Global Warning/Climate Change

[Robert]

Why does this make me think of Jeremy?

[Robert]

This is interesting. I will look into this tectonic cause a little more.

[JohnL]

Just saw an official publication of some meteorological group that said Antarctica gained a lot of ice this year. (I wonder how they measure that?)
Climate fluctuates. Always has. Always will until the Klingons blow up earth. Or maybe that will be called cataclysmic climate change. I guess protestors will have a No Klingons Day then.

[Robert]

I had an argument with Grok about the video I posted. It kept going to consensus. I forced it to not look at that and it still said the data points to human caused, but without consensus it admitted it was not so critical. My issue was it was only relying on 4 websites. Three were NOAA and one was science.com which gets all its info from NOAA.

It was a fun argument though.

[Bootstrap]

I had an argument with Grok about the video I posted. It kept going to consensus. I forced it to not look at that and it still said the data points to human caused, but without consensus it admitted it was not so critical. My issue was it was only relying on 4 websites. Three were NOAA and one was science.com which gets all its info from NOAA.

It was a fun argument though.

I'm curious what Grok would say about Gregg Braden if you ask specific questions like these:

• “Is Gregg Braden considered a New Age teacher?”
• “Does Gregg Braden have a science degree or peer-reviewed research?”
• “What do Christians say about Gregg Braden’s teachings?”
• “Gregg Braden prayer vs biblical prayer”
• “HeartMath Institute: science or spirituality?”
• “Criticism of Gregg Braden by scientists and Christians”

Or for this particular video:

• What data does Braden present for his views in this video? How have others interpreted the same data?

I don't have access to Grok, since I don't use Twitter. I'd be curious to see if it gives different answers than the systems I use.

[R7ehr]

Here you go. This is what Grok says. I have access to Grok, but not Twitter. I didn't read it, I only copied and pasted.

[*]“Is Gregg Braden considered a New Age teacher?”

Yes, Gregg Braden is widely regarded as a New Age teacher. He is frequently described as a pioneer in blending science, spirituality, and human potential, with his work published by Hay House, a prominent New Age publisher. Critics, including RationalWiki and skeptic blogs, label him a "woo-meister" and "New Age fantasy literature author" for promoting ideas like emotions altering DNA, collective prayer healing bodies, and science validating religious mysticism. Supporters, such as fans on Amazon and Unity.org, praise him as a "spirit guide" and "conscious visionary" who bridges ancient wisdom with modern insights. His books, like The Divine Matrix and Fractal Time, emphasize paradigm-shifting concepts like a "divine matrix" of energy connecting all things, which aligns with core New Age themes of interconnectedness and personal empowerment through belief.

[*]“Does Gregg Braden have a science degree or peer-reviewed research?”

Gregg Braden holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree with honors in structural geology and earth sciences from Metropolitan State College of Denver (1979–1982), earned while working full-time as a computer geologist at Phillips Petroleum during the 1970s energy crisis. His early career included roles as a senior computer systems designer at Martin Marietta Aerospace and the first Technical Operations Manager at Cisco Systems in 1991, where he helped build internet reliability infrastructure. These positions required technical expertise but were engineering and operations-focused, not research-oriented.
Regarding peer-reviewed research: Braden has no publications in mainstream scientific journals as a lead author. He claims "discoveries" like intelligent information encoded in the human genome (2003) and fractal time applications for predicting events (2010), but these are self-described in his books and not substantiated by independent, peer-reviewed validation. He often cites "peer-reviewed journals" for concepts like heart-generated fields or zero-point energy influencing reality, but these references are typically to fringe or misinterpreted studies (e.g., from HeartMath Institute). Skeptics, including Quora users and blogs like Exposing PseudoAstronomy, criticize him for distorting science—e.g., citing non-peer-reviewed letters as "proof" against relativity or cherry-picking quantum mechanics to support woo-woo claims. His work is popular science for lay audiences, not rigorous academia.

[*]“What do Christians say about Gregg Braden’s teachings?”

Christian critiques of Braden's teachings are overwhelmingly negative, viewing them as syncretic New Age distortions of biblical truth that promote pantheism, self-deification, and occult practices over Christ-centered faith. Apologists like Marcia Montenegro (Christian Answers for the New Age) call him a "pseudo-scientist" who mixes Kabbalah, numerology, and quantum mysticism to claim God's name is encoded in human DNA, urging believers to avoid his "paradigm-shattering" books as spiritually dangerous. Keith Giles, in a Patheos podcast and blog, debunks The God Code as "outrageous" pseudoscience that remixes DNA, the Periodic Table, and Hebrew gematria to "uncover" divine messages, arguing it undermines genuine biblical theology like imago Dei (humans made in God's image) in Ephesians or Genesis. Women of Grace blog echoes this, noting Braden's reliance on Kabbalah texts over scripture, labeling his conclusions "fiction" despite his "heart in the right place." Some progressive Christians, like those on Unity.org, appreciate his "heart-brain coherence" as complementary to prayer, but traditional evangelicals (e.g., on Facebook groups like Former New Agers) warn it's a gateway to heresy, equating his "divine matrix" to New Age energy fields rather than the Holy Spirit.

[*]“Gregg Braden prayer vs biblical prayer”

Braden's concept of prayer, outlined in Secrets of the Lost Mode of Prayer (2006), contrasts sharply with traditional biblical prayer, emphasizing a "lost" ancient mode focused on feeling as if the prayer is already answered rather than petitioning or confessing. He argues modern biblical prayer (e.g., "Ask and you shall receive" in John 16:23–24 KJV) is a diluted translation; original Aramaic/Hebrew texts suggest "commune" via emotion and visualization, drawing from Essene scrolls, Native American rites, and quantum fields where feelings create reality. In Braden's model, prayer is non-verbal: Generate coherent heart emotions (gratitude, love) to influence a "divine matrix" energy field, as in his "Isaiah Effect" where unified group feelings (e.g., square root of 1% of a population) measurably alter events like crime rates or healing.
Biblical prayer, by contrast, is relational and God-centered: Humble supplication (Philippians 4:6), thanksgiving (1 Thessalonians 5:18), confession (1 John 1:9), and alignment with God's will (Matthew 6:10), often verbal or intercessory (James 5:16). Critics like Giles and Montenegro argue Braden's version inverts this into manifestation magic, akin to law of attraction, ignoring sin, sovereignty, and scripture's emphasis on faith in Christ's mediation (1 Timothy 2:5). Braden claims ancient texts (e.g., Dead Sea Scrolls) support his view, but scholars dispute this as selective interpretation. In practice, Braden's prayer yields stress reduction via biofeedback (similar to meditation), while biblical prayer fosters repentance and community without pseudoscientific "fields."

[*]“HeartMath Institute: science or spirituality?”

The HeartMath Institute (HMI), co-promoted by Braden, straddles science and spirituality but leans heavily toward pseudoscience-infused New Age spirituality. Founded in 1991 by Doc Childre (not a medical doctor), HMI claims the heart's electromagnetic field (stronger than the brain's) enables "coherence"—a state of synchronized heart rhythms via breathing techniques—that enhances intuition, global consciousness, and healing. Their tools (e.g., emWave devices) measure heart rate variability (HRV) for biofeedback, which legitimately reduces stress by promoting parasympathetic tone, backed by mainstream studies on HRV and vagus nerve effects.
However, HMI's deeper claims—e.g., heart fields influencing DNA, water memory, telekinesis, or syncing with Earth's magnetic field for "global coherence" (affecting weather or peace)—are criticized as pseudoscience. RationalWiki calls it "new age alternative medicine" rebranding parapsychology; Science-Based Medicine labels it "noise-based pseudoscience" for misusing facts (e.g., heart's 40,000 neurons vs. brain's 86 billion) to promote energy medicine. Slate Star Codex deems it "incoherent," noting gut neurons outnumber heart's, and effects are just relaxation, not mysticism. HMI's 300+ "peer-reviewed" papers often appear in their own journals or sympathetic outlets, with director Rollin McCraty admitting jargon tweaks to pass review. Adopted by militaries and schools for PTSD/stress, it's lucrative ($3K+ workshops) but ethically questioned for woo (e.g., quantum-enabled "field effects" transcending space-time). In short: Legit biofeedback tools, but spiritual claims (e.g., heart as portal to divine unity) dominate.

[*]“Criticism of Gregg Braden by scientists and Christians”

Scientific Criticism: Scientists and skeptics dismiss Braden as a "crank" who distorts quantum physics, biology, and geology for New Age appeal. RationalWiki highlights his unproven claims like magnetic fields altering DNA or self-healing cancer via thought. Exposing PseudoAstronomy critiques his 2012 prophecies and ether "proofs" as conspiratorial pseudoscience, citing non-peer-reviewed sources like anti-relativity sites. Quora and Reddit users (e.g., r/evolution, r/skeptic) call his DNA "God Code" numerology "cap" and "balloonies," arguing he cherry-picks (e.g., observer effect as mind-over-matter, ignoring measurement tools). Morten Tolboll's blog accuses him of "New Age scientism," fabricating evidence for a "matrix dictionary." No major scientific body endorses him; his Templeton nomination (2015–2020) is noted but not an endorsement.
Christian Criticism: As above, evangelicals see Braden's teachings as heretical syncretism, blending Christianity with occultism (e.g., Kabbalah over Christ). Montenegro warns of "New Age pseudo-science" leading to self-worship; Giles calls it "techno-babble" undermining scripture. Women of Grace urges treating his "evidence" as fiction, despite positive sentiments. Overall, both groups substantiate critiques with his lack of rigor and biblical/scientific misalignment, though some admire his peace-promoting intent.

[JohnL]

I had an argument with Grok about the video I posted. It kept going to consensus. I forced it to not look at that and it still said the data points to human caused, but without consensus it admitted it was not so critical. My issue was it was only relying on 4 websites. Three were NOAA and one was science.com which gets all its info from NOAA.

It was a fun argument though.

What he is saying does correlate with some of the most basic high school science that we were taught in my hs days. It wasn't creationism either because the curriculum was full blown evolution based when I went through hs.
CO2 is periodically belched up from not only the oceans when earthquake activities occur (Jacques Cousteau talked about this aspect of the oceans several times in his documentaries) but I think it's also notable that there's a a couple of lakes in Africa that belch up CO2 from the bottom when there's an inversion taking place either from tremors or some other cause. One such lake released so much CO2 it killed people and livestock from a nearby village.

[Robert]

Here you go. This is what Grok says. I have access to Grok, but not Twitter. I didn't read it, I only copied and pasted.

Anyone honestly knowledgeable about AI systems and the internet knows that one can easily get to grok without X. Google play and Iplay? both have aps for Grok.

[ken_sylvania]

I don't have access to Grok, since I don't use Twitter. I'd be curious to see if it gives different answers than the systems I use.

What does Twitter have to do with it????

[ken_sylvania]

Here you go. This is what Grok says. I have access to Grok, but not Twitter. I didn't read it, I only copied and pasted.

Anyone honestly knowledgeable about AI systems and the internet knows that one can easily get to grok without X. Google play and Iplay? both have aps for Grok.

There's also this thing called a web browser that if a person types in grok.com it will let them use Grok. Kind of a difficult concept for some people apparently.