On Religion: C.S. Lewis, AI And The Temptation Of Easy Wisdom
(ANALYSIS) Late in the movie “Shadowlands,” the C.S. Lewis character describes the role that books can play in real life.
The famous Oxford don and author, played by Anthony Hopkins, notes, “We read books to know that we are not alone.”
Lewis never wrote those memorable words — they came from playwright and screenwriter William Nicholson, noted William O'Flaherty, author of “The Misquotable C.S. Lewis: What He Didn't Say, What He Actually Said, and Why It Matters.”
Nevertheless, that quote is frequently attributed to Lewis on websites and social media.
Further complicating matters, “the movie character Lewis — when he does say it, while the real Lewis never said it — is quoting a student who is saying that his father said it,” noted O'Flaherty, via Zoom. Many who spread this quote appear to want people to "think the real Lewis went around repeating things from others" while taking credit for them.
It doesn't help that many readers who circulate fake Lewis quotes do so because they admire the author's Christian faith, expressed in 30-plus books — fiction and nonfiction — which sell millions of copies a year, long after his death in 1963.
Lewis is not an isolated case. In his book, O'Flaherty noted that Albert Einstein never said, “God does not play dice,” Mark Twain didn't proclaim, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies and statistics," and Ernest Hemingway never claimed he could write a short story with just six words." Arthur Conan Doyle never had Sherlock Holmes say, "Elementary, my dear Watson.”
The basic problem: “Too many people have a bumper sticker attention span. And typically, they love quotes because quotes give them the 'sound bite' that confirms something they ALREADY believe.”
In the past, some readers simply "misremembered" quotes they heard in lectures, sermons and speeches and passed them on. Misquotes have even appeared in books or major periodicals. With some authors, movies and television based on their writings have added to the confusion. Finally, issues with misquotes kicked into high gear with the internet and powerful social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and X. How will AI affect all of this?
In his 2018 book, O'Flaherty analyzed 75 quotations he considered clearly "not Lewis," "almost Lewis" (quotes containing some mistakes), and “not quite Lewis” — quotes that were taken out of context and could be misunderstood. In the years since doing that research, he has seen at least 75 more Lewis case studies worthy of attention.
Ironically, while digital networks make it easier to spread misquotes, search engines and artificial intelligence also make it easier for researchers such as O'Flaherty to spot fakes and misquotes. At the same time, AI programs make it easier to create words, images and voices imitating the work of artists and public figures.
For example, soon after the election of Pope Leo XIV, this quotation went viral: “To be called 'woke' in a world that sleeps through suffering is no insult — it is Gospel. Woke means awakened by compassion. Guided by truth. Humbled by grace. Committed to justice — not just for some, but for all. So let them mock. Let them sneer. We will still build the Kingdom — not with walls, but with love. Be awake. Be loving. Be woke.”
After extensive research, Snopes.com factcheckers said there was “no evidence that Pope Leo XIV ever made this statement or gave any speech resembling it. In fact, the quote shared on social media shortly after his election was fabricated.”
The digital tide is rising, said O'Flaherty. In a “nightmare fake C.S. Lewis scenario," AI could create lectures, letters and articles — even using BBC recordings of the author's distinctive Belfast accent to create recordings that would sound like his actual voice.
A “C.S. Lewis Sermons” YouTube channel, he noted, contains 811 videos and this caveat: “Whether the voice you hear is human or AI-assisted, each word is intentionally and uniquely crafted," and the videos often draw "inspiration from the timeless wisdom of C.S. Lewis.”
The website features photos of Lewis, with a graphic that includes a misquote previously dissected by O'Flaherty.
“Well-meaning people who like Lewis just take this in — hook, line and sinker — without reading it from the actual books,” O'Flaherty said. “Because they like it, they believe it.”
COPYRIGHT 2025 ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION
Terry Mattingly is Senior Fellow on Communications and Culture at Saint Constantine College in Houston. He lives in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and writes Rational Sheep, a Substack newsletter on faith and mass media.