unlimited lifespans
I referenced The Immortality Institute in today's exposition of Psalm 8. Here's the video I mentioned.
I'm only partially through it, but the first 3 minutes were pretty disturbing to me. . . . "Maybe we will choose to transcend our humanness, and become cyborgs." Yikes!
What happens when we all start living forever? Talk about a population problem!
Is this not just the Tower of Babel all over again. . . humankind's latest attempt to build a tower to the heavens. . . . one more form of self salvation independent from God?
What are your reactions and thoughts? What does it mean to be human?
(BTW, I had no idea that Google Video had 1 hr 45 min videos. I think YouTube has a 10 minute limit!)
2 comments:
Wow…I just finished watching all one hour and forty-five minutes of the Exploring Life Extension documentary. Unbelievable! When we are sharing the gospel on the streets, people use these same straw-man in order to try and dodge the Word of God.
Here is a quote from the documentary that you hear quite a bit when sharing your faith:
“Because most of us have been brought up, um, under fairly religious backgrounds, fairly religious teachings and, um, we tend to conform. We’re wired to conform. And this is a really great instance where you’re much better off thinking for yourself, if you can. And trying to ignore what you’ve been taught.” – James Halperin, author, The First Immortal
The excuse not to obey the gospel is, ‘you believe the Bible because that’s all you’ve known.’ What they are really saying is that they are wise and the Bible is foolish – that sound familiar.
Or how about this one (also from the documentary):
“No body knows there’s an afterlife, and nobody knows there isn’t an afterlife. If I had to bet on it, I would say there is no afterlife. And I am betting on it – I’m putting my heart and soul into aging research, because I’m going to hang around, I don’t want to take a chance.”
Another excuse not to repent from sin and turn to God – ‘God has to give me proof of his existence.’ At least this guy admitted that he’s gambling with his eternity – and so he is. Then he turns around and says, “I don’t want to take a chance.” Isn’t that contradictory?
The words that these scientist use is the same words that the evolutionist use when they talk about their religion. They will say something like, “We are not sure, but we think….” Right after a statement like that, they begin making bold claims and making absolute statements. Of course their presumptions have to creep back in and they use words and phrases like: Maybe,
I think, We think, It’s Not Clear, We now know that…all the evidence suggests that…, To me, Perhaps, It seems pretty likely, Typically, It would appear…, Right now, the juries out, Most likely, It could occur.
Like the evolutionists, they present their absolute statements while not having any real facts at all. And fallen mankind, looking for a way not be accountable to their Creator, stands up the straw-man and tries to hid behind it – in spite of the foolish claims.
There was an exchange of dialogue in the documentary that I thought was pretty cool. One guy said this:
“Life is about being alive, about learning more about the world, about cooperating with other people being in being alive, exploring the world, and eventually reaching for the stars on day. That’s what it is to be human. That’s the meaning of life.”
Then another guy named William Hurlbut said, “What if life’s meaning really does relate to working out your salvation with fear and trembling as it says in the Bible? What if is does relate to something beyond physical existence? And many, many people who’ve lived rich physical lives are joyful at the face of their death because they feel that those live are about something even more full. What if it does? What if the very nature of life is such that an infinite number of recreational trips, infinite number of books, infinite number of this or that does not lead to any richer happiness? But that in fact, being part of a drama of frailty and finitude we actually give to one another of our very substance and sometimes even die doing it – what if that’s what it’s about? I mean, to me, this scenario that is painted by infinite immortality of the physical typed, at least in the mode that I know the world, doesn’t have nearly the crispness of drama and the power of significance that the story of those who sacrificed themselves for others does have.”
Here is another quote that I had to listen to over and over because I just couldn’t believe what the guy was saying. It sounds very New Age to me. The reason I listened to it over and over is because it sounded familiar – but couldn’t put my finger on it. Then I remembered why. I met a guy in Pismo that I shared the gospel with that had these exact same views – his name is Marvin. Here’s the quote from the documentary:
“There is an entity that will take care of us after death – that entity is us. That’s the collective activities of all of us people. Which is our collective conscienceness and our will to build an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent entity. Which is our collective technology and our collective conscienceness and that entity is by definition God. So I’d say God will be there when we become God.” – Martine Rothblatt
I guess I was blown away by what this guy said, not only because of the blasphemy, but because I was a bit naïve in thinking that Marvin’s belief’s were an anomaly. I guess these strange beliefs are more common than I thought.
The Cryonics thing is strange too. I remember hearing about suspended animation when I was a kid. It creeped me out then. But I guess that too was groundwork for our society accepting it as normal. Isn’t that how false doctrine is spread by false teachers in the church? They teach something that is just missing the truth by a bit – they let it sit. After people buy into that, they go a bit further. Before long, you end up with heresy.
I thought it was funny that one of the participants even called suspended animation a “wager.” They are in fact betting that they will not meet God in judgement. They want to live forever because they say life is important. I wonder what these people’s view on abortion is. Do you think they are pro-life when it comes to an unborn baby?
Transhumanism – I remember the TV series Bionic Man. Now it’s humans transcending biology, uploading their minds to a computer. These people really believe they are transitional to post humanity – and they are passionate about it too. How sad…
Here is another absolute statement they made in the documentary:
“Aging is absolutely a disease. It is the ultimate disease that kills everyone who doesn’t succumb to some other disease first. Aging will be curable.“
As we spread the gospel, we will more than likely hear this excuse too – just another false reason why they don’t need to obey the gospel.
I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:20-21
Just a thougth.
There are a bunch of message boards on Immortality Institute's web site.
http://www.imminst.org/
If one set up an account, one could engage in some cyber-evangelism.
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