Customize resources that Factbook searches?

Hello,

I'm wondering if there is a way to customize or prioritize certain resources that get searched in tools like Factbook. For example, I have the Zondervan Introduction to the Old Testament, but when I do a Factbook search for "Book of Zephaniah," it doesn't interact with that resource, when it would be incredibly valuable for such topics like date, authorship, theology, etc.

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

MJ. Smith

Welcome to the forum. The Factbook is curated data so I am not sure your prioritizations can affect it.

I would also like to get an official Logos response to this question.

When I search for certain topics, Factbook starts with a definition at the very top, which sometimes states very dogmatically something that many believers don't consider a fact. How can I change where Factbook gets that information?

MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1390015#Comment_1390015

Please provide some examples. Definitions are simply definitions of the word as used in this context. Definitions generally do not carry a true/false value. I can likely explain what you are seeing if I have some examples.

I don't mean to start any sort of theological argument here, so please keep in mind that my posting is strictly about the question: How can I customize the sources observed by Factbook?

In answer to your question, take a Factbook search for the word "Hell", as an example. The definition at the very top says:
"According to biblical teaching, hell is the state where those who do not have faith in Christ are consigned to suffer eternally."

As you may know, there are many Christians that do not hold to the view of eternal conscious torment, which this definition states as an absolute fact. Many would argue that "according to biblical teaching" that is not the case.

If there is a way to force Factbook to observe book priorities or sources, I would appreciate some help. I haven't had any success in my tests, when adding Theological study sources to the list, or rearranging book priorities.
Thanks!

DMB

Not knowledgeable, but agree. Seems that blue header (1) is fixed source, and (2) theologically-bent where feasible.

I tried several, which pull from Lexhams theology book. I tried just a Solomon and learned he was a psalmist.

MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1390041#Comment_1390041

This is a great example of Logos bias. The phrase "According to biblical teaching" is, in fact, a theological judgment rather than a factual one. Compare the more neutral Wikipedia definition:

In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal, such as in some versions of Christianity and Islam, whereas religions with reincarnation usually depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations, as is the case in the Indian religions. Religions typically locate hell in another dimension or under Earth's surface. Other afterlife destinations include heaven, paradise, purgatory, limbo, and the underworld.

The study assistant also finds less theological definitions:

Here are concise definitions of hell from the search results:
In Christian theology, hell is understood as the realm of eternal punishment for the wicked after death, where Satan rules[1].
Hell represents both a location and a condition in which those who die in opposition to God experience unending torment[2].
Various religious traditions depict hell as a spiritual domain of evil and suffering, frequently imagined as a place of perpetual fire beneath the earth where the wicked are sent after death[3].
Hell can be understood as a spiritual state characterized by permanent estrangement from God[4].
In some conceptions, hell functions as the nether world inhabited by devils, demons, and fallen angels[4].
More broadly, hell denotes any state or place of severe suffering[3].
The search results also show that “hell” carries secular usage—it can refer to any situation of extreme unpleasantness or turmoil, as well as serving colloquially as an intensifier or expression of annoyance[5].
[1] COLLINS ENGLISH DICTIONARY. [See here.]
[2] James J. McGovern, ed., in Catholic Pocket Dictionary and Cyclopedia (Chicago: Extension Press, 1906), 104.
[3] Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson, eds., in Concise Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004). [See here, here.]
[4] George Thomas Kurian, in Nelson’s New Christian Dictionary: The Authoritative Resource on the Christian World (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001). [See here, here.]
[5] Inc Merriam-Webster, in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003). [See here.]

This is a case where the best solution is to call Logos out on its theological bias and request that they modify the text. I would report it as a data bug in Factbook and include evidence such as is presented here that their definition is not only biased but likely a minority position.

Unfortunately, there is no way to customize Logos to avoid their hubris.