(AI-generated image of an angel robot fighting a demon robot for a handaxe I guess)
I wrote this when my friends were discussing the topic, and I think it'd be nice to have all my thoughts on the topic right here. First, I'd point to Genesis 4, where it describes the children of Cain. Generally, Cain’s line was much better than Seth’s. He, in an ultimate rags-to-riches story, went from being the first son of fallen man living in a shack with his parents to king of a great city, the first city, called Enoch. A couple generations down, we see Lamech, the son of Cain who was the first (known) polygamist and said to have crimes many times more wicked than Cain. However, his wives bore him three children: Jabal, creator of tents and the keeper of livestock; Jubal, inventor of music; and Tubal-Cain, whose name literally means "spice of Cain," because he invented metallurgy to give greater flavor (so to speak) to Cain's crimes with weapons of destruction. In addition, some early traditions even held that it was demons which taught these men to do such for various purposes. Tents and cities by extension, were built so that men could hide their crimes and produce off the backs of others, since Cain could not actually produce from the ground. Animals were raised for similar reasons, so that they could be killed and eaten apart from god’s ordination as well as for the sake of sacrifices to demons. Music was invented for the sake of witchcraft, seduction, and debauchery. And as mentioned above, metallurgy brought greater power and even artistry to murder.
With that said, all these things are also made holy elsewhere in the Old Testament. In Exodus 31, the Lord commissions Oholiab and Bezalel to build the tabernacle, saying, “I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft.” (v. 3-5) Later, under David, we see Asaph commissioned to lead a choir of priests, playing beautiful music and singing praises to the Lord (1 Chronicles 31). A tent, under which livestock are sacrificed, is used for the worship of God. The Ark of the Covenant–the place where the Lord’s presence dwells in Israel–as well as the furnishings of the tent and the breastplate of the priest, are made with metallurgy. The worship of the Davidic kingdom was accompanied by music which was once used to praise demons.
However, there is a warning in David’s son, Solomon, the wisest man alive. It was under him that the ark was stolen and under him that the recurring theme of the idolatrous king began to rear its ugly head, all with the same bells and whistles as seen in the line of Cain.
I think this really is true for all pieces of technology. The internet, which allows for the near-instant communication of ideas across the world, is akin to the tents which allowed men to gather together as well as travel more effectively. Social media is akin to music, which is often used for vanity and debauchery. And the final thing here is AI, the greatest piece of artifice, a shadow of life itself which allows man to transcend his mortality–at least that’s much the rhetoric involved.
However, as one of my friends mentioned, the potentials for this technology are also limitless. Through the internet and social media, many are coming to faith who would never before, and this instant transmission of ideas has made it much easier to share the Gospel with people across the world. The same is true for AI, which can be used for good, like for bible translations or as theological librarians, able to sort through information to find things more easily, or probably many more ideas that I couldn’t possibly dream of. However, we ought to be careful. These things which mankind is likely not ready for, just as he wasn’t ready for the knowledge of good and evil or the fire of Prometheus or the art of metallurgy, must be reigned in by those with the Spirit of God, called to do such work in a God-pleasing way, lest we build the bodies for demons and create new giants to torment the children of God.
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