From: Natasha Vita-More (natasha@natasha.cc)
Date: Tue Jul 10 2001 - 09:30:16 MDT
At 10:18 PM 7/9/01 -0700, Samantha wrote:
>> L B wrote:
>> > Yes, my question is this: the recent religious war
>> > seems to fly in the face of most of Max More's
>> > outline, and I wonder if a war at all is in keeping
>> > with these principles.
>Do you think a few minor skirmishes of words are a "war"? I
>don't do war. A deep part of my own spirituality is bridging
>between groups that tend to want to do war. It is part of the
>reason I spoke out in the first place. We put ourselves on a
>war footing with religions when we are so relatively small and
>uncongealed? This is madness. It declares a lot of allies and
>potential allises to be enemies needlessly. Is the future we so
>much adore about such off-the-cuff polarization and such
>bald-faced declarations of the way it has to be in all Extropian
>righteousness?
>
>It is this foolishness and needless polarization that I wished
>to bring to examination.
Thank you Samantha for some lucid thinking on this thread. I agree with
almost all posts except those whose aim is to chastise religion,
spirituality or the church. (How many is that? -:))
I didn't understand why the word "war" was used by L.B., but I have read
past of _The Art of War_, so I backed off, giving some leeway.
When Tiberius Gracchus wrote on a parallel thread "...the churches are
typically packed with the elderly and sick superstitious, trying to get to
the next world...." I realized it was his/her personal view, however it
makes me wonder why. People who go to church, people who value ideas other
than extropian ideas, people who have a desire or need for spirituality are
not backward and unintelligent. Many are creative and highly intelligent
and who simply see things a different way because of deeply ingrained
belief systems, early imprinting, fear of the unknown, social conditioning,
professional affiliation, or simply like the music, atmosphere and wine.
Unless and until those who petition their particular religions views to
impede the direction, progress and accomplishments of extropian
transhumanist views, the only war is within the domain of rigidity.
Natasha
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