Terminator Zero
Caution: Spoilers Ahead.
I began watching Terminator Zero on Netflix recently, I couldn't help but notice how idolatry was a key part of the plotline.
Now, as a Christian who has been privileged to read the Bible, I know God despises idolatry and punished people severely for it. Plus, over the years, we have discussed the issue of idolatry a few times in our Praise & Pray (for others) fellowship.
So, it was weird to see how the show's storyline wove idolatry into the program. I don't even think they realized they did so, but I could be wrong.
Malcolm Lee, a computer genius and rich guy, created an Artificial Intelligence (AI) program named Kokoro. Malcolm's had dreams over the course of the years that told him that there would be a cataclysmic event that decimates the planet.
He created Kokoro in the hopes that it would 'save' humanity. The reasoning being that the program could create a solution to the impending disaster he believed would come.
In Episode Three, Malcolm engaged in a conversation with Kokoro (which took the form of a triumvirate, by the way) and pleaded with the AI to save humanity from the coming storm. Kokoro in turn notes that from its perspective, the destruction of humanity would benefit the planet etc.
I was actually working on my computer as I listened to the dialogue and I turned sharply to face the screen when I realized Malcolm was pleading with his own creation to save the world.
Is that not idolatry on display in all its glory?
Idolatry occurs when humans treat what was created as if it was God the Creator. It also occurs when a person puts anything else above God and His word.
We humans are very good at listening to everyone else's opinion instead of turning to God's wisdom. For instance, we would rather read Sun Tzu or Machiavelli for strategy on how to defeat enemies than study the Bible and pray for God's Spirit to fill us with a divine masterplan that will bring success.
Think about what takes up the majority of your time each day? Work, errands, calls with friends, watching television shows or movies and scrolling on social media. How much time is left for the Lord? If the answer is usually not much, then God does not reside in the primary position over your life and that could mean that other things are taking His place of importance. That is nothing more than idolatry.
Sure, AI can play a role in helping humanity problem solve, but in my personal opinion, AI - a thing created by humans - should never take the place of God. It is He who we are to go to for what we need and allow Him, instead of data and metrics, to have the final say in our lives.
I wish people would realize that the Lord has the answers to every problem they face, including those affecting our planet. God is mighty to save and nothing stumps Him. I pray that more people will come to know Him and His capacity to solve problems so that they don't think it's a forgone conclusion that what was created will have a decisive role in determining whether humanity exists or is destroyed by robots. That's a great storyline and it won't be reality (no matter how badly some people want it to be) because God is in control of everything.
Oh, and PS, the Bible says the world will always be inhabited in Isaiah 45:18. The Bible also says that Jesus and God will return to earth to establish it as God's dwelling place - not some other planet. In my opinion (based on Bible study), humans will be on this earth for a very long time. I pray we will do a better job of taking care of what the Lord made and allowed us to possess.
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