Articles by Bruce Strom

About Bruce Strom
I was born and baptized and confirmed as a Lutheran. I made the mistake of reading works written by Luther, he has a bad habit of writing seemingly brilliant theology, but then every few pages he stops and calls the Pope often very vulgar names, what sort of Christian does that? Currently I am a seeker, studying church history and the writings of the Church Fathers. I am involved in the Catholic divorce ministries in our diocese, and have finished the diocese two-year Catholic Lay Ministry program. Also I took a year of Orthodox off-campus seminary courses. This blog explores the beauty of the Early Church and the writings and history of the Church through the centuries. I am a member of a faith community, for as St Augustine notes in his Confessions, you cannot truly be a Christian unless you worship God in the walls of the Church, unless persecution prevents this. This blog is non-polemical, so I really would rather not reveal my denomination here.
Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
Dementia and Alzheimers Disease

Do We Have Free Will? Phineas Gage and Case Studies From the Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

12/06/2023 Bruce Strom 1

The concept that someone could be so demented that they are no longer responsible for their behavior is hard for people to accept. After all, the concept that we are all responsible for our actions, that we always act out of free will, is a bedrock principle in our legal and even religious institutions. But unfortunately, as psychologists know, there are many mentally ill who cannot control their actions.
One early and famous case history is that of Phineas Gage, who is perhaps the most famous and influential schmuck in human history. I have listened to many psychology lectures in Wondrium, the Teaching Company, and university lectures on Youtube that retell the story of Phineas Gage, which I have heard a dozen times. When my daughter in medical school told me that she was starting her psychology section, I told her that she would hear the remarkable story of Phineas Gage, which she did a few days later. […]

Jimmy Carterm Inspirational Devotions SMALL
Bible Stories and Parables

Jimmy Carter Inspirational Daily Devotions: Bible Stories, Reflections on Historical Events

11/28/2023 Bruce Strom 1

One of Bonhoeffer’s most famous books carried the title, The Cost of Discipleship. In it he condemns what he calls cheap grace. He insists one cannot follow Christ without full commitment, wherever that commitment might lead. In his case it led to a Nazi gallows.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Karl Barth were leaders in the Confessing Church that resisted the Nazi infiltration and cooption of German Christianity, opposing the Nazi notion that Jesus wasn’t Jewish and that Christianity should condone the persecution of the Jews. […]

Summary Platonic Dialogues on Love and Friendship
Philosophy

Summary of Platonic Dialogues on Love, With Commentary by Copleston and Anders Nygren

11/24/2023 Bruce Strom 2

How can we benefit by reflecting on Four Platonic Dialogues on Love: Lysis, Alcibiades, Symposium, and Phaedrus? How similar are they? Was it possible for men and women, and husbands and wives, to be friends in ancient Greece and Rome? Did the Platonic dialogues on love condone or encourage homosexuality […]

The Cruel Roman Emperor Commodus, Son of the Good Stoic Emperor Marcus Aurelius
Greek and Roman History

The Cruel Roman Emperor Commodus, Son of the Good Stoic Emperor Marcus Aurelius

11/17/2023 Bruce Strom 0

The wise stoic reign of Marcus Aurelius, beloved by all, was followed by the murderous reign of Commodus, hated and feared by all, who would be assassinated by his closest companions. The disastrously reckless cruelty of Commodus, and his neglectful reign, which nearly caused the disintegration of the Roman Empire, colors the opinion of both ancient and modern historians. What historians mention, but do not emphasize, are the similarities between the soldier Hadrian and Commodus. Both liked to fight in the ring as gladiators. Both decided to halt the Roman policy of expansion, seeking strategic withdrawal. And Marcus Aurelius was as wary of his adoptive grandfather Hadrian as he was of his wayward son Commodus. […]

1876 Contested Presidential Election: Precedent for January 6th Elector Scheme?
Civil Rights

1876 Contested Presidential Election: Precedent for January 6th Fake Elector Scheme?

11/15/2023 Bruce Strom 2

Rehnquist notes that during the campaign, Hayes released a statement “recognizing the need for Southerners to control their own affairs but calling for respect for the constitutional rights of all citizens,” a promise made by Southerners that they never intended to keep. Hayes tried waving the bloody shirt during the campaign, but not only was Tilden a New York Democrat, he was over the mandatory draft age, as he was in his mid-forties during the Civil War. Everyone expected that the vote would be close in this Presidential election. […]

Is AI Merely Artificially Intelligent? Comparing AI ChatGPT and Bard to Wikipedia
Business and Science

Is Artificial Intelligence More Artificial Than Intelligent? Is Wikipedia Better Than AI Chatbots?

11/11/2023 Bruce Strom 0

What is artificial intelligence? The original definition by Alan Turing is that a program is deemed artificially intelligent if the user conversing by keyboard is convinced that a live human being is responding. But keep in mind that artificially intelligent computer programs have zero comprehension. Although they can do quite well on intelligence tests, answering questions instantaneously, they are incapable of original thought. However, they excel at pattern matching, and the latest AI programs can replicate text from existing text samples. The program does not comprehend the meaning of these text samples, which means it has trouble evaluating their credibility. Thus, the generated output is often what programmers call GIGO: garbage-in, garbage-out. […]

Is AI Merely Artificially Intelligent? Comparing AI ChatGPT and Bard to Wikipedia
Business and Science

APPENDIX: Artificial Intelligence, Comparing ChatGPT vs Bard, With and Without Footnotes and Sources

11/11/2023 Bruce Strom 1

What is artificial intelligence? The original definition by Alan Turing is that a program is deemed artificially intelligent if the user conversing by keyboard is convinced that a live human being is responding. But keep in mind that artificially intelligent computer programs have zero comprehension. Although they can do quite well on intelligence tests, answering questions instantaneously, they are incapable of original thought. However, they excel at pattern matching, and the latest AI programs can replicate text from existing text samples. The program does not comprehend the meaning of these text samples, which means it has trouble evaluating their credibility. Thus, the generated output is often what programmers call GIGO: garbage-in, garbage-out.
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Martin Luther, Do Not Steal, Lutheran Catechisms, and German Peasants' Revolt
Command 7 Do Not Steal

Martin Luther, Do Not Steal, Lutheran Catechisms, and German Peasants’ Revolt

11/08/2023 Bruce Strom 0

Luther concludes by restating the positive and negative forms of the commandment, noting that tolerating theft by others by doing nothing also is a moral violation. “On one hand, we are forbidden to do our neighbor any injury or wrong in any way imaginable, whether by damaging, withholding, or interfering with his possession and property. We are not even to consent to or permit such a thing but are rather to avert and prevent it. On the other hand, we are commanded to promote and further our neighbor’s interests, and when he suffers want, we are to help, share, and lend to both friends and foes.” […]