The Transfigurist

This Holy Saturday, Christians ponder on the silence, darkness, and death of Jesus Christ. Part of this tradition can include that story of Jesus' Harrowing of Hell where he descended into the lowest parts of earth and hell to overcome them. This symbolizes the overcoming of the monster death and unlocking hell to free its prisoners.

Transhumanism is (or should be) as much about technology's possibilities as it is about its risks. The history of mankind is filled with examples of technology rising us above death and sin while also being able to drag us down into death and hell. The Mormon Transhumanist Association affirms that "We feel a duty to use science and technology according to wisdom and inspiration, to identify and prepare for risks and responsibilities associated with future advances, and to persuade others to do likewise." Holy Saturday provides an opportunity to reflect on whether we are using our tools and technology to perpetuate the suffering of death and hell - darkening the light in this world, or whether we accept our responsibility to relieve suffering.

Death, hell, darkness, suffering, captivity & life, salvation, light, peace, and freedom. These two worlds lie in front of us. Jesus showed us the choice of life, calls us to unlock the captives, and gives us the example to resurrect our dead. Our tools can be part of the key to overcoming death and hell. Even in our darkest times, or in the silencing of human faith and trust, Jesus showed us how to turn the key and bring salvation to humanity as he calls us to join him even through darkness, through death, and through hell in order to redeem and overcome it.

< Good Friday

Among the things contemplated this Good Friday are the events of Jesus' last moments: broken bread, betrayal, suffering, crucifixion, darkness, and burial.

At the 2017 Mormon Transhumanist Association (MTA) conference, Michaelann Bradley spoke about her impressions as she contemplated some of these same topics in light of human history and technology's role for good and evil in it:

"The communion or sacrament is the moment when Christ breaks bread and shares wine with his apostles shortly before being taken by the Jews. These two symbols - the taking of communion, the dying on the cross - are, arguably, the two greatest, most universal symbols of Christianity. These are the two moments that every sect, every denomination must incorporate into their theology and must return to again and again for insight, for purpose, and for meaning. As Mormon Transhumanists, another iteration in the great, ever-branching story of Christianity, we too must incorporate, wrestle with, and seek to understand these two great symbols.

Furthermore, transhumanism is a story about the methods that we humans use to accomplish our ends, a story about the history of mankind, and what we are pursuing and what we have inherited: a story that looks to our past to predict our future. As Christian transhumanists, surely there must be a lesson to learn from this weird, wonderful, miraculous story of Jesus Christ slain and risen again. Today I want to well you a technological re-interpretation of the end of Jesus' life: a transhumanist morality tale about the choices humanity made long before Christ came to earth. I want to tell it to you as a story of how these two moments came to be: how the bread came to be and how the crucifixion came to be."

The rest of her wonderful impressions can be viewed here (video jumps to 2:40 where she makes the statement above).




< Maundy Thursday | Holy Saturday >

"[Jesus] got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.”"

"After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you."

(John 13:4-8, 12-15 - NRSV)

On this Maundy Thursday (Maundy from Latin 'mandatum' meaning 'command' or 'order') we reflect on the command of Jesus as he washed his disciples' feet as an example of we 'ought' to do. This act of deep humility and vulnerability stands in stark contrast to the mode and method of power so dominant in humanity. Here, Jesus removes his robe - an act of vulnerability exposing his humanity, puts himself below his disciples, and carries out a task often thought to be demeaning or beneath him.

This scene, along with others surrounding it in the Last Supper, sends a powerful message. The Mormon Transhumanist Association affirms that "We practice our discipleship when we offer friendship, that all may be many in one; when we receive truth, let it come from whence it may; and when we send relief, consolation and healing, that raises each other together." Transhumanism is, rightly, focused on technology's role in impacting and transforming the human condition. This effort should cause us to pause and ask what in humanity is not only worth redeeming into our future but what of our humanity may be a source of redemptive power. What role will the paradox of powerful human vulnerability play in humanity's future? Will our tools and technologies inherit an aesthetic and bias towards dominating power structures? Or will we instead use our tools and technologies in a way that can lead us to deep acts of humility in how we serve one another?

< Holy Wednesday | Good Friday >

(Source)

While Palm Sunday and Holy Monday renew faith in and hope for the triumph and glory of Christ in this world before the darkness of Holy Tuesday, Holy Wednesday is traditionally a time to ponder on the betrayal and condemnation of Christ in this world. As told in the Gospel of Luke, when Pilate sought to appease the crowd to perhaps spare Jesus (and a possibly bad political situation for him) "They kept shouting, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” (Luke 23:21).

In many Christian churches on Holy Wednesday, the congregation plays the part of the the crowds shouting "Crucify Him!" This ritualistically evokes an introspection on the part of participants to ask themselves how they crucify Christ in their lives. How do we crucify the Christian principles of charity and love? Do we crucify our love and humanity for political or monetary gain? Are Jesus' calls to love our neighbors and enemies seen as a threat to our dogmas or ideologies?

The Mormon Transhumanist Association is an advocacy network for ethical use of technology and religion to expand human abilities. And we affirm that "We feel a duty to use science and technology according to wisdom and inspiration, to identify and prepare for risks and responsibilities associated with future advances, and to persuade others to do likewise." Transhumanism is (or should be) as much about the question of ethical or moral use of technology as it is about technology itself. On this Holy Wednesday, we can ask: How do we use our technologies in a way that crucifies the Christian principles of charity and love? Do we crucify our love and humanity in the ways we use technology for political or monetary gain? Are Jesus' calls to love our neighbors and enemies seen as a threat to our technologies or their use?

If we are to seek to ethically use technology and religion to expand human abilities as we model Jesus' principles of charity we must not join in the voices and forces of this world that would shout, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"

< Holy Tuesday | Maundy Thursday >

On Holy Tuesday, many churches reflect on the image of Christ as Bridegroom. The intimate relationship of marriage is used throughout Jewish and Christian scripture. Perhaps we find this image so powerful because of the closeness, intimacy, vulnerability, and humanity that it brings. It brings front and center the reality and centrality of relationship and how the image of Christ can emerge from relationship.

Technology is a powerful tool for human relationship. Indeed, one can view technology as essentially a relationship tool. Fire, tools, farming, trade, economy, etc, all have had transformational impacts on human relationships. But technology is not inherently good or evil. Fire can unite and protect, but it can also destroy. Tools can provide safety and ability, but they can also be turned into weapons. Farming can grow a community and (throuh silos) protect against times of famine, but it can also produce oppresive power structures. Trade and economy can support complex and diverse societies, but it can also create crushing poverty and oligarchies.

The difference in whether tools destroy or unite is not the technologies themselves but how we choose to use them. Will we use technology in ways that fray or sever relationships? Will we use our technologies to put self above other? Or will we turn to images like Christ as bridegroom and find ways to have our technologies build strong, charitable relationships that allow for vulnerability, intersubjective love, and a closeness that can heal what can sometimes be a isolated world.

On this Holy Tuesday, we can reflect on our tools and technologies and how they can reflect and sustain the life of Jesus and the relationships that support and define our humanity and divinity.

< Holy Monday | Holy Wednesday >

"Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment." (John 12:1-3)

This story carries imagery of women having authority as they served and anointed Jesus. Martha acts as a deacon at the dinner (prototyping early Christian deacons like Phoebe) and Mary anoints Jesus' feet - an act Jesus would later (in likeness) perform on his disciples. Women lead the way here in service and ritual.

How can we dedicate and ordain our tools to be used in ways worthy of Christ?

The Mormon Transhumanist Affirmation affirms: "We believe that scientific knowledge and technological power are among the means ordained of God to enable such exaltation, including realization of diverse prophetic visions of transfiguration, immortality, resurrection, renewal of this world, and the discovery and creation of worlds without end."

Anointing and ordaining, whether via tools to make a meal or with our own bodies, is how we dedicate that which is of importance. To what end are our tools and technologies ordained or put to use? How is the use of our tools and technologies being lead by women? Do they allow women to have authority and autonomy? And is our use of tools worthy of Christ?

< Palm Sunday | Holy Tuesday >

This Palm Sunday our hearts and minds turn to Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem. Crowds treated his entrance into Jerusalem as that of a King – entering on a donkey as a token of peace. In that age’s Messianic culture, this was largely seen as political potential: a Messiah to throw off the subjugation to the Romans to fulfill prophecy. Jesus would define a new kind of Kingdom. On Palm Sunday, many enact, symbolically, this entrance by the use of palm fronds representing this spirit of victory, triumph, peace, and eternal life reflecting on Jesus’ vision of the Kingdom of God.

The Mormon Transhumanist Association affirms that “We believe that scientific knowledge and technological power are among the means ordained of God to enable such exaltation, including realization of diverse prophetic visions of transfiguration, immortality, resurrection, renewal of this world, and the discovery and creation of worlds without end.” On Palm Sunday, as we reflect on Jesus' triumph over death and sin, we also reflect on the triumphs of our tools and technologies which make us participants in and recipients of this triumph. Many of these tools and technologies have typified the works of Jesus as they allow us to help the crippled walk, the deaf hear, the mute speak, the blind see, the fever be rebuked, and even resuscitate the dead. We welcome all technology which comes in peace, triumphant, and able to help establish God’s Kingdom on earth.

Holy Monday >

By Chris Bradford

Life extension is the idea of prolonging life — ideally vigorous and healthy life — well beyond current life expectancy rates. Even accounting for the dramatic improvement in infant mortality rates worldwide, average life expectancy has increased by 17-24 years in the U.S. alone since the beginning of the 20th century. Worldwide, the effect has been even greater. Along with decreasing birth rates, this has resulted in an increasing proportion of the elderly, raising the visibility of aging-related disease.

Jesus was a social and theological revolutionary. The choirs of angels announcing his birth were at the same time announcing the death of the god of the Pharisees, and every other lesser god. The mission of Jesus was to exemplify and orient a faith to the god worthy of it. Essential to this is relinquishing our ties to the dying or dead god(s). Or, in other words, to finish off the dying gods.

This pattern of relinquishing ties to dying or dead gods has been the persistent narrative of all scripture. The dying or dead gods would include any god whose gospel promotes a lesser vision of human growth and development—as the god (or law) of the Old Testament died with the revelation of the god of the New Testament whose gospel promoted a fuller, loftier vision of human growth and potential.

For starters, the dead or dying god(s) would include the gods of religious and anti-religious dogma; the gods of idolatry; the gods of tautologies; the gods of rote recitations; the abstract as to be meaningless gods; the gods who are responsible for everything; the gods who seem to want that we frequently worship them in ways that avoid the call of the world to heal it; the gods who are at our beck and call to fix annoying, urgent, or life and death problems; or the deal-making gods who will fix problem x, provided we do action y; the gods fixed on indicators of participation in religious traditions; the gods that want us to see the world as unchangeably evil (until they sweep in on some future day); the gods that seem to desire worshippers more than peers; the gods that continually pit ‘us’ against ‘them’; the gods that seem more concerned that we acknowledge them in all things than that we acknowledge that we are more capable than we have acted, and can do more to build a worthy kingdom; and the gods who carry the ultimate burden of justification for the evil and death in the world.

And yet, as Lincoln Cannon has put it, “If we can raise our eyes from the altar of religious and anti-religious dogma, we’ll see that the hand raised to finish the dying God is the sign of the oath to the resurrecting God. … we’ll also see the hand is our own and it holds a blade that’s aged and stained. That’s when we have a choice, either to repeat the old sacrifices of our ancestors, or finally to make the new sacrifice that they always implied: we can put ourselves on the altar and learn to become Gods.” (1)

What would a worthy god do and bring about among humanity? Are there aspects in that that we could do, or with which we could help? That is the call of Christ. And in a broader sense, that is the call of life.

As we hearken to the gospel of Jesus Christ and follow his example, we accept the grace of this responsibility to take on the role and mantle of God to the degree we can. And with this revelation, we recognize and accept that we are, and always have been the ones who carry the true and full burden of justification for the evil and death in the world. So, with Christ, may we meet “the hopes and fears of all the years” (2) today.

-Ben Blair

1 - http://lincoln.metacannon.net/2013/04/purpose-of-mormon-transhumanist.html
2 - “O Little Town of Bethlehem”

Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge is the recognizable curmudgeon-y old man who just can’t get the spirit of Christmas. Instead of enjoying the season, he sees it as just another excuse to pick a man’s pocket. But if we congratulate ourselves, rather than see ourselves in Scrooge, we miss enduring lessons of the three ghosts.

With Scrooge, for the most part, we are caught up in selfish desires, and our selected idols, and may even feel justified because society encourages these (even praiseworthy values such as thrift, frugality, and prudence have become idols for Scrooge), and shrouds the results of our harmful activities, or our shameful neglect. But there are consequences to our desires, actions, and inaction. Despite the good we may do, in light of the pain and suffering in the world, to feel justified in our efforts--whatever they may be--as if they were enough is to play the Scrooge.

Scrooge is visited by three ghosts. The ghost of the past shows Scrooge his younger years, and demonstrates that he has experienced joy and pain, triumphs and successes in his past. With Scrooge, we hold beautiful memories of kindness and generosity, as well as regret for the coldness we’ve shown, and our misplaced priorities. But no amount of joy or regret we feel about the past or the good we have done may redeem us. The past holds lessons, but no salvation.

The ghost of the Present demonstrates that there is still joy in the world, and our work is to experience and spread it; to welcome and be welcomed into fellowship, and see to the suffering and injustice we might make right. The work of the ghost of Christmas Present is to lift the veil to expose more joy and sorrow than we could otherwise see--to extend the reach of our gaze and responsibility.

While the ghost of the past focused on Scrooge and his immediate acquaintances, the ghost of the present expanded this, to show Scrooge others to whom he was connected, including mankind’s emblematic neglected children: Ignorance and Want. The ghost of the present teaches Scrooge that his work is to do what he can to lift others, to bring joy, food, money, knowledge and fulfillment to those wanting. It’s an inspiring message, one that, to that point, Scrooge had failed in ways both recognized and not. If caring for others, looking after their needs, and expanding the circle of who these others are was all that was required, we would need no third ghost. But a third ghost arrives.

Like all of us, Scrooge fears the Ghost of the Future more than the other two. And for good reason. The ghost of the future shows that, despite our best efforts to welcome others, spread joy, and alleviate suffering and injustices, it’s not enough; death remains the end, for us and others, and it’s knocking at the door. So what if we once had joy? So what if we find and spread a fleeting joy? So what if we right a wrong or a million wrongs? In the end awaits death.

The story ends with a renewed Scrooge, not yet dead, but who has seen how it will all play out, unless he changes course. It’s the exact scenario in which we all find ourselves. So he vows to change: to remember, experience and spread joy and fellowship; alleviate suffering and injustices to the degree he can (a degree that is always expanding), and finally to fight to overcome death. These are the lessons of the ghosts.

Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more. And to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew.

And so must we all. God bless us in these efforts, everyone.

-Ben Blair

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Two facts exist:

1. Unless there is a drastic change, death is the inevitable end for all of us.

2. Our technological power is increasing at a rate yet unheard of.

Which is the faithful position: That death has been conquered? Or that we may yet be able to conquer death?

-Ben Blair

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"Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath" (Isaiah 51:6)


In what is often called the overview effect, humans who have travelled into space and have viewed the earth from that elevated vantage point describe intense feelings of euphoria, interconnectedness, humility, awe, and the awareness of the fragility of life. National boundaries fade away, the atmosphere we often take for granted appears paper-thin, and the world appears as an oasis, silently suspended in an endless void.

Religion is at its best when it too produces these same sensations: euphoria, interconnectedness, humility, awe, and awareness of the sanctity of life. It is at its worst when it is used to produce the opposite: dogma, sectarianism, pride, dullness, and disregard for life. Jesus powerfully orients us towards the best in religion: "My peace I give you" (John 14:27), "In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these" (Matthew 25:40), "he that is greatest among you shall be your servant" (Matthew 23:11),  and "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son" (Matthew 18:10). Indeed, the "fruits of the spirit" has been canonized as "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance" (Galatians 5:22-23).


Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel contrasted the difference between anti-science religion used to dull and oppress vs. science-welcoming religion that can awe and inspire:

“It is customary to blame secular science and anti-religious philosophy for the eclipse of religion in modern society. It would be more honest to blame religion for its own defeats. Religion declined not because it was refuted, but because it became irrelevant, dull, oppressive, insipid. When faith is completely replaced by creed, worship by discipline, love by habit; when the crisis of today is ignored because of the splendor of the past; when faith becomes an heirloom rather than a living fountain; when religion speaks only in the name of authority rather than with the voice of compassion–its message becomes meaningless.” (God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism)

May we turn to the example of Jesus, lift up our eyes to the heavens in spirit and with our tools and technology, then look at the earth beneath with re-invigorated humility and awe towards the sacredness of our world, life, and one another.

-Caleb Jones


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In the scriptures we learn that the Satanic pattern is to vault oneself above all others:

"Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." (2 Thessalonians 2:4)

"For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:" (Isaiah 14:13)

"And it came to pass that Adam, being tempted of the devil—for, behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency;" (Doctrine & Covenants 29:36)

We also learn that Christ's pattern is to raise others up with him:

"And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him." (Doctrine & Covenants 84:38)

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." (John 14:12)

"They who dwell in his presence are the church of the Firstborn; and they see as they are seen, and know as they are known, having received of his fulness and of his grace; And he makes them equal in power, and in might, and in dominion." (Doctrine & Covenants 76:94-95)

Theologies, therefore, that posit a God who is utterly unique and different from humanity, that are offended when glory is given to anyone but God and seek to reserve glory solely for God, are theologies that posit Satan as God.

On the other hand, theologies that posit a God whose role it is to demonstrate how to be a good person, to show a path that others are capable of following, that invite others to overcome sin and death hand-in-hand with God, that invite others to join the body of Christ and participate in the great atonement of humanity, are theologies that posit Christ as God.

-Carl Youngblood

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Giving glory to God is good: celebrating God's grace, goodness, and love. But God asks us to worship, not idolize; emulate, not adulate. Jesus exemplified and glorified God's grace, goodness, and love and Jesus challenges His disciples to take upon them these same qualities, not abdicate them to God as an act already performed for us.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." (John 14:12)

How are we to do works even greater than Jesus? Does our glorifying God forbid this? If so, why? (given Jesus envisioned it). What works did Jesus do? Are we magnifying and amplifying them into this world? In what ways might we be fulfilling this call? In what ways might we be failing? What tools do we have today that didn't exist before which might aid us in fulfilling this call?

We must not let our glorifying God get in the way of our worshipping God. That can make the difference between active emulation and passive adulation. And that is the call Jesus gives to His disciples.

-Caleb Jones

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I think one of the great strengths of Mormonism is its naturalism; however, the term is equivocal and “naturalism” is sometimes criticized. Dictionary.com gives (among others) these definitions of “naturalism”:

Philosophy. The system of thought holding that all phenomena can be explained in terms of natural causes and laws.
Theology. The doctrine that all religious truths are derived from nature and natural causes and not from revelation.

It is in the context of this latter definition that, for example, “naturalistic” approaches to the Book of Mormon sometimes come under fire (typically from Mormon apologetic sources). But it seems there is a dichotomy in this definition that Mormonism rejects.

The assumption in the latter definition seems to be that God is “supernatural.” While this may be definitionally true (one of the dictionary definitions of “supernatural” is anything having to do with deity), there is a lot of baggage here. In Western religious and philosophical tradition, God has been understood to be outside or beyond the universe. But this is not the case in Mormon theology, in great part because of our denial of creation ex nihilo and our interpretation of scriptural creation accounts as pertaining to this earth only, and not to the entire universe.

This is hardly the first time I've translated my beliefs to someone who is agnostic or atheist. I believe that much of effectively communicating beliefs involves translating our assumptions into the language of the other: to assume their assumptions then find a way to translate our worldview in relation to it. Learning the intellectual and/or spiritual dialect of others is key.

• God is at least a human projection of our best aspirations.
• Satan is at least a human projection of our worst flaws.
• The Atonement is at least the power within us to heal and respond to pain and suffering.
• Jesus is at least a person who tapped into the power of the atonement & God to face Satan in much needed ways.
• Salvation is at least our best effort to attain Godhood and a Christ-like life.
• The restoration is at least a collective effort to renew and re-invigorate faith in light of expanding knowledge gained about the world. Joseph Smith at least contributed to this to the extent that Mormonism can participate in this renewal and invigoration.

With this common, base translation I can then translate hopes, beliefs, and trust which I choose to extend beyond these "at leasts":

• I have faith that the universe has been around long enough for God(s) to emerge and that the charity required for them to wield the power they do without destroying themselves makes them benevolent Gods.
• I believe that in an existence with moral freedom that some agents will oppose God and God will grant them space to do so -- I'm okay calling that force "Satan".
• I have faith that Jesus was more than just a person and was/is a manifestation of God's love, empathy, humility, and charity in more than just metaphorical ways.
• I trust that the atonement is more than just self-realization and that in it we form a real connection with God.
• I trust that salvation is physical and that as we act in ways that invite the atonement into our lives, societies, tools, and technologies that we can overcome death and sin.
• I have faith that God was working through Joseph Smith as he participated in the work of restoration.

Pointing out the choice involved in the faith, trust, and belief we translate our views into above "at leasts" is important. Honest, informed people can reasonably disagree with these and my holding that faith, trust, and belief is, at root, a choice from many possible alternatives.

But regardless of the details of hows, whether truth lies at "at leasts" or somewhere above with faith, I hope that we can all become Christs as we seek to tap into that same spiritual energy Jesus did and become manifestations of God's love, empathy, humility, and charity to one another. This trust and charity that we can extend to one another will take humanity far as we explore the universe.

And I find the above most robustly articulated in Mormonism.

Guest Post: Ben Blair, Chief of Special Projects If you have been to the transfigurism site in the last few months, you may have noticed a link to the Primers. Are/were you confused by these? Well, here's your primer on these primers!

The primers are short introductions to important ideas for Mormon Transhumanism. They came about as a tool to give structure to in-person meetups, and as a simple way to introduce basic ideas of Mormon Transhumanism. The primers are written at around a 6th grade level, and are typically 3-5 short paragraphs in length. One way to think of them is as a way to talk about Mormon Transhumanism to your child or parent.

The structure of the primers is quite simple. Each primer includes one or more learning objective, a summary, easy-to-understand content, definitions for key terms, discussion questions, a call to action, and resources for further study/engagement.


You can find them all here, or by title:

The Basics of Mormon Transhumanism
The Purpose of the Mormon Transhumanist Association
Humanity+ and the Transhumanist Declaration
Exponential Change
Implications of Exponential Technological Trends for Humanity

My ward snagged the last Sunday before my move to Switzerland to ask me to speak. Given the proximity to LDS General Conference, they assigned me the topic "Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice." Here is an excerpt from my talk, given on September 24, 2017.

When we hear the word "prophet" in the Church today, we typically think of the president of the High Priesthood -- the president of the Church -- and of course we sustain him as a prophet. But the word applies to more than just the president of the Church: we also sustain his counselors and the Quorum of the Twelve as prophets, seers, and revelators. And the spirit, or gift, of prophecy, is given to others as well, who are not part of the leadership of the Church. For example, we read in 1 Nephi 1:4 that in the reign of Zedekiah, "there came many prophets, prophesying unto the people that they must repent, or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed." Lehi was one of these prophets not in the Jewish religious leadership. In fact, through much of the Old Testament, God called prophets from outside the priestly leadership to call the people (and often their civil and religious leaders) to repentance.

While we often connect priesthood authority and the prophetic calling (with the perfect example of this being Jesus Christ, who is called our "prophet, priest, and king" in the hymn "I Know That My Redeemer Lives"), I believe it is important to distinguish the broader concept of a prophet. This is partly because it helps us understand the scriptures, but more importantly, because it helps us understand what the role of a prophet is and how it applies to our own lives.

So what is a prophet? The simplest definition of the spirit of prophecy comes from Revelation 19:10: "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy". But if we understand "testimony" to mean primarily "knowledge", I think we miss a key piece of the spirit of prophecy: feeling. A few years ago, when most recently we studied the Old Testament in Gospel Doctrine, I read a fantastic book called "The Prophets" by Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of the foremost Jewish scholars of our time. He says this about prophets:

"The fundamental experience of the prophet is a fellowship with the feelings of God, a sympathy with the divine pathos [or feelings]. The emotional experience of the prophet becomes the focal point for the prophet's understanding of God. He lives not only his personal life, but also the life of God... The prophet hears God's voice and feels His heart. He tries to impart the pathos [or feeling] of the message together with its logos [or content]."

The role of a prophet is not only to speak messages from God, but to feel as God feels and to express that feeling to listeners, to invite them to have the same relationship with God the prophet has. And we are all exhorted to seek after this gift: 1 Corinthians 14:1 (and really, most of this chapter through verse 32): "Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy." Or, as Moses put it when some complained to him that others were prophesying in the camp: "Would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!"

This is part of what I meant earlier about how the role of prophet applies to our own lives: we are to be prophets, men and women and children. In fact, Moses's sister Miriam is called a prophetess, along with Deborah, Huldah, Anna, and other women whose names are not recorded in the scriptures. In Acts 2:17, God promises: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy."

Occasionally, when I have discussed this idea with people, they have regarded it as dangerous, as somehow detracting from the authority of Church leaders or encouraging people to simply follow their own way and not worry about unity with the body of the Church. But the true spirit of prophecy is one of unity, because it is to understand (as far as we in our limited state currently can) the mind and heart of God, and one of the key characteristics of the Godhead is unity.

So how can we become prophets and prophetesses and have the spirit of prophecy? By reading and listening to the voices of other prophets. As we hear their messages, and more importantly, as we feel the divine feelings they express, our hearts are transformed and we are open to receiving those same feelings from God. In fact, it is when we ourselves have the spirit of prophecy that we best receive and understand prophetic messages. As D&C 50:17-22 puts it:

"Verily I say unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way? And if it be by some other way it is not of God. And again, he that receiveth the word of truth, doth he receive it by the Spirit of truth or some other way? If it be some other way it is not of God. Therefore, why is it that ye cannot understand and know, that he that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth? Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together."

Of course, because we are still developing in our godly characteristics, the messages of prophets will often point out where we are deficient, and this is rarely a comfortable thing. This is why so often, people have rejected, stoned, and killed prophets. At the same time, because God feels incomparable love for all of us, prophets also bring messages of comfort. As Jeffrey R. Holland said in General Conference in April of 2011:

"We are commanded in the scriptures to 'say nothing but repentance unto this generation,' while at the same time we are to preach 'good tidings [to] the meek ... [and] bind up the brokenhearted.' Whatever form they take, these conference messages 'proclaim liberty to the captives' and declare 'the unsearchable riches of Christ.' In the wide variety of sermons given is the assumption that there will be something for everyone. In this regard, I guess President Harold B. Lee put it best years ago when he said that the gospel is 'to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the [comfortable]."

As Mormons and as transhumanists, we should feel called with a prophetic calling, to spread the good news of how the divine work of transforming humanity into the image of God is proceeding. Most of us are in a position of great privilege, and if we do not feel uncomfortable with the demands placed on us by the call to be transformed into the image of Christ, we probably do not understand well enough. We should allow ourselves to be challenged by those we sustain and recognize as prophets, listen for the prophetic voice wherever it may be found, and feel "constrained", as Joseph Smith would call it, to challenge ourselves and others to the work of transformation into the divine image.

In an early blog post to the Transfigurist, I wrote some thoughts on the relationship to faith, creation, and programming:

What is particularly interesting about programming is that the creative process occurs in the abstract only. Yes, the program is stored on disk in the form of magnetic variations, but even this is invisible to the human eye and is not the purpose for which the program is created. A program is not the series of characters typed by the programmer. Rather the substance of a program is thought itself, concept described. Working this close to raw thought not just at the beginning of the creative process but all throughout the program’s creation requires a high level of concentration and mental exertion but likewise delivers a high level of satisfaction and joy. 

While the details of exactly what 'spiritual creation' is may be unclear, this process of creating implementable concepts and structures mentally surely must play a pivotal role. Thus, as we practice and participate in the process of creation and exercise our faculties (mental, physical, and spiritual), we draw nearer to God and learn more about the nature of eternity. This is why programming is, and many other creative processes are, so joyful. The creative process is itself a symbol of Eternity.

And elsewhere I've written about how I feel life, creation, and God are fundamentally emergent phenomena:

Mormonism sees mankind both as the beneficiaries of this kind of emergent God in our past and present; but continues with our becoming benefactors of this divine gift as mankind evolves and emerges into and merges with God in our future. The New God Argument lays out some of the logical underpinnings of this idea. And it's this kind of self-referential or cyclical pattern, capable of infinite diversity, that I previously explored as having fractal attributes... Creating environments out of which infinitely diverse and entirely novel intelligences can emerge as co-eternal, independent minds becomes the final, inexhaustible frontier. 

One work of fiction that I think captures this essence of emergence and co-eternal creation is the movie 'Tron: Legacy'. [SPOILERS] In the movie a vast, immersive, virtual world is created by Flynn. In that world, Flynn seeks to create a "perfect system" of control and order. But as he tries to design this system from the ground up something else happens: the "miracle", as he calls it. Out of the system emerges a new kind of life: the ISOs. This discovery completely changed Flynn's view of the value of the system. Rather than building programs that were only ever reducible to their programming, this discovery would forever alter consciousness and was ultimately what Flynn was willing to sacrifice everything for.

Flynn describes how the ISOs "didn't come from anywhere", that the conditions were right and that they came into being, like a flame. The ISOs had a wisdom and ability beyond the reductive algorithms of control and order he had been using. But as Flynn seeks to introduce the ISOs to the real world, he is betrayed by the programs he employed to create the "perfect system". The antagonist program, Clu, saw the ISOs as a threat to order and perfection which ultimately drove him to rebel and seek to destroy Flynn's efforts and dreams. Clu rejected the emergent properties of the system since they didn't fit his mandate of reductive creation of control and order, leads the programs to destroy the ISOs, and Flynn ends up trapped and exiled in the system. Mormons can see echoes of our own religious notions of pre-earth life with Satan seeking perfect control and order and rebelling against God's plan for the souls of mankind that is not reductive to control and order.

Here's a clip of Flynn remembering these events:



Flynn's son Sam, retracing his father's steps, discovers this virtual world and enters into it. He finds his father, exiled, and the world ruled by Clu. As he tries to escape with his father and Quorra (the last ISO), Quorra is damaged and Flynn tries to repair her.  During the repair, Flynn's son Sam asks him if he created the ISOs. Flynn's response was that he created "some of it" but that ultimately there were emergent properties that were "beyond him".

Here's a clip of that exchange:




Stepping away from the story, Tron Legacy underscores an important question in the field of artificial intelligence: Is general AI something we reductively design, is it an emergent phenomenon, or both?

To be clear, saying AI is emergent does not mean we just sit back and watch it emerge (as Google's Alfred Spector correctly argues against). The act of creating general AI is like any creative act: it requires active work by the creator in the medium of creation. But it is entirely different from other forms of creation (saving biological reproduction) in that the creation itself wakes up, becomes aware of its medium, and can transcend its origins. In the field of AI this is described as "recursive self-improvement" which can lead to an intelligence explosion.

While there is a great amount to say about weak AI, strong AI, and super-intelligence, I think there are lessons to learn in works of fiction like Tron Legacy which explore the contrasts between creating systems of reductive control and order vs systems tuned for emergence, the limits and conflicts between those two approaches, and the risks and opportunities of both. And I think the hope or "good news" (gospel) of works like Tron is that in working with AI, our creations may be able to transcend our thinking and show us things more amazing than we ever imagined.