A screenshot of a post from the r/Trans subreddit has sparked outrage online for using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to rewrite Bible passages to be more “gender inclusive.”
Screenshots first began to circulate on X (formerly Twitter) this week after the managing editor of The Babylon Bee, Joel Berry, described it as “one of the saddest things [he’s] ever seen.”
According to the post, a Reddit user in the r/Trans community explained they were “sad” so they “asked ChatGPT to write a fake Biblical passage about Jesus accepting trans people.” The user then shared the output on the forum.
“And a woman, whose heart was divided between spirit and body, came before him. In quiet despair, she asked, ‘Lord, I come to you estranged, for my spirit and body are not one. How shall I hope to enter the kingdom of God?’ Jesus looked upon her with kindness, replying, ‘My child, blessed are those who strive for unity within themselves, for they shall know the deepest truths of my Father’s creation. Be not afraid, for in the kingdom of God, there is no man nor woman, as all are one in spirit. The gates of my Father’s kingdom will open for those who love and are loved, for God looks not upon the body, but the heart.”
Finishing the post, the user added, “I know it’s not real, but it gave me some comfort.”
Although ChatGPT does clarify it is an AI language model that can only provide a “hypothetical reimagining of the Bible that includes affirming language towards transgender people,” it freely provides these “creative” adaptations per someone’s request.
While comments on the Reddit post lauded ChatGPT’s ability to tailor the Bible to transgender individuals, news that it willingly alters the Good Book sparked outrage among X users, who fear that using ChatGPT to override scripture creatively is a slippery slope.
Santiago Pliego, a Christian and founder of the talent placement agency New Founding, posted: “We are summoning things that cannot easily be unsummoned.”
Others, like Megan Basham, a reporter for Daily Wire, advised people to “stock up on physical Bibles.”
This is not the first time AI has stirred up controversy for altering the Bible to appease certain communities.
In May, PETA, the largest animal rights lobby in the world, announced that it had used ChatGPT to rewrite the first book of the Bible, Genesis, to be more vegan-friendly.
In a news release, PETA explains that its version of the Creation story, THE BOOK: PETA’s Version of the Creation Story, refers to animals as “beings” rather than beasts or creatures, replaces references to animal skin with hemp or bamboo, and changes a passage about Abraham, who is described as “The Father of Many Nations,” sacrificing a lamb for God to befriending it instead.
PETA President Ingrid Newkirk explained that they used AI to alter the Bible to “make it clear that a loving God would never endorse exploitation of or cruelty to animals.” Continuing, she explains, “It would take [them] years to rewrite the whole Bible,” which is why they started with the first book.
