The New Face of Religion: Has the Day Come for Robots to Preach and Forgive Sins?

Religious leaders and believers have begun utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) for a wide range of purposes - from writing sermons to "conversing with Jesus." While the integration of technology into faith has opened new opportunities, it is sparking significant debate among theologians and scholars, Reuters reports.

Sermons and Digital Assistants

Justin Lester, a pastor at Friendship Baptist Church in California, has developed a custom GPT model based on his own sermons. This tool helps church members prepare lessons and supports spiritual growth. The pastor views AI as a vital instrument for spiritual development and community strengthening.

Additionally, some believers are using chatbots like "TalkToHim," which simulates the persona of Jesus, to seek answers to spiritual questions. In Switzerland, St. Peter's Chapel even installed an AI-generated "Jesus avatar" that listened to the confessions of visitors.

However, a major drawback of AI is its tendency to "hallucinate" or fabricate data. For example, it has been known to generate fake quotes, attributing words to religious scholars that they never actually spoke.

Errors in Islam and Buddhism

Beth Singler, a professor at the University of Zurich, highlights the risks of AI distorting religious data. For instance, a "Buddha" chatbot erroneously claimed there are five noble truths in Buddhism instead of four.

Yaqub Chaudhary, a scholar at the University of Cambridge, questions AI's ability to issue fatwas (religious rulings) from an Islamic perspective. Since the Quran is considered the direct and unaltered word of God, AI’s tendency to mix various data points to declare something "halal" (permissible) or "haram" (forbidden) could lead to grave religious errors.

The majority of religious representatives believe that while AI can assist in gathering information, it cannot replace the fundamental human need for soul-to-soul connection.

As Rabbi Fixler aptly put it: "The work of religion is not trying to get machines to be more human; the work of religion is trying to get us all to be the most human human."