evangelicals uniting with scientists?(For Max More, Greg Burch and Eliezer)...

john grigg (starman125@hotmail.com)
Mon, 01 Nov 1999 12:58:14 PST

Eliezer wrote:

>Yes, we may see it our lifetimes - fundamentalist Christians and 

> >physicists banding together to make war on New Agers and social
> >scientists!

Actually New Agers can come in so many forms and I see many individuals and groups being thrown in with them arbitrarily. I could see some people saying the Extropian Institute is a "new age" group! lol

I would like to know what the problem is about social scientists?? What is wrong with psychologists and sociologists? I have a sociology professor who went off on me when I called sociology a "soft" science!

I read with interest Greg Burch's post about coming across a new age newsletter packed with advertising. We have a popular one up here in Alaska. I do not know how much the two relate but ours does some some redeeming value with usually one or two articles at least about human relationships or nutrition that are beneficial. A person must be careful because there is plenty of snake oil being advertised also.

Another good example is the "Tools for Exploration" catalog which is full of "peak performance" products such as brain machines, biofeedback devices, nutritional supplements and anything else you could imagine. Some of it is classic snake oil but there is much there in my view that could be good and in fact is the sort of thing Anders might recommend in his vast Transhuman site.

As for physicists and evangelicals uniting it just might happen for perhaps brief periods. I don't see evangelicals and extropians uniting on anything soon. In fact I expect Hal Lindsey or Bob Larson to be writing a book denouncing transhumanism anytime!! You will know you have arrived when that happens. Moody press would lose half their revenue if they stopped publishing books against Mormons.
Extropianism could be their next cash cow. Max More and the rest of you will make for great antagonists in their story. I see Bob Larson interviewing Max and Natasha and acting horrified each time they make a statement. Then he will sell it to his listeners for hundred dollar donations. I will say to the man's credit he does help out alot of really messed up teens who have nowhere else to turn.

Sincerely,

John Grigg



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