X-Message-Number: 6413
From: Randy Smith <>
Newsgroups: alt.atheism,sci.cryonics
Subject: Religion,  Sanity,  Cryonics, and the Sting of Death
Date: Fri, 28 Jun 1996 16:15:05 -0700
Message-ID: <>

One of the leaders in the cryonics movement opined in a recent article 
that one of the reasons religious beliefs are so prevalent is that 
many people would go insane with worry and fear as they grew older and 
came to fully realize the inescapable fact that they were going to die.

 I would say this is the highest price we pay for having this wonderful 
big brain. We, alone among the beasts, know we are going to die. 

 I suppose this is one of the main attractions I see in cryonics. If I am 
conscious in my dying moments, I will know there is some chance that it 
may NOT be all over. I seriously doubt if I'll be paraphrasing 
Shakespeare--"death, where is thy sting"--with current freezing 
techniques cryonics is probably still a long shot, so the sting of death 
will still be there, I'm sure.

 But I'm afraid I am far too much of a cynic and skeptic to look to the 
supernatural to ease that sting: I'd rather put my faith in science and 
the human species, imperfect as it is. 


-- 
Randy Smith


do not go gentle into that good night
rage, rage against the dying of the light

Dylan Thomas


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