-around-us-are-sent-from.html

Do Unto Others this Thanksgiving

14 Seek good and not evil,
    that you may live,
and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
    just as you have said.
15 Hate evil and love good,
    and establish justice in the gate...

Amos 5: 14-15a    NRSVue

Last week the CBC radio program, Metro Morning, left the familiar confines of the downtown Toronto studio for Oshawa, a city of 185,000 toward the east of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). MM chose to broadcast outdoors on a frosty morning, at a nearly completed community housing complex. 

The program interviews included residents of this project along with others who are involved in the heart of a city that has been prosperous through the years thanks to General Motors but has also had a reputation for a seedy downtown. This was true 50+ years ago when I lived in the area but the city core has fallen on even tougher times. 

One of the other guests works for an organization reaching out to marginalized people called DUO, a nighttime drop-in centre. This is an acronym for Do Unto Others, a portion of the Golden Rule, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." While Jesus taught this, virtually every major religion has a similar phrase. 

When the mayor of Oshawa was interviewed he mentioned the work of DUO, Gate 3:16, and the Backdoor Mission. Gate 3:16 was founded by a coalition of congregations to respond to the needs of the homeless. The Backdoor Mission began at Simcoe St. United Church and while the congregation has since disbanded what that mission has become a multi-faceted outreach to those who need a variety of services, including food, mental and physical healthcare, and housing. I've mentioned before that a friend who is a physician is now volunteering here, a challenging and worthwhile contribution. We should note how many organizations responding to these needs began with faith groups. Daily Bread in Toronto and Gleaners reflect this in their names as well. 

This is Thanksgiving Weekend in Canada and Thanksgiving Sunday for many denominations, including the United Church. One of the lectionary readings for the day  is the passage in Amos which contains the two verses above. It is a reminder that choosing the good, including justice for the poor and needy, is God's way. 

Today we will worship on the theme of the Season of Gratitude at Trenton United.

Tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, Ruth, my wife, will join with many other faithful volunteers who seek good and not evil at Bridge St. UC, providing a meal to nearly a hundred people, as this ministry does every day. I know that she'll arrive home to tell me of the people who express their heartful thanks, as they do every week.  In a time when hardness of heart and disdain for the poor seems to be on the rise we can uphold all these organizations in prayer. 

God, giver of all good,
you continually pour your benefits upon us.
Age after age the living wait upon you and find
that your faithfulness has no end,
that your care is unfailing.
We praise you that the mystery of life
is a mystery of infinite goodness.
We praise you
for the order and constancy of nature;
for the beauty and bounty of the earth;
for day and night, summer and winter,
seedtime and harvest;
for the varied gifts of loveliness which every season brings.
We give you thanks
for all the comfort and joy of life,
for our homes, for our friends,
and for all the love, sympathy, and goodwill of all people.
Amen.

from Celebrate God's Presence: A Book of Services for The United Church of Canada (UCPH, 2000)

                                                              Back Door Mission. Oshawa

Yom Kippur, Saying Sorry, and...Leonard Cohen?

And who by fire, who by water

Who in the sunshine, who in the night time
Who by high ordeal, who by common trial
Who in your merry merry month of may
Who by very slow decay
And who shall I say is calling?

And who in her lonely slip, who by barbiturate
Who in these realms of love, who by something blunt
Who by avalanche, who by powder
Who for his greed, who for his hunger
And who shall I say is calling?

And who by brave assent, who by accident
Who in solitude, who in this mirror
Who by his lady's command, who by his own hand
Who in mortal chains, who in power
And who shall I say is calling?

Who By Fire -- Leonard Cohen 1974

Rabbit Hole alert! During the week I saw this headline in the New York Times and had to take a look. The author expressed why these days, including Yom Kippur, are important to him and chose songs, including Stevie Wonder's Higher Ground and a song by Canadian  Leonard Cohen (blessed be his memory),a Jewish Buddhist poet and songwriter. 

Is It Too Late Now to Say Sorry? 8 Songs for the High Holy Days   Apology, forgiveness, moving on: These are some of humanity’s richest  themes, and they have rich songs to match.

For some of us, this is a week of reflection, repentance and weaning ourselves off caffeine: It’s the Days of Awe, the 10 days between Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, which was last Thursday and Friday, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which begins this Friday night. There are more superficially appealing holidays; Yom Kippur in particular is a fast day and is not supposed to be “fun.” But I earnestly don’t know what I would do without this time of year and the space it provides to pause and take stock. You don’t need to belong to any particular faith to find that a useful exercise.

6. Leonard Cohen: “Who by Fire”

Leonard Cohen’s lyrics are directly inspired by a High Holy Day poem that frames the holiness of the days in trembling terms: On Rosh Hashana, it is written whether in the coming year one will live or die (and how — fire, water, you get the idea), and on Yom Kippur, the book is sealed. The song appears on Cohen’s “New Skin for the Old Ceremony” (1974), an album that, as described in Matti Friedman’s book Who by Fire  arose partly out of Cohen’s experience in Israel and Egypt during the Arab-Israeli War of 1973 — often referred to, after the day it began, as the Yom Kippur War.

I would offer that it is never too late to say sorry, seek forgiveness, apologize, and move on. As I rummaged around I recalled that this Cohen song was the theme for the Bad Sisters dark comedy. Bad Sisters, Leonard Cohen, and Yom Kippur? Go figure! 

Zionism and the Hebrew Prophets

 

A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Isaiah 40:3 NRSVue

Yesterday I tuned into this webinar featuring Professor Fania Oz-Salzberger and it was excellent. She spoke for an hour on the Humanist Legacy of Zionism and gave so much food for thought. While I usually make a distinction between the state of Israel and the Jewish religion she reminded listeners that the formation of Israel as a nation incorporated Jewish principles from the outset. 

Professor Oz-Salzberger referred to Israel's Declaration of Independence from 1948 and the explicit references to the Hebrew prophets. When I did some snooping later I found this statement from the Declaration: 

THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open to the immigration of Jews from all countries of their dispersion; will promote the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; 

will be based on the precepts of liberty, justice and peace taught by the Hebrew Prophets; 

will uphold the full social and political equality of all its citizens, without distinction of race, creed or sex; 

will guarantee full freedom of conscience, worship, education and culture; 

will safeguard the sanctity and inviolability of the shrines and Holy Places of all religions; and will dedicate itself to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

While Professor Oz-Salzberger is unapologetic about her personal commitment to Zionism and the state of Israel she was also blunt about what has transpired over the past few decades. The rise of what she terms ultra-nationalism and ultra-orthodoxy have undermined the goals of those who formulated Zionism and led to the current morass in the country. Of course she categorically condemns Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist entities and appeals to Palestinians who share the core values of liberty, justice, and peace. 

This presentation was sponsored by UCLA, thousands of kilometres to the west, and Professor Oz-Salzberger was in Haifa, Israel. We were in Haifa 18 months ago yet yesterday it experienced a rocket attack from Lebanon. I'm grateful that I could participate in this event and there is so much to ponder. She quoted from Isaiah and the verse about the straight path or highway and this can be a prayer for the future of this region. 

More from the United Church on the October 7 Anniversary

                                                         Credit: © Liz Van Steenburgh | Dreamstime.com

 While it has been two days since the anniversary of the October 7th, 2024, Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel  I thought I would share this prayerful response from the United Church of Canada to what unfolded that day and since then in Gaza, the West Bank, and now Lebanon. I've also included the link to the UCC statement which begins: 

Every human being is made in God’s image. When we value the lives of others, humanity itself is lifted.

https://united-church.ca/news/united-church-canada-statement-about-palestine-and-israel-october-2024

During the past year we have seen a disturbing rise in both anti-Semitism and Islamphobia everywhere, including Canada. We've become aware of the polarization of people who have sometimes become passionate to the point of irrationality and hatred. The violence has escalated, and "an eye for eye" really has blinded those who could have brought about different outcomes. 

I invite you to click on the link and ponder. 

Liturgical Response for October 7

For October 7, we invite congregations to join in prayer together for peace in Israel and Palestine. Consider having seven candles on the altar, and using these words (or something similar) followed by a brief silence before lighting each candle.

We remember the over 40,000 people who have been killed on and since October 7, 2023. We mourn the atrocities of war. Into the silence, we pray.

[Silence. Candle is lit.]

We remember those who are separated by force from loved ones—prisoners, hostages, and detainees. We remember those whose human rights and freedoms are violated daily. Into the silence, we pray.

[Silence. Candle is lit.]

We remember the people who have lost their security, homes, and communities in this war. We remember the more than 1 million Palestinians who are displaced and without a home. Into the silence, we pray.

[Silence. Candle is lit.]

We remember the uncomforted tears, the deep longings for peace, the prayers of lament that cannot be expressed in words, brought on by the horrors of war. Into the silence, we pray.

[Silence. Candle is lit.]

We remember the lush lands, the fields that can no longer be harvested, the livestock unattended, and the destruction of creation caused by war. Into the silence, we pray.

[Silence. Candle is lit.]

We remember those who mourn and are grieving while still living in devastation. We remember children who do not have safe spaces to play, learn, and grow. Into the silence, we pray.

[Silence. Candle is lit.]

We remember the peacekeepers, the human right defenders, the justice seekers, and all those who have sacrificed to provide much-needed humanitarian aid. Into the silence, we pray.

[Silence. Candle is lit.]

We gather these prayers, with kindred in the Holy Land and around the world, together with the prayer that Jesus taught us:

Our Creator…