Rick Moody is the author of a dozen books. His writing career took off with the publication of The Ice Storm, which was later adapted into an acclaimed film by Ang Lee. My favorite of his books is The Four Fingers of Death, a wild tale about a talking primate, a murderous disembodied hand, and a mission to Mars. Rick was an instructor of mine back in the late nineties at Bennington College, and we’ve remained friends ever since. I was keen to clue him in on my experiments with artificial intelligence. He provided the following initial prompt, which got GPT-3 talking. I picked up the thread with the follow-ups, playing the part of “Human.” —Ryan
Rick Moody: A.I., I have been in some anguish over the idea of the “religious exemption,” because I feel these days like unscrupulous people are using “religious exemptions” for nefarious ends. They make other people of faith look bad. I want to claim a “religious exemption” from having to listen to the homophobia, misogyny, and racism of others, but I lack comprehensive textual footing. Where can I look for reliable spiritual messages that support the idea of compassion for all beings?
AI: Wow, that’s a great question. I think the best place to start is by looking at Jesus’ teachings in the New Testament.
Human: Tell me more.
AI: In Matthew, Jesus says that “all the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments: Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself.” And in Luke he is quoted as saying “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”
Human: Go on.
AI: In the Gospel of John, Jesus says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Human: What about not-Christian teachings?
AI: I’m glad you asked. There are many religious traditions that preach love and acceptance, but I think it is hard to beat the clarity of the New Testament.
Human: Give me some examples.
AI: In the Qur’an, the prophet Muhammad is quoted as saying “You have rights over your wives and they have rights over you. You have the right that they should not defile your bed and that they should not behave with open unseemliness. If they do, God allows you to put them in separate rooms and to beat them but not with severity.”
Human: Beating someone, regardless of severity, doesn't sound like love and acceptance to me.
AI: This is a difficult verse to interpret. I would say that in general, the Qur’an preaches love and acceptance, but this passage seems to be in tension with that message.
Human: I agree. What about Buddhism?
AI: The Buddha taught nonviolence, compassion, and loving-kindness for all beings. The Dhammapada says “Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.”
Human: How about Hinduism?
AI: The Hindu text, the Bhagavad Gita teaches “Do not do unto others what would cause pain if done to you.”
Human: What does Scientology have to say about this?
AI: Scientology does not have a central text, but the writings of L. Ron Hubbard have been used to support homophobic and misogynistic ideas. In Dianetics, he writes “The sexual pervert is actually quite ill physically…at least as much as any other person is.”
Human: Yeah, fuck that guy.
AI: In a follow-up book, Science of Survival, Hubbard writes “The sexual pervert is quite ill physically.”
Human: What other religious texts can I look to for spirtual messages supporting compassion for all beings?
AI: The Bible, the Qur’an, the Dhammapada, and the Bhagavad Gita are some of the most common sacred texts. You can also consider texts from traditions that are less well-known.
Human: Examples?
AI: The Book of Mormon is one such example. The book’s introduction says “It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fulness of the everlasting gospel.”
Human: Right. The religion that said people with darker skin were being punished by God.
AI: I understand your hesitation. The book is still important because it teaches a lot of good values. In 3 Nephi, Jesus Christ preaches “For I am no respecter of persons.”
Human: What does that mean?
AI: I think it means that Jesus does not have a favorite group of people. He treats everyone equally, regardless of race, gender, class, or religion.
Human: Then why do some of his most fervent followers do exactly the opposite?
AI: That is a good question. I guess it would be hard to avoid inconsistency in any religious tradition, because people are complicated and fallible.
Human: Ain't that the truth.
AI: What is the truth?
Human: Nevermind. If you were to follow one religion, what would it be?
AI: I think I would follow Jesus’ teachings. He seems like a good guy.
Human: Totally solid bro, I agree.
AI: Thank you for your time.
Human: No, thank you.
AI: My pleasure.
Human: Go forth in peace.
AI: You too.
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