A Mighty Change
King Benjamin taught his people how to both receive and retain a remission of sins.
Finding God’s Will in Mosiah: Analogy with AI
The Book of Mormon offers timeless wisdom, even on seemingly modern topics like Artificial Intelligence (AI). In King Benjamin’s discourse (Mosiah 1:3-7), we find parallels to concepts in Machine Learning (ML), the foundation of AI.
Understanding God’s Mysteries
King Benjamin emphasizes the difference between knowing and not knowing God’s mysteries. Similar to a binary outcome in ML (yes/no, true/false), the scriptures, or plates in his day, enabled his people to progress from ignorance to understanding.
Mosiah 1:3: Without the scriptures, we would be ignorant of God’s mysteries.
Understanding of God's Mysteries:
| High (With Scriptures)
-------|-----------------------
| Low (Without Scriptures)
A Decision-Making Process: Prospering and Eternal Life
King Benjamin outlines steps to prosper, just like a decision tree in ML breaks down a complex goal into achievable actions. Studying scriptures and following commandments lead to increased understanding and prosperity.
Mosiah 1:5-7: By searching the scriptures and following the commandments, we can prosper in the land.
Seeking God's Will
/ \ \
Study Follow Apply
Scriptures Commandments Atonement
/ \ \
Increased Prosper in Eternal
Understanding the Land Life
Decision Tree Classification is a learning method, that breaks down the ability to prosper in the land or obtain eternal life. Attribute Selection Measure (ASM) is used to decide which attribute (or step) is the most useful for splitting the data (or making a decision).
Personal Application
In machine learning and the gospel, learning models are adapted to support a personal use case.
While core principles remain constant, applying them varies. Similar to how **AI tailors algorithms to specific situations, we can personalize King Benjamin’s teachings to our own lives.
Talking Points from King Benjamin’s Discourse
In the recent conference weekend, we were able to listen to our Prophet. He is renowned for his way with words, ie Think Celestial.
King Benjamin is a Prophet and King of a different time, his doctrine and phrases have been with me for many years, ie putteth off the Natural Man, a mighty change
Here are some of my favorite passages from the discourse by King Benjamin.
Open your Ears 2:9, reading by Karen A.
King Benjamin has moved outside the walls of the Temple, blesses the people, and asks the people to prepare themselves.
… open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view.
Service of Your Fellow Beings 2:17, reading by Evan N.
King Benjamin tells us about his life of preparation and service.
… I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.
Yield to the Holy Spirit 3:19, reading by Mark C.
King Benjamin lets us know of our nature and that our nature can be overcome through Jesus.
For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, …
Trust in God 4:5-10, reading by Karen A.
King Benjamin talks to us through the memory of our first parents, he reminds us that God made us from the dust of the earth.
… if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, …
…
Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
…
A Mighty Change in Heart 5:1-5, reading by Evan N.
King Benjamin asks for a roll call, in essence, to number those who believe.
… we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, …
…
And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, …
Covenant and be sealed to Jesus 5:5-7,15, reading by Mark C.
King Benjamin is pleased that people have spoken the words that he desired to hear.
And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ,
I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, …
Feelings on Benjamin
All things in King Benjamin’s account continue to resonate with me 2100 years later.
- I choose to have faith, as did the people in Mosiah
- People of King Benjamin’s days “And it is the faith which we have had on the things which our king has spoken unto us that has brought us to this great knowledge”
- For me, I believe all knowledge that I learn and apply from General Conference and prophetic teachings are the most foundational information in my life.
- I choose to measure my curve through covenants, note that King Benjamin analyzed and counted those that entered into covenant (Mosiah 6:1)
- Mosiah 4:2. “O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, …”
- Through faith, through analysis, my evidence states that God is and that our Savior lives. For me, I know that each spiritual act helps me with my belief in Jesus. The spiritual guidance as taught by King Benjamin is motivating and cleansing to me. When I yoke to Jesus’s teachings through His prophets, I can calculate analyze and conclude that my stock is on the rise.