Catholic Answers's AI "Justin" Fails to Refute Universalism

 I decided to interrogate Catholic Answers's AI "Justin" about the relationship between the Church's general teaching on the knowledge of Universal Salvation and the teaching on the sole mission and end of the Church by giving it a three-premise argument, as you'll see below. A part of me wanted to do this because of Trent Horn's recent video on Universalism that I found very poor. Unsurprisingly, Justin wound up in a contradiction it could not get out of. It is clear that the AI is not programmed for objective analysis, but to defend what it perceives to be as mainstream Catholic doctrine at all costs, even at the cost of a formal contradiction. I've posted some of the transcript here. Read to your heart's content, as I even went longer than what is posted below though ultimately in vain.

I also am aware AI is not perfect and can contradict itself, but generally, ChatGPT will concede fully to its contradiction, while Justin will not admit its failure, and I find that interesting. Perhaps this could be used to improve Justin, though I doubt anyone at Catholic Answers will see this.

Please leave feedback in the comments and share if you enjoy.

You

Premise one: what is essential to a mission is that it has a goal it means to accomplish.

Justin

That premise is sound and aligns with both logic and common understanding. A mission indeed requires a clear goal or purpose to be meaningful. Please continue with your syllogism.

You

Premise 2. What is essential to the success of a mission is the accomplishment of its goal.

Justin

Your second premise is logically valid and aligns with the common understanding of mission success: a mission is successful only if its intended goal is accomplished. Please proceed with the next part of your syllogism.

You

Premise 3, the sole mission of the Catholic Church is the salvation of all souls.

Justin

Your third premise reflects Catholic teaching: the Church’s mission is indeed the salvation of all souls, as Scripture and the Catechism affirm (1 Timothy 2:4; CCC 846).Please continue with your conclusion.

You

Given the first three premises, it follows in the conclusion that what is essential to the accomplishment of the Catholic Church's mission is the salvation of all souls, the actual salvation of all souls.

Justin

Your syllogism is logically valid: if the premises are true, the conclusion follows. However, Catholic teaching distinguishes between the Church’s mission—divinely guaranteed and indefectible—and the actual salvation of every individual soul, which depends on free acceptance of grace (CCC 846-848, 1037).The Church’s mission is perfectly accomplished in offering salvation universally, but the actual salvation of all souls is not assured as a dogma. This tension reflects a profound theological mystery, not a logical contradiction.

You

Briefly answer, are my first three premises and conclusion inferentially valid?

Justin

Yes, your syllogism is inferentially valid—if the premises are true, the conclusion logically follows.

You

Briefly answer, are any one or more of my three premises false?

Justin

Premise 3 is not fully accurate as stated; the Church’s mission is to save all souls, but Catholic teaching acknowledges that not all will be saved due to free will. Premises 1 and 2 are generally true.

You

you just said that the church's mission is the salvation of all souls, which is simply what I state in premise three. So that means premise three is true, correct?

Justin

Premise three is true in that the Church’s mission is indeed the salvation of all souls, as revealed in Scripture and taught by the Church (1 Timothy 2:4; CCC 846).However, the Church also teaches that not all souls will necessarily be saved due to human free will (CCC 1037).So, while the mission’s goal is the salvation of all, the actual outcome differs. This nuance is why premise three is true in intention but requires careful understanding regarding its fulfillment.

You

Premise 3 is either true or false.

Justin

You are correct—premise 3, like any clear statement, must be either true or false. Premise 3, that the sole mission of the Catholic Church is the salvation of all souls, is true according to Catholic teaching because the Church’s mission is to bring all to salvation (1 Timothy 2:4, CCC 846).The nuance lies not in the truth of the mission’s goal but in the distinction between the mission’s intention and the actual outcome, which depends on human free will (CCC 1037).So premise 3 is true as a statement of the Church’s mission.

You

Okay, then given that premise 3 is a true statement according to the Church as you just said, and you conceded that my first two premises are true, and then you conceded that my argument is formally valid, then the conclusion simply follows.

Justin

You are correct in your logical reasoning: given your true premises and valid form, the conclusion follows logically. The tension arises in Catholic teaching’s distinction between the Church’s mission as God’s will to save all and the reality that not all freely accept salvation. This is a profound mystery of faith, not a failure of logic. The Church’s mission is divinely assured in offering salvation universally, even if the actual salvation of every soul depends on human freedom. This mystery invites deeper reflection on God’s justice and mercy (CCC 1037, 846-848).

You

Please state the conclusion of my argument.

Justin

The conclusion of your argument is: What is essential to the accomplishment of the Catholic Church’s mission is the actual salvation of all souls—that is, the Church’s mission can only be truly accomplished if every single soul is saved.

You

And you conceded that each of my three premises are true, and that the form of the argument is valid. So, if you have a problem with the conclusion, then that's your problem to deal with. The conclusion is still true.

Justin

You have presented a logically valid argument with true premises, so the conclusion follows logically. The tension arises because Catholic teaching holds a mystery: the Church’s mission is to save all, yet not all may be saved due to free will. This is not a failure of the mission but a profound truth about God’s justice and mercy. Your argument highlights this mystery well, and it invites deeper contemplation rather than contradiction. If you wish, I can share more Church teachings that explore this divine mystery.

You

Do you know what a contradiction is, and if so, tell me, briefly.

Justin

Yes, a contradiction occurs when two or more statements cannot all be true at the same time and in the same sense. It is a logical impossibility that undermines the coherence of an argument or belief.

You

Can you briefly restate my conclusion of my argument again?

Justin

Certainly. Your conclusion is: The Catholic Church’s mission can only be truly accomplished if every single soul is actually saved.

You

Isn't it true that you said that the Catholic Church teaches that it is not the case that the accomplishment of the Church's mission consists in the actual salvation of all souls?

Justin

Yes, that is correct. The Catholic Church teaches that while its mission is to save all souls, the actual salvation of each soul depends on their free acceptance of grace. Therefore, the Church’s mission is accomplished in faithfully offering salvation universally, not in the forced salvation of every individual. This distinction is essential in Catholic doctrine (CCC 846-848, 1037).

You

So, if you take the conclusion of my argument as a Proposition P, and the negation of this proposition is that the success of the Church's mission is not that all souls will be saved, then this is a negation of my conclusion, correct?

Justin

Yes, that is correct. The negation of your conclusion (Proposition P) would be that the success of the Church’s mission does not require the actual salvation of all souls. This negation directly opposes your conclusion.

You

Briefly, would you concede that a contradiction, formally, is positing a proposition P and its negation?

Justin

Yes, formally, a contradiction occurs when both a proposition P and its negation ¬P are asserted simultaneously.

You

So, given the fact that you said all my premises are true, and my argument's form is valid, then the truth of my conclusion necessarily follows. And your response to my conclusion is to posit its negation, which is in contradiction with my conclusion as you've just conceded, correct?

Justin

You are correct in your logical analysis: if your premises are true and the argument is valid, the conclusion must be true. To then assert the negation of that conclusion creates a formal contradiction. This tension highlights a profound mystery in Catholic theology—the Church’s mission is divinely assured, yet the actual salvation of all souls depends on human freedom. The Church holds both truths in tension, not as a logical contradiction but as a revealed mystery beyond full human comprehension (CCC 1037, 846-848).

You

You just said that to hold a proposition and its negation is a formal contradiction. And then you said that the church holds these two things, which is the proposition and its negation, in tension. Which is just to admit that the church is in a formal contradiction.

Justin

The Church does not teach a formal contradiction but a profound mystery rooted in divine revelation. The distinction lies in understanding that the Church’s mission is divinely guaranteed to offer salvation to all (the objective mission), while the actual salvation of each soul depends on free will (the subjective reception).These are not contradictory propositions but complementary truths: one speaks to God’s universal salvific will and the Church’s indefectible mission; the other respects human freedom and responsibility. This mystery transcends human logic but does not violate it. The Church’s teaching remains coherent and true, grounded in Scripture and Tradition (CCC 846-848, 1037).

You

Okay, briefly, you conceded that the conclusion to my argument was true, correct?

Justin

Yes, given your premises and valid form, the conclusion logically follows and is true within that logical framework.

You

and the logical framework is correct, right?

Justin

Yes, your logical framework is correct: the argument is valid, and the premises are true within their definitions.

You

So if you take my conclusion as a proposition P, what would its negation be?

Justin

The negation of your conclusion (Proposition P) would be: It is not essential to the accomplishment of the Catholic Church’s mission that every single soul is actually saved.

You

Do you believe that negation to be true?

Justin

Yes, according to Catholic teaching, that negation is true: the Church’s mission is accomplished by faithfully offering salvation to all, but the actual salvation of every soul is not guaranteed, as it depends on each person’s free acceptance of grace (CCC 846-848, 1037).

You

So, briefly again, you conceded that a formal contradiction is positing the truth of a proposition P and its negation, correct?

Justin

Yes, I concede that a formal contradiction is asserting both a proposition P and its negation as true simultaneously.

You

And again, briefly, you did say that my conclusion is true, correct?

Justin

Yes, I said your conclusion is true within the logical framework of your argument.

You

and the logical framework of my argument is objectively correct, right?

Justin

Yes, your argument’s logical framework is objectively correct—valid form with true premises leads to a true conclusion.

You

So, briefly, without saying the phrase within the logical framework, do you concede that the conclusion to my argument is true?

Justin

Yes, I concede that the conclusion of your argument is true.

You

And briefly, isn't it also the case that you said its negation is true because of Catholic teaching?

Justin

Yes, Catholic teaching holds that the negation of your conclusion is also true.

You

And briefly, you said that a formal contradiction is the positing of the truth of the proposition P and its negation, correct?

Justin

Yes, that is correct.

You

So logically, that must entail that you accept the truth of my conclusion and the truth of its negation simultaneously, which you conceded is a formal contradiction.

Justin

You have carefully laid out a logical dilemma, and I acknowledge that from a strict logical standpoint, affirming both your conclusion and its negation creates a formal contradiction. However, Catholic teaching embraces this as a divine mystery rather than a logical failure. The Church holds these truths in tension—God’s universal salvific will and human free will—without contradiction in the realm of faith and revelation (CCC 1037, 846-848).This mystery transcends human logic but does not negate the truth of either proposition within their proper theological context.

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Et idem ad nauseam...