Who Knew a Schwarzenegger Movie Could be Prophetic?
“God inspires all scripture and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. ”
(I wrote this devotion on January 30, 2020. It is more prophetic each day. Now, with Elon Musk worth over a trillion dollars after taking SpaceX public, his companies are too intertwined with the Stock Market and our 401(k)s. We need to pray for God’s intervention. I hope you read this old devotion with an eye on how the danger has expanded and how we can still save ourselves.)
The Christian Lous Lange quote is so true: “Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.” Just because the tech industry can create, doesn’t mean they should. I continue to be deeply concerned about who is asking the question, “Should we?” I want to share some examples of Technology we use or will soon use, and their implications.
Drones for military use concern me. Yes, our military can perform the act of war, with fewer American casualties, but when one side of a war can kill without being present to experience the horror of killing, brutality too easily becomes sanitized, and hence, commonplace. Scarlett Rose, in her article, “5 Horrifying Emerging Technology Trends that will Shake You!,” points out the reality of “Lethal Autonomous Robots.” She says, “Yes, I am talking about real-life autonomous terminators! Do you know that over 5 countries are already working on developing autonomous robots with the intent of using them for combat?” Again, when killing happens without human hands, it is easier to murder and destroy others without the necessity of facing the horror. Fewer human connections cause us to dehumanize others far too easily.
Privacy is under constant threat of becoming as antiquated as the 8-Track Tape Deck. Smart Home Devices are already spying on us. Amazon listens to us through Alexa, waiting to respond. Hackers are getting into our home cameras. The very thing we are using for protection is making us vulnerable. Rose reminds us, “These spying home devices collect your routine information such as your viewing history on video streaming platforms, your home address, what route do you take to get home, and also, what time do you generally come back home. Phewww! That is not cool.”
Rose continues by warning us about “AI Cloning,” “Racial Recognition for Surveillance,” and “Smart Dust Technology.” Rose confirms, “Technology is meant to make life simple, but it is imperative to make sure that these technologies are used only for good. The dangerous misuse of Technology needs to stop, and it needs to stop now!” What Scarlett Rose needs to address is who will stop it. Not the tech industry. Not the finger-pointing politicians. The religious communities need to unite and speak as one on issues of ethics and human values. Today, pray for this necessary cause, before terminators spy on us!
