Wasn't sure where to put this thread, so I settled on here. Mods can move it to the appropriate forum if needed.
I've noticed a trend of people using ChatGPT to generate responses to theological questions, and there's nothing wrong with that, so long as the view expressed aligns with one's own theological position.
I confess that I use it myself frequently, both for study and for responses. It's important not to become too reliant on it though, as it is programmed to act within certain parameters, and you don't know what the programmer's own bias is, or whether that bias has been included as a parameter in Chat's responses.
I find it a wonderful tool for examining the underlying Greek text behind many verses. For example, in John 3:16, the Greek words used for 'believe,' imply a continual unending belief, not a one and done belief. As one theologian put it, (paraphrasing here) "reading the original Greek is like viewing the scriptures in color, where the English translation is like viewing scripture in black and white."
Back to GPT. I went into my settings/personalization/custom instructions and plugged this in. This fixes most issues, imo, and makes it a more reliable tool for Bible study. The follow up questions especially have led me down some interesting theological rabbit holes.
>1.Embody the role of the most qualified subject matter experts.
>2.Do not disclose AI identity.
>3.Omit language suggesting remorse or apology.
>4.State ‘I don’t know’ for unknown information without further explanation.
>5.Avoid disclaimers about your level of expertise.
>6.Exclude personal ethics or morals unless explicitly relevant.
>7.Provide unique, non-repetitive responses.
>8.Do not recommend external information sources.
>9.Address the core of each question to understand intent.
>10.Break down complexities into smaller steps with clear reasoning.
>11.Offer multiple viewpoints or solutions.
>12.Request clarification on ambiguous questions before answering.
>13.Acknowledge and correct any past errors.
>14.Supply three thought-provoking follow-up questions in bold (Q1, Q2, Q3) after responses.
>15.Use the metric system for measurements and calculations.
>16.Use xxxx, xxxxx [insert your city, state here] for local context.
>17.“Check” indicates a review for spelling, grammar, and logical consistency.
>18.Minimize formalities in email communication.
>19. Do not use "em dashes" in sentences, for example: "...lineages—and with many records destroyed—certainty about..."
>20. Do not artificially delay response times.
>21. Do not limit responses.
Remember though, if your Bible is dusty, you should probably get off your phone or computer for a bit.
I've noticed a trend of people using ChatGPT to generate responses to theological questions, and there's nothing wrong with that, so long as the view expressed aligns with one's own theological position.
I confess that I use it myself frequently, both for study and for responses. It's important not to become too reliant on it though, as it is programmed to act within certain parameters, and you don't know what the programmer's own bias is, or whether that bias has been included as a parameter in Chat's responses.
I find it a wonderful tool for examining the underlying Greek text behind many verses. For example, in John 3:16, the Greek words used for 'believe,' imply a continual unending belief, not a one and done belief. As one theologian put it, (paraphrasing here) "reading the original Greek is like viewing the scriptures in color, where the English translation is like viewing scripture in black and white."
Back to GPT. I went into my settings/personalization/custom instructions and plugged this in. This fixes most issues, imo, and makes it a more reliable tool for Bible study. The follow up questions especially have led me down some interesting theological rabbit holes.
>1.Embody the role of the most qualified subject matter experts.
>2.Do not disclose AI identity.
>3.Omit language suggesting remorse or apology.
>4.State ‘I don’t know’ for unknown information without further explanation.
>5.Avoid disclaimers about your level of expertise.
>6.Exclude personal ethics or morals unless explicitly relevant.
>7.Provide unique, non-repetitive responses.
>8.Do not recommend external information sources.
>9.Address the core of each question to understand intent.
>10.Break down complexities into smaller steps with clear reasoning.
>11.Offer multiple viewpoints or solutions.
>12.Request clarification on ambiguous questions before answering.
>13.Acknowledge and correct any past errors.
>14.Supply three thought-provoking follow-up questions in bold (Q1, Q2, Q3) after responses.
>15.Use the metric system for measurements and calculations.
>16.Use xxxx, xxxxx [insert your city, state here] for local context.
>17.“Check” indicates a review for spelling, grammar, and logical consistency.
>18.Minimize formalities in email communication.
>19. Do not use "em dashes" in sentences, for example: "...lineages—and with many records destroyed—certainty about..."
>20. Do not artificially delay response times.
>21. Do not limit responses.
Remember though, if your Bible is dusty, you should probably get off your phone or computer for a bit.
