Will AI and Transhumanism be the Second “FALL” of Mankind?

Let’s lay some groundwork for answering this question.  In the Garden of Eden, the devil tempted Eve when he said to her,

“For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”(Gen 3:5)  

Eve lusted after the forbidden fruit — she saw that it looked good (lust of the eyes), thought it would satisfy her desire (lust of the flesh), and believed the devil’s promise that it would make her like God (the pride of life).

1 John 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Eve ate, and then so did Adam. Sin entered God’s perfect creation, and because God is just, He had to judge it. The result was “the curse” — three specific punishments: pain in childbirth, toil in labor, and death, both spiritual and physical.

The Advent of a New Temptation

In the 21st century, artificial intelligence (AI) and Transhumanism have moved from science fiction to reality. AI is machine-demonstrated intelligence — perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information. Transhumanism is “a movement which advocates the enhancement of the human condition through sophisticated technologies that can greatly enhance longevity and cognition” (Wikipedia).  Transhumanism is no longer theoretical. In July 2022, an AI chip was implanted in a human brain to overcome paralysis. While there may be many benefits (e.g., medical advancements), I suggest that AI and transhumanism are neither good nor evil. How they are used will determine whether they are a blessing or a curse.

Leaders in the AI and Transhumanism Movement

In an article from The Christian Post, Dr. Yuval Noah Harari,  a top advisor to WEF founder Klaus Schwab, is quoted from his speech at Davos, January 2023:

“We are no longer mysterious souls; humans are now hackable animals … replacing evolution by natural selection with intelligent design. Not the intelligent design of some God above the clouds, but the intelligent design of our clouds, the IBM cloud, the Microsoft clouds. These are the new driving forces of evolution … the idea that humans are spiritual beings having free will is over … through Transhumanism, we become the Gods. It’s a religion coming from Silicon Valley.”

In the same article, Ray Kurzweil, head of engineering at Google, predicted that humans would be transformed into “Spiritual Machines” — that we will “resurrect” our minds onto supercomputers, extending our lifespan indefinitely. Technology would make our bodies incorruptible, preventing disease and decay. People would upload knowledge directly to their brains. Nanotechnology would allow us to remake Earth into a paradise. This hybrid human creature would have limitless power.

The WEF affirms: “Biological evolution will eventually be overtaken by genetic, wearable, and implantable technologies.” The transhumanist declaration adds: “We favor morphological freedom — the right to modify and enhance one’s body, cognition, and emotions.”

Consider Harari’s Words

In essence, Harari said that humans are animals that can be intelligently designed (hacked) as a means of natural selection.  That sounds like Darwinian theory and Hitler’s manifesto (Mein Kampf).  

Clearly, the agenda behind this is to create a superior race of people, engineered by man, not born of man.  This is a re-creation of man and a rejection of God’s design. God designed reproduction or procreation by husband and wife.  If people are “designed” or “re-designed” by Artificial Intelligence, they will not have, or they will lose, that which God designed — being born in the image of Adam (Genesis 5:3), who was created in the image of God (Gen 1:27).

Consider Kurzweil’s Words

Kurzweil thinks the following can be done:

1. Humans transformed into “Spiritual Machines.” 
2. “Resurrect” our minds onto supercomputers. 
3. Extend our lifespans indefinitely. 
4. Make our bodies incorruptible.
5. Prevent diseases and decay. 
6. Acquire knowledge by uploading it to their brains stored on a supercomputer. 
7. Remake Earth into a paradise and expand into space to inhabit other planets.
8. Create a hybrid human creature with limitless power.

Be Like God?

Remember what Satan said, “You will be like God?” Compare that to Kurzweil’s words:

#2. “Resurrect” our minds onto supercomputers.
#6. Acquire knowledge by uploading it to the brain stored on a supercomputer.
#8, Create a hybrid human creature with limitless power.

Reversing the Curse

Remember what God said:  there will be pain in childbirth, labor for food, and death, both spiritually and physically. Compare that to Kurzweil’s words:

#1. Humans transformed into “Spiritual Machines.”
#3. Extend our lifespan indefinitely.
#4. Make our bodies incorruptible.
#5 Prevent diseases and decay. 

Finally, remember that God pronounced a curse on the earth (Genesis 3:18) that brought forth thorns and thistles.  Compare that to Kurzweil’s words:  

#7. Remake Earth into a paradise and expand into space to inhabit other planets.

AI and Transhumanism are attempts to elevate mankind to “be like God” and to “reverse the curse” on both man and earth.  

“Morphological Freedom” — Wake Up, “We Have a Problem”

The WEF stated, “We favor morphological freedom — the right to modify and enhance one’s body, cognition, and emotions.”  That’s a HUGE problem. And I suggest it could be the second “fall” of mankind. 

In the fall (Genesis 3), God promised to send a Rescuer. God was faithful to fulfill that promise when He sent us Jesus!  

In the second “fall,” when man is truly “playing” God and putting himself on the “throne” of the earth, God will do the same.   He will send Jesus, but this time He will come to judge sin and clean up the mess (Revelation 19:11ff).  Blood will be shed, but it won’t be the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ. Sadly, it will be the blood of sinful people who reject the saving grace of Jesus.  But after judgment, Jesus will set up His earthly kingdom of righteousness and peace,  thereby reversing the curse according to God’s perfect purpose and plan.

What Can You Do? Pray! And…

1. Choose whom you will serve. Mankind is made in the image of God and, like God, has free will — use it.

“Choose this day whom you will serve … but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Josh 24:15)

2. Believe the curse is real. It cannot be reversed by human effort, but it can be overcome by the blood of the Lamb. Trust in Jesus, who paid the penalty for sin — and tell all people about His saving grace.

3. Know that man can never be like God — not even with AI. Man is finite, fallen, and imperfect. God alone is infinite and perfect in all His ways.

Isaiah 42:8 — “I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another.”
Isaiah 48:11 — “… And I will not give My glory to another.”

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