[nomel]

> because it calls into question our place at the pinnacle of God's creation, or it casts doubt upon the existence of a soul

I think this is a very simplistic view, that possibly suggests you haven't talked to many religious people.

I've never known a religious person who thought "thought" was the same as "soul", or that God is neccesarily a requirement for reasoning. Or that any of this is thought about much, considering it's so new.

Although, I suppose that if someone did say that God was a requirement for reasoning, a "logical within that context" perspective might be AI being some vicarious creation, since it wouldn't have been possible without us being able to reason.

I subscribe to the belief that reasoning is an eventual emergent law of nature/information. But, even that could, and does, fit into many "religious" perspectives perfectly well.