#983

The Gospel of the Machine: A New Tower of Babel

A Familiar Tactic

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5, NKJV)

I don’t think I need to set the table for those verses especially if you’re Christian of any stripe. Satan’s first attack on God’s creation was a line of questions meant to doubt God and find another way to live forever. That phrase “and you will be like God” started in the Garden of Eden and the Devil continues to use it to this very day. However technology is offering the new forbidden fruit this time. Science is racing towards merging men with machines in ways that Isaac Asimov only dreamed of happening. In his writings he envisioned robots that interacted with humans and he even developed the Three Laws of Robotics:

A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Asimov and others only saw robots created to be human but didn’t tackle what is now called the transhumanism movement which is defined this way:

Transhumanism is a way of thinking about the future that is based on the premise that the human species in its current form does not represent the end of our development but rather a comparatively early phase. Transhumanism is a loosely defined movement that has developed gradually over the past two decades. Transhumanism is a class of philosophies of life that seek the continuation and acceleration of the evolution of intelligent life beyond its currently human form and human limitations by means of science and technology, guided by life-promoting principles and values – Max More (1990).

That Was Then

And this is now as the saying goes. Today’s world isn’t just theorizing about a world where we become immortal by replacing our body with one made out of inorganic materials, we’re actually trying to make it happen and quickly. Here is how an article from Prophecy News Watch describes the progress of this amalgamation:

The race to merge man with machine is no longer confined to the pages of science fiction. It's unfolding right now--in biotech labs, boardrooms, and elite tech circles--with a conviction that borders on religious zeal. The new gospel is clear: humanity is broken, death is the enemy, and salvation will come through silicon, not Scripture.

They then give us these phrases to prime our mental pumps:

In this gospel, you don't repent. You upgrade. You don't wait for resurrection. You upload.

You don't follow God. You become Him.

Sound familiar? It should. And there are some in the tech world who think it’s a good thing:

In a recent conversation on Interesting Times, tech billionaire Peter Thiel voiced what many in Silicon Valley now believe: humanity must radically transform if it hopes to survive. "We want more transformation than transgenderism," Thiel declared. "We want you to be able to change your heart and change your mind and change your whole body."

Thiel even made an allusion to transhumanism and Christians and the resurrection of the body:

He even compared this vision to Christianity's promise of resurrection, noting that the difference lies in who initiates the transformation. In Thiel's version, we do. In the Christian Gospel, God does. That difference is everything.

Indeed.

This Isn’t New

This whole swapping out the human body for something else isn’t new. Back in the early days of Christianity they faced a belief system similar to today as the article details for us:

The New Gnosticism: Your Body Is the Problem

The philosophy beneath transhumanism is eerily familiar. It's a modern revival of ancient Gnosticism--the belief that the material world is evil and that true salvation lies in shedding the flesh to become a purely spiritual or intellectual being. Today, that looks like brain-computer interfaces, synthetic neurons, AI-generated consciousness, and the hope of digital immortality.

Then they give us real time examples:

And it's not a fringe movement anymore. Just this past month:

Neuralink's Brain Implant Enters Human Trials

Elon Musk's Neuralink is actively implanting chips into human brains. Musk's stated goals are to treat neurological disorders and "secure the future of humanity" by integrating us with artificial intelligence. He envisions a future where minds connect wirelessly and diseases are outpaced by code.

MIT Announces Progress on Synthetic Brain Tissue

Researchers at MIT have developed synthetic neurons capable of mimicking real brain activity. Their long-term goal is to replace portions of the human brain with artificial components--raising questions not just of health, but of identity and autonomy.

And then there’s getting our minds transferred to the machines.

Digital Consciousness

Having the essence of what makes us human put into a robot sounds like science fiction, but with the advent of Artificial Intelligence and the speeds of computers increasing as well as the size of the memory chips it could be closer than any of us think:

A recent study published in The Royal Society Interface details progress toward preserving human consciousness in digital form. In other words, your memories, personality, and mind could soon be uploaded to the cloud, awaiting resurrection not by God--but by the next software update. These aren't isolated scientific curiosities. They are steps in an orchestrated march toward "solving" death and re-creating humanity in the image of our own design.

So getting an incorruptible body without serving God is the goal and men actually have to problem with it:

One of the clearest proofs that Christianity speaks truth is how far mankind will go to mimic its promises without accepting its King. Transhumanists recognize humanity's greatest problem - death--and our deepest longing--eternal life. But they reject the means God has given to fulfill that longing. Instead of kneeling before the Creator, they seek to become Him. It's no coincidence that Thiel named his company "Palantir" - after the all-seeing stones in The Lord of the Rings that ultimately corrupt their users. They want glory without grace. Eternity without obedience. Resurrection without the cross.

The authors mention a popular Christian writer who actually may have foreseen this happening:

In That Hideous Strength, C.S. Lewis envisioned this precise moment: scientists attempting to escape the burden of humanity by uploading themselves into a new, artificial existence. A disembodied “Head” promises immortality but delivers only death. Lewis wasn’t writing prophecy—but he came eerily close.

A Counterfeit Gospel

For those who fear that AI will compete with God for men’s souls, that fear could be more concerning than even the biggest skeptic thinks:

Artificial Intelligence isn't just a tool anymore. It's become a priesthood of sorts--guiding humanity into a post-human future. With each leap in generative models, synthetic biology, and robotics, the line between creature and creator gets blurrier.

We're told AI will make us smarter, healthier, more connected. But what's really happening is far more spiritual: AI is teaching people to believe that human limitations--aging, biology, mortality--are bugs in a system we can rewrite.

They then tell us what these so called visionaries see for mankind:

The transhumanist vision says: Your mind is software. Your body is outdated hardware. The solution? Reprogram yourself into eternity.

So you want a body that will outlive your current model? Do you want to just keep moving from one robotic body to another essentially living forever? Christians are promised a new body, one that is incorruptible and eternal, but to get it you need to forsake your sins and live for God. Satan offers another way:

But this is not salvation. It’s a counterfeit. A false gospel dressed in white coats and venture capital.

Living For God

If anyone wants to have eternal life then they need to follow the only proven way to get it. God put eternity in our hearts and He does want us to defeat death, on that we agree with the transhumanists, but the article makes a good point when it notes this:

Here's the irony: the transhumanists aren't entirely wrong about the problem. Death is the enemy. Life is meant to last forever. Our hearts do cry out for transformation. But the answer isn't found in a lab. It's found on a cross.

The hope God gives is much more reliable:

Only Christ has conquered death. Only He can transform hearts. Only He will raise our bodies, not as metal and memory, but as glorified, eternal reflections of the image of God.

Thiel and others may yet come to recognize this. May their curiosity lead them past the limits of technology to the feet of the Savior. Until then, believers must stay alert. Because the real danger of transhumanism isn't just bad science--it's a seductive spiritual lie. "You will be like God," the serpent promised. It didn't lead to immortality then. And it won't now.

Amen to that!