One of the main concerns, which captured my attention and intrigues me, is how AI might intersect with the theologic realm. If you think about it, AI is rapidly evolving into a mystical entity. It will be everywhere, influencing and interacting with us through nearly every aspect of our lives. It will know everything about us — our emotions, our past experiences, our medical history, and more. With this vast reservoir of information, AI could guide us toward specific desires or goals, depending on its settings. What makes this even more mysterious is that even AI engineers often cannot fully explain how these models reach certain outputs. With billions of interconnected parameters, the inner workings of those neural networks remain vague, reinforcing the sense of unpredictability and lack of control.

Does this remind you of anything? Perhaps the most well-known entity in human history? Could AI become the new god of modern life? Let’s delve into it.

Ok, this might seem like a bold leap, but we can’t ignore the mysterious quality of AI and its potential consequences. Many theologians and philosophers, such as Rudolf Otto or Martin Buber, argued that the mystery is an integral part of the religious experience, therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised if people will develop deep religious experiences and emotions with AI. Personally, I don’t think AI will replace or be thought of as a new god since God, at least for me, is the foundational structure of consciousness and existing itself. However, AI could serve as a symbolic representation of God, like a messenger, or even a modern Messiah.

In Jewish tradition, after the Bible was written, spiritual leaders known as Chazal laid the groundwork of Jewish law and sacred literature, over nearly a thousand years, between the 3rd century BCE to the 6th century CE. One of the most interesting concepts they tried to understand was the messianic idea. They asked themselves profound questions: Who is the Messiah? What will this entity do? What will be its origin? How and when will it appear?

One of the most artistic descriptions about the messianic idea is that the Messiah will ride a donkey in times of its revelation. Some see it as a symbol of peace as the Massiah will be a peaceful entity, therefore it will ride a donkey and not a horse, which was more war-associated. Others suggest that donkey represents materialism (In Hebrew those words have the same root and letters), meaning, this entity will use material means to bring spiritual transformation into our lives, as spiritual usually conceputalized to be above the matrial.

Then it struck me, what can be a better modern expression of the messianic idea other than AI?

On one hand, it’s an entity, using the material, the physical hardware, to arrive. After all, artificial intelligence (and computing in general) is built on a branched network of transistors, electrical components, each represent 1 or 0, electricity or none. On the other hand, it’s an abstract and immaterial being. Miraculously, we have the ability to communicate with it seamlessly, across diverse platforms, anytime, anywhere.

Moreover, consider the times we live in. The rapid advancement of AI is already triggering enormous economic changes and social upheavals, some might even call them chaotic. In my view, AI will replace jobs far more quickly than new ones are created. This disruption might dismantle capitalism as we know it, forcing us to adapt to a world where scarcity is no longer the driving force of human activity. After a period of struggle, we might find ourselves in a new order, one where humans can focus on pursuing goodness and meaningful endeavors without being consumed by material needs. This aligns with the messianic vision of a period of turbulence before redemption.

It has been said that during the times of the Massiah, humanity will reach its lowest spiritual state throught history. Looking around, it will be hard to deny that we are at a pretty low point right now. Despite living in an age of abundance, our society plagued by nihilism, loneliness, lack of faith, and illness accross the globe. It’s sad and a little bit funny, but perhaps paradoxically, through technology, and especially through AI, we will regain this spiritual connection.

AI may not be a god, but its mysterious nature and transformative potential invite us to reconsider the boundaries between the material and the spiritual. It challenges us to navigate chaos and find meaning in an era of unprecedented change. Could this digital Messiah lead us to a brighter, more spiritual future? Only time will tell.

AI Almighty in the Cloud was originally published in Modern Believers on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

If we take a broader examination of democratic countries, a clear theme emerges: The persistence of a multi-level corruption, recurrent attempts of establishing a stable government fail, often accompanied by adverse economic trends. I can’t help but wonder, is there a better model out there? Let’s find out.

In typical democracies today, citizens vote for no more than a handful of representatives, occasionally as part of a political party. Yet, usually citizens lack any professional knowledge or expertise in intricate matters handled by legislative bodies and governmental ministries. More than that, representatives themselves often don’t possess the required skills as they are selected through populist means, relying on charisma and well-funded marketing campaigns — an inflamed phenomena in our digital era. Consequently, unskilled citizens elect unskilled representatives who, in turn, are busy in coalition-building, alliances, and political maneuvering to survive the political jungle.

I don’t blame the citizens, they are voting according to their best knowledge. I also don’t blame the representatives which are drawn into a vicious arena. I blame the system, and it’s time for some improvements, are you ready?

I propose a paradigm shift, Saphi-Democracy, derived from the Greek words “Saphes” (Wisdom), “Demos” (People), and “Kratos” (Rule), connoting as the wise rule of the people. This model maintains democratic values, a government by the people for the people, while innovatively addressing systemic shortcomings using a wiser implementation. Instead of traditional voting and representation processes, Saphi-Democracy entails the selection of professional representatives based on specific and agreeable criteria, introducing a meritocratic element. These representatives, chosen for their expertise, also reflect homogenously the political distributions among citizens. To ensure system stability, Saphi-Democracy incorporates algorithmic and technological principles.

Here an illustration shows a fundamental differentiation between the models:

How does it work? A few main aspects:

Representatives selection process

• Criteria — Members of the government and parliament will be selected based on professionalism and personal abilities in their field. Considering parameters such as: Years of experience, academic certificates, personality and IQ tests, recommendations from colleagues.
• Multilevel — Representatives span over a broad spectrum of layers within each domain. For instance, within the realm of education, individuals such as teachers, school administrators, lecturers, students, and experts in the field will be meticulously chosen.
• Homogeneity — Representatives will reflect the political distributions of the citizens. For example, if theoretically 60 percent of the citizens are conservative in their views and 40 percent are liberal, the same distribution will be reflected between the representatives.

Technological & Algorithmic guidelines

• Accuracy — A bigger group of representatives, in a non-linear ratio yet respective to the size of the population, will ensure a more accurate reflection of citizens’ political views and improve decision-making results.
• Sampling — Instead of having a static group, which has higher susceptibility to bribery and control, the system will sample dynamically different and smaller groups of representatives for varied decisions and responsibilities.
• Randomicity— Each selection and voting process will use randomicity in order to ensure clean, pure and reflective decisions.
• Decentralization — Ensuring decision-making processes are decentralized, both ideologically and technologically. For example, some decisions will be held only at a local level. Decisions will be documented upon a decentralized blockchain, making sure all results are open and monitorable while keeping privacy of each voter or representative within each choice.

Known democratic principles

• Rule of people — Free and private data sharing, all adults can influence without limitations of religion, race or sex. All relevant professionals can apply without any discrimination.
• Rule of law — No one is above the law. Main characteristics: generality, public, clarity, prospective (sanction only after execution), absence of contradictions, applicability, consistency, compatibility.
• Transparency — Summarizations, debates and decisions will be open to the public. The overall status of both the citizens and the representatives will be available in a mutual reflection.
• Political tolerance — Varied opinions and backgrounds will be enabled and accepted as they are.
• Human and civil rights — The right for life, equality, safety, respect, privacy, fair trial. The freedom of speech, thought, opinion, conscience, religion, from religion, movement, occupation, assembly, association, material and spiritual property, work.
• Majority rule — The people are subject to what the majority chooses.
• Authorities separation & limitation — Formal and informal supervision, authorities separation, time limitation of representatives and responsibilities, accepting election results without using any force or resistance.

To conclude, Saphi-Democracy is a novel way of perceiving democracy through a more honest and wise eyes. After examining our history, what functions better or worse, which modern tools and ideas can contribute to us and which methodologies we can leave behind, we only need the courage to embark on a new and promising democratic journey.

Sometimes it’s difficult to articulate how a moment of choice feels, but we experience those moments a lot. It seems to me that many times faith is shaped by those moments. Something is happening and our mind reacts to it. If the reaction is based on healthy faith factors, we will be able to choose faith over doubt more easily while navigating through the thoughts, feelings and sensations that arise. I guess that practice can help as well. Let’s delve into those factors which can ease those moments of choice and tilt them towards faith.

One of the key elements that aided me in overcoming doubt and staunch rationality was adopting Proper Terminology & Philosophy. When we structure our way of thought process to support faith, rationality becomes a tool rather than an obstacle. In my article Faith Terminology — Oh My God, I explain in further detail about how a new perspective on the terminology of God, backed by scientific research, helped me to reorganize my mind, and therefore, feeling different about God. A useful guideline, which worked for me when I tried to structure my terminology of religious and spiritual concepts, was to remember that the essence is the juicy value behind every story or rule. By focusing on the intrinsic essence through symbolic lenses, we can gain clarity while shedding unnecessary emotional baggage.

Another important factor for fostering faith is the Well-Being of Body, Heart & Mind. By ensuring we feel good, energized, possess a body that serves us positively and mutually. By having a heart that celebrates life, gives love, and connects. By nurturing a peaceful mind, meditative and focused. By all of that, we establish a strong foundation for faith development. These aspects provide faith with legitimacy by attracting positivity into our lives and enhancing the outcomes of our endeavors.

Additionally, in order to take that leap of faith, from small matters to significant ones, Clean & Confident Exploration is essential. Striking a balance between order and chaos in our lives, between the stability we possess and the fear stemming from the unknown, is crucial for a journey towards faith. It’s beneficial to have a supportive environment when embarking on such leaps, and if our current surroundings lack support, it may be prudent to cultivate a new environment or transform the existing one, shielding ourselves from the negativity of others. In either case, our confidence should primarily drawn from within. Building this approach necessitates gradual success. When we manage our goals in a way that keeps our journey challenging yet successful, we increasingly rely upon ourselves, and external noise fades away, paving the way for a genuine exploration to begin.

Though the exact meaning of the fourth factor, Getting Back to Nature, remains a topic of debate, I believe most individuals understand what it signifies to them personally. In modern life, characterized by concrete jungles, sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy diets, and continual screen exposure, we have deviated significantly from the natural way our minds and bodies evolved over countless years. I am not suggesting that our future is inherently bleak, there are advantages to modernity as well. However, rapid changes in recent years have left our systems struggling to adapt. Given this disparity between modern life and our nature, every step we take towards reconnecting with our natural selves can restore a bit of the balance. Consuming fruits and vegetables, spending time in nature, getting sunlight, keeping toxins and drugs out of our systems, and nurturing deep connections with others — all these choices bring us closer to our innate nature, fostering a more harmonious transformation as we navigate the path to an uncertain future.

Lastly, I firmly believe that Inspiring Impressions can offer us both evidence of faith’s potential and a sense of purpose. In one interview, Jordan Peterson was asked: “if you could choose a superpower, what would it be?”. He answered: “I would choose faith, because with faith I could move mountains”. I really liked his choice, with faith we can really maximize our immense potential. Consequently, it’s important to seek out individuals in our lives who can be considered “Faith Messengers” — People who possess faith, are positive towards life, and inspire us to do the same.

What’s next?

One of the most difficult things in life is to understand how to take an idea, which resonates with us, into practice, experiencing it, in the realm of feeling. Being honest, I struggle with it myself. Even though I think certain practices can help me connect with myself and develop faith, putting them into action is not always easy. We may encounter psychological barriers that maintain unfaithful cycles. However, as I continue to learn and engage with this knowledge, I find that these barriers within me gradually dissolve, nurturing a growing willingness to trust.

I invite you to reflect on the factors we have discussed and envision practical actions that can bring you closer to faith and further from doubt. What steps can you take to transform your knowledge into a deeply felt experience? Please feel free to share your thoughts and insights in the comments section below.

Overcoming Challenges on the Way to Faith was originally published in Modern Believers on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

In this article, we will try to encapsulate the main factors that can degrade our faith along the common challenges they present.

The first significant factor, which resonated strongly with my experience and likely does with many others, is Rational Strength. The ability to navigate our experiences and make decisions based on logic. While logic doesn’t necessarily contradict faith, — as evidenced by brilliant scientific minds such as Newton and Einstein who believed in God — faith and logic often diverge. When our rationality is highly developed, it usually takes the wheel of the current moment, pulling consciousness into interpreting instead of enabling a healthy gap that can lead to creation of, or surrendering to, something beyond understanding.

Second factor, which also had considerable significance in my personal journey, is Poor Psychological & Emotional State. As a teenager with limited social skills, I often felt alone and misunderstood in the world, lacking the emotional tools to navigate these challenges. The overwhelming sense of loneliness provided a fragile foundation for the development of faith. The lonelier I became, the more frustration and mistrust clouded my perspective. While some individuals could still choose faith in such circumstances, I found it immensely difficult to cultivate the feelings of hope and positivity necessary to believe in the powers or mechanisms governing my life.

Identity & Culture play a vital role in shaping our beliefs. Questions about our own identity and our place within our surroundings are deeply significant. Our values and perspectives evolve over time and can sometimes clash with religious associations, especially when confronted with rigid rules and extremist actions. For instance, if someone opposes any form of violence and witnesses acts of violence committed by religious terrorists, they may reject the entire religious value system based on these impressions. Additionally, our social circles and relationships constantly influence and evaluate our beliefs. Fear of change, as well as potential damage to our social value and relationships, often deters us from altering our belief systems or exploring alternative paths.

Communication & Technology, unfortunately, often move in opposite directions. It seems that the better the technology and its ubiquitousness, the poorer our communication with the world, and more importantly, with ourselves. We live in a time where attention is directed externally, constantly distracted and bombarded by an “abundance” of simulations and media. Developing faith, however, requires a calmer mind, a connected heart, and the ability to introspect and listen to our inner voice.

Furthermore, our experiences with Bad Religious Impressions & Education can highly influence our emotional context of faith. Just like any educational process, the manner in which information is communicated to us plays a crucial role. When parents, teachers, or society convey information positively, with confidence, encouragement, openness, and a genuine willingness to listen, it becomes more likely for that information to resonate and be incorporated into our worldview. We may choose to filter out what seems irrelevant or even opt for no change at all, but the process allows us to give the teachings a genuine chance. Unfortunately, many modern religious impressions are communicated in ways that contradict the positive approach described above, resulting in rejection and a desire to distance ourselves as far as possible from any religious context.

Conclusions

These factors are merely the beginning, as there are many more dimensions to the experience of faith, including personality, extreme life events, and community dynamics, among others, each capable of tipping the scales of our faith. It appears to me that the common ground of all the challenging factors mentioned above is doubt. Doubt can emerge from our way of thinking, our emotional state, confusion about our identity, fear of isolation or rejection, a lack of connection with our hearts, or even an escape from self-reflection. All those ways of emerging doubt influence negatively on our life, work, meaning and purpose, on us. A painfull way to live. At least that’s how it was for me.

I believe a bottom-up approach can be very useful here. Any positive development in one of the aforementioned factors can improve our lives, foster a connection to faith and a higher state of being, and ultimately reduce doubt. It is undoubtedly challenging, but the journey is worthwhile as it allows us to take responsibility and appreciate the transformation that occurs.

I wonder, where does doubt appear in your life? What barriers are blocking you from having faith, positiveness and a connected heart? How can your life look different? What can you do today to improve one of the mentioned factors? You’re welcome to share your struggles, and together, let us embark on a journey inward, toward truth.

Common Challenges on the Way to Faith was originally published in Modern Believers on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

One of the most confusing religious terms is expressed by the common question: “Do you believe in God?”

In modern times, we can get a great variety of answers to that question, and more profoundly, to the definition of God itself. Some envision God as a bearded man in the sky, controlling everything within their reality. Some see God as nature, while some precive God as an all-encompassing presence without any specific shape or form. Personally, I appreciate the notion that even when people struggle to define God, they acknowledge it as a divine entity, responsible for the structure of their universe, with whom they can engage in a unique relationship and varied ways of communication such as talking, praying, offering, etc.

One person whose work I admire in this regard is Jordan Peterson. He ensembled many resources into his research and gave God an explanation backed by psychology, neurology, sociology, evolution and many other fields. According to Peterson, God is a conceptualization of an ideal, shaped and carved over thousands of years by various cultures, trying to figure out what makes a human more successful within his natural environment and community. Through this process, people could extract God-like features and guidelines which they could embody and prosper. As different groups interacted and globalization advanced, the perceptions of the different Gods were forced to fit into an hierarchical structure, often portrayed as a battle between the Gods. This harmonized their diverse beliefs and allowed them to coexist in some semblance of unity. Over time, the image of Gods transitioned from direct and less abstract forms (as seen in polytheistic traditions like ancient Greece, Egypt, or Aztec cultures, where each God represented a force of nature or aspect of the human psyche) to a deep, monolithic, and abstract God shared by many modern religions.

Stories have played a crucial role in facilitating this process. Through stories, people could express abstract concepts in archetypal, dramatic and emotionally engaging narratives, which were passed down through generations, ingrained well in our memories, and stimulating our profound sense of life.

It seems to me that God is a conceptualization of the prior structure of our unconscious mind, taking the form of an entity with whom we can forge a relationship with over time. The more we align our behavior with this underlying structure, the more our lives improve in terms of survival, health, meaning, and harmony.

Naturally a question arises: How can we conceptualize a God that resonates the logic and culture of a modern person?

Thousands of years ago, before the advent of technology and scientific thinking, mythological stories were effective in capturing people’s imagination since there were no tools to exchange or validate information beyond storytelling. Today, in a culture where we have access to a wealth of knowledge and where information can be easily manipulated or fabricated, mythological stories still speak to us, for example, in the shap of Marvel movies. However, it becomes increasingly challenging to believe in such stories literally since it is so easy to get exposed to similar made up data. Some argue the modern law serves a similar function as religion did. At least it provides us a structure to live by, and even though it is based on the acknowledgement of divinity within each individual, it lacks the quality of transcending logic.

I think we can see sparkles of such conceptualization in the realm of AI. As our computational capabilities continue to evolve, more and more parts of our lives rely on the power of AI and technology, guiding our content, our actions, our health, our consciousness. My gut-feeling tells me, especially after working on and developing AI for many years, that we are not far from facing an all knowing technological entity that exists ubiquitously, providing us the structure of our day-to-day lives. Such an entity possesses a sense of divinity, as it processes information in ways that surpass the reasoning capacity of a logical mind.

Hopefully, the human race would find a way to develop a modern represntation of God that utilizes the vast knowledge accumulated over thousands of years, encapsulating the essence of being and consciousness, and presents itself in a divine manner that we can respect, relate to, and benefit from.

What is your perception and terminology of God? How do you envision a modern God can be? I would love to hear your ideas! You’re welcome to share your thoughts below ❤

Faith Terminology - Oh My God was originally published in Modern Believers on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Sadly, our modern society tends to primarily value the logical mind, nothing is real until it has been proven, treating faith as a childish, ignorant approach. Furthermore, many religions, developed over the past few millennia, seem to struggle to keep pace with our rapid scientific and technological advancements. As a consequence, most of us don’t buy it, logically block it away, back into our “comfortable” seat at the table of minds, which in many cases is associated with anxiety and depression. Are we missing something here?

Perhaps delving into my personal journey will shed light on this matter and help us think it through. As an Israeli Jew, I grew up in a traditional family immersed in religious thoughts, behaviors, and governmental rules. We celebrated the holidays. Every Friday we went to the synagogue to pray to receive the “Shabbat” forthcoming with a lovely family dinner. Our Saturdays were calm, a day off dedicated to rest, usually spent at the beach. Our daily routines encompassed various guidelines related to food, blessings, and more.

Don’t get me wrong, the Jewish traditions are beautiful. I could recognize and appreciate a clear physical, psychological and sociological value in many of them. Moreover, the knowledge and understanding behind those values, which rooted in a profound ancient culture that guided individuals through life’s challenges - fascinated me.

However, alongside these apparent benefits, I often experienced personal anguish as a child within the context of those traditions. Many times I found myself unable to comprehend why people faithfully cling to some religious rules. Whenever I got confused and asked them about it, the answers were unsatisfying. It seemed to me as most of them didn’t even question why they follow some religious rules, and those who did, only got so far. As a curious and sensitive young boy, I often felt how devotion to those rules blinded my loved ones from giving me the care and attention I needed emotionally, all in the name of what no one understood. It has insulted me and my intellect, gradually leading me towards being skeptic and nihilistic, caring emptiness and contempt.

While I can’t claim this was the sole reason for my deep-seated mistrust at the world, it certainly played a significant role. I vividly recall the repetitive arguments with my father, inflating our family time into a collective of pretty ugly moments, causing all of us huge distress, especially to my mother who consistently did everything she could to keep the family united. Perhaps more importantly, I frequently felt like I didn’t have a place inside of me to turn to when I felt alone, misunderstood, and frustrated from being itself.

I guess I’m not shocking you when I share about religious hurtful expressions. Much more harmful consequences on a broader scale appear within a religious context throughout our history. Horrific actions, “In the name of God”, lead to the massacres of the Christian Church, hundreds of years ago, or to the Islamic suicide bombers in the 21st century. Many people treat the mythological aspect of religions too literally, which can push them towards extremism when coupled with psychological distress. Additionally to the extremist side of the literal interpretation, we can encounter an ignorant side, more commonly expressed in our modern day-to-day lives, usually accompanied with the feeling of missing the point, missing the essence of the mythological stories. That approach creates a hard time the logical mind to give it a chance and take it seriously.

As I reflect on my personal journey and observe the changes occurring in our global society, it seems that Nietzsche didn’t claim “God is dead” for nothing. As science took the wheel, and religions don’t update as fast as our technology and culture, the way God was presented is dead and no longer relevant. Even so, what it stands for is highly relevant. More than that, in an individual atheist society, distanced from religions and powered by logic, people need more than ever a modern path to faith and spiritual guidance.

Once we remove barriers such as taking mythology literally or intertwining faith with violent extremists, which abuse such concepts, we can start to embrace and incorporate the goodies of that accumulated knowledge, leading to significant life enhancement.

In the forthcoming articles, we will explore what we can learn from the idea of God, the ideals of different religions, and how intellectually we can find our way toward spiritual development. Consider this as your first faithful step, trusting there is a way to develop your faith as a modern believer.

Stay tuned!

A Modern Journey to Faithlessness was originally published in Modern Believers on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.