God by Jesus

WHY THIS APP?

Raised Catholic, I was troubled when my grand aunt taught me original sin—how could a loving God punish me for Adam and Eve’s mistake? That question sparked a painful search through the Bible, until I found a kinder, more merciful God. Moved by this discovery, I created “God by Jesus,” an educational app to help you explore the loving Father revealed by Jesus.

God by Jesus turns Bible study into something you do, not just something you read. Walk a twenty-stage journey through the places where the stories happened, answer for yourself what they mean, and carry one small act of kindness into your actual day.

PLAY THE JOURNEY

Every stage opens at a real biblical location with a passage and a question. Write your answer or dictate it by voice, then see how Eliam — your companion on the road — answered the same question. Compare the two, rate yourself honestly, and earn stars toward the next stage. On devices that support Apple Intelligence, Eliam's replies are written on the spot by the on-device model. On every other device he replies from a set of responses written by hand. Either way, what you write never leaves your device.

A DAILY LOOP THAT FITS IN A MINUTE

One kindness challenge a day, drawn from the act of mercy the day's stage teaches. Tick it off and your streak grows. Finishing a stage counts too. An optional reminder arrives at the time you choose.

A WIDGET FOR THE HOME SCREEN

The Daily Act of Kindness widget puts the day's stage and its act of mercy where you will actually see it, with your streak on a flame that dims until the day has been earned. Small, medium, and large, and it turns over at midnight on its own.

GROW THE KINDNESS GARDEN

Six plots for the six acts of mercy in Matthew 25: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting the prisoner. Every real-world act you complete plants a seed, and the garden fills in as you go.

EXPLORE THE MAP

Twenty locations on a map you can pan, zoom, and browse as a list. Tap any one to read the story, the context around it, what it has meant to readers, and a reflection to sit with. Passages can be read aloud while you follow along.

LEARN

A library of longer reading: how the Bible came together, the parables, the Christmas story, the Atonement, the problem of evil, and people who practice kindness. More topics will be added over time.

TEST YOURSELF

Quizzes on biblical history and the stories themselves, with Bronze, Silver, and Gold badges to earn and re-earn.

HOW IT IS BUILT

• English and Spanish throughout — text, audio, and dictation — switchable inside the app

• The stories, the library, the quizzes, and the kindness challenges all live on your device and work with no connection at all. The map, voice dictation, and iCloud sync are the parts that need one.

• Your answers and notes stay on your device, and sync privately through your own iCloud account if you are signed in

• No user accounts, no advertising, no analytics, no third-party SDKs, and no servers of ours for anything to be sent to

HONEST ABOUT WHAT THIS IS

God by Jesus is written by a family, not by a church or an institution, and no religious authority has reviewed or endorsed it. The stories and passages are retold in the app's own words rather than quoted from a Bible translation, with chapter and verse given throughout so you can always read the original in the translation you trust. Eliam is a companion for reflection, not a teacher and not a source of doctrine — generated text can be mistaken, and the passage itself is always the better authority.

The kindness challenges ask you to do something real in the world. Take them on with the knowledge of a parent, guardian, or another adult you trust, and skip any challenge that does not feel safe or right. That is always the correct answer.

Here are some interesting quotes about open-mindedness from some distinguished authors:

“We humans can remain relevant in an era of cognitive computing because we are able to think differently, something that an algorithm, almost by definition, can’t master.” From “The Innovators” by Walter Isaacson and Dennis Boutsikaris.

"We too often bind ourselves by authorities rather than by the truth." Lucretia Mott

“Humans should always retain the freedom to doubt, to check again, to hear a second opinion, to try a different path... It is our own human fingers that wrote the Bible, the Quran, and the Vedas, and it is our minds that give these stories power.” From “21 Lessons for the 21st Century.” By Yuval Noah Harari.

“The truth is, we only become secure in our convictions by allowing them to be challenged.” From “You’re not Listening - What you’re missing and why it matters” by Kate Murphy.

"Why are you helping me? Because people who don’t have questions have blind faith, and blind faith is the furthest thing from faith." From the TV show “Lessons in Chemistry” season 1, episode 5.

“I hear Socrates say, ‘ Keep asking. The road to wisdom is paved with good questions.’" From “The Geography of Genius” by Weiner, Eric.

Note: We uphold the values of respect, honesty, responsibility, and justice.