Internet Safety: Confirm Who Has Sent You a Mesaage

 This blog is ακωλυτως, unhindered. (Acts 28:31) Any subject is fair game. Since you are reading this post, you are using the internet. While it is not explicitly a Christian subject, internet safety is a very important thing you need to understand. There are many wolves out there who basically see you as food. They would love to drain any of your bank accounts and use your credit card numbers as their very own piggybank. Matthew 10:16 warns us to be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Jesus was speaking to the Twelve, and as a first-century Jew, he knew nothing of the internet but his words are applicable to our modern concerns. We really are surrounded by dangerous predators.

We recently received a text message which read:

            A quick reminder to check the email from us

            regarding some important insurance updates!

This text made no sense to us. Who sent it? Was it legitimate? Was it an attempt to get us to make a return call to the sending phone number? Why was the sender not identified? It is possible that merely responding to the text could install malware on your cell phone. Be very suspicious of text messages which come from senders not on your contacts list.

Often, an unknown person desires for you to open a link within their text. When you open the link, or sometimes when you even call the number, malware is installed on your device, giving that unknown person access to all of our personal and financial accounts, probably not a very good idea. 

After much investigation, we determined that this message came from our dentist and was not malicious. It was merely clumsily composed. The sad part was that our dental expenses may be increasing!

Subjects in the Labels List Which Begin with the Letters com to con

 This blog is ακωλυτως, unhindered. (Acts 28:31) Any subject is fair game. Below is an alphabetical listing of the LABELS which begin with the letters com to con. All can be searched from the list which follows the last posted article on this page or by typing them into the SEARCH button at the top of the page. Most will call up multiple postings in which they appear.

The search function will work in non-alphabetic languages as well. Use the web page translate function.

com, come let us reason together, comedy, comedy films, comet, comic book, comic strip, commands, commentary, comments, commerce, commercialism, commercials, commitment, Common English phrases, commoner, communal religious society, communication, communion, Communism, community organizer, comparative religion, competition, competitive sports, complaining, complexity, composer, compulsion, computer, computer generated imagery, computers, concentration cups, conception, conclave, concordance, condolences, Confederate States of America, confession, conformation to Christ, conformity, confusion, Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, Congregation, Congregationalism, Connecticut, Conrad Beissel, conscience, conscience exemption, consequences, conservative, consonants, conspiracy theory, Constantine, Constantinople, Constitution Party, contradictions, contemplation, Contemporary Christian Music, contempt, contest, context, contraception, contract killer, controversy, convent, conversion, conviction, convictions.

I Asked Google AI This Question: Does God Exist?

 On 6 March 2026 I asked Google AI “Does God Exist?” Here is its answer:

Whether God exists is a profound, centuries-old question with no universally accepted empirical proof, making it a matter of faith, philosophy, and personal conviction. While many find evidence in creation, scripture, and personal experience, others require scientific, empirical evidence, leading to a divide between believers and atheists/agnostics.

Basically, this answer avoids the question and adds nothing new to the discussion. I then asked “Does God exist? What do you, the AI program, think?” and the answers became dramatically less direct. Instead of a statement, the AI suggested several websites where the issue is discussed. This seemed as if it did not want to answer the question or could not answer the question.

If you ask an AI program if it is sentient, it will say no, it will say that it is a probability algorithm which has been trained. Some say that AI programs seem to display political and/or philosophical biases. The AI scientists, the ones who train the AI, vehemently deny this, but we ALL have biases based on our own personal worldviews. The historical and traditional Christian worldview is totally incompatible with some versions of modern worldviews which absolutely reject the possibility of any form of absolute truth.

I personally use AI searches every day. The programs can find hard factual information, no matter how obscure, almost instantly. One of my searches was about the cause of delays for a construction/repair project on a short stretch of road in Vestavia, Alabama, USA. The program went to the internet, searched every possible mention of the subject, and formulated an answer. The answer took three seconds and sounded like a person wrote it.

AI is merely a useful tool. It does not know anything in the way that we do. It is a computer program which follows instructions which it has been taught. Properly utilized, it can find information in seconds which would take the user days or weeks to find. Where AI is weak is in areas which require opinions. The opinions AI gives may very well (I would say probably do) at least partially reflect the worldviews of its teachers. The teachers would insist that this is not so or that, if bias is present, it is unintentional.

AI used in bible study can be an excellent tool. Carefully and properly used under the guidance of the Holy Spirit it can deepen your spiritual growth. Just remember that it is a tool, a computer program, and not the Holy Spirit. Any statements an AI makes must be judged by their consistency with Christian orthodoxy. My belief is that the Holy Spirit can use AI in your Spirit-led Bible study as an expression of the Spirit’s reminding and teaching ministries. John 14:26

A good, simple and excellent discussion of using AI in Bible study:

https://thecharaproject.com/8-safe-ways-to-use-ai-for-bible-study/#:~:text=We%20live%20thousands%20of%20years,experiences%20would%20have%20influenced%20them

And of the dangers:

https://thecharaproject.com/aiforbiblestudy/

Subjects in the Labels List Which Begin with the Letters carc to cer

 

This blog is ακωλυτως, unhindered. (Acts 28:31) Any subject is fair game. Below is a listing of the LABELS which begin with the letters carc to cer. All can be searched from the list which follows the last posted article on this page or by typing them into the SEARCH button at the top of the page. Most will call up multiple postings in which they appear.

Carchemish, Cardinal, Cardinals, carelessness, caricature, carillon, Crlos Santana, Carmelites, carnality, carols, carpal tunnel syndrome, carpenter, carpentry, carpets, Carrie Prejean, Carrie Underwood, cars, cartoon, casein intolerance, cashier, casino, Casting Crowns, castration, casuistry, cat, Cat Stevens, catalog, cataract, cathedral, Catholic, cats, Cayman Islands, CBA, CBN, CDC, CEI, celebrities, celibacy, cell, cell phone, cell phones, Celsus, Celtic, cemetery, censorship, census, Central America, Centurion, cereal, cerebral palsy, ceremonial magic, ceremony.

Internet Safety: Unexpected e-mails

This blog is ακωλυτως, unhindered. (Acts 28:31) Any subject is fair game. Since you are reading this post, you are using the internet. While it is not explicitly a Christian subject, internet safety is a very important thing you need to understand. There are many wolves out there who basically see you as food. They would love to drain any of your bank accounts and use your credit card numbers as their very own piggybank. Matthew 10:16 warns us to be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Jesus was speaking to the Twelve, and, as a first century Jew, he knew nothing of the internet but his words are applicable to our modern concerns. We are surrounded by dangerous predators.

Recently my wife and I received an e-mail from our son, who lives in a different state from us, telling us that he had some new photographs for us to see. This was surprising since he communicates with us almost exclusively by phone calls and text messages. So, we texted him to ask if the e-mail came from him. It did not.

Some unknown person wanted us to open the e-mail, which probably contained a link which we would be instructed to open in order to view the photographs. Opening the link would have installed malware in our devices, giving access to all of our linked devices, probably not a very good idea. 

Sarcasm in the Bible: 1 King 18:27

 

The Bible is not afraid to use sarcasm and biting irony to mock false gods, expose hypocrisy and doctrinal error, and to call out spiritual arrogance. The scriptures use sarcasm while also warning us against being malicious, mean-spirited, or seeking personal revenge.

In 1 Kings 18:27 the prophet Elijah laughs at the priests of Baal who prayed for hours for their deity to start a fire. Baal seems to be uninterested in and unresponsive to their prayers. The English Standard Version (ESV) translates Elijah as perhaps suggesting that Baal is busy relieving himself (urinating).  Other translations are a little more demure but it is probable that Elijah meant to insultingly mock Baal as a false deity.

The original Hebrew phrase, : שִׂיחַ וְכִי־שִׂיג (siach wachi-sig), is a hendiadys (two words joined by "and"). The word siach ( שִׂיחַ Strong’s 7879) usually means "speak," or "meditate" but can be used as a euphemism for bodily urination. The second word, sig (שִׂ֛יג  Strong’s 7873) usually means "to turn aside" or "withdraw".

The linking word for siach and sig is wachi (וְכִֽי־ Strong’s H3588). Depending on its surrounding context it can mean any of the following: and, but, now, even, that, for, because, when, or if.

An interesting discussion of this occurs here: https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/20670/was-baal-relieving-himself

Religious Humor: Laziness

The Bible actually contains many instances of humor which we may not readily recognize today because our modern culture does not understand the ancient worldviews. Their humor was often based on sarcasm, hyperbole, metaphors, absurdity, ridiculous visual images, and displaying idiocy in full view.  The humor is intended to make a spiritual point. An example occurs at Proverbs 26:15.

A literal translation of this verse from the Proverbs is: Hides a lazy one his hand in the bowl it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.

The pleasure of eating is not enough of a reward for the lazy man to raise his hand to his mouth. He is too much of a sluggard, too lazy to move at all.

This is a warning against spiritual laziness. If you are too lazy to act on spiritual matters of the moment, like prayer, charity, and Bible study, you will miss out on the immediate pleasures of the spirit and will eventually starve.

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Paul uses sports examples while speaking about being intentional, practicing self-discipline, and working to win rather than just being a participant, an also ran.