Does Artificial Intelligence Pose a Threat to Belief in God?

[Danmark]

We have created AI that can play chess better than world champions. We have machines that can create poetry. When man creates a 'thinking machine,' a machine that can learn on its own, what questions does this raise about religious belief? The discovery of the heliocentric universe and the theory of evolution have represented profound threats to traditional religious thought.

"The creation of non-human autonomous robots would disrupt religion, like everything else, on an entirely new scale. "If humans were to create free-willed beings, says Kelly, who was raised Catholic and identifies as a Christian, absolutely every single aspect of traditional theology would be challenged and have to be reinterpreted in some capacity.

Take the soul, for instance. Christians have mostly understood the soul to be a uniquely human element, an internal and eternal component that animates our spiritual sides."
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/ ... ty/515463/

[Monta]

[Replying to post 80 by Danmark]


"I've been thinking lately that the central aspect of religion in general and the Abrahamic religions in particular is the believe in life after death; that the individual continues after his body dies, that his personality and consciousness, self awareness lives on forever in paradise.
I can think of two things that support this belief:
1) You were taught this from an early age.
2) It is a much more pleasant alternative to accepting death."

Unlike the New Testament, Old Testament does not have much about life after death.
Even today Jews are mostly interested in creating a lasting kingdom here on earth.

Your two things are both wrong. Many people become believers at an older age after acquiring volume of knowledge. For me it was in my 40s. Yes I was believer just like I believe Paris is in Europe It's there. It's a name.

At fist it comes as real awareness. But that's only a start.

[Danmark]

Your two things are both wrong. Many people become believers at an older age after acquiring volume of knowledge. For me it was in my 40s. Yes I was believer just like I believe Paris is in Europe It's there. It's a name.

At fist it comes as real awareness. But that's only a start.

You've offered no analysis, just your own experience, so the sample size for your claim is one (1) and therefore meaningless. Here are statistics that prove my point by showing people believe what they were taught in their culture rather than based on objective analysis:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religions_by_country

[Monta]

[Replying to post 82 by Danmark]



"You've offered no analysis, just your own experience, so the sample size for your claim is one (1) and therefore meaningless. Here are statistics that prove my point by showing people believe what they were taught in their culture rather than based on objective analysis:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religions_by_country"

I am one representing millions.

Nothing in yr link says what age people take on religion.
If yu find something copy/paste.

[Danmark]

[Replying to post 82 by Danmark]



"You've offered no analysis, just your own experience, so the sample size for your claim is one (1) and therefore meaningless. Here are statistics that prove my point by showing people believe what they were taught in their culture rather than based on objective analysis:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religions_by_country"

I am one representing millions.

Nothing in yr link says what age people take on religion.
If yu find something copy/paste.

The point of those statistics should be self evident that people follow the religion of their parents or culture. Some countries are 99% Christian, others 99% Muslim; while other countries are overwhelmingly "irreligious" or do not believe in theistic God. Japan for example is 93% irreligious [57%] or buddhist.

"Parents can have a strong effect on religious development in children and adolescents, as they tend to adopt the religion that is practiced during their upbringing."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_development

What all of this strongly suggests is that adopting a religion is, effectively and in most cases, statistically not a choice, but simply learned behavior. I do not mean to suggest this is always the case. Children who do not have a good relationship with their parents are more likely to rebel, and disbelieve later in life, or choose a different religion.

BTW, you do not "represent millions." You only represent yourself. Perhaps you meant to say "millions share your belief."