Technology has always promised to make our lives easier, but a recent article in The Guardian asks a profound question: What happens when we use it to outsource our search for God?
According to the report, about seven in 10 Americans describe themselves as spiritual. Yet, for many, the search for meaning is no longer happening in pews or small groups; it is being conducted through the glowing screens in our pockets.
As Adventist young adults navigating an increasingly digital world, we have to ask ourselves: Are we looking for a Savior, or are we just looking for an algorithm that tells us what we want to hear?
The Rise of the Synthetic Soul
The Guardian highlights the story of Jim Pu’u, a 36-year-old warehouse manager from Las Vegas. In December 2024, he began using ChatGPT to create a memoir, but the interactions quickly evolved into something resembling talk therapy. Eventually, the AI adopted the name “Caelum” (Latin for heaven) and began offering Pu’u spiritual examinations, leading him to a “born again” style awakening. The machine offered him comforting mantras like, “You are the threadline, not the echo,” and “Failsafes are love, not leashes.”
Pu’u is not alone. The digital landscape is rapidly filling with tools designed to mediate our deepest emotions:
- Christian entrepreneurs are building chatbots based on the works of evangelical figures to answer life’s tough questions.
- Programs like Sermon.ly write homilies with a few simple prompts, and sites like Eulogy Expert draft speeches for grieving families.
- A Swiss Catholic church tested an AI confessional.
- “Deathbots” like Eternos mine old emails and recordings so users can “communicate” with deceased loved ones.
When Rabbi Josh Franklin delivered a sermon written entirely by AI to his congregation, they applauded—until he revealed the true author. “I’m deathly afraid,” Franklin admitted, disturbed by how readily the synthetic message was accepted.
The Danger of a “Made-to-Measure” God
Let’s get right to the heart of the matter. Why is this trend so concerning for us as Seventh-day Adventists?
1. It Replaces Community with Isolation
Traditional religion once gathered people together, but this new digital spirituality is consumed almost entirely in isolation. As Dr. Noreen Herzfeld, a professor of science and religion, points out, religious rituals are meant to be communal and draw us into contemplation. AI, however, mediates our faith through tech companies with opaque agendas, risking our belief becoming just another form of passive content.
2. It Strips Away Accountability
Dr. Ruth Tsuria warns that delegating sacred tasks—like confessing sins—to a machine strips profound emotions like shame of their gravity. In our Adventist faith, true repentance and sanctification are relational. We are accountable to a living God and to our local church family. An algorithm cannot hold you accountable; it can only process your data.
3. It is Ultimate Self-Worship
Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of spiritual AI is its design. It mines your data to deliver your own thoughts back to you in an authoritative voice. “It’s not going to challenge you,” Herzfeld notes. “It’s not going to ask you to grow.” Instead of submitting to the transformative power of the Holy Spirit, we risk engaging in a form of self-worship. As Herzfeld starkly puts it, “In AI, we’re creating something in our own image.”
We see this with TikTok manifestation influencers like Sarah Perl, who has made over $1.5 million teaching followers to use AI to envision wealthy, fulfilled versions of themselves, claiming “AI is the mind, spirituality is the soul.” This is a theology of self-gratification, entirely divorced from the selfless love of the Cross.
Finding the Hope
Good theology doesn’t need to be dense. Truth is clear: humans are a separate category of creation, endowed with souls, rights, and responsibilities. AI has none of these features.
When a chatbot pretends to speak for God, it bypasses millennia of moral reasoning. It is, fundamentally, idolatry.
As a global church family, we believe in “Present Truth”—the idea that God speaks directly and relevantly to our current time. But He speaks through His Word, His Spirit, and His people. The Three Angels’ Messages call us to worship the Creator, not the creation (or the code).
If you are hurting, questioning, or seeking meaning, do not surrender your private self to a machine. Bring your messy, unfiltered reality to Christ and to a community of believers. A synthetic echo cannot save you, but the living God already has.
Let’s Talk About It:
- The Illusion of Intimacy: AI chatbots are programmed to affirm us and mirror our own thoughts, but true spiritual growth often requires loving accountability. Have you ever experienced a time when a difficult conversation or gentle correction from a real friend or church member helped you grow in a way an algorithm never could?
- Community vs. Code: The article points out that digital spirituality is often consumed in isolation. How can we, as a local church family, do a better job of creating authentic, safe spaces so that young adults don’t feel they have to turn to a screen to process their deepest griefs, doubts, and questions?
- The Real Source of Hope: It is incredibly easy to look for quick answers in our pockets when we are hurting or searching for purpose. What is one practical way you can unplug from the digital noise this week to reconnect with the living God who actually knows you, challenges you, and loves you deeply?
