Very many of us come from a Christian background. I do myself. I became an atheist very early in my teens. But our background is very important. It can fool us as to what we really believe. I have noticed, too much, both in cryonics and out, a strong desire to interpret nanotechnology (and before it there were others) in the exact terms of Christian myth. It’s as if a person carries out a renaming exercise (God == Nanotechnology, Apocalypse == Singularity, Drexler == Christ (sorry Eric! )). God’s name is certainly not a central part of Christian doctrine. This person is a Christian, rather than the atheist he thinks he is. His differences from Christianity are sectarian, not philosophical. Personally I believe no conflict exists between Christianity and cryonics, although many churches will meet with disaster (and deserve to!) for tying their message so much to death. It’s not wrong to be Christian. But it is dishonest to oneself and others to think that just renaming everything, and having a slightly different theory of how God works, frees one from Christianity to light.
So ask yourself: Have you really become an atheist, or have you just switched denominations to one with a “slightly different theory about how God works”?
This person is a Christian, rather than the atheist he thinks he is.
Yeah, totally. Apart from little details such as
whether he expects “God” to judge him on the basis of character, actions, religious affiliation, etc.
whether he thinks “God” is an authority on (or indeed the ultimate source of) moral values
whether he believes that “Christ” has died and been raised from the dead
whether he sees the Christian scriptures as authoritative, inspired, etc.
whether he regards “God” as (at least) a person with preferences, opinions, the possibility of interpersonal interaction, etc.
I think there’s a reasonable case to be made that some people think about the Singularity in quasi-religious terms. But this sort of ridiculous overstatement does no one any favours.
That depends. Years ago Thomas Donaldson wrote the following:
THE APOCALYPSE HAS BEEN CALLED OFF
http://www.alcor.org/cryonics/cryonics8906.txt
So ask yourself: Have you really become an atheist, or have you just switched denominations to one with a “slightly different theory about how God works”?
Yeah, totally. Apart from little details such as
whether he expects “God” to judge him on the basis of character, actions, religious affiliation, etc.
whether he thinks “God” is an authority on (or indeed the ultimate source of) moral values
whether he believes that “Christ” has died and been raised from the dead
whether he sees the Christian scriptures as authoritative, inspired, etc.
whether he regards “God” as (at least) a person with preferences, opinions, the possibility of interpersonal interaction, etc.
I think there’s a reasonable case to be made that some people think about the Singularity in quasi-religious terms. But this sort of ridiculous overstatement does no one any favours.