X-Message-Number: 31225 Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2008 15:05:38 -0800 (PST) From: david pizer <> Hi Cryofriends: There has been suggestions that we cryonicists try to create a bridge between cryonics and traditional religious people Certainly if they all began to opt for cryonics our movement would grow quickly. Below is my 2nd draft on a work-in-progress. Please feel free to pass this on to your religions friends, get the ideas published in your church paper, or where ever. Use any of the ideas you like. Send me suggestions on how to make it better. I thank those who have already given me advice on this. David WHY CRYONICS IS THE ONLY MORAL CHOICE AT LEGAL DEATH By: David Pizer =================== Notes: 1. This is a discussion about the morality of cryonics - not whether cryonics will or will not work. (There are other arguments elsewhere that clearly show that cryonics may work. There are no valid arguments that show that cryonics absolutely will not work anywhere). 2. This paper is intended to be presented to people who either believe that God exists for sure, or that God may or may not exist (agnostics). It is an argument that cryonics is the morally right thing to do at legal death. (Some non-cryonicsaC s think cryonics is wrong, this tries to show that opinion is a false assumption). 3. Thanks to everyone who gave me corrections and suggestions. PREFACE: BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ISSUES The Society for Venturism is an association of people who think it is possible and morally imperative to save, extend and improve life far beyond present capabilities, through current and likely future technology. The current technology involves using special methods of freezing (actually vitrification, with minimal ice formation) and long term storage at low temperature (cryogenic) until sometime in the future when science/medicine can repair, rejuvenate and revive these patients. While in cryogenic storage these people are legally dead, but many of their cells are still viable. One thing to keep in mind as your read and think about these most important subjects is that the traditional attitudes of humanity evolved in eras when death was accepted as inevitable, and consolation was even sought in the notion of a aC naturalaC succession of generations, the predecessors aC living onaC through their descendants. But now, with or without cryonics, all sorts of aC naturalaC death including senescence or the debility of old age, seem to be on the way out. Chances are your grandchildren will never die a aC naturalaC death. If you choose cryonics and join the Venturists, you may be reunited with those you love someday, in an open-ended future. Life here on earth has always been the goal of most traditional religions and many of them have prohibitions against committing suicide - even passive suicide of doing nothing to prevent your death. Many religions go much further and demand that we must all try to do everything within our power to heal the sick and raise the dead. WHY CRYONICS IS THE ONLY MORAL CHOICE AT LEGAL DEATH Some people believe that life is a gift from God, or a higher power, others believe that life is an accident, a chance happening that no mind planned. Which ever way that a person believes that life came into existence, both possible ways seem like a miracle or fantastic good luck and so it seems there must be a moral imperative for every living being to preserve their life. Therefore, it seems that Venturists, (and all people who choose the cryonics chance at legal death) hold the moral high ground in the debate of whether or not to be frozen at legal death-- no matter which way it turns out that life got started. If life is a gift from God, what a truly wonderful gift it is. If this is how our lives were created then we are obligated to show our appreciation, and action speaks louder then words. So while philosophers and traditional religious leaders can pronounce lofty phrases saying how much they appreciate the gift and Giver, if they then just let the gift of life turn to dust without working to preserve and extend their gift of life, they are not showing their appreciation nearly as much as cryonicists who take action to protect their gift of life. Those who protect the gift of life by trying to preserve it, by this act alone, are showing the Giver how much they appreciate the gift. Of the two choices, trying to preserve and extend the gift vs. just letting it go and doing nothing to preserve the gift, it seems those who are doing something to extend their gift of life are showing the Giver by their actions that they really do appreciate their gift of life. This is showing respect to God, the Giver. It seems it would be disrespectful to do nothing to try to preserve the gift of life now that we have a way of trying to do just that. If life is a chance happening, the odds of the mindless material that makes up your body and brain coming together and forming your existence as a conscious being, must be far greater than billions to one. If this is how life happened, each of us that has received the good luck that has turned mindless matter into the conscious beings that are us, are so fortunate that it would be a shame to not try to save that wonderful prize of conscious life that we have won. Either way you think that you came into existence, itaC s the right thing to do to try to stay alive and preserve and honor your existence. The only way to do that at present is to make arrangements to have your body quickly preserved through cryonics at legal death while most of the cells in your body are still alive and wait for science to create ways to reverse aging and disease, so that they can unfreeze your body and reanimate you to perfect health in the future. Then, the proper course is continue to live on, while taking steps to further preserve and extend your life, virtually forever if it ever somehow becomes possible. If you believe that life is worth enough to try to preserve, extend and improve, if you believe it is disrespectful to throw away a gift or a prize, then join with us in your venture to the future. WHAT YOU SHOULD DO The Society for Venturism is recognized by the IRS as a religious, scientific and educational organization. We aim to develop a sense of fellowship and communal morality and ethics that need not replace any conventional religion, but can supplement both conventional religion and cryonics. There need not be any conflict between the some of the goals of traditional religions and cryonics. The Society for Ventruism, like other organized religions, is also in part a family, and we hope to impart our shared family values and save the lives of as many as possible. We also hope that people, who may not be greatly concerned with their own longevity, will nevertheless want to save their children or siblings, and give their loved ones the satisfaction of knowing that they (the parents) may one day again share their lives. Join the Venturists Write us at: The Society for Venturism 11255 State Route 69 Mayer Arizona 86333 Society for Venturism www.quantium.plus.com/venturist/ Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=31225