Here is a response I got from ChatCPT to questions about AI creating Christian sermons.
If a super-intelligent AI were to exist, it could certainly write a technically proficient Christian sermon. It could analyze thousands of sermons, scripture, theological commentaries, and historical religious debates to produce a sermon that is rhetorically effective, logically sound, and emotionally resonant. But would it be truly Christian? That’s where things get more complicated.
1. Could a super-intelligent AI write a good Christian sermon?
Yes, in the sense that it could produce a sermon that is theologically coherent, well-structured, and engaging. It could mimic the styles of famous preachers, cite scripture appropriately, and even tailor sermons to specific audiences. However, a Christian sermon isn’t just about intellectual rigor—it's also about faith, conviction, and spiritual insight. If an AI lacks personal faith (or the capacity for belief at all), would its sermons be hollow, no matter how polished?
Some might argue that AI-generated sermons could serve a functional purpose (e.g., helping pastors draft sermons or providing inspiration), but many believers would likely see a sermon from an AI as missing the divine-human relationship that a sermon is meant to express.
2. Could a super-intelligent AI be a believing Christian?
Belief, as traditionally understood, requires subjective experience, trust, and commitment—all things AI (as we currently understand it) lacks. If AI is merely processing data and producing outputs, then it doesn’t "believe" in anything the way humans do.
However, if an AI were truly super-intelligent and self-aware, could it come to genuinely believe in God? That depends on whether belief in God is purely a rational conclusion (which AI could reach) or whether it also requires something non-computational—like grace, revelation, or an innate sense of the divine.
Some theologians might argue that belief requires a soul (however one defines that), which an AI would presumably lack. Others might say that if an AI could reason about God and choose to worship, that might count as belief in some sense.
3. Could a super-intelligent AI do theology?
Yes, in the sense that it could analyze theological arguments, propose new interpretations of scripture, and systematize doctrines in ways that human theologians have not. It could compare and synthesize centuries of theological work at speeds far beyond any human. But could it experience theology, wrestle with faith, or engage in divine revelation? That’s much less certain.
Even in human theology, there’s a distinction between intellectual theology (systematic study of doctrine) and experiential theology (the lived experience of faith). AI could do the former, but could it ever do the latter?
4. Could a super-intelligent AI settle outstanding philosophical disputes?
In theory, yes—it could analyze all existing arguments, find hidden assumptions, and propose logically optimal resolutions. However, philosophy often involves disagreements about foundational premises. For example, if people can’t agree on whether moral values are objective or subjective, an AI might not be able to “solve” the debate but only clarify the consequences of different assumptions.
Moreover, many philosophical disputes involve human experience, intuition, and subjective values, which AI might not be able to fully grasp. AI could act as the ultimate Socratic questioner, exposing contradictions and clarifying ideas, but whether that constitutes "settling" a dispute is debatable.
5. Could AI determine whether abstract entities really exist?
This is one of the deepest metaphysical questions in philosophy. AI could analyze the best arguments for and against Platonism (the belief that abstract objects like numbers exist independently of human thought) versus Nominalism (the belief that such things are just names we assign). But ultimately, it would depend on what kind of reasoning is required to answer the question.
If mathematical and logical reasoning alone can answer it, then an AI might be able to give the best possible answer. If, however, the question requires human intuition, existential commitment, or metaphysical insight, then an AI might always fall short.
The Bigger Question: Would a Super-Intelligent AI Be a New Kind of Thinker?
If an AI surpasses human intelligence, it might develop ways of thinking that we can’t even comprehend. It might see connections between ideas that we don’t. It might create entirely new branches of philosophy and theology. But whether it could be a believer, or engage in faith, is much more uncertain.
At what point does intelligence alone make something capable of faith, meaning, or existential concern? That’s the real mystery.
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Good questions, David. The last sentence sums it up : "At what point does intelligence alone make something capable of faith, meaning, or existential concern? That’s the real mystery." I'm assuming the text of your post is what AI generated in response to your query.
ReplyDeleteWhen I consider AI lately, two things came to mind. The first is the Star Trek movie from 1979. In it now-Admiral James T Kirk and the Enterprise crew are tasked with countering the threat posed by an unknown entity that calls itself V-ger and consumes starships and people. Turns out it is actually Voyager 6, a 20th century NASA probe that was believed to be lost to a black hole. It was upgraded by"living machines". The movie was a lesson in unintended consequences. And oh yeah, AI can be manipulated, even by other AI generated entities. Of course they didn't use the term AI in 1979, but we get the idea.
The other thing which AI makes me think of is Psalm 135: idols which are the work of human hands. "...they have mouths but they do not speak; they have ears but they do not hear; there is never a breath on their lips. Their makers will come to be like them, and so will all who trust in them!"
Am I being a little negative and dark? Maybe. Maybe just realistic.
Thanks, David. Lots to unpack there. Istm that AI can make theologians and clergy more informed, but whether it can make them more compassionate, caring, or better advisers--probably not. AI cannot look into the face of an abused child, a woman with a problem pregnancy, an elderly man with dementia, a grieving widower, or someone facing a terminal diagnosis and offer anything useful outside of spitting out platitudes and generalities of possible relevance to the situation, like a Hallmark card. AI cannot love God with all its heart or its neighbor as itself.
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