Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • SCOTUS
  • Life
  • Religious Liberty
  • News
  • Politics
  • Faith
  • Opinion

Meet the ‘Robot Priest’ That Offers Blessings in Numerous Languages, Recites Bible Verses and Shoots Light Beams

YouTube/Volker Rahn
YouTube/Volker Rahn
Share Tweet
By Billy Hallowell
Editor

May 31, 2017

Imagine a sophisticated robot that attempts to play the role of a pastor, offering blessings to parishioners, reciting Bible verses and using its artificial intelligence to inspire the masses.

You actually don’t need to rely on your imagination much longer, as a church in Wittenberg, Germany, has unveiled BlessU-2, a strange little mechanical fellow who is being dubbed a “robot priest,” reported The Guardian.

REPORT: School Principal and Secretary Placed on Leave After Praying for Student Inside Public School Classroom

According to the outlet, the robot, created by the Protestant church in Hesse and Nassau, was unveiled as part of an exhibit marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. The “robot priest” can offer blessings in German, English, Spanish, Polish and French.

Here’s how it works: The robot reportedly welcomes users and then asks if they’d like a blessing from a male or female voice. From there, it requests the type of blessing people might want and then says, “God bless and protect you” before concluding with a Bible verse as lights flash and its arms move about, Mirror reported.

The purpose of the robot is to spark debate and “inspire discussion” about the role of artificial intelligence in the future of Christianity, while also commemorating the anniversary of the Reformation.

“We wanted people to consider if it is possible to be blessed by a machine, or if a human being is needed,” Stephan Krebs of the Protestant church in Hesse and Nassau told The Guardian. “The idea is to provoke debate.”

And Krebs said that the robot already has people chattering. While some are intrigued by the mechanical “priest,” others reportedly worry about how artificial intelligence could impact the church. At the very least, these critics have no interest in receiving a blessing from a machine.

In the end, Krebs said he obviously doesn’t believe a robot could take the place of a priest, especially when it comes to “pastoral care.”

“We don’t want to robotize our church work,” he said. “But see if we can bring a theological perspective to a machine.”

—

Other Must-Read Stories:

– Trump’s Latest Birth Control Move Could Throw Another Major Twist Into the Contraceptive Mandate Battle

– ‘From Homeless to Harvard’: Woman Overcomes Addiction and Graduates From One of America’s Best Colleges

– REPORT: School Principal and Secretary Placed on Leave After Praying for Student Inside Public School Classroom

– WATCH: Struggling Student Tears Up as Hero Teacher Surprises Him With News That He’ll Graduate

– ‘He Was Effectively Dead for 90 Minutes’: Shocked Doctor Says Man’s Miracle Recovery Is Unlike Anything He’s Ever Seen

Latest

  • News

    ‘In the Arms of Christ’: Pastor’s Daughter Among Children Killed During Christian School Shooting

  • Faith

    ‘Thank God He Was There’: Off-Duty Firefighter Says It Was the Lord Who Led Him to Save Deputy Hurt in Crash

  • News

    ‘Kind of a Miracle’: Storm Chaser Rescues Family After Tornado, Pledges to Help Rebuild Home After Terrifying Ordeal

  • News

    Amid ‘Hidden Dangers That Lurk’ in Culture, Christian Video Games Could Offer Parents a Powerful Solution

  • News

    All-American Swimmer Blasts ESPN for Promoting Transgender Athlete in ‘Celebrating Women’s History Month’


Sponsored
Sponsored

Newsletter
Signup

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • ‘In the Arms of Christ’: Pastor’s Daughter Among Children Killed During Christian School Shooting
  • ‘Thank God He Was There’: Off-Duty Firefighter Says It Was the Lord Who Led Him to Save Deputy Hurt in Crash
  • ‘Kind of a Miracle’: Storm Chaser Rescues Family After Tornado, Pledges to Help Rebuild Home After Terrifying Ordeal
  • Amid ‘Hidden Dangers That Lurk’ in Culture, Christian Video Games Could Offer Parents a Powerful Solution
  • All-American Swimmer Blasts ESPN for Promoting Transgender Athlete in ‘Celebrating Women’s History Month’

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016

Categories

  • Christian Persecution
  • Coronavirus
  • Culture
  • culture
  • Entertainment
  • Faith
  • Faith
  • Family
  • George Floyd
  • Go!
  • Israel
  • Life
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • Media
  • Men
  • Mission Haiti
  • News
  • News
  • Opinion
  • P.O.V
  • Politics
  • Politics
  • Roe
  • Sponsored
  • Sports
  • Virtue
  • Women

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?