Genesis 1: 1-3 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”
Being from the “Boomer Generation,” my reality is somewhat different from the world of Generation Z. The Z generation preceded Generation Alpha and both of those people groups are ones totally immersed in an age of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality.
To live in a world in which nothing is real, in which everything is artificial, is living in a simulated reality and results in a distorted view and attitude concerning concepts once considered sacred.
In the 1950’s and 60’s we knew cartoons were not reality. Mice could not talk and coyotes could not fly or be blown up and come back to life. Reality was one thing and fantasy was another.
In today’s world, animated videos are so realistic it is difficult for even the most discerning to realize the deception. Will the Hollywood actors soon be out of work because of high-tech animation and Artificial Intelligence?
People of my generation well remember a time when anything made of plastic was cheap and in many cases, considered junk. In today’s world of computer generated algorithms, parameters and polymers, we exist in a plastic reality.
Many parts of automobiles, appliances and other products that were once made of metal are now plastic.
Anything plastic is produced by extracting the elements from a natural product such as petroleum, soybeans, natural gas or coal and recombining the chemical elements into a polymer (plastic).
When we combine the effects of a world of AI, VR and synthetic (unnatural) materials, we produce not only different products but also different attitudes and mindsets.
When the older generations think of the younger ones, we sometimes ask the question, “Why would anyone think the way they do?” The answer (whether simple or complex) is, they exist in a different reality than the one in which we grew up and then grew old.
There are over eight billion of us on planet earth. In the area of technological advancement and infrastructure, we may as well live on three different planets. With the U.S being in the middle of this scheme, sub-Saharan Africa, parts of Indochina or Central American jungles, are like going back to the Stone Age.
On the other end of the scale, several cities in China, South Korea and other Asian cities, America appears to exist in the 1930’s. The technology seen, especially in the infrastructure, is amazing and exceeds anything I’ve seen in the U.S. at this point in time.
What makes the differences in the three geographic areas? Technology of course! And it has run away with our common sense and sense of values. I was sitting in a waiting room recently and nine of ten people there were deeply buried into their phones.
Plastics (products of technology) have invaded the food products we consume, the water we drink and even the air we breathe. We are living in an artificial environment and a simulated world.
A recent news broadcast revealed the plastic waste products in the oceans of the world. In an article a few years ago, I discussed the problem of the waste products (garbage) in America and much of that is in the form of plastics. A few plastic products are considered to be biodegradable. The problem is, it takes some plastics 10,000 years to biodegrade.
If the environmentalists feel a need to protest, they should consider the damage plastics are doing to this planet. Toilet paper has been biodegradable for many years. Why can’t containers be?
Where does this leave the Christian perspective? To the sincere Christian the Bible is reality and fiction is fiction. Some people in our society (young and old) have been raised to be discerning. We have determined to be analytical but practical in decision making.
To believe or not to believe in something is a decision we all have to make in our lives. Could our perspectives regarding technology, plastics, artificial intelligence or virtual reality influence our abilities to make a logical decision?
Could living in a world in which so many of the products and concepts are artificial influence our abilities to think and reason? Simulated actions distort our vision of real versus fiction.
The Christian dedicated to reaching the unchurched for the Lord Jesus can be hindered by the limitations set forth by the new mindsets. Variances in perspectives concerning the faith, along with the permissiveness, and an “anything goes” way of thinking hinder the Christian objective. We must reach the unchurched but do it in accordance with Biblical values.
To reach the lost, logic and reason must be applied to some non-believers. Knowing of course, the Bible is the reality of our Creator, we must deal with both the intellect and the emotion of the target group we are attempting to reach.
To reach those in this artificial world we may find it advantageous to address the science in the Bible. Simply because so many still believe science and God are at odds, while in reality they are not only compatible but in complete agreement.
With the recent pestilence (Matthew 24: 6) of Covid, the Bible teaches us to wash our hands under running water (Leviticus 15: 13). The Bible also teaches to quarantine the sick (Leviticus 15: 36).
Man did not know what a bacteria or virus was when Leviticus was written. Only our Creator could have issued such a statement.
With so many blood borne diseases, Leviticus 17: 11 which tells us “the life of an organism is in the blood,” is a dramatic statement of fact to the most discerning mind.
The rivers in the seas (Psalm 8: 8) became known to mariners in the 1600’s. King David had written of them 2600 years previously.
The science of physics and creation are verified in the first and second laws of thermodynamics. The first law of thermodynamics states that matter is constant. When God said “it is finished” (Genesis 2: 2) referring to creation He verified the first law of thermodynamics. The second law is the Law of Entropy which completely discredits evolution from lower forms of life. Chaos cannot evolve into order.
In the words of Isaiah 40: 22, the earth is round. Job 26: 7 verifies the earth floats free in space. Job 9: 8 tells us the universe is constantly expanding and Jeremiah 33: 22, states there are too many stars in the universe to even begin to count.
To exist in a world of artificial concepts and products, our reality has changed. But the Word of God will never change. Eternal salvation is only by a faith based belief that Christ Jesus was crucified for the remission of sin and resurrected. Now that IS reality!