\n<\/p>\n
Last Updated:<\/span>February 09, 2026, 13:58 IST<\/time><\/p>\nDeveloping material to AI-generated sermons and Jesus avatar, while artificial intelligence enters the space of worship, a look at the changes and concerns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n<\/i><\/div>\nMany raised doubts over the lack of context and accuracy in AI-generated sermons and chatbots. (AI-generated image for representation only)<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/svg><\/span><\/div>\nNot just workplaces, artificial intelligence (AI)<\/a> has also slowly crept into worship too.<\/p>\nWhile some use AI to \u201csimulate conversations with Jesus”, others take help from the technology to write sermons, even as academics and religious leaders warn about the risks and potential harm, according to a Reuters report.<\/p>\nDeveloping material to chatbots<\/h2>\nIn 2024, Justin Lester, a pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in Vallejo, California, built a custom GPT for his church that uses his sermons to develop small group materials and allows other church leaders to build lessons based on those sermons. \u201cJesus said we will do greater things,” he told Reuters. \u201cAnd I think (AI) is part of the greater.”<\/p>\nMeanwhile, Siraj Raval found \u2018TalkToHim\u2019, an AI-powered chatbot that simulates conversations <\/a>with Jesus, as he battled loneliness and existential dread. \u201cI had an experience where I felt listened to by a presence that was divine,” he told Reuters about the app, which he used to seek answers to his spiritual questions, such as how to live with guilt, forgive when it feels impossible, and to act morally.<\/p>\n\u201cIt was better than a textbook. It was better than reading the Bible,” Raval, who regularly attends a non-denominational Christian church in Idaho, said.<\/p>\n\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>AI Jesus avatar, AI-generated sermons<\/h2>\n<p id=\"8\" class=\"story_para_8\">Last year, St. Peter\u2019s Chapel in Switzerland installed an AI Jesus avatar in its<a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/viral\/how-artificial-intelligence-became-religions-new-messiah-8140921.html\" target=\"_blank\"> confessional booth<\/a> as part of an experimental art installation with a local university. What most surprised Marco Schmid, a theologian at the church, was how seriously people took the experience, with some even thanking the chatbot, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n<p id=\"9\" class=\"story_para_9\">\u201cDo you say to your computer when you finish, \u2018Oh, thank you, computer?\u2019 No,” Schmid told Reuters. \u201cBut you see how much people personalized and humanized the system because it was so good.”<\/p>\n<p id=\"10\" class=\"story_para_10\">Rabbi Josh Fixler of Congregation Emanu El in Houston, 41, during the Jewish High Holidays in 2023, shocked his congregants when he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/world\/ai-jesus-for-confessions-stuns-churchgoers-in-this-country-watch-9127241.html\" target=\"_blank\">played a recording<\/a> of himself discussing the impact of AI on humanity \u2014 a sermon that he later revealed was AI-generated.<\/p>\n<h2>The concerns<\/h2>\n<p id=\"12\" class=\"story_para_12\">\u201cI came away from that sermon with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/explainers\/from-gitagpt-to-qurangpt-how-ai-is-redefining-faith-and-spirituality-sbhp-ws-l-9649891.html\" target=\"_blank\">real concerns<\/a> about both the ethics of the technology and also the hyperfocus on the technology,” Fixler said, adding that some of what the chatbot came up with simply wasn\u2019t true. \u201cIt quoted a great Jewish scholar named Maimonides, but as best I can tell, it made up that quote,” he told Reuters.<\/p>\n<p id=\"13\" class=\"story_para_13\">\u201cI think there is something distinctive about the nature of Christian community, which is about being in person and face to face and being deeply human,” Steven Croft, the bishop of Oxford, said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"14\" class=\"story_para_14\">Croft\u2019s hesitancy is shared by other religious leaders and academics, many of whom cite a lack of trust in AI\u2019s ability to provide sound religious advice. Beth Singler, an assistant professor in digital religion at the University of Zurich, recalled an instance when a Character.ai \u201cBuddah” erroneously claimed there were five noble truths in Buddhism, instead of four. But it\u2019s not just inaccuracies that she\u2019s concerned about.<\/p>\n<p id=\"15\" class=\"story_para_15\">\u201cThere are questions about the ethics of representations of religious leaders,” Singler said, especially if the chatbot says something profane or, worse, dangerous. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen specific examples of people being pushed towards suicide by conversations with chatbots. There (are) some really scary statistics about how often that happens.”<\/p>\n<p id=\"16\" class=\"story_para_16\">Yaqub Chaudhary, a visiting scholar at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge, also questions whether AI is the best medium to deliver valid and attributable religious information \u2014 particularly in the context of his faith, Islam, which considers the Quran the direct and unaltered word of God.<\/p>\n<p id=\"17\" class=\"story_para_17\">\u201cIs that a true communication of the Islamic meaning if it is produced by an LLM, mixing together whatever it has in its training set?” he told Reuters. \u201cThat is a really huge problem in terms of knowing the halal, the haram, the recommended, the permissible, the impermissible, the disliked.”<\/p>\n<p id=\"18\" class=\"story_para_18\">\u201cI think that the work of religion is not trying to get machines to be more human,” Fixler said. \u201cThe work of religion is trying to get us all to be the most human human.”<\/p>\n<p id=\"19\" class=\"story_para_19\"><em>With Reuters inputs<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-18814a1d8226d353 artnws newsletter\">\n<p>Handpicked stories, in your inbox<\/p>\n<p>A newsletter with the best of our journalism<\/p>\n<p><input type=\"text\" placeholder=\"Enter Your Email\" class=\"jsx-18814a1d8226d353 artnwinpt\" value=\"\"\/><button class=\"jsx-18814a1d8226d353 subscrbe newsletter\">submit<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-f8d49e5f8948e8dd jsx-218540329 atbtlink fp\"><span>First Published:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"rs\">\n<p>February 09, 2026, 13:54 IST<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-f8d49e5f8948e8dd jsx-218540329 brdcrmb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/\">News<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/explainers\/\">explainers<\/a> <span class=\"brdout\"> When AI Meets Religion: Matters Of Faith, Chatbots, Sermons & Concerns Explained<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"coral-wrap\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f \">\n<div class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f coral-cont\">\n<div class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f coltoptxt\">Disclaimer: Comments reflect users\u2019 views, not News18\u2019s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/disclaimer\/\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f\">Terms of Use<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/privacy_policy\/\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"jsx-f8d49e5f8948e8dd jsx-218540329 rmbtn news18_read_more\">Read More<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/explainers\/when-ai-meets-religion-matters-of-faith-chatbots-sermons-churches-explained-ws-el-9889649.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last Updated:February 09, 2026, 13:58 IST Developing material to AI-generated sermons and Jesus avatar, while artificial intelligence enters the space of worship, a look at the changes and concerns Many raised doubts over the lack of context and accuracy in AI-generated sermons and chatbots. (AI-generated image for representation only) Not just workplaces, artificial intelligence (AI)…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/a><\/div>\n
Many raised doubts over the lack of context and accuracy in AI-generated sermons and chatbots. (AI-generated image for representation only)<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Not just workplaces, artificial intelligence (AI)<\/a> has also slowly crept into worship too.<\/p>\nWhile some use AI to \u201csimulate conversations with Jesus”, others take help from the technology to write sermons, even as academics and religious leaders warn about the risks and potential harm, according to a Reuters report.<\/p>\nDeveloping material to chatbots<\/h2>\nIn 2024, Justin Lester, a pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in Vallejo, California, built a custom GPT for his church that uses his sermons to develop small group materials and allows other church leaders to build lessons based on those sermons. \u201cJesus said we will do greater things,” he told Reuters. \u201cAnd I think (AI) is part of the greater.”<\/p>\nMeanwhile, Siraj Raval found \u2018TalkToHim\u2019, an AI-powered chatbot that simulates conversations <\/a>with Jesus, as he battled loneliness and existential dread. \u201cI had an experience where I felt listened to by a presence that was divine,” he told Reuters about the app, which he used to seek answers to his spiritual questions, such as how to live with guilt, forgive when it feels impossible, and to act morally.<\/p>\n\u201cIt was better than a textbook. It was better than reading the Bible,” Raval, who regularly attends a non-denominational Christian church in Idaho, said.<\/p>\n\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>AI Jesus avatar, AI-generated sermons<\/h2>\n<p id=\"8\" class=\"story_para_8\">Last year, St. Peter\u2019s Chapel in Switzerland installed an AI Jesus avatar in its<a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/viral\/how-artificial-intelligence-became-religions-new-messiah-8140921.html\" target=\"_blank\"> confessional booth<\/a> as part of an experimental art installation with a local university. What most surprised Marco Schmid, a theologian at the church, was how seriously people took the experience, with some even thanking the chatbot, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n<p id=\"9\" class=\"story_para_9\">\u201cDo you say to your computer when you finish, \u2018Oh, thank you, computer?\u2019 No,” Schmid told Reuters. \u201cBut you see how much people personalized and humanized the system because it was so good.”<\/p>\n<p id=\"10\" class=\"story_para_10\">Rabbi Josh Fixler of Congregation Emanu El in Houston, 41, during the Jewish High Holidays in 2023, shocked his congregants when he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/world\/ai-jesus-for-confessions-stuns-churchgoers-in-this-country-watch-9127241.html\" target=\"_blank\">played a recording<\/a> of himself discussing the impact of AI on humanity \u2014 a sermon that he later revealed was AI-generated.<\/p>\n<h2>The concerns<\/h2>\n<p id=\"12\" class=\"story_para_12\">\u201cI came away from that sermon with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/explainers\/from-gitagpt-to-qurangpt-how-ai-is-redefining-faith-and-spirituality-sbhp-ws-l-9649891.html\" target=\"_blank\">real concerns<\/a> about both the ethics of the technology and also the hyperfocus on the technology,” Fixler said, adding that some of what the chatbot came up with simply wasn\u2019t true. \u201cIt quoted a great Jewish scholar named Maimonides, but as best I can tell, it made up that quote,” he told Reuters.<\/p>\n<p id=\"13\" class=\"story_para_13\">\u201cI think there is something distinctive about the nature of Christian community, which is about being in person and face to face and being deeply human,” Steven Croft, the bishop of Oxford, said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"14\" class=\"story_para_14\">Croft\u2019s hesitancy is shared by other religious leaders and academics, many of whom cite a lack of trust in AI\u2019s ability to provide sound religious advice. Beth Singler, an assistant professor in digital religion at the University of Zurich, recalled an instance when a Character.ai \u201cBuddah” erroneously claimed there were five noble truths in Buddhism, instead of four. But it\u2019s not just inaccuracies that she\u2019s concerned about.<\/p>\n<p id=\"15\" class=\"story_para_15\">\u201cThere are questions about the ethics of representations of religious leaders,” Singler said, especially if the chatbot says something profane or, worse, dangerous. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen specific examples of people being pushed towards suicide by conversations with chatbots. There (are) some really scary statistics about how often that happens.”<\/p>\n<p id=\"16\" class=\"story_para_16\">Yaqub Chaudhary, a visiting scholar at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge, also questions whether AI is the best medium to deliver valid and attributable religious information \u2014 particularly in the context of his faith, Islam, which considers the Quran the direct and unaltered word of God.<\/p>\n<p id=\"17\" class=\"story_para_17\">\u201cIs that a true communication of the Islamic meaning if it is produced by an LLM, mixing together whatever it has in its training set?” he told Reuters. \u201cThat is a really huge problem in terms of knowing the halal, the haram, the recommended, the permissible, the impermissible, the disliked.”<\/p>\n<p id=\"18\" class=\"story_para_18\">\u201cI think that the work of religion is not trying to get machines to be more human,” Fixler said. \u201cThe work of religion is trying to get us all to be the most human human.”<\/p>\n<p id=\"19\" class=\"story_para_19\"><em>With Reuters inputs<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-18814a1d8226d353 artnws newsletter\">\n<p>Handpicked stories, in your inbox<\/p>\n<p>A newsletter with the best of our journalism<\/p>\n<p><input type=\"text\" placeholder=\"Enter Your Email\" class=\"jsx-18814a1d8226d353 artnwinpt\" value=\"\"\/><button class=\"jsx-18814a1d8226d353 subscrbe newsletter\">submit<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-f8d49e5f8948e8dd jsx-218540329 atbtlink fp\"><span>First Published:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"rs\">\n<p>February 09, 2026, 13:54 IST<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-f8d49e5f8948e8dd jsx-218540329 brdcrmb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/\">News<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/explainers\/\">explainers<\/a> <span class=\"brdout\"> When AI Meets Religion: Matters Of Faith, Chatbots, Sermons & Concerns Explained<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"coral-wrap\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f \">\n<div class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f coral-cont\">\n<div class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f coltoptxt\">Disclaimer: Comments reflect users\u2019 views, not News18\u2019s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/disclaimer\/\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f\">Terms of Use<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/privacy_policy\/\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"jsx-f8d49e5f8948e8dd jsx-218540329 rmbtn news18_read_more\">Read More<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/explainers\/when-ai-meets-religion-matters-of-faith-chatbots-sermons-churches-explained-ws-el-9889649.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last Updated:February 09, 2026, 13:58 IST Developing material to AI-generated sermons and Jesus avatar, while artificial intelligence enters the space of worship, a look at the changes and concerns Many raised doubts over the lack of context and accuracy in AI-generated sermons and chatbots. (AI-generated image for representation only) Not just workplaces, artificial intelligence (AI)…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
While some use AI to \u201csimulate conversations with Jesus”, others take help from the technology to write sermons, even as academics and religious leaders warn about the risks and potential harm, according to a Reuters report.<\/p>\n
In 2024, Justin Lester, a pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in Vallejo, California, built a custom GPT for his church that uses his sermons to develop small group materials and allows other church leaders to build lessons based on those sermons. \u201cJesus said we will do greater things,” he told Reuters. \u201cAnd I think (AI) is part of the greater.”<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Siraj Raval found \u2018TalkToHim\u2019, an AI-powered chatbot that simulates conversations <\/a>with Jesus, as he battled loneliness and existential dread. \u201cI had an experience where I felt listened to by a presence that was divine,” he told Reuters about the app, which he used to seek answers to his spiritual questions, such as how to live with guilt, forgive when it feels impossible, and to act morally.<\/p>\n\u201cIt was better than a textbook. It was better than reading the Bible,” Raval, who regularly attends a non-denominational Christian church in Idaho, said.<\/p>\n\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>AI Jesus avatar, AI-generated sermons<\/h2>\n<p id=\"8\" class=\"story_para_8\">Last year, St. Peter\u2019s Chapel in Switzerland installed an AI Jesus avatar in its<a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/viral\/how-artificial-intelligence-became-religions-new-messiah-8140921.html\" target=\"_blank\"> confessional booth<\/a> as part of an experimental art installation with a local university. What most surprised Marco Schmid, a theologian at the church, was how seriously people took the experience, with some even thanking the chatbot, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n<p id=\"9\" class=\"story_para_9\">\u201cDo you say to your computer when you finish, \u2018Oh, thank you, computer?\u2019 No,” Schmid told Reuters. \u201cBut you see how much people personalized and humanized the system because it was so good.”<\/p>\n<p id=\"10\" class=\"story_para_10\">Rabbi Josh Fixler of Congregation Emanu El in Houston, 41, during the Jewish High Holidays in 2023, shocked his congregants when he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/world\/ai-jesus-for-confessions-stuns-churchgoers-in-this-country-watch-9127241.html\" target=\"_blank\">played a recording<\/a> of himself discussing the impact of AI on humanity \u2014 a sermon that he later revealed was AI-generated.<\/p>\n<h2>The concerns<\/h2>\n<p id=\"12\" class=\"story_para_12\">\u201cI came away from that sermon with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/explainers\/from-gitagpt-to-qurangpt-how-ai-is-redefining-faith-and-spirituality-sbhp-ws-l-9649891.html\" target=\"_blank\">real concerns<\/a> about both the ethics of the technology and also the hyperfocus on the technology,” Fixler said, adding that some of what the chatbot came up with simply wasn\u2019t true. \u201cIt quoted a great Jewish scholar named Maimonides, but as best I can tell, it made up that quote,” he told Reuters.<\/p>\n<p id=\"13\" class=\"story_para_13\">\u201cI think there is something distinctive about the nature of Christian community, which is about being in person and face to face and being deeply human,” Steven Croft, the bishop of Oxford, said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"14\" class=\"story_para_14\">Croft\u2019s hesitancy is shared by other religious leaders and academics, many of whom cite a lack of trust in AI\u2019s ability to provide sound religious advice. Beth Singler, an assistant professor in digital religion at the University of Zurich, recalled an instance when a Character.ai \u201cBuddah” erroneously claimed there were five noble truths in Buddhism, instead of four. But it\u2019s not just inaccuracies that she\u2019s concerned about.<\/p>\n<p id=\"15\" class=\"story_para_15\">\u201cThere are questions about the ethics of representations of religious leaders,” Singler said, especially if the chatbot says something profane or, worse, dangerous. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen specific examples of people being pushed towards suicide by conversations with chatbots. There (are) some really scary statistics about how often that happens.”<\/p>\n<p id=\"16\" class=\"story_para_16\">Yaqub Chaudhary, a visiting scholar at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge, also questions whether AI is the best medium to deliver valid and attributable religious information \u2014 particularly in the context of his faith, Islam, which considers the Quran the direct and unaltered word of God.<\/p>\n<p id=\"17\" class=\"story_para_17\">\u201cIs that a true communication of the Islamic meaning if it is produced by an LLM, mixing together whatever it has in its training set?” he told Reuters. \u201cThat is a really huge problem in terms of knowing the halal, the haram, the recommended, the permissible, the impermissible, the disliked.”<\/p>\n<p id=\"18\" class=\"story_para_18\">\u201cI think that the work of religion is not trying to get machines to be more human,” Fixler said. \u201cThe work of religion is trying to get us all to be the most human human.”<\/p>\n<p id=\"19\" class=\"story_para_19\"><em>With Reuters inputs<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-18814a1d8226d353 artnws newsletter\">\n<p>Handpicked stories, in your inbox<\/p>\n<p>A newsletter with the best of our journalism<\/p>\n<p><input type=\"text\" placeholder=\"Enter Your Email\" class=\"jsx-18814a1d8226d353 artnwinpt\" value=\"\"\/><button class=\"jsx-18814a1d8226d353 subscrbe newsletter\">submit<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-f8d49e5f8948e8dd jsx-218540329 atbtlink fp\"><span>First Published:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"rs\">\n<p>February 09, 2026, 13:54 IST<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-f8d49e5f8948e8dd jsx-218540329 brdcrmb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/\">News<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/explainers\/\">explainers<\/a> <span class=\"brdout\"> When AI Meets Religion: Matters Of Faith, Chatbots, Sermons & Concerns Explained<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"coral-wrap\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f \">\n<div class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f coral-cont\">\n<div class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f coltoptxt\">Disclaimer: Comments reflect users\u2019 views, not News18\u2019s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/disclaimer\/\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f\">Terms of Use<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/privacy_policy\/\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"jsx-f8d49e5f8948e8dd jsx-218540329 rmbtn news18_read_more\">Read More<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/explainers\/when-ai-meets-religion-matters-of-faith-chatbots-sermons-churches-explained-ws-el-9889649.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last Updated:February 09, 2026, 13:58 IST Developing material to AI-generated sermons and Jesus avatar, while artificial intelligence enters the space of worship, a look at the changes and concerns Many raised doubts over the lack of context and accuracy in AI-generated sermons and chatbots. (AI-generated image for representation only) Not just workplaces, artificial intelligence (AI)…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u201cIt was better than a textbook. It was better than reading the Bible,” Raval, who regularly attends a non-denominational Christian church in Idaho, said.<\/p>\n
<\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>AI Jesus avatar, AI-generated sermons<\/h2>\n<p id=\"8\" class=\"story_para_8\">Last year, St. Peter\u2019s Chapel in Switzerland installed an AI Jesus avatar in its<a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/viral\/how-artificial-intelligence-became-religions-new-messiah-8140921.html\" target=\"_blank\"> confessional booth<\/a> as part of an experimental art installation with a local university. What most surprised Marco Schmid, a theologian at the church, was how seriously people took the experience, with some even thanking the chatbot, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n<p id=\"9\" class=\"story_para_9\">\u201cDo you say to your computer when you finish, \u2018Oh, thank you, computer?\u2019 No,” Schmid told Reuters. \u201cBut you see how much people personalized and humanized the system because it was so good.”<\/p>\n<p id=\"10\" class=\"story_para_10\">Rabbi Josh Fixler of Congregation Emanu El in Houston, 41, during the Jewish High Holidays in 2023, shocked his congregants when he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/world\/ai-jesus-for-confessions-stuns-churchgoers-in-this-country-watch-9127241.html\" target=\"_blank\">played a recording<\/a> of himself discussing the impact of AI on humanity \u2014 a sermon that he later revealed was AI-generated.<\/p>\n<h2>The concerns<\/h2>\n<p id=\"12\" class=\"story_para_12\">\u201cI came away from that sermon with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/explainers\/from-gitagpt-to-qurangpt-how-ai-is-redefining-faith-and-spirituality-sbhp-ws-l-9649891.html\" target=\"_blank\">real concerns<\/a> about both the ethics of the technology and also the hyperfocus on the technology,” Fixler said, adding that some of what the chatbot came up with simply wasn\u2019t true. \u201cIt quoted a great Jewish scholar named Maimonides, but as best I can tell, it made up that quote,” he told Reuters.<\/p>\n<p id=\"13\" class=\"story_para_13\">\u201cI think there is something distinctive about the nature of Christian community, which is about being in person and face to face and being deeply human,” Steven Croft, the bishop of Oxford, said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"14\" class=\"story_para_14\">Croft\u2019s hesitancy is shared by other religious leaders and academics, many of whom cite a lack of trust in AI\u2019s ability to provide sound religious advice. Beth Singler, an assistant professor in digital religion at the University of Zurich, recalled an instance when a Character.ai \u201cBuddah” erroneously claimed there were five noble truths in Buddhism, instead of four. But it\u2019s not just inaccuracies that she\u2019s concerned about.<\/p>\n<p id=\"15\" class=\"story_para_15\">\u201cThere are questions about the ethics of representations of religious leaders,” Singler said, especially if the chatbot says something profane or, worse, dangerous. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen specific examples of people being pushed towards suicide by conversations with chatbots. There (are) some really scary statistics about how often that happens.”<\/p>\n<p id=\"16\" class=\"story_para_16\">Yaqub Chaudhary, a visiting scholar at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge, also questions whether AI is the best medium to deliver valid and attributable religious information \u2014 particularly in the context of his faith, Islam, which considers the Quran the direct and unaltered word of God.<\/p>\n<p id=\"17\" class=\"story_para_17\">\u201cIs that a true communication of the Islamic meaning if it is produced by an LLM, mixing together whatever it has in its training set?” he told Reuters. \u201cThat is a really huge problem in terms of knowing the halal, the haram, the recommended, the permissible, the impermissible, the disliked.”<\/p>\n<p id=\"18\" class=\"story_para_18\">\u201cI think that the work of religion is not trying to get machines to be more human,” Fixler said. \u201cThe work of religion is trying to get us all to be the most human human.”<\/p>\n<p id=\"19\" class=\"story_para_19\"><em>With Reuters inputs<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-18814a1d8226d353 artnws newsletter\">\n<p>Handpicked stories, in your inbox<\/p>\n<p>A newsletter with the best of our journalism<\/p>\n<p><input type=\"text\" placeholder=\"Enter Your Email\" class=\"jsx-18814a1d8226d353 artnwinpt\" value=\"\"\/><button class=\"jsx-18814a1d8226d353 subscrbe newsletter\">submit<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-f8d49e5f8948e8dd jsx-218540329 atbtlink fp\"><span>First Published:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"rs\">\n<p>February 09, 2026, 13:54 IST<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-f8d49e5f8948e8dd jsx-218540329 brdcrmb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/\">News<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/explainers\/\">explainers<\/a> <span class=\"brdout\"> When AI Meets Religion: Matters Of Faith, Chatbots, Sermons & Concerns Explained<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"coral-wrap\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f \">\n<div class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f coral-cont\">\n<div class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f coltoptxt\">Disclaimer: Comments reflect users\u2019 views, not News18\u2019s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/disclaimer\/\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f\">Terms of Use<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/privacy_policy\/\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"jsx-f8d49e5f8948e8dd jsx-218540329 rmbtn news18_read_more\">Read More<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/explainers\/when-ai-meets-religion-matters-of-faith-chatbots-sermons-churches-explained-ws-el-9889649.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last Updated:February 09, 2026, 13:58 IST Developing material to AI-generated sermons and Jesus avatar, while artificial intelligence enters the space of worship, a look at the changes and concerns Many raised doubts over the lack of context and accuracy in AI-generated sermons and chatbots. (AI-generated image for representation only) Not just workplaces, artificial intelligence (AI)…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}