X-Message-Number: 33235
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2011 05:01:50 -0800 (PST)
From: un person <>
Subject: protestantism & cryonics inextricably linked

on the cold filter/cryonics chat forum, I wrote:
"A cryonics paleofuture as depicted by Mark Plus


so you want to pay people with prize money for coming up with the solutions to 
the problems that face cryonics, and thus once those problems are solved, 
cryonics can have real growth, right?


That scenario reminds me of the paleofuture depicted by scifi/futurist buffs 
decades ago. They told us we would all be taking trips to the moon in our flying
cars by the distant, far-off year of 2011. If only we wanted it and invested in
it, right?


Same thing you are telling us. But the same obstacles that prevented past 
paleofuture scenarios are the ones that prevent yours from happening: there is a
missing fundamental scientific substrate. Fundamental principles and problems 
are yet to be discovered and overcome. This will take decades. And what of 
cryonics in the meantime?


Cryonics needs to retrench, to take cover in the sheltering arms of 
spirituality, of religion, of protestantism."

And then poster named Fundie replied:

"Why Protestantism? Don't Catholics vastly outnumber Protestants?"


And I responded:

that is a very good question


first, the culture of protestantism is more conducive to cryonics. Take for 
example one form of protestantism: the seed faith gospel. This is basically a 
very very very VERY old form of religion. You make an offering, and it is 
returned to you many fold by the guy up in the sky. Many of the rich tv 
preachers use this gospel. See for example Robert Tilton (my favorite preacher).
But this form of religion has existed since before the dawn of civilization. 
For example, you leave an offering of food on the steps of the temple of 
Persephone, and your crops will be good this year. Etc etc etc. An early form of
the seed faith doctrine. You plant the seed with your money, and it will grow 
and return to you with greater benefits to you etc.


The seed faith doctrine has now morphed into a self improvement form of 
protestantism. Now it is mainly about obtaining concrete improvements in your 
life. E.g., getting a better car, getting a raise at work etc. Tilton's new 
ministry is called "Success N Life." And the other seed faith preachers are 
operating in the same vein. They are offering a gospel that is oriented to 
practical gains and improvements in one's life.


This particular branch of protestantism has simply tapped into a part of 
american culture--the culture of commerce, our religion of commerce. Our culture
of self improvement. And it is a very practical branch of religion. Cryonics is
also practical. A very practical way of achieving immortality. Catholicism is 
not like that.

2nd, protestantism is all about the SCRIPTURE. The WORD of god.


Protestants are literalists who scrutinize the bible, interpreting over and over
the meanings of various parts of it. In fact the primary foundation of the 
Jehovah's Witnesses form of protestantism is found via the interpretation of a 
couple of verses in the bible. In fact, some of the same verses that support 
cryonics.


A cryogospel would be similar to jehovah's witnesses in that it would be based 
on a novel interpretation of some parts of the bible. The Catholic church is not
so much about biblical interpretation. Remember that protestantism itself grew 
out of the importance of READING the word. That is probably the MAIN thing that 
caused protestantism to arise in first place--the idea that the word of god in 
the bible had to BE READ in order to be a good christian. This caused the 
widespread development of schools. In fact protestantism's edict that all 
christians must learn to read so that they can read the word of god. This is 
perhaps THE fundamental aspect of protestantism. Before protestantism literacy 
was actually RARE. The ability to read was so rare that literate people were 
considered glamorous. In fact the word 'grammar' is derived from 'glamor' 
because of the rarity of literacy.


So therefore because of the fact that protestantism required one to read in 
order to be a good christian, literacy became widespread. And because of high 
literacy rates, science boomed because in order to be a scientist, one must be 
literate. More scientists, more scientific discoveries. Now you know why the 
West conquered the world. Now you know why cryonics is even possible. Because of
protestantism.

Thus protestantism and cryonics are inextricably linked.

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