"Hi, I'm Kim, marry me?"

When I first saw the headline to this story all I could picture was Austin Powers and his exploding headed femmes. Turns out this scientist is quasi-serious, and predicts that marriage and copulation will begin within the next five years.

David Levy is the man doing the research and recently completed his Ph.D in "human/robot" relationships covering many of the areas of marriage.

"My forecast is that around 2050, the state of Massachusetts will be the first jurisdiction to legalize marriages with robots."

And of course it is a continuation away from traditional, dare I say even biblical concepts of relationships, sexuality, and marriage that seems to be pushing the envelope on this.

As software becomes more advanced and the relationship between humans and robots becomes more personal, marriage could result. "One hundred years ago, interracial marriage and same-sex marriages were illegal in the United States. Interracial marriage has been legal now for 50 years, and same-sex marriage is legal in some parts of the states," Levy said. "There has been this trend in marriage where each partner gets to make their own choice of who they want to be with."

"The question is not if this will happen, but when," Levy said. "I am convinced the answer is much earlier than you think."

Then there is perhaps the dumbest justification those pushing this idea could possibly come up with.

The possibility of sex with robots could prove a mixed bag for humanity. For instance, robot sex could provide an outlet for criminal sexual urges. "If you have pedophiles and you let them use a robotic child, will that reduce the incidence of them abusing real children, or will it increase it?" Arkin asked. "I don't think anyone has the answers for that yet — that's where future research needs to be done."

Keeping a robot for sex could reduce human prostitution and the problems that come with it. However, "in a marriage or other relationship, one partner could be jealous or consider it infidelity if the other used a robot," Levy said. "But who knows, maybe some other relationships could welcome a robot. Instead of a woman saying, 'Darling, not tonight, I have a headache,' you could get 'Darling, I have a headache, why not use your robot?' "

One more step away from God's design, one more push to attempt to replace Him in what he intends for us in the best of what life offers.

And to think they give Ph.D's for this stuff now...