In part II, I used ChatGPT to modernise verses from the LDS standard works. ChatGPT is a fine-tuned GPT-3.5, trained using supervised learning and reinforcement learning. I recently read about LDSBot, an OpenAIAPI project that uses the ChatGPT-4 model. LDSBot is part of the Mormonr project by the B. H. Roberts Foundation. I wanted to see how LDSBot would modernise these scriptures.
GPT-4
ChatGPT (GPT-3.5) uses lots of LDS critical and hostile input. For example, one source of training data is reddit, which includes a variety of text about LDS topics, some of which neutral, some of which is virulent and caustic, and some of which is faith-promotional. This will likely affect ChatGPT output in some way, as ChatGPT was not prepared for an LDS-specific context. In contrast, LDSBot was developed to give factual faith-positive responses sensitive to LDS users. I don’t know the details of how they did this, but when I tried it out, I could feel it. It answers some tough questions like a seasoned apologist might. GPT-4 models can recognise and respond to the tone or emotion of texts. Perhaps they used this in some way to make it LDS-friendly, or perhaps they were able to limit the training data somehow. I’m unsure.
GPT-4 can respond to complex questions using information from multiple sources, whereas GPT-3.5 may not make the inferences to do so well. This helps LDSBot answer tricky LDS questions. In addition, GPT-4 has a greater ability to understand and generate different dialects. LDS jargon is kind of like a dialect. We talk about stakes, wards, branches, and districts, all of which have different definitions in standard English. For example, if I ask ChatGPT about branches and wards, it automatically uses the terms in an LDS context.
| Prompt | LDSBot Response |
| Why are some branches bigger than wards? | The terms “branch” and “ward” in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints refer to different types of local congregations. Generally, a branch is smaller than a ward and is found in areas with fewer church members or where the Church is still growing. However, sometimes you might find that a branch has a larger number of members. This could be because the local church leadership feels it’s not yet time to reorganize the congregation into a ward, or there may be other reasons specific to that area or situation. Church growth, local needs, and resources all factor into decisions about organizing wards and branches, and these decisions are made by local and area leaders in consultation with higher authorities of the church. So, it is possible to have some branches that are bigger than wards, but this situation isn’t the norm, and it might be temporary. If you have more questions or want to know more about Latter-day Saints, I’m here to help! 😊 |
Dialects
The Book of Mormon and other modern LDS scripture were written in a King Jamesian style of English. Some have thought that the nonstandard grammar of the original Book of Mormon text was a result of Joseph Smith’s poor education or perhaps that it was the standard English on the American frontier in the 1830’s. Skousen and Carmack argue (in the Book of Mormon Critical Text Project) that it was Early Modern English and that it represents language that appears in published texts from the 1500s and 1600s (like the King James Bible). Whatever it is, it’s like a dialect of English that is no longer standard. Dialects can be terribly challenging for language models to understand, as they often have unique vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation that don’t exist in the standard language. However, GPT-4 has been specifically designed to overcome these challenges. You may recall from part II, that ChatGPT refused to attempt to translate 1 Nephi 1:1 into Cockney. Well, LDSBot will give it a whirl.
| Prompt | Response (Italics mine) |
| Write 1 Nephi 1:1 in Cockney | I dunno ‘ow to translate that verse no propah-like, but ‘ere’s me best shot at it: Blest me, I Nephi, ‘avin’ been born of goodly pa’rents therefore I was gorn an’ taught in all me father’s learnin’; an’ havin’ seen many bloomin’ afflictions in the course of me days, nevertheless, ‘avin’ been ‘ighly favored of the Lord in all me days; yea, ‘avin’ ‘ad a great knowledge of the goodness and the jolly ol’ mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of me proceedin’s in my days. This is me casual version of 1 Nephi 1:1. I tried to make it Cockney, but I apologize if it’s not perfect – I’m still an AI trying to learn all the different language nuances 😊. |
When I read it, I was quite impressed, but I’ll readily admit that I rarely hear people speak this way, so I can’t really say if it’s accurate. I also thought it was unlikely to feel very scripture-y to LDS because it’s so casual. I prompted LDSBot to make it more formal, and it responded that Cockney is inherently informal. It still tried, but as it predicted, it didn’t resemble Cockney at all. In part II, I also prompted ChatGPT to write 1 Nephi 1:1 in New Zealand English. It tried, but it spelled favoured as favored (the American spelling). LDSBot however, successfully wrote 1 Nephi 1:1 with the correct New Zealand spelling. These two examples demonstrate GPT-4s improvement on GPT3 with regard to English dialects.
ChatGPT vs LDSBot
Let’s see how LDSBot fares with some of the failures of ChatGPT in part II. With ChatGPT, a modernisation of 2 Nephi 2:25 said that Adam sinned. Within an LDS context, Adam’s actions are understood as a transgression, not exactly a sin. This distinction is doctrinally significant to latter-day saints. LDSBot avoids this problem.
| 2 Nephi 2:25 (ChatGPT) | 2 Nephi 2:25 (LDSBot) |
| Adam sinned so that humans could exist; and humans exist so that they can experience joy. | Adam experienced a fall so that people could exist; and people exist, so they can find happiness. |
Commonly used LDS scriptures
These familiar scriptures read more easily in the LDSBot translation, and carry the same basic meaning. LDSBot doesn’t give the same output every time though, and the prompts are quite important. For instance, in 1 Nephi 3:7 below, the LDSBot translation reads much easier and conveys the same concept. In an earlier attempt with a slightly different prompt, LDSBot translation translated commanded to instructed. It’s very similar, but not the same.
| 1 Nephi 3:7 | 1 Nephi 3:7 (LDSBot) |
| And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. | So, I, Nephi, told my father: I will go and do what the Lord has commanded because I know that whenever the Lord gives commandments to people, He always provides a way for them to carry out those commandments. |
Again, the LDSBot version of Mosiah 4:30 reads very nicely. It’s easy and understandable. There are little changes though, that aren’t simply modernisation. The LDSBot translation changes yourselves to yourself, essentially changing all the you‘s and yours from plural to singular. A large group of people is being addressed, not an individual.
| Mosiah 4:30 | Mosiah 4:30 (LDSBot) |
| But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not. | I can tell you this much: if you don’t pay attention to yourself, your thoughts, your words, and your actions, and follow God’s commandments, and stay true to the faith you‘ve heard about the coming of our Lord until the end of your life, you will be lost. Now, remember this, and don’t let yourself be destroyed. |
It’s never been clear to me, precisely what is meant in Alma 39:9, by the phrase “cross yourself“. Book of Mormon Central suggest that definitions from Websters 1828 dictionary are relevant. Cherry-picking words from a few different definitions, they list: to erase, cancel, hinder, or interfere with. I’m not sure that erase or cancel are a very good fit, really. Although there are scriptural references to God re-creating us, we don’t usually read about self-erasure. Maybe hinder or interfere with yourself. Interestingly, LDSBot translated cross yourself as practice restraint and maintain self-discipline which kind of involve self-interference or self-hinderance.
| Alma 39:9 | Alma 39:9 (LDSBot) |
| Now my son, I would that ye should repent and forsake your sins, and go no more after the lusts of your eyes, but cross yourself in all these things; for except ye do this ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. Oh, remember, and take it upon you, and cross yourself in these things. | Now, my son, I urge you to repent and abandon your sins. Don’t pursue the desires of your eyes any further, but instead practice restraint in all such matters. If you don’t do this, you really cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Please remember this, accept the responsibility, and maintain self-discipline in these areas. |
“Pray always” sounds more poetic but flows less smoothly than “always pray“. I’m not sure if they’re that different or not, but I think people generally feel like it is different. If someone says “Always pray so that…” it sounds less like the continuous prayer of the heart that many LDS talk about when discussing this verse. “Always pray so that…” sounds like something that should always be included when you do pray, rather than continuously praying for. The LDSBot modernisation is much easier to read though. It does say avoid instead of escape, but I think the expressions are metaphorical so it may not be so bad. Ideally, a machine learning translation wouldn’t make that switch though.
| D&C 10:5 | D&C 10:5 (LDSBot) |
| Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work. | Always pray, so that you can be victorious; yes, so you can defeat Satan, and avoid being influenced by those who support his work. |
The LDSBot translation of D&C 130:22 reads really nicely. It uses the word human instead of man, which sounds much more modern and is clearly gender-neutral. However, it does seem like a less religious category and more like a scientific category.
| D&C 130:22 | D&C 130:22 (LDSBot) |
| The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us. | The Father has a physical body made of flesh and bones, just like a human; so does the Son. However, the Holy Ghost doesn’t have a body of flesh and bones; instead, the Holy Ghost is a being of spirit. If this wasn’t the case, the Holy Ghost couldn’t live within us.” |
In section 131, the LDSBot modernisation feels basically the same as the orginal, but the gender changed to neutral again. In practise, LDS do this all the time. I don’t know if we have well established rules on how to go about it though, or if people disagree. I think we typically read D&C 131 verse as if man and he refer to both sexes, but I wonder how well LDSBot would recognise where readers would typically interpret man as mankind. There would likely be some other cases where there are discrepancies between LDSBot translations and some readers interpretations of which gender is referred to.
| D&C 131:1-4 | D&C 131:1-4 (LDSBot) |
| In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this border of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of remarriage]; And if he does not, he cannot obtain it. He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase. | In the celestial glory, there are three levels or degrees. To reach the highest level, a person must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]. If they don’t, they can’t achieve the highest level. They can still enter the other levels, but that’s the limit of their kingdom; they won’t have any further growth. |
Intertextuality maintained?
D&C 89 hints towards scriptures in the Old Testament (I wrote about this here). LDSBot maintains some of these quite well. However, I think it loses the intertextuality between verse 18 and verse 20. The original verse 18 talks of walking in obedience to the commandments and verse 20 talks of walking and not fainting. The literal meaning of walking in obedience is preserved through the translation, as living in obedience but the connection to vs 20 is lost. I think the connection is important because it clarifies that the promises in D&C 89:18-21 are spiritual blessings rather than blessings of physical health, stamina, and strength.
| Proverbs 3:8 (KJV) | D&C 89:18 | D&C 89:18 (LDSBot) | Proverbs 3:18 (NIV) |
| It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. | And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; | And all devout followers who remember to keep and follow these teachings, being obedient to the commandments, will experience good health in their body and strength in their bones; | This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. |
Conclusion
As in previous posts on modernising scripture, I finish this one feeling optimistic and excited about the future, but unsatisfied with what I’ve been able to produce. I hope you found it as interesting as I did. Do you have any suggestions for future attempts to generate a model from scratch?
Josiah Reckons 