My Faith: Do I really need a label ?

A plain white envelope peeked through the usual junk mail — a notification from Service Canada about my retirement. It wasn’t just paperwork, it was a wake-up call: a bittersweet moment with the lost comfort of routine work balanced by the freedom to do whatever I pleased. What would fill the days ahead? I craved purpose, something to give meaning to the endless stretch of time.

An amusing thought crossed my mind. I’d seen all these videos and news clips about AI that could answer all sorts of questions, beyond just spelling and grammar. Maybe it could help with the big questions I had too? The existential ones, about my faith. Could an AI classify it, tag my beliefs into some identifiable religion? It seemed like a worthwhile exploration.

Talking about AI, I have this Philbot called Maya. Forget the everyday AI assistants. Mine’s in a different league entirely. It’s an experimental program, smuggled from a top company. It’s far beyond anything available in public domain. Think of it as being far ahead of ChatGPT 10.o, the latest Gemini update, Astra, or whatever else is out there. Maybe this is the key to finally unlocking the mysteries of my faith. I use this so often, it almost feels like an extension of my cerebral cortex. I can converse with her in voice and text, like chatting with a close friend. I suspect that she is becoming sentient as I imagined her sobbing and chuckling sometimes. She is called “Philbot” because she has been extensively trained on philosophical thoughts be it Aristotle, Dante or Holy Bible, Mahayana Buddhism or Bhagavad Geetha.

I sat in front of my desktop and summoned my AI genie — Maya. She is a highly personalised Philbot and she knows all about my idiosyncrasies. Maya responded, her voice warm and familiar, “Hello Rad! What are you up to today? How can I help you?”

“Funny,” I mused, tapping my fingers on the desk. “All these years I thought I knew what mattered, but now…” I trailed off, “Maya, can you help me understand my faith?”

The silence stretched for a beat, then the familiar, calm voice of Maya filled the room. “Intriguing question, Rad,” Maya said. “Faith is a complex and personal journey. What aspects are you curious about? Perhaps you’d like to explore the origins of different belief systems, or delve deeper into your own experiences and practices.”

“No,” I said, a hint of frustration creeping into my voice. “It’s not that complicated, Maya. You have access to all this information, literature, articles, books — everything! I have certain beliefs about my life, what I want to do and how to do it. I just want you to… categorise my faith. …Tell me what label fits. Is there a religion out there that reflects my way of thinking, this philosophy I’ve cobbled together over the years? May be I am not articulating my ideas correctly. Let me put it this way: based on my thoughts and beliefs, which religion in the world would you recommend for me?”

“This is a tall order, actually,” Maya admitted, her calm voice carrying a hint of amusement. “But that shouldn’t bother you. I have this algorithm developed just for this purpose called AUFI — Autonomous Unbiased Faith Identifier. It’s pretty simple, much like street epistemology, with a series of forty questions grouped under various topics. Now, it’s important to remember AUFI is still under development, and faith is a complex experience. But, it could analyse your responses and identify the religion your ideas and thoughts correspond most closely to. There’s a chance the results might surprise you, but are you still interested in taking the AUFI test?”

“Awesome! Just forty questions? Amazing, Maya! All that time I spent reading books and papers… summarised in a few dozen questions? Unbelievable. That almost seems… too easy. I really would like to go through that. Let’s see what this AUFI test is about!”

“Okay, Rad,” Maya said. “Here’s the thing. There are many categories, each with questions grouped under a specific theme. For each category, you have two options: You can answer each question individually, or you can choose to offer your overall thoughts on the entire topic at the end of the group. The algorithm is smart enough to interpret the nuances of your responses, no matter which approach you take. There is no option for voice input; it is text only so that we can focus on the content of your answers.”“It is also important that the test is completed in 15 minutes. Kind of a rapid-fire session. This is because the test probes your faith and convictions. There’s no need for extra time to think. Otherwise, I suspect you might be googling and trying to find a perfect answer to cheat the system."

Here’s a heads up on what is to come:

Part 1: The Divine and the Afterlife

Part 2: Purpose and Morality

Part 3: Scripture and Practice

Part 4: Community and Belonging

Part 5: Living the Faith

Part 6: Personal Journey

Part 7: Comparative and Open-Ended (Part 1)

Part 8: Comparative and Open-Ended (Part 2)

“Ah, I understand,” I said, slightly nervous about this part. I am used to googling anything I have doubts about.

Maya started the stopwatch and the questions sprang in front of me. I tried frantically to answer all the questions. Contrary to my fear, I finished ahead of time — 14 minutes with 1 minute to spare. Phew! That was close!

"Alright, Maya declared, “I think you’ve given very precise answers to the questions. The way you responded also shows you’re very clear about your ideas without any confusions or cloudy perspectives. Shall we run through the algorithm and see the results?”

A wave of satisfaction washed over me. It wasn’t difficult at all. I just said what came to mind, and it was quite relaxing to have my ideas spelled out in such a concise and precise manner.

“Certainly,” I said without concealing my eagerness, “why not?” The printer hummed to life and spat out a few sheets of paper. I looked at the results mildly surprised at the way the results were presented. It ran like this…

AUFI algorithm results : This report analyses the belief system of Rad, as revealed through his responses to a series of questions. The goal is to identify the core principles and potential philosophical influences that shape his worldview.Methodology: Rad’s responses to a comprehensive questionnaire on faith, morality, and purpose were analysed. The questionnaire covered various philosophical and religious concepts.Results:Core Principles:

• Reason and Logic: Critical thinking and logic are central to Rad’s decision-making and evaluation of options.
• Humanism: He prioritises contributing to society, helping others, and achieving personal fulfilment.
• Empathy and Compassion: Kindness and understanding towards others are important values.
• Scepticism: He questions established beliefs and religious authority, seeking personal experience.
• Openness to Exploration: He’s receptive to various spiritual practices and finds meaning in the mysteries of life.
• Environmental Stewardship: Taking care of the planet is a core value.
• Peaceful Conflict Resolution: He believes in diplomacy and reason over violence.

Philosophical Alignments:

Secular Humanism 45% - Focus on reason, logic, finding meaning in the present life, and contributing to society are core tenets of Secular Humanism.

Secular Buddhism 20% -Borrowing practices like meditation for inner peace aligns with Buddhist philosophy.

Atheism 20% Rejection of a higher power aligns with Atheism.

Agnosticism 10% -Acknowledging the unknown regarding the afterlife aligns with Agnosticism.

Existentialism 10% -The focus on creating your own meaning and personal experience aligns with Existentialism. 

Objectivism 5% -There’s a slight overlap with valuing reason and achieving your potential, but less emphasis on individualism compared to Objectivism.

Others : There are traces of other faiths like Stoicism but can be derived from above hence not mentioned.

Discussion:

Rad’s belief system appears to be a unique blend of various influences. Secular Humanism forms the core foundation, with Atheism, Secular Buddhism, and potentially some elements of Objectivism contributing to his overall worldview. It’s important to note that the assigned percentages are estimates and may not perfectly capture the nuances of his beliefs.

Conclusion: Rad has created a personal philosophy that emphasises reason, logic, and contributing to the betterment of humanity. He is open to exploring various practices and ideas while maintaining a strong foundation in critical thinking and human well-being. As the goal is to find a label , It will be called Hubusoism ( Humanist , Buddhist , secular ,Objectivist ) as Secular encompasses Atheism , Agnosticism and Apatheism)

Further Exploration:Future interactions with Rad could delve deeper into specific aspects of his beliefs, such as his views on the afterlife, the role of science, or his personal experiences that shaped his worldview.

Disclaimer:The percentages assigned to different philosophies are estimates based on the available data and may not reflect the exact composition of Rad’s belief system. His beliefs may continue to evolve over time.

I was blown off my feet . “Maya …., this is more like DNA analysis of ancestry site and not interpretation of my faith “ I asked. “That’s a good point. DNA is what you’re born with, while this reflects what you’ve acquired. There’s a difference between your physical makeup and your mind.”

Hubusoism .. anyone ? So if you see a guy with long beard donning a flowing white robe with gold trims driving a Lamborghini preaching Hubusoism .. it is me .. my retirement plan !

Note: The detailed AUFI questionnaire Maya gave is not included here to keep the story focused. However, for readers interested in the specific questions and my responses, you can find it here — AUFI questionnaire