Tag: science

AI -v- GOD

Posted on by West Oaks Fellowship

Soon AI will be viewed as omniscient (all-knowing) and, the way things are progressing, omnipresent (constantly / everywhere present) … then, depending what it is allowed to control, even potentially an element of omnipotence (all powerful). While these are distinctly attributes of the one and only true God, and NEVER allocated as viable attributes to humanity, any life forms, or any created thing, we totter on the precipice of pridefully elevating access to information as a substitute for genuine spiritual understanding and absolute Truth (of which our God is the only proper source). 

One’s own perception and knowledge of AI, as compared to human probabilities and abilities, plays a crucial role in the use and / or dependence (willful / knowingly or unknowingly/ unaware) on AI. Unquestionably, we are connected in some way or in some manner to the broad-reaching tenacles of this technology, which is generally used to automate tasks, make decisions and somehow remarkably impact our everyday lives.  We live in an age where the unimaginable (like out of an old sci-fi movie or series) is not just within our grasp, but the emergence of AI, and its remarkable capabilities, is integrally affecting our world! It fuels our smartphones, empowers smart home devices, enables autonomous vehicles to skirt around neighborhoods and highways, and guides innumerable strategic financial decisions.  AI is not just seemingly everywhere – it’s actively sculpting the shape and intricacies of the future.

Currently, there are questionably, but acknowledged, 4 types of AI:

  1. Reactive Machines – These systems have no lasting memory, but are task specific … an input always delivers the same output. They take customer data, such as a purchase or an individual’s search history, and use it to deliver recommendations back to the customers.
  2. Limited Memory – These systems learn from history (whatever is available) to make choices / decisions.
  3. Theory of Mind (proposed to understanding and beliefs about the world, with the ability to interact socially, emotionally with / like humans) – Some experts say this doesn’t exist yet.
  4. Self-Aware – The ultimate stage of AI development. This type of AI system is aware of the world around it in such a way that it can understand, interpret, and predict human emotions and act / respond accordingly.

AI is undoubtedly transforming industries, from healthcare to finance, and revolutionizing the way humanity tackles problems and makes decisions! When AI is employed as a helpful tool, one might be fully inclined to accept it without any apprehension or concern.  However, when AI starts assuming roles typically handled by humans on a spiritual, psychological, or even an emotional level, it will ultimately lead to a sense of detachment from spiritual intimacy, from a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ, and subjugate one’s dependence of the absolute truth of God’s Word and the direction of God’s Holy Spirit.

The untethered influence and habitual use of AI, which is becoming increasingly sophisticated and pervasive, will work to make one question their uniqueness as a human being, their individual spiritual gifting, and challenge one’s one dependence and connection to a living, all powerful, all knowing, ever-present supreme/ superior being … Jehovah ‘Elyown (Psalm 83:18 – Lord Most High), El-Shaddai (Exodus  6:3 – God Almighty).

A few weeks ago, I warned the congregation about the invasiveness of AI and its influence in the ministries of Christ’s Church from sermons to counseling, music and worship, to prayers . . . bots in the pulpit!  Today, I’m appealing to you, as your pastor (an under shepherd of Christ), one who will ultimately have to give an account for your soul according to Hebrews 13:17 . . . either be or become alert!

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.    

1 Thessalonians 5:4-8

In context of Christ’s imminent return, which we daily anticipate . . .

“Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly  like a trap; for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. “But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Luke 21:34-36

Brothers and sisters, I can’t make us wake up, I can’t make anyone become dependent on God’s Word and the direction / leadership of His Holy Spirit.  However, I can warn, like the watchman on the tower in Ezekiel 33:1-9 (check it out). That’s my job, but each of you have a responsibility as well. 

Jesus Christ, while ministering on earth, challenged us spiritually in Matt. 6:22-23:

“The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”

We are children of light (Ephesians 5:7-16, Matthew 5:13-16), we’ve been removed from the kingdom of darkness, and supernaturally transferred to Christ’s Kingdom (Colossians 1:13-14, I Peter 2:9). Therefore, let us live and walk in the Light of Christ, God’s Holy Spirit, and His Word, rather than the darkness of this world which is currently being disguised as omniscient and omnipresent for humanity’s benefit and blessing! There is only one True God — so listen carefully and follow Him steadfastly!   

Please carefully consider these words.         — His & Yours, PF

WORLDVIEW

Posted on by West Oaks Fellowship

A Christian worldview is more than a religious belief system.  In fact, it is a complete and integrated framework through which one views the entire world from a comprehensive biblical perspective. Therefore, a faithful/committed Christian’s worldview is an integrated whole which is comprised of distinct, biblical elements that allows every believer to actively filter his or her life (thoughts and activities) through spiritual goggles, seeing the world in light of a harmonious set of biblical truths, beliefs, and assessments.

A biblical worldview resolutely affirms the existence of an intelligent, powerful, loving, just, and supreme being who exists in the trinity — God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit — who is also the creator all things.

One of the single most important philosophical truths in the Christian worldview is that Jesus Christ is also the Word (Logos) and Truth (Psalm 119:160, John 1:14, John 17:17) and offers the explanation for the existence of the universe and everything in it … including humanity. One of the major charges against a biblical worldview in general, and Christian philosophy in particular, is that it is unscientific.

Nonetheless, Christians uphold that the doctrines of God, creation, the Word/Truth, intelligent design, purpose, law, order, and life are reasonable, and consistent with all the findings of factual and authentic science, history, and/or personal experience in a way that the philosophies of anti-god dialectical materialism and philosophical naturalism (aka materialism) will never accomplish.

According to a biblical worldview, God’s moral nature/character is an immutable (unchanging), unassailable absolute. God simply hates evil/sin and consistently loves good/righteousness.   As a result, God’s Word, the Bible, the Truth, is of supreme importance because it alone perfectly defines good/righteousness and evil/sin, as well as clearly and decisively distinguishes their differences. 

This provides a framework on which completely unambiguous ethics are established. Consequently, from a biblical worldview, ethical/moral relativism leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13). Christian/godly morals/ethics are inseparable from Christian theology for the simple reason that Christian ethics are grounded in the character/nature of God Himself.  Rather than believing in some ethical scheme bound to society’s ever-changing whims, an authentic Christian’s worldview has a specific moral order which is revealed to humans through both the general revelation of nature/creation and the special/unique revelation of the Bible/God’s Word/Truth, as well as in the person of Jesus Christ.

In addition, from the perspective of divine creationism, a biblical worldview can adequately account for the intelligent design displayed throughout all of nature.  It unequivocally postulates a Designer outside the realm of the actual creation itself — a law-giver, developer, architect, engineer, and builder, coupled with an orderly, methodical cause. The materialist can only, at best, hypothesize chance and randomness!  An honest, untainted biblical worldview holds that the creationist model as described in biblical text better fits the facts of science than any old earth/evolutionary model.  

Therefore, believers must come to fully trust (which may mean working through one’s own questions and confusion) the authority of God’s Word and the Genesis declarations concerning creation, in the same manner Christ Jesus believed.  

Consider Mark 10:6: “But from the beginning of creation, God MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE.”

How about the message of Colossians 1:16:

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him” and John 1:1-3: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

While many in today’s church are unwilling to consider God’s design, and actually believe that science stands in contradiction or is even superior to God’s own revelation, true, un/non-politized science and research, void of unconfirmed presuppositions and theories concerning deity, actually demonstrate the compatibility and union of science and the Bible.  Thus, the biblical/Christian worldview declares in unison with the evidence of science that God undeniably “created all things!” (Ephesians 3:9-10).

The Bible text provides every believer who desires the TRUTH with information about the Lord God and His creation/universe, while science, in each and every realm, can only provide information about our God’s handiwork/creation/universe.         

Just study the TRUTH! –PF

SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST

Posted on by West Oaks Fellowship

In 1 John 4:1, believers are instructed to “test the spirits” so one can determine/know their origin. The reasoning for this instruction is pretty clearly distinguished … “because many false prophets have gone out into the world!”  Then additionally, most essential, instructions are provided for us in 1 John 4:2-3

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

While one might fully agree with the idea of testing the spirits simply because it’s GOD’s WORD/TRUTH, have you ever asked, “In what way and where, have the false prophets (spirit of antichrist) gone out into our world?”

1.   The False Prophets of Science (antichrist’s pseudoscience) – particularly in connection with the study and interpretation of nature. There are three (simplified/summarized) points in the scientific world that appear to be dominate/prominent.

A.   Nature — in relation to this present life — is supreme.

B.   Natural and/or physical law is uniform and has been somewhat consistent since the creation of the universe.

C.   Humanity developed from the basis of nature, and in accordance merely with natural laws.

Now, if those be true, one can, without hesitation, claim that the position and claims of Biblical Christianity are quite incompatible and our worldview must be eradicated!  There is no place for Divine Revelation and/or God’s miraculous powers, thus humanity’s only hope rests in obedience/compliance with what has been determined as the directives of natural law. These may even claim that our faith has been a misfortune to the world, so that when plagues/crisis/etc. come, this spirit declares the uselessness of prayer, and that the only thing that can save us is to perfect our science.  This is a spirit of antichrist, for it is the denial of any moral responsibility to the Creator!

2.  The False Prophets of Secularism (antichrists in the kingdoms of the world). Kingdoms/governments are necessary to maintain order, to suppress violence, and maintain independence/borders which are unquestionably the ordinances of God.  Nonetheless, they perpetuate injustice, display blatant disregard for human life, promote the pleasures of wickedness/sin/evil/corruption, and deny the very God that originally established them and allows their continued existence.

3.   The False Prophets of Literature/Music/Media (antichrist musicians, writers, producers, publishers). Undoubtedly, we live in an era of great thinkers and extremely skilled writers/movie producers, etc. While we do not judge them individually, their works must be judged in contrast to GOD’s WORD/TRUTH.  The spirit of their works must be examined/tested as to whether it is of God or not. We know that some of the greatest works in the world are written in defense of Christianity; but it is also true that some skilled writers/producers of considerable influence have taken up bold positions against Christianity, and have sufficiently demonstrated that they do not believe that, “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.”

4.  The False Prophets of Religion (ecclesiastical antichrists). A system of worship that focuses on the existential and ethereal leads to blind hero worship (celebrity pastors/leaders), greed, prideful self-exaltation, deceiving tales, and false/unbiblical doctrine/beliefs.  It’s unfathomably cunning with a name and appearance that’s alive while in essence is actually destructive, lifeless/dead.

The “spirit of antichrist” is inventively at work in the everyday life of every individual. There we find its most lethal venom! (remember the very nature of our enemy in Genesis 3:1) This work professes great respect for Christianity, but promotes and thrives upon being in continual opposition to its principles. We can no longer simply shut our eyes to the fact that for a great amount of professing Christians in our churches and country, their walk of faith in Christ Jesus and this world, is merely a verbal profession. While America may have once been called a “Christian” nation by some, a look at the woes that are festering in our midst speaks volumes.  Just think of all the rampant worldliness and heartlessness that has been baptized in the name of GOD THE FATHER, GOD THE SON, and GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT!

While the ANTICHRIST (Gk – antichristos; meaning either “against Christ” or “instead of Christ,” or perhaps, combining the two, “one who, assuming the guise of Christ, opposes Christ”) is a significant individual in the end-time events of our world (connected closely to the Beast and False Prophet), this spirit is alive and well on planet earth (1 John 2:18-23) … therefore, we, Christ’s faithful, must determinedly “test every spirit” in 2021! 

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.

2 John 4-8