X-Message-Number: 471
Date: 25 Sep 91 01:23:14 EDT
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: Re: reply from John Gilliam, M.D.

Hi.
I'm glad you asked. Here is the problem as I see it. One way to point 
out that cryonics does not conflict with Christianity would involve use
of quotations and discussions of great Christian religious figures of the
past. These might include Jesus Christ himself, St. Augustine, Luther,
and other theologians. Another way is simply to discuss the meaning of 
relevant passages from the Christian Bible.

I find it hard to see how I, as an openly avowed atheist, could get away
with any such tactic. If I were to use it, my Christian listeners could 
and probably would find me quite insincere --- the same as if they were 
discussing a similar point with a Hindu, using quotations from the 
Bhagavad-Gita. Since any such argument really stands or falls on the 
listeners sense that the speaker is sincere, isn't simply trying to twist
Christian doctrine to his own ends, if I tried that I think I would do no
more than to put Christians off both me and cryonics.

Since we're both human beings, we can discuss cryonics as it bears on a 
human problem. And I do feel that (even if it takes people a long time to
work this out) cryonics is actually the only humane and moral course of 
action in the face of this so-called death and mortality, at least now in
1991. The reason is that it becomes more and more clear that these are
ultimately SOLVABLE problems, solvable by an advanced medicine almost 
within our reach. And to refuse to solve them, or put off and delay their
solution, does no more than to condemn hundreds of millions of people to
death. We were never in this position before, but we must answer the 
questions of today, not yesterday.

And as you know, we can see all around us those hundreds of millions con-
demned to death, and even perhaps worse to hopelessness (so deep they don't
even know their own heart). I would even go so far as to say that a great
deal of the carelessness with human life we see around us comes directly
from that hopelessness. I find that sad, not unbearably so, true, but that's
only because if I save anyone I can try to save myself.

I hope this gives you an answer.
				Thomas Donaldson

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