X-Message-Number: 44
From: Kevin Q. Brown
Subject: Venturist Monthly News
Date: 13 Dec 1988

The "Society for Venturism, Inc." is the new, more accurate, name for the
"Church of Venturism, Inc.", based at:
     The Venturists, 1355 E. Peoria Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85020.
[ See message #13 for my earlier description of Venturism. ]  Even though the
name has changed, the goals and commitments of the Venturists are unchanged:
"the worldwide conquest of death through technological means."  The Society
does not have any cryonic suspension facilities, but does require a person to
be signed up for cryonic suspension with some cryonics organization to be a
full member.  Full membership also requires a commitment:
 "(1) to do what is right, and
  (2) to advocate and promote the worldwide conquest of death through
      technological means."
Admittedly, tenet (1) is rather vague, but usually one can tell the difference
between a person who is acting decently and one who is being a jerk, so it has
a rough, heuristic value.

The Dec. 1988 Prototype Issue #0 of Venturist Monthly News had several items
of interest:

The quarterly publication Venturist Voice is being replaced by Venturist
Monthly News.  Subscriptions (made payable to The Venturists) cost $8.00/year
U.S.A., $10.00 Canada, and $15.00 overseas.  (I had previously reported that
Venturist Voice was free, but that contributions were welcome.  Contributions
are still welcome, but the official Venturist publication now has an official
subscription price.)

Any full member of the Society for Venturism is invited to promote cryonics
on a radio talk show.  Dave Pizer, President of the Venturists, will make the
arrangements for a radio show host to call you (long distance) and conduct a
live, on-the-air interview!  "Typical issues covered are how cryonic suspension
is done, your personal expectations, how you got involved, costs, problems
(technical, legal, social, philosophical, etc.), and how cryonics compares and
contrasts with religion."  You do not have to be a cryonics expert to qualify;
you can be interviewed as an "average" person who is signed up for cryonics.
For more information, write to Dave Pizer (at the address above) or call him at
(602) 843-7284.  [Being interviewed on a live talk-show sounds scary to me,
but I probably will do it anyway.]

A $10.00 check (made payable to The Venturists and sent to their address above)
will buy you a videotape of interviews of several of the cryonicists at the
May, 1988 Life Against Death conference in Ontario, CA.

The Venturists are soliciting for comment an improved "Certificate of Religious
Belief" for opposing dissection, autopsies, etc. that would prevent a member's
timely cryonic suspension (after declaration of legal death).  [The certificate
is too long for me to reproduce in this message, however.]  Once the exact
wording has been settled, the Venturists plan to keep on file a signed and
witnessed copy of the certificate for each Venturist full member, which would,
I think, make one's declaration more credible.

                                       - Kevin Q. Brown
                                       ...{att|clyde|cuae2}!ho4cad!kqb
                                       

PS: The Venturist organization qualifies (according to the IRS)
      "as an educational, religious and scientific organization"
    (but not as a church) and is thus legally nonprofit and tax-exempt.

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=44