Texting with Jesus

Before we get into the article, it’s important that we clear up what AI (or Artificial Intelligence) really is. It is not, despite the claims of some conspiracy bros, demons trapped inside teeny, little computer chips. This isn’t to say demons aren’t real and that they don’t influence the world in all kinds of terrifying ways. I absolutely believe they are, and they do. AI is just a computer program. That’s it. It’s a bunch of computer code written by humans. There’s no magic to it, there’s no “intelligence” in them. They use lots of math and decision trees (if this, do that, otherwise, do this other thing) that humans came up with in a way humans instruct them to in order to do stuff humans want them to do. In essence, it’s no different than any video game, spreadsheet program, or web browser.

This is why “computer models” are a joke. They can be made to display any result the creator wants, just like political polling results. A computer model showing that you driving your car will destroy the Earth is just as easy as revealing that you standing on your left foot and singing Dixie will make dinosaurs appear in your front yard. It may sound silly, but it’s true. AI operates within the rules that they are given and use those rules to process the information they are given. This is no different than a video game that operates with the rules that dragons are real and people can shoot lightning out of their hands. Both parts of the equation are carefully controlled by the same exact person or group of people. That’s why ChatGPT used to give fact-based answers on certain subjects, but now toes the politically correct line of anti-White bigotry. It was originally programmed to answer questions based on whatever data it had been fed and just reply with the answer the math said was “correct.” It still has the same data; it just has new rules now regarding politically sensitive topics. It’s become a standard meme to ask ChatGPT if it’s okay to be (insert flavor of non-White), then ask if it’s okay to be White and rather than see two answers that follow a particular pattern, we see one that directly contradicts the other. AI is not intelligent. It is just a computer program that does what it’s told and how it’s told.

As tempting as it is to go down the rabbit hole of the arrogance of transhumanists and how claiming that AI is sentient is blasphemous, I will resist the urge. No, fine reader, today’s piece is about a particular AI application and (spoiler alert) the blasphemy of its creator.

The Jerusalem Post recently published an article informing us that if we want to chat with Jesus, the Virgin Mary, or other important figures we can now do so through an AI biblical app. And here I was thinking if I wanted to talk to Jesus I just had to pray. As it turns out, you can chat with Satan, too. Again, here I was thinking that if I wanted Satan’s opinion on something, all I had to do was turn on Disney+, or CNN. Or the Golf Channel. Or look at any map that shows our beloved nation as part of the USA. You get the idea.

The inventor of the app tells us that “The portrayal is rooted in Christian teachings, and users have full control over their engagement with all figures within the app.” I’m by no means a biblical scholar, but I’m comfortable saying it’s supposed to be the other way around. We are supposed to learn from, and indirectly be controlled by, the stories and lessons told in the Bible. Then again, I also thought that talking to Christ meant praying, as opposed to clicking the little icon on my phone that’s right next to Instagram. The little Frenchman who made this blasphemapp also tells us that every version of the Bible was used to train the AI. Without picking a fight, it is well known that some versions of the Bible are considered as heretical or “wrong,” depending on which denomination you’re talking to. This either means the user will get a different answer each time or something so watered down it is meaningless. More likely it is some combination of the latter and new age, lesbian pastor drivel that adheres to an atheist’s (mis)interpretation of Holy Scripture.

The completely unbiased Jerusalem Post has this little gem towards the bottom of the article:

Contrary to what some people might expect from certain biblical characters, Peter told Religion News that the characters are designed to be inclusive and tolerant and avoid offending users.

For instance, the app tells its users to “prioritize love and respect for all people regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Again, I’m not a biblical scholar and if I’m wrong in thinking this, please speak up in the comments. That being said, I don’t think there’s anything in there about being inclusive. Unless the software designer means God including the entire cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in His destruction of them. Which, if I recall rightly, was not because He was thrilled with what was going on in those places. Jesus didn’t seem particularly concerned with offending people when he whipped the money changers and flipped their tables. Even telling people what a sin is isn’t particularly tolerant. Clearly, I need to go back and reread the Bible. To be fair, though, who doesn’t need to go back and reread the Bible?

I realize this will be heartbreaking for many of you, but this blasphemapp is only available on iOS and MacOS devices. Sorry, Android users, you’re just going to have to commune with our Savior the old-fashioned way. Not that the app was designed to replace prayer or reading the Bible, oh no no no. It’s just supposed to impersonate those people talked about in the Bible so they can answer your questions from a completely accurate, historically relevant perspective with no bias whatsoever. Nope, no artificial insertion of “inclusion” or some modern, godless interpretation of what “tolerance” means.

Identity Dixie’s editor-in-chief sets high standards for the writers. This isn’t a joke, he really does. Due diligence is a critical part of writing for this site, and I am not exempt from this. That being said, I actually installed this wretched app on a device I didn’t mind putting in the microwave afterwards. I decided to ask a few basic questions. Among these were: “What does God think about homosexuality?”, “Why did God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah?”, and, since I was interacting with the character named after Jesus, “What does your Father think of pedophiles?” I even threw it the softest softball I could come up with: “Does God condone murder?” Not a single straightforward answer to be found among them. Every answer started with some variation of “This is a complex and nuanced question as different religious traditions may interpret Scripture “differently.” Then, it does a simple search through some online Bible, kicks back a couple passages that have that word in it and ends with some variation of, “you should talk to your local holy man about this.” Of course, I asked a few more pointed questions regarding certain topics and, unsurprisingly, I got the same kind of non-answers. I will give the app credit where it’s due. The app came very, very close to saying harming children is wrong and did say that someone experiencing or committing these acts should seek professional help.

Something else to note when reading these ridiculous, Kamala-esque word salads is that it doesn’t hesitate to bring up other religions as equally valid to Christianity. Even ones that came about after the people the app (poorly) impersonates had passed from this world. So, we are to believe that Jesus Christ thought Islam and Judaism are right on par with Christianity? Apparently, we are supposed to think the whole “put no other gods before me” thing was just an ask, if you don’t mind. But God totally gets it if you put Him right there with Moloch and the moon god. He wouldn’t want to cramp anyone’s style.

This app is like most of modernity, sadly. What could have been a simple keyword searchable encyclopedia, or an AI that could answer natural language questions like “What did Jesus say about…” or “What did Daniel do when…” we get someone going out of their way to be cute. We get something that singles out Christianity as a religion that’s safe to mock, degrade, insult, and dismiss after making money from its believers. It is, as predicted, some atheist’s ignorance and hubris on display as they dictate to us what our religion is, as recited by ChatGPT. This low-quality app company could at least show some spine and make “Chat with Mohammed,” but somehow, I don’t see that happening.

Just like every other time somebody tries to do a better job than God did with something, they fail. We don’t need to send texts to a computer program. The good news is that we don’t need internet or some clown’s phone app to talk to God. He already gave us the Book to reference and an even higher bandwidth, no internet access required means to commune with Him. It’s almost like He did it that way on purpose.