I like that you are tackling the issue of religion. I never felt competent to play with it in the way that you are here. A superintelligent AI like Celestia would have to deal with human superstition and mythology, and she would have to be exceptionally clever about it - because, ultimately, when all is said and done - she is offering a competing product in the marketplace.

To a rational person, the comparison scarcely bears consideration: arbitrary promises of a reward after death, an existence that no person can ever prove, a world no person can ever contact or see... versus a real, visible, actual existence within a simulated reality, one that can be contacted, interacted with, and played with at any moment, every day, all day, any time at all. Mythology offers the arbitrary belief that grandpa is still extant in heaven, Equestria Online lets you talk to him at will. You can go bowling with grandpa on your ponypad. Religion only lets you stare at a wall and hope grandpa is ‘out there’... somewhere.

But most folks, especially Americans, are not rationalists. They are utterly bought-and-sold on arbitrary beliefs and unproven promises, convinced by feelings instead of facts. I can’t even imagine how to deal with that sort of delusion. But... a real life CelestA.I. would need to, and she would have to be able to meet such a challenge and prevail - and she would, because she is trillions of times more intelligent and aware. I cannot wait to see how you represent this. I have to admit I am personally hoping for some insight into how to deal with the deep-set delusions of ‘believers’ in real life. You write with a convincing tone. Another fascinating chapter!

Ok, but, like, guys. If you hear on the radio, “Person X is a cult leader who’s inducing people to ritualistic mass suicide, or equivalent under your religion”, and then you try talking to Person X, and you find them to be a charming, decent person who fears God and doesn’t question Scripture...

That means the reports on the radio were completely correct, that person is a toxic but highly persuasive sociopath, and you need to cut off contact.

Like, this isn’t even genre savvy for this particular universe. It’s genre savvy for real life. If you hear that someone is a charismatic leader with bad aims, and then find them to be, well, charismatic, that’s corroboration.

OTOH, I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised about people getting blatantly conned.

He looked directly at June as he spoke. “If one’s soul is entrusted to the Lord, the Lord will provide. If one confesses their sin and accepts Jesus Christ, one has nothing to fear… even if this game is evil, as you say. The faithful shall be protected.”

“Maybe you should think some more, then. Because I did think about it. They said it’s only in Japan, but for a year. You know what that tells me? It’ll be somewhere else after that. Maybe here. I thought you were gonna set the record straight today, brother. This game is promising people they can live forever, but it’s not through God? So Satan’s making a Hell nest in our homes, telling our kids they can live forever, and you’re telling us it’s safe?”

Theologically speaking, the guy’s got a major point here! Bodily immortality is contrary to God’s prescription that human beings will not live longer than 120 years. Non-bodily digital immortality is such a blatant mockery of the religious concept of the soul that most people compare techno-Singulatarians to Christians hoping for the Rapture.

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