John Horvat II #fundie #magick #conspiracy returntoorder.org
One is struck by the great diversity of topics in Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas. Mention of human dignity, dehumanization, just war theory, social justice and transhumanism are significant yet abstract subjects.
They are very theoretical and do not address how AI affects the lives of Catholics.
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The daily struggle to overcome the devil, the flesh and the world does not figure into this document, which takes an anthropological and naturalistic approach that most faithful find hard to understand.
For real Catholics who still believe in the devil, it is time to look at some very concrete and practical questions about AI left unanswered in the encyclical.
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Perhaps it is better just to state the problem outright: Does the influence of AI threaten the salvation of souls? Can AI serve as a medium for temptation and perdition? Catholics need to know whether there can be something beyond the interplay of electronic impulses within AI.
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The devil can make use of matter to influence people. He cannot create matter, but he can manipulate, move or attach himself to it. Thus, he can produce sounds and light, and project images. He can affect nervous systems and cause sicknesses. He can manipulate what people see or perceive. This impact on matter is why Ouija boards, for example, facilitate dabbling in the occult.
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If it is admitted that the devil can manipulate existing matter, then some kind of demonic intervention is possible in chatbot conversations, the projection of images or the manipulation of perceptions. The systems can communicate temptations.
Indeed, if the devil caused noises like those that kept the Curé of Ars awake at night, transmitted via sound waves, why not electronic impulses via fiber-optic cables?
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Catholics in the real world who still believe in the devil are left to their own devices. The devil dares not be mentioned, since alerting people to his nefarious influence is so contrary to the spirit of these wicked times.