27 Comments
User's avatar
Top Shelf Theology's avatar

Maybe Jim Acosta's bit would've gone over better if the presentation was more like when Conan O'Brien would have a celebrity guest on for an interview, and the "celebrity" would *obviously* be a still frame with a blue-screened mouth, and some asshat writer doing an impression of them with just their mouth animating where the mouth was.

Silver Nightingale's avatar

In 1989 the USSR aired a TV special that all Soviet citizens were encouraged to watch that had a spirit medium named Anatoly Kashpirovsky that (they hoped) would psychically heal the population into being “better citizens” as the empire crumbled around them

jabster's avatar

I think the USSR at that point was throwing everything against the wall to see what might stick.

Katherine Dee's avatar

Incredible story

Seen's avatar

The deepfake child stuff is reminding me of the Spielberg movie "A.I.".

Katherine Dee's avatar

It reminds me of Marjorie prime

E. Jean Carroll's avatar

ChatGPT and I agree, Katherine Dee.

Katherine Dee's avatar

Hey! Always nice to see you around here, E. Jean!!!

jabster's avatar

Now we apparently have AI Ouija boards.

Katherine Dee's avatar

You know I've always been too scared to use a ouija board? I do sleep with my spirit box on though.

jabster's avatar

Never used a Ouija board myself.

Dominique Watkins's avatar

Rev. Daniel Reehil, an Exorcist priest, has said he knows priests who receive anonymous text messages with Arcane knowledge. Things a stranger cannot possibly know or discussing the priest's schedule and interactions, intimate details. The number when called does not exist. The web is certainly a portal that can be used by evil forces. Opening portals to the occult is a very bad idea. Bad things happen and evil attaches itself to people and things.

Katherine Dee's avatar

That's extremely interesting, can you share details of this with me?

Sunspot_Mike's avatar

He talks about demons texting priests in his Shawn Ryan interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0svd0YPi-9I

Up holding the 1st's avatar

OMG Catherine that was a spectacularly well written article it’s amazing how fragile some people truly are. I could never imagine creating an AI grandpa even though I miss that man every day of my life because it’s not really him amazing job on the peace I restocked it and liked it

Katherine Dee's avatar

Thank you so much Nathan!!!

Patrick Kho's avatar

Not sure if this counts as techno mysticism but does anyone else remember the “like for Jesus ignore for Satan” images that dominated Facebook in the early 2010s

Katherine Dee's avatar

seems related, totally forgot about those. it's a digital form of prayer

jabster's avatar

Just like certain emails were digital chain letters, these FB posts were social media chain letters.

Beatrice Marovich's avatar

Communicating with the dead might even be our oldest religious impulse. Perhaps it’s less an anomaly and more a way for us to track where religious attention is gathering at any given moment.

Derek Wagner's avatar

I think of how in 1 Samuel, King Saul is floundering and he turns not to the living priests of a God who calls Himself “the living God,” but to a medium so he can speak to the dead prophet Samuel. The Bible itself (a very pro-God book!) acknowledges our most natural impulse is to talk to the dead for answers to what we need before we talk to God

Beatrice Marovich's avatar

Yes, absolutely. The fact that the prohibition against necromancy exists, in those texts, is a clear sign that it’s a powerful tendency that the biblical authors were compelled to push back against.

Katherine Dee's avatar

very good point. also, love your blog title- definitely gonna check it out

Beatrice Marovich's avatar

Thanks! I discovered your Substack not long ago, but I’m a big fan. Have especially enjoyed this kind of stuff!