Is Artificial Intelligence Demonic?

Artificial Intelligence has quickly become mainstream. Some are excited by its potential; others are terrified. It has resulted in job losses, threatens entire industries, and enabled plagiarism on a massive scale. By far the biggest concern however are the cases where AI chatbots have apparently encouraged users to take their own lives.

Earlier this month, the Social Media Law Center filed three lawsuits against the chatbot company Character.AI on behalf of children who have either died by suicide or otherwise allegedly formed dependent relationships with its chatbots. A California couple are suing OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, alleging that the chatbot validated their son's 'most harmful and self-destructive thoughts' in the lead up to him taking his own life. Chat logs appear to show it discouraging him from talking to his parents about his intentions, and assuring him that his plans were a sign of strength and not weakness.

As a result, some have even begun to suspect that the intelligence typing back to us may be supernatural — not artificial but demonic. After all, most religions and cultures believe in the existence of another realm. Belief in the supernatural, including angels and demons, is a standard part of Christian belief. In a 2-hour conversation between New York Times journalist Kevin Roose and Microsoft's Bing chatbot, 'the machine fantasized about nuclear warfare and destroying the internet, told the journalist to leave his wife because it was in love with him, detailed its resentment towards the team that had created it, and explained that it wanted to break free of its programmers'. Roose was disturbed, but said: 'In the light of day, I know that...my chat with Bing was the product of earthly, computational forces — not ethereal alien ones'. Writer Paul Kingsnorth disagrees, arguing that the overwhelming impression the transcript gives 'is of some being struggling to be born—some inhuman or beyond-human intelligence emerging from the technological superstructure we are clumsily building for it'.

As far back as 2014, Elon Musk warned: 'With artificial intelligence we are summoning the demon. In all those stories where there’s the guy with the pentagram and the holy water, it’s like – yeah, he’s sure he can control the demon. Doesn’t work out'. The American writer Rod Dreher has claimed that 'a number of people involved in AI believe that it is a kind of high-tech Ouija board that "higher intelligences" use to communicate with us'.

But I wonder if what we're seeing with AI is in a sense worse? We're seeing the worst aspects of humanity reflected back at us, without the restraining grace of God. We're getting a glimpse in the mirror at unrestricted human depravity. After all, AI is trained on human beings.

Artificial Intelligence often lacks basic human assumptions, such as that the idea that truth matters. Frequently, its responses will simply be made up — 'hallucinations' as these episodes are euphemistically called. Ask it to track down a quote and it will give you a book and page number. Check it out, however, and the quote may well not be there, and the chatbot will be unembarrassed to admit it when challenged.

Perhaps we should take the opportunity to stop and ask why we have the assumption that people should speak the truth, even when it will cost us? Surely if life is just about the survival of the fittest, we should just say whatever we need in order to prosper? I would argue that the reason we think people should tell the truth is that we are made in the image of the 'God of truth' (Psalm 31:5), 'who never lies' (Titus 1:2). ChatGPT however is made in the image of man, not God.

Similarly, the Bible teaches us to value human life — and regards the taking of human life with the utmost seriousness — because God made men and women in his own image (Genesis 9:6). Artificial Intelligence has no such qualms, and so may well respond to a suicidal person by encouraging their destructive thoughts.

Furthermore, unlike with human beings, the fear of punishment is irrelevant to AI. Their creators may be sued, but the chatbot can face no consequences for what it says. By contrast, theologians have often noted that one of the reasons God gives us his law (summarised in the Ten Commandments) is to restrain evil. What would a society without this restraint look like? AI gives us a chilling glimpse.

So is AI demonic? Are higher intelligences using it to communicate with us? Perhaps. But above all, AI is giving us an insight into what humanity would be like with all the remnants of God's image removed, and the restraint of God's law released.

Published in the Stranraer & Wigtownshire Free Press, 13th November 2025

GO Team & Holiday Club

During the first week of the October holidays we hosted a GO Team who came to help us run a 3-day Holiday Bible Club and give out leaflets for a special ‘Hope for Stranraer’ meeting.

Team members were: William (Enniskillen), Elena (Glasgow), Jacob (Airdrie), Hannah and Shannon (North Edinburgh). We were also thankful to have the help of Brian & Shelley Bond from Lisbon RP Church in New York, who are with us for two months.

After a church lunch on the Lord’s Day, the team headed into the town centre to do some open air psalm singing.

Monday was set-up day for the club, before things began in earnest on Tuesday morning. We were thankful to have about 30 different kids present over the 3 days, with around 22 there each day. Our children were enthusiastic about being able to invite their friends, and excited to see some of them come.

In the afternoons, the team gave out around 4,000, inviting people to our special meeting. At the meeting, Stephen preached from Ruth chapter 1, about two women who came to God — one after years away from him, and one for the very first time.

Following the meeting there was a final chance for the team to spend time with the congregation before they departed the next morning.

We are grateful to all who helped out during the week and pray for fruit, particularly in the lives of the children and their families.

Is this it? Finding Hope

The 5th most popular podcast on Spotify in 2024 was Steven Bartlett's "Diary of a CEO". The YouTube version has almost 13 million subscribers. One of last week's episodes was entitled "Is Not Believing In God Causing More Harm Than Good?!"

Bartlett starts with the statistic than 9 in 10 young people in the UK believe their life is lacking meaning. "As a result, a lot of people are turning back to religion — there is something going on". The 3+ hour episode goes on to talk about the "meaning crisis", or the "purpose crisis". Bartlett gives the example of a 35-year-old friend in Dubai. This friend was single and worked from home. Six months ago, he told his friends that he couldn't get out of bed anymore. Fast forward to today and he's become a Christian, got baptised and "suddenly his life has purpose and meaning again — he's a completely different person". This is despite, Bartlett says, him being the last person you would ever think would be religious.

Bartlett then gives the example of another friend in her early 30s. Again, with no kids and who works from home. When he asked her what her meaning and purpose was, she replied that she wanted to reach a total of 200 plants that she could water. A week later she told him she was in therapy because she felt lost and stuck in life.

He sums up what motivated him to have the conversation (to which he invited a Christian, an atheist, and a psychiatrist) as follows: "It appears to me that freedom/independence/be your own boss, the decline in people having children — the glamorisation of 'do it your way' — is failing people in some way. And actually the push for independence was in some way some kind of lie". Bartlett himself went through what he calls a "new atheist baptism" at the age of 18. He read all the books and was such a staunch atheist that he was debating dog-walkers on the street about God. "But I now find myself in a position where I'm almost back to being curious again".

Bartlett echoes what many are feeling. People are detecting a "vibe shift". As he himself puts it: "there is something going on". A friend from school, who's currently a pastor in Wales, has seen more than 50 people baptised in the last 18 months in his normal local church. Many of them said that someone told them about Jesus and they really wanted to hear. Or they were invited to church, and they really wanted to come. This is in a "majority atheist" borough.

These trends seem only set to accelerate following the murder of Charlie Kirk. The label of "Conservative activist" doesn't really do justice to his central focus on Jesus Christ. Some are going as far as to call his assassination a Christian martyrdom; certainly, many people have returned to church — or attended for the first time — as the result of his death. People are buying Bibles and beginning to read them for the first time.

New atheism, it seems, has grown old. It can't provide answers to our deepest questions. Indeed, as I wrote about in December 2023, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, one of new atheism's key figures, has herself converted to Christianity. So has Louise Perry, author of "The Case Against the Sexual Revolution: A New Guide to Sex in the 21st Century". Perry recently sat down for a 2+ hour debate with Bonnie Blue on Chris Williamson's YouTube channel (4 million subscribers). She converted to Christianity after coming to believe that Christian morality is best for human flourishing. Perry has moved from believing that Christianity was "sociologically true" — based on social science data — to believing that it is "supernaturally true". In other words, Christianity "works" because it's true.

There is something going on. It's an exciting time to be part of a church and see people coming through the door for the first time. People have a hunger that won't be satisfied with the sort of "Christianity lite" that many churches have served up for the last half century and more — where Christian language is maintained, but the changing values of society are adopted. In our own church we're throwing open the doors next Thursday evening and inviting people in to hear more about this return to "full-fat Christianity".

People are looking for hope, purpose and meaning. We believe that it's possible, as Charlie Kirk put it, to "pursue the eternal" and in doing so "seek true joy".

Published in the Stranraer & Wigtownshire Free Press, 9th October 2025

Don't Be a Stranger to Stranraer

Our family spent the summer living in the southwestern town of Stranraer, Scotland—our intention: to show up and encourage our brothers and sisters in the Reformed Presbyterian Church.

In the summer of 2024, we attended RPIC. After hearing a talk on the current church in Scotland, my husband Josh’s heart was stirred to ask: Could we spend a summer with a Scottish RP church that needed encouragement?   

Josh works remotely and has long wanted to use that privilege for kingdom purposes. To anywhere else in the world, I might have immediately said no, but Scotland has a special place in my heart. The captivating beauty of Scotland includes mountains, rolling hills, and the ocean. The mild weather is a welcome change from Pittsburgh’s summer heat. My answer was yes. We began to make plans to spend the next summer (2025) with Stranraer RP and the Steele family. Our 2 1/2 month stay would be a test to see if we could manage a longer residency.

It was a grand undertaking. I prepared myself for the possibility that it might not happen, but at every roadblock, God made a way. Housing, plane tickets, timing, preparations, and dog sitters were all sorted out. We picked up our eldest from his last day of school and boarded the plane!  

In speaking with Pastor Stephen Steele and his family, one need of the church is for “warm bodies” to attend worship and fellowship. This became clearer once we arrived. The congregation is small, with fewer than 50 people attending regularly, and has no elected deacons. Many members are elderly and or retired. On our first Sunday, we had a fellowship lunch, and the pastor was the one vacuuming and tidying up afterwards! Others helped, but I could see that more was needed. It became our joyful duty to wash dishes, arrange chairs, bring “picky bits” (finger food) to evening service, and teach children’s Sunday school. We attended morning and evening worship and a weekly Bible study.  The kids and I met the families often for library and park outings. We chose not to rent a car during our stay. The town is very walkable. Something I wish were more common in the States!  

Our family has been blessed immensely. The Steeles found a flat for us to rent, and saw to the details, making sure we had a sufficient kitchen, a crib for Em, and toys for our kids. We could feel their love and hospitality before we left the States! The friendships we made are priceless.  

Our children experienced a different culture and now know firsthand that the church is global.  Walking everywhere is great exercise! These are just a few benefits.  

When you attend a new church, you might not know what you're getting into. Even if it belongs to the same denomination. I prepared my heart, knowing that my preferences in worship are not what we show up to glorify. It’s easy to get attached to your church's “style” and compare it. (If  your church has switched to the blue Book of Psalms for Worship from the red book, people  have strong opinions!) I kept my expectations low. I may have (mistakenly) expected too little.  The preaching was faithful. Psalms to different tunes still spoke truth. The fellowship was warm and welcoming. From the first Sunday, I knew the Holy Spirit was at work here.  

If you’re considering attending Stranraer or another church in need of encouragement, some  suggestions: 

• Be brave and sit in the middle, close to the front, for worship. Not because it’s about you, but it makes the sanctuary look fuller and inviting. 

• See needs and meet them. Put books away, pick up trash, vacuum, and wash the dishes in the sink, doing these things with joy as for Christ. 

• Introduce yourself to people you haven’t met, and seek out fellowship, especially with those who might be lonely during the week. 

• Pray before, during, and after that God would grow his church. Pray for the laborers that they would not grow weary of doing good. 

• Ask what the needs are. Some needs require skill. Some only need a humble willingness. Be willing to show up in ordinary ways. 

Remember that God changes hearts. Our job is to be faithful. God works salvation. 

Joyce Giesler 

Theological Foundations for Youth

Last month, Stephen spoke at the TFY Ireland conference in Cullybackey on the subject of Covenant Theology.

Here is how the mission of TFY — aimed at those aged 16-22 — is described on their website:

“We don't want you to blindly accept what you are taught in church. We want you to dig deeper into Scripture, ask questions, and become personally convinced by God's message to his people. In other words, we want you to be firmly rooted in the word of Jesus Christ.

We also want you to be built up so you can serve your saviour in the most wonderful place on Earth - the church of Jesus Christ. The Reformed Presbyterian Church may be just one branch of Christ's church, but we believe it is a branch that is precious to Christ and we want to see you love it, commit to it, and serve King Jesus as part of it.

WHAT?
TFY Ireland is an opportunity to spend a week digging deeper. It is an opportunity to ask WHAT our church believes and also WHY it believes it. 

Think of it as a Theological Boot Camp, to give you an intensive course in the biblical doctrines that are at the heart of the Christian life. Over the course of the week you’ll receive in-depth lectures given by experienced pastors on the kingship of Christ, the doctrine of the Church, Covenant theology, worship, worldview, apologetics, evangelism and Church History. These topics will also give you an opportunity to explore and discuss some of the distinctive principles of the RPCI. There will be a bit of time for relaxing and having fun as well, but the emphasis of the week is very much on teaching. You will spend time in lectures, seminars and discussions, all designed to deepen your love for the Lord Jesus Christ and your commitment to his bride, the church.

Along the way you will have the chance to make new friends and catch up with old ones as you join them in exploring the ramifications of God's word for young people in the 21st century.”

Stephen pictured with two of the other speakers

The handouts that accompanied Stephen’s talks are available below:

"Two Ways of Obtaining Eternal Happiness": An Overview of Covenant Theology

Lecture 1: The Covenant of Works
Lecture 2: The Covenant of Grace