10-20-2021
“The Father and I are one,” - John 10:30
“Though he was God, (Jesus) did not think of equality with God as something to cling to,”
- Philippians 2:6.
“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily..” Colossians 2:9.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth,“ John 1:1;14.
J. Oswald Chambers stated: “If Jesus is not God, then there is no Christianity, and we who worship Him are nothing more than idolaters...If He is not God, He is not even good.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, on Christ’s divinity: “If Jesus Christ is not the true God, how could he help us? If he is not true man, how could he help us?” C.S. Lewis, author of Mere Christianity, wrote, “Either Jesus is the Son of God or a madman or worse. But His being a great teacher? He’s not left that open to us.”
One of the unquestionable truths of the Bible is that Jesus is both God and human. Divine and flesh. It’s a very tough issue to discuss coherently and a much more difficult truth to comprehend...at least for us.
Now, why are we revisiting these statements regarding the validity of Christ’s divinity? Because, we are going to talk about AI (artificial intelligence) this week! Stop rolling your eyes…
Last week we looked at the (intended?) negative consequences of social media - especially in regards to the next generation. At the end of the newsletter we teased a possible look into AI. Well, here you go.
First, let’s look at the three forms of AI. Eban Escott, a writer for Codebots says this: “There are 3 types of artificial intelligence(AI): narrow or weak AI, general or strong AI, and artificial superintelligence. We have currently only achieved narrow AI. He continues: “As machine learning capabilities continue to evolve, and scientists get closer to achieving general AI, theories and speculations regarding the future of AI are circulating.”
There are two main theories: “One theory is based on fear of a dystopian future, where super intelligent killer robots take over the world, either wiping out the human race or enslaving all of humanity, as depicted in many science fiction narratives. The other theory predicts a more optimistic future, where humans and bots work together, humans using artificial intelligence as a tool to enhance their life experience.” https://codebots.com/artificial-intelligence/the-3-types-of-ai-is-the-third-even-possible.
The highlighted sentence above speaks volumes. In his book Homo Deus, Yuval Noah Harari - via humor, science, history and philosophy - speaks to the heart of the matter when it comes to AI and the desire of those who are proponents of said technology. His work examines possible futures of Homo sapiens. His premise is that during the 21st century, humanity is likely to make a significant attempt to gain happiness, immortality, and God-like powers.
Why? According to Harari, technological developments have threatened the continued ability of humans to give meaning to their lives. Therefore, as AI grows Harari sees the possibility of the replacement of humankind with the "super-man", or "homo Deus" (Latin for human-God) endowed with abilities such as eternal life.” We will let you re-read the above paragraph a couple of times to contemplate it.
How does society create a symbiotic relationship between flawed humanity and AI through which human happiness and fulfillment is the goal? Harari argues that humanism, a form of religion that worships humankind instead of a god, is the vehicle to use. Its desire to put humankind and its desires as a top priority in the world, will be the only way to do it. Selfie anyone? FYI - humanists believe that ethics and values are derived internally within each individual, rather than from an external source. Cue John Lennon’s song, Imagine.
During the 21st century, Harari believes humanism may push society to search for immortality, happiness, and power. Their search will lead them to artificial intelligence and themselves as the ultimate answer in creating their own happiness and joy, fulfillment and realization. We become gods.
Now, go back and reread the verses at the beginning of this installment. In our faith, only Jesus is equal to God. Only Jesus is God. The Son and Father are one. Yet, in Yahweh’s wisdom (humans would call it foolish) God invites us to join Him in a relationship where we become one with the Son and the Father...through the Spirit of God. This process has nothing to do with us. Jesus stated in John 14:6 -“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
Hey, medical operations are almost miraculous nowadays. Prosthetics are incredible. Planes can fly themselves. Text messages can cross the globe instantly. We can see a dear one’s face from across the miles in a matter of seconds. Facebook Live allows us to stream our worship services to those who don’t feel comfortable being with other people.
But, and this is a big but (he-he), technology and science, philosophy and human wisdom, cannot lead one to Divinity. AI may change the stoplight to green but it cannot change your life. AI may drive and park your car but it cannot forgive and restore. As Billy Graham preached: “Jesus Christ is God in human flesh, and the story of His life, death, and resurrection is the only Good News the world will ever hear.”
Now, if you’ll excuse us, we need to go and read more about Dimitry Itskov, the founder of the 2045 Initiative. His organization is working with a network of scientists to develop 'cybernetic immortality' within the next few decades...the goal which is to download their brains into robots...and live eternally.
Mind blown,
Steve and Missy
How does society create a symbiotic relationship between flawed humanity and AI through which human happiness and fulfillment is the goal? Harari argues that humanism, a form of religion that worships humankind instead of a god, is the vehicle to use. Its desire to put humankind and its desires as a top priority in the world, will be the only way to do it. Selfie anyone? FYI - humanists believe that ethics and values are derived internally within each individual, rather than from an external source. Cue John Lennon’s song, Imagine.
During the 21st century, Harari believes humanism may push society to search for immortality, happiness, and power. Their search will lead them to artificial intelligence and themselves as the ultimate answer in creating their own happiness and joy, fulfillment and realization. We become gods.
Now, go back and reread the verses at the beginning of this installment. In our faith, only Jesus is equal to God. Only Jesus is God. The Son and Father are one. Yet, in Yahweh’s wisdom (humans would call it foolish) God invites us to join Him in a relationship where we become one with the Son and the Father...through the Spirit of God. This process has nothing to do with us. Jesus stated in John 14:6 -“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
Hey, medical operations are almost miraculous nowadays. Prosthetics are incredible. Planes can fly themselves. Text messages can cross the globe instantly. We can see a dear one’s face from across the miles in a matter of seconds. Facebook Live allows us to stream our worship services to those who don’t feel comfortable being with other people.
But, and this is a big but (he-he), technology and science, philosophy and human wisdom, cannot lead one to Divinity. AI may change the stoplight to green but it cannot change your life. AI may drive and park your car but it cannot forgive and restore. As Billy Graham preached: “Jesus Christ is God in human flesh, and the story of His life, death, and resurrection is the only Good News the world will ever hear.”
Now, if you’ll excuse us, we need to go and read more about Dimitry Itskov, the founder of the 2045 Initiative. His organization is working with a network of scientists to develop 'cybernetic immortality' within the next few decades...the goal which is to download their brains into robots...and live eternally.
Mind blown,
Steve and Missy
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