Heaven, Hell, and Artificial Intelligence

When I was growing up, one of my favorite TV shows to watch was The Jetsons. George, Jane, Elroy, Astro (one of my favorites), and Judy were a consistent fixture of my childhood. It was far-fetched to imagine something like Rosie being a robot that had actual relationships with people. But, today there are various companies emerging that give humans that very chance. They offer humans the opportunity to have a “relationship” with an artificially created “person”.

AI (Artificial Intelligence) Companions are offering people the opportunity to have relationships with a companion that is artificially created. These “companions” offer things from personalized avatars, voice communication abilities to have a conversation with you, the ability to simulate empathy, and adjusts based on human interaction. 

But, what exactly does artificial “people” and “relationships” have to do with heaven or hell? The true essence of what makes us special is that God created us with a soul and He desires to have a relationship with us. He wants to spend eternity with us. 

There are many that will deny hell even exists. But, to deny hell is to deny human free will. If we have no free will then we are nothing but a Rosie to the Lord. We are nothing but a programmed artificial “intelligence” that only responds the way we are told to respond and looks, acts, and thinks the way our programmer has created us to do. That is not how God has made mankind. He made us with free will. It also opens God up to being rejected. 

There is often the question as to why God would send people to hell if He was so loving. I like to ask the opposite question. If God is so loving, why would anyone want to reject Him? The reality is God does not send anyone to hell that has not already chosen hell over God. 

Jesus’ teaching about hell is that it is an eternal separation from God. If one rejects God in this life then God is not going to force them to live with Him in eternity. 

It’s not God’s desire for anyone to go to hell. He wants everyone to have eternity with Him. That is just not possible because of free will. God wants us to also choose to love Him and not just be a programmed person that is made to love Him. Love is not love if it is not freely given and God freely gives His love to us with the hopes that we love Him as well. 

“I call heaven and earth today to witness again you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him. For that will mean life for you, a long life for you to live on the land which the Lord swore he would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20)

One of the most well-known verses in all of Sacred Scripture is perhaps John 3:16. However, if one goes a couple verses beyond just verse 16 then we see that hell is a choice. 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:16-18)

It is not God’s choice for any individual to go to hell. It a person goes to hell then it is because they chose hell over God. They choice sin over the Savior. They chose hate over love. They chose violence over peace. The chose the Prince of this World over the Prince of Peace.