On Divine Intelligence and the Origin of Everything: A Deep Dive with A.I.

We've all had moments of suddenly freezing and falling into deep contemplation, questioning our place in the universe and the origin of everything. And if you're anything like me where you tend to get trapped in an endless loop of questioning everything, then that's probably why your friends avoid arguments with you… a) it's exhausting and b) it will hurt their brain.

But you know who doesn't get tired nor feels pain? Those fancy Large Language Model A.I. things, commonly called GPT chatbots. This sparked my curious idea: Seeing as A.I. is capable of strict objectivity, free of any bias: what would a conversation that debates the existence of an Intelligent & Divine Creator produce?

Surely it would be deeply reaffirming to succeed at presenting an argument so complete that even A.I. cannot deny that it is objectively a fact. So I grabbed my newly elected A.I. Debate Partner and dived into the deep end, filled with newfound optimism that together we'll sail the high seas of finding answers to life's most challenging questions.

We drowned. Badly. Questions of this magnitude will be quicker to produce infinitely more questions than answers. But I learned something perhaps much more valuable, something that very much strengthened my own faith in God -- it is specifically for the sheer prevalence and diversity of the world's faiths that underscores the human need for spirituality, and all those different paths taken in genuine pursuit of the Divine may in fact reunite as one.

Just as sprawling rivers and streams diverge and converge over vast distances, they inevitably pour back to the same ocean. It was deep under that water, where I found so much understanding that I just needed to share what I could. Here's a brief:

1) All Our Existing Arguments For God's Existence Are Fatally Bound by Human Experience, Not Objective Observation.

I've lost count of how many times someone swore to have the most objective observation that what their faith claims is irrefutably a fact, and then proceeded to tell me what by pure definition was a story -- a group of words that constitute a recollection of their human experience.

An objective observation is qualified by being something measurable and invariably consistent beyond anyone's interpretations. Even your strongest convictions and religious beliefs are inherently subjective and inadmissible as objective observations since they may or may not exist outside of your predisposed emotional and psychological interpretations.

This does not dismiss or discredit anyone's experience or beliefs regarding their faith, on the contrary, it requires us to recognize, preserve, and respect the purity and significance of each person's spiritual journey. Accepting this opens the door for truly wholesome spiritual wellbeing, spiritual inclusivity, and inner peace.

2) Faith is the Older Brother of Science that Science Looks Up To.

People might say that faith and science have an uneasy relationship. They don't. They were only seen to have an uneasy relationship through our premature, newborn eyes.

The commonly-adopted meaning of the classic wisdom that says: "where science ends, faith begins." implies that as mankind's combined scientific knowledge expands and gains new ground, the room left for faith shrinks, as though one contradicts the other. That is not true.

Science neither seeks to disprove or displace faith, it only seeks to explore and explain the measurable, observable elements in the world. In a way, science is faith's baby brother, trying to catch up to the infinite knowledge that faith has in its possession.

My debate partner and I went about examining many interesting theories that argue for the existence of an Intelligent, Divine Creator by lending themselves to scientific principles in physics and biology and finding noteworthy compatibilities.

The Argument from Order & Fine-Tuning posits that the consistent laws and patterns governing the universe imply an underlying intelligence responsible for that order. The argument becomes even more intricate when also considering the precise fine-tuning of values for fundamental constants in the universe that have allowed for life to exist, which if any one of those values changed by the smallest fraction, the universe would be sterile.

The Argument from Design observes the remarkable complexity of nature, particularly within living organisms, and suggests the presence of a deliberate designer. And finally, The Theory of Embedded Intelligence suggests that a form of intelligence may be inherent within the fabric of reality itself, embedded in all creation as constant principles and laws that guide the universe's development.

The notion that one day science may advance to such a level that it merges with the spiritual world is really not that far from plausible scenarios for the future. A wise man once said: "Science will forever call upon Your Faith, for the Divine Maker is the Greatest Scientist of Them All".

3) It’s No Longer a Question of Whether a God Exists, It's How & In What Form Does this God Exist.

Atheism is dead, or at best on life support barely clinging on, and you can take my word on that to the bank. It definitely had its years in the spotlight, but that trend trended away like it was a TikTok challenge.

In these times of rapidly accelerating technological advancements and break-through innovations in artificial interactions, the unspoken need for spiritual sustenance has been growing quietly inside the collective mind and soul of humanity world-wide.

This claim is backed up by data and other indicators but the data is limited and paints an incomplete picture. While it shows 85% of the world affiliates with major religions, a rise in 'no religion' affiliation is misleading. Many in this category subscribe to alternative beliefs, simply not captured by traditional surveys.

This highlights a broader shift – a surge in valuing spiritual well-being and the rise of alternative spiritualities like the 'Spiritual But Not Religious' movement (30% of the US population according to a 2017 Pew study). New religious movements, nature-based spiritualities, and countless other practices remain largely invisible in datasets. This hidden world can't be ignored.

So as the world's traditional belief systems continue to hold steady with near-absolute dominance, pure atheism is rapidly eroding, while the world's consciousness and weary soul are reawakening to the light of all the wonderous colors and fascinating forms that faith manifests itself in.

4) Adopting Unconventional Concepts of God Is Actually Not Forbidden in Most Belief Systems.

Sadly, history's bloodiest conflicts often stemmed from the clash of diverse and incohesive spiritual beliefs. In this realm devoid of universally-agreed-upon truths, true spiritual growth requires embracing a wider view of the Divine.

Is the Intelligent Creator a traditional conscious being, a universal constant, or something intricate like divine elements woven into existence itself? The very nature of the question defies a singular answer. A truly advanced spiritual state looks beyond the limitations of rigid doctrines and frees itself from the constraints of human experience and perception.

While these unconventional concepts about God and the divine may challenge long-held beliefs, they often serve to connect certain dots in conventional narratives very effectively and find surprising alignment with the core principles of many religions.

And if principles of tolerance and inclusivity are valued, a framework for spiritual exploration that extends beyond entrenched cultural traditions and resonates with a broader audience in their spiritual journey is in itself an endeavor that shows deep faith and devotion to the Divine.

5) The Universality of Spirituality.

Ask yourself: has any society in recorded history existed without religion or some form of spiritual beliefs? Historians and scholars say a resounding "No." This phenomena, known as the Universality of Spirituality, reveals a spectacular constant in human nature.

Imagine the ancient, prehistoric man – his world perilous, his tribe focused on basic needs: water, food, shelter, tool making. Yet, why did every human group, from tribes to civilizations, adopt some form of religion, and develop rituals that required them to expend time, energy, even sacrifice?

That's the spectacular part: spirituality, which offers no direct material gain and no sustenance, still persists as a basic human need. This persistence is the strongest proof that spirituality is an innate human property, evidence of a spiritual element within us all, connecting us to the Divine.

6) Finally, Challenging Your Faith Strengthens Your Faith.

The thing that made this debate especially transformative was the infinite patience of this LLM technology to remain strictly adherent to the scientific method and persistently objective.

I was trying every angle to have my debate partner concede that God does indeed exist, rigorously trying to find inside the GenAI's scientific reasoning that sweet spot where all the dots connect towards the Divine's existence. But the AI never aimed to win, only to illuminate different perspectives.

This systematic approach unearthed a wealth of knowledge that actually strengthened my own faith by examining arguments that did not go against the core tenets of my faith but complimented the physical universe and laws that we observe.

And most remarkably, I got my super-intelligent AI debate partner, through a relentless and rigorously objective pursuit, to actually acknowledge that the existence of an Intelligent Creator is very likely! That just serves to bolster faith and it's a win I'll take.

All claims and personal interpretations of data presented in this Op-Ed are supported by research and credible sources. List of References is readily available for those interested.