X-Message-Number: 6260
Date:  Fri, 24 May 96 12:50:43 
From: Mike Perry <>
Subject: BC Anticryonics & Religious Freedom

Boris Gimbarzevsky (#6254) writes:

>People are allowed to donate their bodies to medical schools, for use in 
>research, or to have their remains disposed of in a manner consistent 
>with their religious beliefs.  As freedom of religion is protected by the 
>Canadian Charter of rights and freedoms, it is likely that a person who 
>believed in future reincarnation through cryopreservation, the persons 
>religious belief would supersede that of an assinine section of the BCCA.

There is a group based in Arizona, the Society for Venturism, that 
qualifies as a religious organization and is recognized as such by 
the (US) IRS. In effect, Venturism, which the Society promotes, is a 
religion that endorses cryonics. Quoting from *Introducing 
Venturism*, 6th ed., May 1994, p. 67:

" ... Venturists seek indefinite continuance of healthy life through 
scientific means, and recognize this goal as among the noblest 
possible to humankind. ... We believe cryonic suspension or freezing 
and low-temperature storage offers a realistic hope, and at present 
the only such hope, for the eventual resuscitation and cure of those 
dying today. So long as this condition prevails, it is our moral 
obligation to advocate and promote the practice of cryonics, to 
encourage and enable those of today to reach a more advanced future 
when aging and now-terminal diseases can be eliminated. Similarly, it 
is our moral obligation to make arrangements ourselves for cryonic 
suspension in the event of death."

In effect, promoting and practicing cryonics become religious 
obligations under Venturism. Might this be used in BC to challenge 
the anticryonics law, on grounds that it infringes freedom of 
religion? Presumably it would first be desirable to have
Venturism recognized legally as a religion in Canada, as it is,
de facto, in the U.S. Any thoughts on how to go about this would be 
appreciated.

Mike Perry

http://www.alcor.org

Vice President,
Society for Venturism


Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=6260