Quick Read #33: A.I. Jesus

Following on from the prospect of the Bible re-worked by a superhuman intelligence to produce what Yuval Hariri depicts as an accurate version, making for a correct religion, the Catholic Church has taken a step beyond by placing a simulated Jesus in the confessional. Described as an ‘art exhibit,’ it was designed to encourage conversation on the use, merits and limits of AI technology in the context of religion. Or so they say…

The joint venture between St. Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne Switzerland and Lucerne University, called ‘God in a Machine,’ a play on Deus ex Machina, allows visitors to have a chat with a computer programmed in a basic New Testament. A digital image of Jesus is displayed on a monitor where a priest usually sits; the faithful just raise concerns or put questions to get a response. Over half, felt they had experienced some form of spiritual connection after conversing with the A.I.

Reports of the Jesus in the Confessional project in various media elicited a quick response from the Catholic News Agency stating, ‘Jesus isn’t actually hearing confessions,’ rather the installation was intended only for dialogue, not confessions, which must be heard by a priest. Also pointing out the Vatican is in fact looking at AI tech to make it work in the service of the Catholic Church, which has seen mixed results. However, the Vatican recently hosted an Elite Global Leaders Conference (October 21’) on the subject of trans-humanism: the key topic, the Code: Programming our Future for Good. It was not open to the public. Vatican supported AI technology, such as CatéGPT and Magisterium AI, have gained popularity as on-line reference sources.

Even though this leads us into murky waters, it is not surprising to see some religions adopting this technology. And while there is a vast chasm between religion and faith, to see how the LORD can be replaced by machinery is not good for anyone. We once made gods of gold and wood when the LORD said we mustn’t, and have now built a new version for our amusement. One church has welcomed it, others will likely soon follow.

One of the many astonishing things about this installation, was consumers found it offered a type of spiritual connection and were moved to speak of it; and quite staggering to think that a machine was thought able to provide some form of divine encounter. What does that say about quality of pastoral care in the church today and religion in general? It shows us the churches have failed spectacularly in their calling to preach the Gospel and the truth of Christ. It also underscores how precise Paul was when writing about this day and age.

But we must not lose sight of the fact; this is not only a sign of the times, but also an alarm to wake us from our sleep. We are living in a delusion we ourselves constructed, built by science and false assumptions, worshiping gods of our own design. Did we really climb out of a primordial slime, are we really the result of spontaneous generation as science claims and teaches. Or does a certainty exist where truth abounds, God’s Word is real, and the Bible was right all along?

For my part, I witness the LORD’s creation every day. The Earth and its natural balance declare a creative mind. We are such complex life forms an unplanned origin cannot explain it. Yet the religion of evolution denies the obvious in order to hide the truth of creation from us all. And we wonder why things don’t feel quite right, and seek the truth but cannot find it in a material world. So here we are, talking to machines in order to be spiritually justified; where technology is king and Jesus now a program in a box.

When the LORD came down He gave us a gift no machine can provide. He showed us what love truly is when He purchased our redemption with His Blood. Better then, our trust in the real, in the LORD and His Christ, than placed on the altar of zeros and ones…

In love and peace as always,

James