X-Message-Number: 10634
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 12:41:58 -0800
From: Jim Yount - Chief Operating Officer <>
Subject: Jesus was a Cryonicist?

I am a bit uneasy with the drift of the "Biblical" discussions on CryoNet.

Certainly anyone is welcome as a cryonicists, regardless of the reasons for
becoming a "cold one".

On the other hand, I am in favor of keeping our cryonics "pure".
Cryonicists are people who wish to be frozen at or near death.  Nothing
more.  We don't expect or require that anyone do, say, or believe, anything
beyond that.  No political agenda; no world-view required.

I am aware of some biblical passages which are suggestive that cryonics may
be "the true way."  However, I'm much more interested in demonstrating that
cryonics is "the rational way."  It is better that cryonics make sense when
viewed by "new science" than to pour over ancient texts to try to find
justification.

Arguments over Biblical passages are a true morass which has spawned
hundreds of competing religions.  It is doubtful that our CryoNet Biblical
scholars are going to convince any of the faithful that ours is the true
faith, and that it says so in the Bible.


For example, to quote Mike Perry quoting the Bible (Message #10629):

>Yes. The passage is Matthew 10:8 "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, RAISE
>THE DEAD ..." (emphasis added).<

That all sounds well and good.  According to the Bible, Jesus commanded us
to go out and RAISE THE DEAD.  Jesus was a cryonicist!

However, if you take time to actually READ the passage in context, the
additional information gleaned from such a reading doesn't support that
premise.

First, Jesus was not directing US to raise the dead; he was commanding his
twelve disciples.(Matthew 10:1)

Second, the disciples were not to raise the dead of the Gentiles or
Samaritans, but were to restrict their dead-raising and such to the "lost
sheep of Israel." (Matthew 10:5,6) ( No problem: if that's what it takes,
I'll convert!)

Third, Mike left off the last of the passage he quoted which (in its
entirety) reads: "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast
out devils: freely ye have received, freely give."  There is a lot about
devils and unclean spirits in Matthew 10.

There are also passages which threaten punishment for those among the sheep
of Israel who do not properly receive the twelve "Verily I say unto you, It
shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of
judgment, than for that city." (Matthew 10:15)

All this doesn't lend credence to the theory advanced by some of you, that
the Biblical "soul" is really just the information self.  Rather, Matthew
10 has the same take as the rest of the Bible on spirits, devils, and
judgment.  That is why such belief is characterized as "spiritual belief".

While I suppose, by a very liberal interpretation, one can use these
passages to suggest that Jesus was a cryonicist, it just doesn't hold
together very well.  Try using the "soul as information" theory to explain
Matthew 10:28, for example, which reads:

"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul:
but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

The old devil is going to erase all disks from the uploaded you after
taking your body out of your cryostat?  That's just the kind of thing that
fiend would do!

Long life,

Jim Yount

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