Dr John Mohan Razu
Conception of God has been in serious interrogations and contestation theologically and philosophically. If we go little deeper into it the questions that relates to whether God exists or dead and series of questions attached to it will follow. For some the very notion of God is the problembecause many do not accept the problems that are experienced by humans will be addressed by God one day or other. It is this belief and faith in God reverses God as the problem to solver of the problem.
For some existence of God remains problematic as they think the God-factor dilutes and subsumes the root and gravity of the problems that humans are confronting in their day-to-day lives.God-factor takes away the objective material reality (this worldly) to subjective (other-worldly) consciousness.Therefore, those who question the existence of God points to God who is a human creation or invention. And so, for some God continues to remain the problem.
A book with a title God the Problem by Gordon D. Kaufman, explores why belief in God is problematic for many modern people and thus examines the nature of God as it has been developed in the Western culture. In line to it Voltaire, a French Philosopher held complex views on God, wherein he rejected established religion. Instead,he affirmed a rational universal creator in the theistic tradition. At the same time, he believed in the need and necessity of belief in a deity for promoting morality.
At the same time, he argued that any detailed specifics about God were unnecessary and potentially dangerous. Voltaire famous statement was: “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.” He thus viewed that God factor and figure is essential for the maintenance of social order and ethical behaviour, particularly in the absence of a true rational foundation for morality. For Voltaire, God factor was a pragmatic necessitybecause in order to maintain law and order and compel people to fall-in-line toward ethical behaviour you need God—a tool for morality.
Ethical principles and moral obligations are necessary and for that God factor become important and vital. Obviously, God then becomes a tool and moral agency from where moral attributes such as right and wrong, good and bad, and host of others. To present and promote the God factor you need a religion enjoined by doctrines, traditions, and other rituals that can facilitate the faithful believers to fall-in-line so that they do not go astray. For Homo sapiens the God factor becomes essential because they are surround by many things that cannot be understood and comprehended logically.
If there was no God-factor, what would have happened to billions of people who have totally laid their belief and faith in Godhead? There would have been pandemonium and we do not know which factor would have filled the notion of ‘spirit’if not by the God factor. Therefore, Voltaire is right in saying “If God did not exist, we would have had to invent him” and this attribute seem to have facilitated billions of people in regulating their lives. At the same time the world in which we live seem to have replaced God, with small godconnected to an app AI.
What we see around us is AI-enabled chatbots programmed with scripturaltexts from various faith systems, provides spiritual solace, comfort,and guidance to millions of followersspread world over. Jug Surallya explains phenomenon as “The faith tech’ industry is becoming like a thunderstorm and raining not pennies but mega dollars from a digital heaven. A single app, Bible Chat, reported ly has over 30 million followers. Another called Hallow, which is predominantly Catholic, has overtaken Netflix, Instagram and TikTok in popularity.”
The following questions arise: Whether to have AI programmed god in a boxor would that god provide enough tranquillity or calm or healing balm for the soul. Jug Suralya in his short There’s observed a rabbi when asked said “There’s a whole generation which has never been to a church or a synagogue. Spiritual apps are the way to faith.” Continuing further, “Others disagree. Salvation requires struggle, not a push-button solution.” At the same time “There is something good about really, really wrestling through a problem,” says a Catholic priest who expresses fears about the danger of pouring out one’s heart to a chatbot.”
Jug Suralya expands the age of AI in god-domain and god-speak that “Spiritual chatbots are often put to frivolous use by net surfers. For instance, a hugely popular faith tech app called AI Jesus has fielded questions like, “Hey, Jesus, which is your favourite football team?” If we trace it goes back to Greek mythology and classical works that depicts ‘God in a box’. Over years it became a reality. Artistic creation and some of fictions that spoke on things at that time were viewed as mere fun or unimaginable imagined stories have now become real.
In tune to this Jug Suralya adds “Similarly, faith tech or app apotheosis, could be decried as mere gimmickry for the gullible. But if one regards prayer as a form of self-conversation … in which an individual seeks union with a universality, by using a token object or saying which represents it, a chatbot might be as valid an aid to such outreaching as an image of a deity, or a religious symbol such as a crucifix, or a swastika, or an acoustic incarnation like a mantra.”
Jug Suralya bring-in a couple of analogies that covers a spectrum of faiths. “In his Sermon on the Mount, Christ enjoined us to realise that the kingdom of heaven lies within ourselves. The divinity we seek is not out there, but is part of us, as we are part of it.” Likewise,he draws inference from a Sanskrit phrase from Advaita, Tat Twam Asithat Thou Art That, is an injunction that the individual and the universe are contiguous in a seamlessunity.” In his conclusion he observes that “For our cyber age, can this ageless mantra be reiterated as Thou Art AI? To which a digital sage might reply: why not?”
Over the decades we have moved from some of the questions and exclamations: Does God exist? God is dead and God the problem! These queries continue to be responded and interpreted by theologians, scholars in philosophy and religion, and host of others. At present we are corned by a fascinating and probing statement or construct: The God in the Machine! AI has totally revolutionised and continue to transform our belief systems, spirituality, faith articulations, theological and philosophical inquires.The challenge before us is: Should we be swayed by capital G or small g?
