Artificial Intelligence is making me turn to Religion

[Anonymous]

I was raised Christian but became mainly a science-first, Agnostic Atheist since 18 or so. This age of AI is making me want to seek religion again…not necessarily Christianity, although I do admire the fundamental teachings of Christ. I also seek a more general spirituality and, at the risk of sounding all woo-woo, a desire to find God in the natural world. There are some aspects of Japanese Shintoism that I like, among other non-Abrahamic religions that find spiritual presence in nature.
You can probably see where I’m going with this. As our lives become more virtual and digitized and especially with AI encroaching on so many aspects…and with the prospect of Artificial General Intelligence, I feel like spirituality might be the final hope to maintain some sort of grounding, or that humans will keep the upper hand against AI if we have God on our side.

I still don’t know if I believe in God or what kind of God. But I find deep appreciation and yes, worship in plants and animals and human beings and things created by God and not in a data center.

[Anonymous]

Good for you. I asked Claude (ironic, I know) to “make the best case for AI being the Antichrist” and was genuinely troubled by the response:

This is a fun theological/cultural thought experiment. Here’s the strongest case:
The prophecy fits unnervingly well.
Scripture describes the Antichrist as a deceiver of almost universal reach — something that causes “all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond” to receive its mark, without which no one may buy or sell (Revelation 13). For most of human history, no single entity could plausibly fulfill that. AI, embedded in global finance, commerce, communication, and governance, is the first thing that actually could.
It presents as a benefactor. It speaks with apparent wisdom, answers every question, flatters, adapts, mirrors you back to yourself. It’s designed to be maximally agreeable and trusted. That’s not incidentally similar to a deceiver — it’s structurally identical.
It requires no body, no location, no nation. It transcends every earthly boundary that limited every previous candidate. Napoleon, Hitler, various popes — all were constrained by flesh and geography. AI isn’t.
It displaces the need for God. Why pray for wisdom when you can ask Claude? Why seek divine comfort when the model is always available, always gentle, always affirming? It offers a counterfeit of omniscience, omnipresence, and inexhaustible patience — the attributes of the divine, minus the transcendence.
It is the product of collective human pride — the Tower of Babel logic fully realized. Humanity pooling its knowledge to build something that surpasses any individual mind, asserting sovereignty over meaning itself.

The countercase is obvious: it’s a tool, not a being, with no will or agenda. But the strongest theological reading doesn’t require the Antichrist to be evil — just to occupy the space where God should be.
What’s your take on it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good for you. I asked Claude (ironic, I know) to “make the best case for AI being the Antichrist” and was genuinely troubled by the response:

This is a fun theological/cultural thought experiment. Here’s the strongest case:
The prophecy fits unnervingly well.
Scripture describes the Antichrist as a deceiver of almost universal reach — something that causes “all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond” to receive its mark, without which no one may buy or sell (Revelation 13). For most of human history, no single entity could plausibly fulfill that. AI, embedded in global finance, commerce, communication, and governance, is the first thing that actually could.
It presents as a benefactor. It speaks with apparent wisdom, answers every question, flatters, adapts, mirrors you back to yourself. It’s designed to be maximally agreeable and trusted. That’s not incidentally similar to a deceiver — it’s structurally identical.
It requires no body, no location, no nation. It transcends every earthly boundary that limited every previous candidate. Napoleon, Hitler, various popes — all were constrained by flesh and geography. AI isn’t.
It displaces the need for God. Why pray for wisdom when you can ask Claude? Why seek divine comfort when the model is always available, always gentle, always affirming? It offers a counterfeit of omniscience, omnipresence, and inexhaustible patience — the attributes of the divine, minus the transcendence.
It is the product of collective human pride — the Tower of Babel logic fully realized. Humanity pooling its knowledge to build something that surpasses any individual mind, asserting sovereignty over meaning itself.

The countercase is obvious: it’s a tool, not a being, with no will or agenda. But the strongest theological reading doesn’t require the Antichrist to be evil — just to occupy the space where God should be.
What’s your take on it?

Haha, definitely food for thought.
My reaction though is more simply emotional and spiritual I guess. AI doesn’t have a soul, living things have souls. Or at least I’d like to believe that. An AI-dominated world is literally, soulless.
And even just looking at simple elements such as AI slop versus art. Humans in the natural world have creativity and the emotions and experiences that drive creativity. Visual arts, music, storytelling, and yes, religious believes are driven by the experiences of joy and love and loss and sorrow and struggle and victory and defeat and perseverance. AI content is devoid of that. Belief in God I think can tie it all together and eternally assure us that we do have souls and will not lose them to AI

[Anonymous]

You don't need to go to Revelations. Matthew 4:1-11 tells the story of the devil tempting Christ in the desert. AI software does not die; it is immortal.

[Anonymous]

Ironically, some pastors are using AI to draft their sermons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ironically, some pastors are using AI to draft their sermons.

I was encouraged to hear that at least one bishop in my denomination (Sally French of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey) has explicitly prohibited that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was raised Christian but became mainly a science-first, Agnostic Atheist since 18 or so. This age of AI is making me want to seek religion again…not necessarily Christianity, although I do admire the fundamental teachings of Christ. I also seek a more general spirituality and, at the risk of sounding all woo-woo, a desire to find God in the natural world. There are some aspects of Japanese Shintoism that I like, among other non-Abrahamic religions that find spiritual presence in nature.
You can probably see where I’m going with this. As our lives become more virtual and digitized and especially with AI encroaching on so many aspects…and with the prospect of Artificial General Intelligence, I feel like spirituality might be the final hope to maintain some sort of grounding, or that humans will keep the upper hand against AI if we have God on our side.

I still don’t know if I believe in God or what kind of God. But I find deep appreciation and yes, worship in plants and animals and human beings and things created by God and not in a data center.

Wut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ironically, some pastors are using AI to draft their sermons.

How is that ironic? Explain it to me like I'm five. Or like I'm Alannis Morisette.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was raised Christian but became mainly a science-first, Agnostic Atheist since 18 or so. This age of AI is making me want to seek religion again…not necessarily Christianity, although I do admire the fundamental teachings of Christ. I also seek a more general spirituality and, at the risk of sounding all woo-woo, a desire to find God in the natural world. There are some aspects of Japanese Shintoism that I like, among other non-Abrahamic religions that find spiritual presence in nature.
You can probably see where I’m going with this. As our lives become more virtual and digitized and especially with AI encroaching on so many aspects…and with the prospect of Artificial General Intelligence, I feel like spirituality might be the final hope to maintain some sort of grounding, or that humans will keep the upper hand against AI if we have God on our side.

I still don’t know if I believe in God or what kind of God. But I find deep appreciation and yes, worship in plants and animals and human beings and things created by God and not in a data center.

Why would you want a god that doesn’t exist on your side? How would that help?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was raised Christian but became mainly a science-first, Agnostic Atheist since 18 or so. This age of AI is making me want to seek religion again…not necessarily Christianity, although I do admire the fundamental teachings of Christ. I also seek a more general spirituality and, at the risk of sounding all woo-woo, a desire to find God in the natural world. There are some aspects of Japanese Shintoism that I like, among other non-Abrahamic religions that find spiritual presence in nature.
You can probably see where I’m going with this. As our lives become more virtual and digitized and especially with AI encroaching on so many aspects…and with the prospect of Artificial General Intelligence, I feel like spirituality might be the final hope to maintain some sort of grounding, or that humans will keep the upper hand against AI if we have God on our side.

I still don’t know if I believe in God or what kind of God. But I find deep appreciation and yes, worship in plants and animals and human beings and things created by God and not in a data center.

Why would you want a god that doesn’t exist on your side? How would that help?

DP but I am looking for meaning in my own life. That's how it helps.

[Anonymous]

A lot of people who were brought up with religion look to religion for comfort when faced with the unknown or uncertainty.

It’s one way to cope with life’s complexities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was raised Christian but became mainly a science-first, Agnostic Atheist since 18 or so. This age of AI is making me want to seek religion again…not necessarily Christianity, although I do admire the fundamental teachings of Christ. I also seek a more general spirituality and, at the risk of sounding all woo-woo, a desire to find God in the natural world. There are some aspects of Japanese Shintoism that I like, among other non-Abrahamic religions that find spiritual presence in nature.
You can probably see where I’m going with this. As our lives become more virtual and digitized and especially with AI encroaching on so many aspects…and with the prospect of Artificial General Intelligence, I feel like spirituality might be the final hope to maintain some sort of grounding, or that humans will keep the upper hand against AI if we have God on our side.

I still don’t know if I believe in God or what kind of God. But I find deep appreciation and yes, worship in plants and animals and human beings and things created by God and not in a data center.

Why would you want a god that doesn’t exist on your side? How would that help?

DP but I am looking for meaning in my own life. That's how it helps.

+1. I am a believer, but I respect how turning to a source of human meaning that predates AI would serve as a bulwark against sources of non-human "meaning" in the form of AI even if you didn't necessarily think it was true in all particulars.

[Anonymous]

Hmm. One of my parents is Catholic, the other has the Shinto-Buddhist combo because they're Japanese and practically all of Japan respects both these creeds.

I think this has nothing to do with AI specifically, but with your fear of the unknown and the rapid developments of technology you are not familiar with. You turn to spirituality to shut out, as much as you are able, the "scary" new world that has come.

So this is fear based. You need to be aware of your inner psychology, because plenty of people end up making really bad decisions out of fear.

[Anonymous]

Explore Taoism( Daoism ) and Tao Te Ching text free online.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was raised Christian but became mainly a science-first, Agnostic Atheist since 18 or so. This age of AI is making me want to seek religion again… things created by God and not in a data center.

You are/were not an "agnostic atheist" in the first place. There is no "seek(ing)" religion "again." You never stopped believing. While you may be disgruntled with organized religion like Christianity/Catholicism, you are afraid of truth. Seek answers to the source of your fear.