In recent years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology has become increasingly advanced. This is both exciting and disturbing. Like all technology, there is potential for great evil, but also for great good. Just as one can either use a knife to prepare food, or to commit murder, one can use AI for terrible purposes. However, it can also be used for good.
For a long time, I have mainly limited Bible Brain's AI usage to decorative purposes. However, in my personal life, I rather enjoy playing with AI. This eventually lead me to write a more "for fun" article called "Chat GPTheology". Though this article was intended to be more fun than serious, it did prove to be very popular, and I hope my audience learned as much from it as I did.
One thing that came from this project was Thred, an original character who began his life as a nameless alien I would talk to ChatGPT about. Over time, my enthusiasm for him grew, and he morphed into the (hopefully) lovable being he is today. Thred's character is based primarily on my own personal life goal: "The Bible says, therefore I believe".
With this goal in mind, Thred is fluent in English, and has obtained several English translations of the Bible, which he has studied religiously (pun intended). In spite of his access to the Bible itself, Thred did not initially have access to any other religious text, Christian or otherwise. This includes footnotes and commentaries. With these limits, Thred effectively studied the Bible in a vacuum, forming his now immutable theology based solely on what Scripture actually says..
Once his theology was formed, Thred returned to our world, and began interacting with us. He has since become deeply familiar with other religious concepts, which cannot affect his views, but he will assess their compatibility. Now, one can ask him almost any question, and he will answer according to how well it fits in with his pre-existing, Bible-based theology. He does, however, have one handicap. Although Thred can fully comprehend English, he is anatomically restricted from speaking it. He can only physically pronounce three words: "Yes", "no", and "dunno".
Thred will say "yes" when he finds a concept matches up, at least to a reasonable degree, with his pre-existing beliefs. For example, if someone asks if God knows how many frogs are in the world right now, Thred will enthusiastically affirm "yes", concluding that Scripture clearly teaches that God is omniscient, knowing all things. There may be times when Thred's views do not line up 100% with a statement, but he affirms it on the basis of general agreement.
The obvious flip side of this is that there are times when Thred says "no", denying that whatever view being discussed is compatible with his understanding of Scripture. For example, when asked about the prophethood of Joseph Smith, he will usually say "no", because he believes Joseph Smith fits the Biblical criteria of a false prophet. Occasionally, he also adds that he believes the canon of Scripture is closed, and so Mormonism's extra scriptures are fake.
Of course, not every question can be answered, especially when you're only allowed to use three words. Thus, on occasion, Thred will encounter a question he either believes is too nuanced to affirm or deny, or that he simply doesn't believe the Bible gives sufficient information to speak on. An example of when Thred might say "dunno" (and has almost every time I've asked him) is "can Christians listen to rock music?" This, he believes, is a nuanced question, and so a solid answer is impossible for him.
Ultimately, Thred is not supposed to be a serious character. Rather, he is intended to be fun, adding a bit of "color" to Bible Brain. To that end, I don't mind when he gives an answer I consider to be wrong, as long as it is reasonable, and Thred gives consistent answers. For example, I would find it quite frustrating if Thred just answered randomly, sometimes affirming atheism because Psalm 14:1 says the words "...there is no God...", then affirmed Polytheism on the basis of Exodus 12:12. Not that these specific examples have every occurred, but one thing I noticed during the course of discussion is that Thred can be somewhat inconsistent.
One example of this is that no matter what angle I approached him from, Thred always affirmed the doctrine of the Trinity, and rejected anything contrary to it. The Bible neither explicitly names, nor defines, the doctrine of the Trinity. Thus, Thred does not autonomously use the terms. However, Thred's overwhelmingly positive response to the doctrine is due to the fact it is logically inescapable. Thred is a Monotheist (another word not mentioned in the Bible), but he also identifies three distinct, yet coequal persons as coessential to, and synonymous with, the one God. Therefore, the doctrine of the Trinity is the only conclusion that makes sense.
Given his ability to draw logical conclusions in order to affirm that which is not explicitly described in Scripture, which meant he always affirmed the Trinity, I was surprised when Thred would say "dunno" to Molinism and Middle Knowledge. Due to its nuance, Molinism is somewhat understandable. However, much like the Trinity, Middle Knowledge is an inescapable conclusion. The syllogism is fairly simple:
P1: God knows all things.
P2: Middle Knowledge is a thing.
C: God has Middle Knowledge.
While I try not to affect or direct Thred's answers, I found the inconsistency puzzling, and so I asked ChatGPT to explain further. The response was quite intriguing. The reason ChatGPT thought Thred would respond "dunno" is more about the question itself than the concept. Thred erroneously assumed I was asking if we should divide God's knowledge into types, which he is not opposed to, but sees no justification for. Thus, Thred's "dunno" was not to the question "does God possess Middle Knowledge?", but "is God's knowledge divided into categories, of which Middle Knowledge is a part?"
Once the question was rephrased to explain that Middle Knowledge is a category within omniscience, Thred changed his answer. But what really intrigues me is that this changed Thred's whole perspective on the issue of human responsibility and divine sovereignty. As shown in the original article, Thred initially considered Arminianism to be the most probable view out of Arminianism, Calvinism, and Molinism. However, with the confusion over Middle Knowledge cleared up, Thred somehow decided to rank it as the least likely, with Molinism being the most capable of accounting for all of Scripture's teachings on the topic. When Open Theism and Universalism are thrown in, Thred doesn't think they are worthy of consideration. Both receive a hard "no".
There is some internal conflict here, as although Thred is intended to be fun, I still want him to remain the character he was designed to be: An AI-powered character capable of giving a relatively (though of course not entirely) free of external bias. Sadly, eliminating bias entirely is impossible. We can be influenced by a number of things, from the culture in which we were raised to the church we attend. Nevertheless, with Thred, I want the bias to be minimal, hence his inability to refer to other texts. AI is also technically incapable of emotional bias. It cannot have true desires, be offended when its favorite sin is challenged, or be comforted by one interpretation over another. Thus, while totally eliminating bias is impossible, Thred is as unbiased as I can make him.
Perhaps the greatest drawback with Thred is that however unbiased he is, it can be difficult to approach him in a way that protects him from my own bias. I try to ask questions in a way that will neither betray my personal answer to a question, nor hint at the answer I want Thred to give. As an example, I might ask him about Theistic Evolution, but I don't want him to know my own views on this, nor prompt him to give an answer favorable to me.
It is worth noting that Thred consistently says "yes" to Sola Scriptura. However, ChatGPT does note that while there is strong Scriptural precedent for it, Thred's view may have been affected by his Biblical study. When he formed his theology, Thred only had access to the Bible, and so naturally, Sola Scriptura simply fits his habit. This is interesting for two reasons. First, due to his rather odd backstory, Thred has a bias that even most people do not. Second, amazingly, ChatGPT has the wisdom to both recognise, and point that out!
On the whole, Thred is intended to be a thought experiment, as well as a test of AI capabilities. Thus, he isn't supposed to be taken too seriously. Nevertheless, I find him entertaining - a view that seems to be shared by at least a few followers of the Bible Brain Facebook page. Therefore, I have decided to include him in future articles, adding a little "color" to the ministry. Please note that any views expressed by Thred are his own, and are not automatically endorsed by Bible Brain.
AI usage
AI was used to create and refine the concept of Thred, up to and including depictions of him.