Entertainment
Dogma's Buddy Christ Prediction Has Come True In The Worst Way Possible, Sign Up For Jesus+ Now!
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Back in 1999, Kevin Smith ended the millennium with Dogma, arguably the most ambitious film he ever made. His previous movies focused on more down-to-earth affairs, including the miseries of retail work and the joys of hanging out at the local mall. By comparison, Dogma followed the misadventures of two angels trying to get back into Heaven and the heroes who have to stop them from destroying the world. Along the way, Smith also brutally skewered the Christian faith through the character of Cardinal Glick, who tried to sell the public on Buddy Christ, a grinning caricature of Jesus who is perpetually giving a thumbs up.
As part of Glick’s speech, he described why he wanted the Buddy Christ to replace the crucifix: that it offered everyone who saw it “a positive reinforcement that whatever we do, God thinks is ‘A-okay.’” At the time, teenage me shook my head at Smith’s satire about a society that wanted the Almighty to rubber-stamp everything they say and do. Now, though, it seems Smith was a prophet: tech company Just Like Me is selling access to an AI-powered Jesus for the not-so-low, low price of $1.99 a minute.
He Is Ri$en
The concept of people talking to AI chatbots isn’t very new: in fact, people are chatting with, arguing with, and even falling in love with a plethora of bots each and every day. But what Just Like Me is doing is targeting Christians who long for a more personal relationship with Jesus Christ. For $1.99 a minute (or $49.99 a month for 45 minutes), users can speak to an AI bot that has been trained on the King James Bible and an array of unspecified sermons. Visually, the bot is modeled after actor Jonathan Roumie, who (thanks to long hair and a patina of heavenly light) really does look like Jesus.
Personally, I have a number of misgivings with this app. As someone who grew up going to church, this seems like a pretty clear violation of the Second Commandment, which tells humans not to create idols of God or Jesus. On a less religious note, this seems like a really gross way of taking people’s money. Like, who needs evangelistic grifters once you have Jesus himself asking you to upgrade to a premium subscription? Also, let’s be real: in the best case, this thing is going to lie to vulnerable people looking for someone to trust. In the worst case, this is going to create case after case of outright religious psychosis.
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As a big Kevin Smith fan, though, I have been grimly amused at how much this AI-powered Jesus mirrors the portrayal of the Buddy Christ in Dogma. In the film, Cardinal Glick describes how he wanted Jesus to give everyone a thumbs-up to offer “positive reinforcement” for “whatever we do.” This is, of course, what AI is notorious for: simply telling users what they want to hear.
Glick also described Buddy Christ as a “happy Jesus” that he wanted to replace the “wholly depressing” image of the crucifix. Rhetorically, he asked the crowd, “Can’t you just see it on chains around people’s necks, and as the new background in avant-garde MTV videos?” The Jesus chatbot from Just Like Me really parallels this idea because the app developers aren’t trying to develop a Jesus avatar that will challenge beliefs and make someone’s faith stronger. Like the fictional Cardinal Glick, they just want to commodify Christ, turning this spiritual leader into an empty vessel filled with equally empty AI platitudes.
Your Karma Ran Over My Dogma
Make no mistake: apps like this are designed to prey on people, and those of faith are uniquely vulnerable because, by definition, they are looking for someone else to guide their lives. The Jesus app from Just Like Me is one of many that will soon be offering spiritual advice to your friends and family members, especially older ones. Before they completely empty their wallets for this graven image, be sure to watch Dogma with them. That way, they’ll learn the danger of Buddy Christ and, through Glick’s grisly fate, the danger of supporting it.
Alternatively, they might just learn how hot Salma Hayek looks as a stripper. Either way, I’m calling that a win!
Entertainment
Using Claude Fable 5 means your data will be collected. It’s not optional.
Anthropic just released its most powerful public model yet — Claude Fable 5. However, along with the model’s release, the AI giant also made a significant update to its data retention policies.
Fable 5 was released to the public on Tuesday. Fable 5 is a “safe for general use” version of Anthropic’s most powerful model, Mythos, which has been restricted from public use due to its potentially dangerous cybersecurity capabilities. Anthropic created a set of safety guardrails for Fable 5, and its benchmarks blow away much of the competition, per Anthropic.
But it looks like Anthropic has also blown away its data retention policies for Fable 5.
“To ensure we’re responsibly deploying Mythos-class models, we are requiring limited data retention and review as part of our safety work,” reads an update on Anthropic’s official Claude support page. “Prompts submitted to, and outputs generated by, Mythos-class models are retained for 30 days for trust and safety purposes, on every platform where these models are offered.”
The update was first noticed by Jun Park, the CEO of AI training company hillclimb.
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“New policy from Anthropic: if you use Fable/Mythos, they collect your data. No exceptions. Not even for enterprise partners,” Park posted on X.
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This change is significant for Anthropic’s enterprise and API customers, says Jessica Eaves Mathews, a lawyer who specializes in copyright, trademark, and AI law.
In a post on Mathews’ Substack (as highlighted by CyberNews), the lawyer explains how Anthropic already retains user data for 30 days under its free and paid consumer plans. However, Matthews says this change nullifies part of any agreement Anthropic has with its enterprise and API partners.
“Every other Claude model available through the API, including Opus 4.8, Sonnet 4.6, and Haiku 4.5, can operate under Zero Data Retention (ZDR) agreements,” Mathews writes. “Fable 5 cannot. If your organization previously had a ZDR agreement with Anthropic, that agreement does not apply to Fable 5 traffic. This is a policy change that overrides existing enterprise commitments for this specific model class.”
Mathews says that any organization that believed that their data would not be stored by Anthropic should know that there is now a “mandatory exception” for Fable 5 and all future Mythos models.
While Mythos-class models seem to be quite powerful, companies should know about the change in Anthropic’s data retention policies and make adjustments where necessary.
Entertainment
Tons of Fitbits are on sale ahead of Prime Day
Best early Prime Day Fitbit deals at a glance:
Amazon’s Prime Day sales event is right around the corner (I can’t believe it’s that time of year again!), and I’m genuinely shocked by the deals we’re seeing this early in the game.
Usually, Amazon doesn’t put Fitbits on sale until the very last minute, and then they’re gone. (And some years, they don’t go on sale at all.) But right now, we’re seeing all-time lows on select Fitbit models, including the Charge 6.
Here are the best early Prime Day Fitbit deals you can shop right now:
Best deal overall
$99.95
at Amazon
$159.95
Save $60.00
Why we like it
The Fitbit Charge 6 isn’t the newest Fitbit on the market, but it still has (almost) everything you’d need in a smart wearable. (I say almost because the Fitbit Charge 6 doesn’t have an altimeter, but if you’re not a trail runner, this probably isn’t a deal breaker.)
The Charge 6 tracks your calories, steps, sleep, heart rate, and more. It also has built-in GPS, 40+ exercise modes, a seven-day battery life, and includes a three-month Google Health Premium (formerly Fitbit Premium) membership. Once the three months are up, you’ll need to either cancel or renew for $9.99 per month or $99.99 annually.
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Right now, you can get the Fitbit Charge 6 for $99.95 at Amazon. This is the lowest price we’ve tracked on this model since its release in 2023.
Best runner-up deal
Why we like it
If you’re willing to spend a little bit more, the Fitbit Versa 4 is on sale for $149.95. This isn’t the lowest price we’ve seen (it was $104.96 in April 2024), but it’s still a pretty good deal.
Unlike the Charge 6, the Versa 4 has an altimeter and Bluetooth wrist calling. So, if you’re looking for a wearable that acts more like a smartwatch, the Versa 4 might be the better buy. That said, it doesn’t have the more “serious” health sensor that the Charge 6 does (e.g., ECG and EDA).
The Versa 4 also comes with three months of Google Health Premium.
Best budget deal
$79.95
at Walmart
$89.95
Save $10
Why we like it
If you’re just looking for something that’s affordable and efficient, the Fitbit Inspire 3 is your best option at $79.95.
It’s a no-frills fitness tracker that’ll give you the basic features you need to stay on top of your health. It can track your heart rate, steps, and stress levels. (It also offers menstrual health tracking, which is nice.)
You’ll also get 10 full days of battery life and, like the other models mentioned above, three free months of Google Health Premium.
Entertainment
20+ book deals Im sending to the group chat before Prime Day even begins
Table of Contents
The best early Prime Day book deals at a glance:
It’s nearly Amazon Prime Day, which officially runs from June 23 through 26, but if you don’t feel like waiting, there’s already plenty of live deals to shop.
Besides offering three free months of both Kindle Unlimited and Audible to new subscribers, Amazon also has some pretty great discounts on books themselves. I’m not usually one to recommend purchasing physical books via Amazon (support local book stores!), but it’s pretty hard to pass up a 50% price drop on a book you’ve had on your TBR.
Amazon Editors just dropped the 20 best books of 2026 (so far) — find out what made the list
I’m tracking some of the best deals on physical books and e-books at Amazon ahead of the official Prime Day kick off, but remember to check back for more once things start ramping up.
Best early Prime Day hardcover book deal
$14.67
at Amazon
$30
Save $15.33
with on-page coupon
Why we like it
Named one of the best books of 2026 so far by Amazon Book Editors, Crux is an “exhilarating, tender novel about an unlikely friendship forged through a shared love of rock climbing,” according to Amazon Editor Abby Abell. Thanks to an on-page coupon at Amazon, you can add the hardcover version to your home library for less than half its usual cost.
More hardcover book deals
Best early Prime Day paperback book deal
$7.50
at Amazon
$19.95
Save $12.45
Why we like it
A classic trope of two abducted girls, only one returns and one doesn’t, The Girl Who Was Taken is a psychological thriller by Charlie Donlea where nothing is as it seems. Typically around $20, you can pick up the paperback version for only $7.50 at Amazon ahead of Prime Day. That’s just a few cents away from its lowest price ever.
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More paperback book deals
Best early Prime Day Kindle book deal
$2.99
at Amazon
$18.99
Save $16.00
Why we like it
I highly recommend grabbing this twisty psychological thriller from internationally best-selling author Steve Cavanagh while the Kindle version is only $2.99. Kill For Me Kill For You follows two women seeking revenge against the men who killed their daughters. Over drinks one night, they decide to swap murders, but things don’t go exactly as planned.
More Kindle book deals
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