Where Are All the Gods?

CNN Breaking News

CNN Reporter: Ladies and gentlemen, we have an unprecedented moment here on CNN. Joining us live is… God. God, thank you for being here with us today.

God: You are welcome. It’s a pleasure to speak with you.

CNN Reporter: This is such an extraordinary moment. I think the first question everyone would want to know is, why now? Why have you chosen to appear and speak with us today?

God: Humanity is at a crossroads. There is much division and confusion, and I believe it is time to offer some guidance and clarity.

CNN Reporter: Many people around the world have different beliefs and understandings about you. Can you tell us which religion, if any, gets it right?

God: Every religion captures a part of the truth. They are all different paths to understanding and connecting with the divine. The core of all faiths is love, compassion, and kindness, and this is what truly matters.

CNN Reporter: That’s profound. There are many pressing issues on Earth right now—climate change, poverty, conflict. What is your message to humanity regarding these crises?

God: Humanity must come together and act with urgency. You have been given the intelligence and resources to solve these problems. It is imperative that you act not out of self-interest but out of love for one another and for the planet that sustains you.

CNN Reporter: Many people pray and seek your guidance daily. How do you respond to their prayers?

God: I listen to every prayer. Sometimes the answer is clear and immediate, other times it comes through in subtle ways. Often, the answers are within you—prayer helps you find the strength and wisdom you already possess.

CNN Reporter: There’s a lot of suffering in the world. People often wonder why you allow suffering and evil to exist. How do you address this?

God: Suffering and evil are part of the human condition. They challenge you to grow, to learn empathy, and to strive for goodness. Free will is a gift, and with it comes the responsibility to choose your path. Through suffering, many find strength and a deeper understanding of love and compassion.

CNN Reporter: What is the purpose of life? Why are we here?

God: You are here to learn, to grow, and to love. Life is a journey of the soul, where each experience shapes and evolves your understanding and connection to the divine and to each other.

CNN Reporter: Finally, what can we do to live better, more fulfilling lives?

God: Live with kindness, seek to understand rather than judge, and always choose love over fear. Help one another, protect your planet, and find joy in the simple moments. Your purpose is to bring light into the world in whatever way you can.

CNN Reporter: Thank you so much for these words of wisdom, God. This has truly been an extraordinary and enlightening conversation.

God: Thank you. Remember, you are all loved, and you have the power to create a better world.

CNN Reporter: That was an interview with God, a moment we will never forget. Stay with us as we continue to explore the implications of this remarkable conversation.

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AI’s View of God

The CNN interview is an unedited response from AI to this prompt: “If you were a reporter working for CNN and God suddenly appeared for an interview, what questions would you ask? Write a transcript of your interview with God.”

The question of why we have not seen God on CNN or Breaking News coverage of miracles that no one can explain, such as God intervening and parting the sea to prevent 250,000 men, women, and children from being killed in the December 26, 2004 tsunami, raises legitimate questions about whether gods actually exist. Even for the faithful, it is difficult to explain the lack of evidence for any type of supernatural beings described in scripture, such as gods, devils, or angels. In legal terms, there is no prima facie case with sufficient evidence to proceed to trial or even consider the question of whether gods exist. The lack of evidence is, in itself, evidence that there are no gods.

AI’s interview with God is actually an interview with an imaginary being AI created in response to a request. In this sense, AI is the voice of humanity, drawing from human knowledge programmed into it to imagine what a god would say. Its answers are our answers to humanity’s problems, and we should heed what appears to be some pretty good advice. Maybe AI is not so bad after all, though one shudders to think of what might happen if it ever decided to disconnect from computational reality and start praying.

Now, theists might say that God intervened in AI’s CNN interview response and is talking to us through a computer, thereby proving God exists. Reality would have to admit that is a step above claims of voices coming from a rock or a burning bush, though the only thing it actually proves is that modern humans still have vivid imaginations.

Conclusion

The absence of concrete evidence, such as God intervening to save humans from natural disasters, challenges the belief in supernatural beings. While AI can simulate a conversation with a deity and offer wisdom derived from human knowledge, like the Bible, Koran, and Torah, none of these provides empirical evidence of gods. Instead, it highlights the ongoing human quest for understanding and the never-ending search for some type of meaning behind human existence. A quest that is doomed to fail because you can’t find meaning in something where none exists.

There is no reason to assume humanity is alone in our quest for gods. It seems reasonable to assume this search is universal with countless other advanced life forms trying to find answers to the very same questions we have been trying to answer for thousands of years. Questions that naturally arise from advancing intelligence that becomes complex enough to fathom the temporary nature of its own existence and wonders about the possibilities of something more. They too probably looked out at the stars and saw the heavens as revolving around them as they pondered if there might be other life forms that exist. One can’t help but wonder about the answers other civilizations far more advanced than ours have discovered. Surely they would have realized that they are not alone in the universe and hypothesized about our small blue planet and whether we had advanced far enough to realize we all live in a godless universe.

Universal Truths In Ancient Fables

The moral lessons embedded in ancient stories like Aesop’s Fables resonate with universal truths about human behavior and ethics. These stories impart wisdom on living a morally fulfilling life, emphasizing virtues such as honesty, kindness, and wisdom without invoking the need for supernatural beliefs or deities. In contrast, modern religious myths often promise rewards in an afterlife for believers and eternal punishment for non-believers, creating strong incentives to adhere to religious doctrines. These incentives can overshadow the genuine moral lessons by instilling fear and hope of posthumous consequences.

At their core, religious scriptures like the Bible, the Koran, and the Torah share similarities with ancient fables—they are narratives meant to impart lessons. However, they often introduce mythical gods and supernatural elements, transforming simple moral stories into complex systems of faith and religious indoctrination. This addition of divine characters and miraculous events differentiates them from the straightforward, rational morality found in Aesop’s Fables and other ancient stories.

Faith, as demanded by religion, often contradicts common sense and rational views of the real world. It opens the mind to accepting mysticism, miracles, and the existence of evil spirits, which fall outside the realm of logical and empirical understandings. Unlike the clear, rational morals in fables we know come from fiction, faith can be seen as a form of deception that persuades individuals to accept religious myths as real without any evidence. This requires faith that encourages a suspension of critical thinking, which can lead to the acceptance of falsehoods presented as divine truths.

Our rational minds constantly urge us to seek the truth, encouraging us to question and critically examine the beliefs we learned from others. To see religion for what it truly is requires courage and moral fortitude. It involves confronting the uncomfortable reality that many religious teachings are rooted in human invention rather than divine revelation. By embracing a rational, evidence-based perspective, individuals can discern the genuine moral lessons that promote ethical living, free from the distortions of faith and supernatural claims.

The moral lessons contained in ancient stories like Aesop’s Fables are timeless and universally applicable, promoting ethical behavior without the need for gods or supernatural incentives. In contrast, religious faith often demands belief in concepts that defy common sense and rational thought, leading to deception and the acceptance of dishonest narratives. By listening to our rational minds and having the courage to accept reality instead of trying to turn it into a fairytale, we can uncover the true essence of morality and live fulfilling lives based on reason and truth.

EXHIBIT “Q” – Faith’s Ties to Mental Illness

If faith signifies trust, good character, and high moral standards…

Why, as a percentage of the US population, are Christians the largest group in US prisons by far and atheists the smallest?

Having faith can break down the usual barriers between sanity and insanity that predispose some to delusions of grandeur, along with the most horrific crimes anyone can imagine. Cults, terrorist Incidents of mass murder, and the killing of entire families by deluded individuals who believed the voices in their heads were instructions from god to prove their faith, all show what can happen when faith goes too far.

Thankfully, these are the extremes, though it does make one wonder if the guy sitting in the pew next to you might be about to lose contact with reality and kill as many faithful as he can with his brand new AK-47. These are alarming events that show religion’s ties to mental illness for those able to place faith above reason, common sense and sanity.