X-Message-Number: 15815 Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2001 12:45:33 -0700 From: "Raphael T. Haftka" <> Subject: on similarities between Cryonics and religion I often tell people that cryonics is my religion. I tell them that one of the functions of religion is to lessen one's dread and anxiety of dying, and this is what cryonics does for me. I tell them that as an engineer, I find it easier to imagine that I will be revived due to advancements in science and technology rather than because there is a god that wants to reward me for good behavior. Yesterday I finished reading John Updike's 1997 novel, The Beauty of the Lilies, and it reminded me of another parallel between religion and cryonics. One of the protagonists ends up in a cult and perishes in a Waco type blaze (it takes place in Colorado rather than Texas, but Updike acknowledges researching Waco for material). One of the cult members invokes Pascal's logic for following the cult leader, which I have forgotten. Pascal claimed that even if the probability of there being a god is very small, the payoff for accepting religion is infinite (eternal life), and so if you play the probabilities, you must believe in God and be religious so that you can go to heaven. Raphael (Rafi) Haftka Department of Aerospace Engineering, Mechanics and Engineering University of Florida until 5/10/01 at MS 1110 Sandia National Laboratory Tel: 505-844-9576 PO Box 5800 Fax: 505-845-7442 Albuquerque, NM 87185 Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=15815