Gotchas, revelations, degeneration of  civility — appalling

One takeaway from the series of revelations, gotchas and appalling degeneration of civility that accompanied the presidential campaign leading to, during and after last Sunday’s debate is the consistency with which past communications — whether surreptitiously-recorded video or old emails — can come back to haunt. There seems to be nothing that’s been put out there that can’t be recovered and used.
It reminds me of one of my early objections to Christianity. I was incredulous at the idea that there could be totally omnipotent Being — one who knows and recalls virtually everything, all at once, all the time. It was not logical to the natural man who, at the same time he craves an understanding that only God can provide, finds what he feels are logical reasons that He cannot exist. The natural mind, whether consciously or subconsciously, builds within itself a case to justify its unbelief.
The idea of prayer left me equally incredulous: that this omnipotent Being could listen to all these humans in prayer at the same time and be able to personally minister to each of those many — it defies the logic and good sense of the natural man, just impossible.
Yet with Friday’s release of the embarrassing old video of one candidate and disclosures of email communication thought by the other candidate to have been private, we see both hoisted on their own petards — petards of modern communications technology driven by artificial intelligence we have created ourselves.
All those years ago when I nurtured my doubts about the omniscience of Diety, I’d have never guessed that in my lifetime, technology created by man would have the ability to recall from the past images and messages that one would never have thought would see the light of day. Yet today’s artificial intelligence, created by man, now has that capability even in what is likely its earliest stage of development. Man has also created the ability to communicate with millions at the same time, to monitor what millions are doing at the same time and to share it with millions even as it is being done in real time.
So man, with his exponentially-expanding mastery of technology, has created artificial intelligence with capabilities that resemble what I once doubted possible even for God. And if the creature is capable of such creation, how much more then the Creator of the creature?
Scripture gives us some idea:
Luke writes, “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Accordingly whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms shall be proclaimed from the housetops.” (12: 2, 3)
But it’s not just what’s covered, said and whispered:
“And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?” (Matthew 9: 4)
“But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart …” (Luke 9:47)
So there’s nothing about us, inside or out, that forever remains hidden. It’s just a matter of time.
“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” (Hebrews 4:13)
Then, if the Bible isn’t authority enough, politicians should at least heed the words of one of their own:
“Don’t write anything you can phone. Don’t phone anything you can talk. Don’t talk anything you can whisper. Don’t whisper anything you can smile. Don’t smile anything you can nod. Don’t nod anything you can wink.”
— Former Louisiana Governor Earl Long