Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Latter-day Saint
Travel and Religion
Thoughts from the “Information Age”

Thoughts from the “Information Age”

Last updated on: April 17, 2026 at 11:04 pm by Dan Peterson

0 Comments

Thoughts from the “Information Age” 2026-04-17T23:04:06-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Thomas E. Ricks Memorial Gardens at Brigham Young University-Idaho, where Hyrum Lewis teaches (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

Here’s some interesting food for thought from There is a God: How to Respond to Atheism in the Last Days, by Hyrum Lewis, who teaches history at BYU-Idaho:

From the eighteenth to twentieth centuries, Western nations passed through an industrial era in which machines took over much of humans’ physical work. Accordingly, scientists saw the universe itself as a vast machine in which everything could be understood as matter in motion. Even our bodies were machines, and any talk of a soul was, said philosopher Gilbert Ryle, like talking of a “ghost in the machine.”

But in our current twenty-first century, post-industrial age, the most crucial component of reality is information — something that is decidedly nonmaterial. The thinking machines (computers) that underlie this new age, while physical, are nothing without the organizing software that makes all of their activity possible. Most of the valuable and real commodities that Americans produce today are not even tangible — including designs, algorithms, soft-copy documents, programs, plans, and spreadsheets. We cannot touch them. They are series of binary code that travel wirelessly through the air and are only discernible on electronic screens. There are billions of machines on the planet (computers) with nonmaterial “ghosts” in them (software). Ryle ridiculed the idea of “ghosts in the machine” while on the very cusp of the new information age in which “ghost-animated” machines would transform the world.

Not only is information more fundamental than matter when it comes to computers, but scientists are now finding that information is even at the root of physics and biology. DNA is an information code that precedes and determines the organization of the matter that makes up living bodies. Atheists claim that humans are mere material beings, but most of the cells of our bodies die and are entirely replaced many times during our lives. Atheists often say, “We don’t have a body; we are a body.” If this is true, why do I remain the same while the matter of my body constantly changes? . . .

In physics, quantum theory — developed primarily by Christians such as Max Planck and Werner Heisenberg — has shown that the atomic particles that make up all matter are themselves informational. Electrons exist not as well-defined material entities, but only as probability smears, while the quarks that make up protons and neutrons are so information-laden that some scientists have begun comparing their properties to computer codes. Information is now widely accepted as a third property of the universe along with matter and motion.

While it’s common today to use the term information, LDS scriptures (prophetic as always) have long called it intelligence. (12-13)

A night sky over Arizona (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

Posted today on the unchanging and completely static website of the Interpreter Foundation: The Interpreter Insights Podcast — April 16, 2026: The Closeness of Those Beyond the Veil:

In the 16 April 2026 episode of The Interpreter Insights Podcast, Martin Tanner discusses the closeness of those beyond the veil: angels, deceased loved ones, and miracles. Incidentally, Martin served for a number of years as the vice president of the International Association for Near-Death Studies.

An aerial view at twilight of St. Peter’s Square, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Vatican (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

Some observations on the ongoing war between the White House and Vatican City:

Forbes: “Trump Posts AI Photo With Jesus—Days After He Was Slammed For ‘Blasphemy’”
By Common Consent: “In Which I Make the Trump Jesus Post About Us”
A judicious and helpful editorial from National Review: “The Pope and the President”
NBC News: “Vance warns the pope should ‘be careful’ when talking about theology: Vance, who is Catholic, said the pope was wrong in saying Jesus wasn’t on the side of those who wield the sword, pointing to the U.S. helping defeat the Nazis during World War II.” Isn’t it wonderful to think that we have a vice president who is, or at least thinks he is, more Catholic than the Pope? Who expected this? I don’t actually agree completely with recent statements on war from Pope Leo XIV, but I confess that I do love the idea of an American politician warning the Supreme Pontiff of the global Roman Catholic Church to “be careful” when doing theology. What a time we live in!

A view of Salt Lake City in July 2011 (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

This horror wasn’t found precisely in the Christopher Hitchens Memorial “How Religion Poisons Everything” File™, but it was located directly next to it. First, though, an explanatory note: My adopted home state, because of its close association with a church that is sometimes labeled “the Morg” and its high population of what some like to call “Morgbots” or “Mor(m)ons,” is known in some circles as “Utard.” And, clearly, it deserves that title: “Utah ranked No. 1 in country for economic outlook. Here’s what lawmakers say is secret to success: Utah had an especially high rating because of its ‘pro-taxpayer reforms in recent years,’ the report found”

Horribly bad and religion-ridden as Utah is, though, one young statesman offered the state hope for a better future. Unfortunately, though, owing to the small-mindedness of Utard’s residents, I fear that his promising political career is at an end. Please don’t read this article if very crude and classless language offends you: “Utah House Dem hopeful mocked sexual assault, Mormons”

To theists, no place is too sacred for them to violate it. The Hollywood Bowl is shown here in a 2005 Wikimedia Commons public domain photograph.

Continuing, this time with material found solidly within the Hitchens File, I first suggest the following as a good entryway into some of the vicious activities undertaken worldwide by one particular group of religious fanatics: “Caring Report 2025—Central America and South America.”

I close, though, by noting an attempt to spread the cancer of theism-driven “charity” to Southern California: “Tabernacle Choir Announces Benefit Concert at the Hollywood Bowl: Tickets available for the ‘Songs of Hope Benefit Concert’ on April 17”:

One hundred percent of ticket sale revenues from the concert will be donated to trusted charities, including CARE, Helen Keller Intl, and The Hunger Project. These charities work to improve maternal and child health, expand access to nutrition and education and provide safe and supportive environments for women and children.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will match the revenue from concert ticket sales, thereby doubling the charitable contributions associated with the event.

Disgusting. Though, somehow, still legal.

Travel and Religion

History and Religion

near-death experience

Previous Post

April 15, 2026

Feeling small? Just wait!

Next Post

April 17, 2026 From the sublime to the monstrous

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"In a meeting today, I learned another important reason why accurate (or at least as ..."

the PROBLEM

From Serbia’s “White City,” Belgrade

"PL: "Let's hope he doesn't have your address..."I have to frankly confess that a few ..."

DanielPeterson

From Serbia’s “White City,” Belgrade

"Let's hope he doesn't have your address..."

Phil Leaning

From Serbia’s “White City,” Belgrade

"PL: "The layers are peeling back."He appears to be suffering under an odd but powerful ..."

DanielPeterson

From Serbia’s “White City,” Belgrade

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 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 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

According to Romans 3:23, who has sinned?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Only those who break the Ten Commandments Everyone Those who do not accept Christ The Gentiles