Would immortality destroy religion?

[Az]

Originally posted by Sava
I doubt it... perhaps death would become even more of a news interest because it would be more rare. Personally, I think immortality would destroy society. Eventually, we'd reach a point that overpopulation would place restrictions on the number of newborn humans. I can only imagine what such a world would be like. ::shivers::

We aren't reproducing anyway. Let's just keep that drug from getting into the hands of the peasantry.

[chequita guevara]

Think of the children!

So if we're all effectively immortal, we'd need serious birth control. Something along the lines of, if you tak the treatment, you must practice birth control. If you want to have additional children (so we can "grandfather" in our living ancestors), you must stop taking the treatment, permanently.

If noone had children, the species would begin to decline in number. For a while that would probably be a good thing. But after a while, I think we should institute a lottery to decide who gets to bear offspring, so that we can replace those lost to accidental and deliberate deaths.

[Az]

Space travel, of course, would solve SO MUCH of those problems. And we'd have the brainpower, and resources to do it, as well.

Think of it! No retirment, instead: longer vacations, and shorter working weeks. Plenty of money and energy saved by fixing a large part of the medical problems.

SPACE TRAVEL, ladies, and gents. SPACE TRAVEL.

[Sandman]

I reckon the child thing would probably solve itself. Who needs kids if you're not going to die? Society would probably become intolerant of children generally; maybe old people as well.

[Az]

I think the child instinct is way too strong.

[chequita guevara]

Presumably there's a limit to how much the brain can know. I wonder how long we would live before we reached the phsycial limitations of the brain.

And don't gimme no "we only use 5% of our brain" crap. We use all of our brain, we just can't use it all at the same time. That would be the equivaent of having a grand mal epileptic seizure.

[Sandman]

I think the child instinct is way too strong.

Nah, it's pretty easy to override.

[Az]

Presumably there's a limit to how much the brain can know. I wonder how long we would live before we reached the phsycial limitations of the brain.

And don't gimme no "we only use 5% of our brain" crap. We use all of our brain, we just can't use it all at the same time. That would be the equivaent of having a grand mal epileptic seizure.

A great question I've been pondering myself for quite some time.

That's why I that neuroscience and the way to MMIs should be the next thing.

Let's go cyborg.

[Curiosity]

The best solution I've heard to the overpopulation problem is a legal requirement that anyone living past, say, 150 must leave earth. Imagine the space development! Make sterilization part of the treatment, and the population on earth will stabilize nicely.

As for getting rid of religeon... nah. Few people believe out of fear of the afterlife. In fact, given the fear of death most believers preserve, I doubt they believe, in their hearts, that there is an afterlife. Religeon is more of a habit. A 10,000 year old habit is probably hard to break...

[Vesayen]

Re: Would immortality destroy religion?

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Suppose through biotechnical engineering we were able to become technically immortal. Sure, we'd still die in accidents or as a result of murder or war, but disease and old age would be a thing for animal selves we leave behind.

Without the fear of death, the loss of self in the infinate oblivion, would people still have a need for a deity (or dieties)? If you're never going to recieve your eternal reward or damnation, why continue to follow the religion of the flesh? I'm not talking about a decent into chaos where there are no rules or ethics.

What would be the religious response? How would fundimentalist relgious types see this? Would they say that we are violating God's will, tasting from the Tree of Life and thus becoming like him (to paraphrase Genisis)?

In Judaism the afterlife is an afterthought and really isnt any consideration.

Jews would be uneffected-we want to make this world better, who cares about the next?

[Vesayen]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Presumably there's a limit to how much the brain can know. I wonder how long we would live before we reached the phsycial limitations of the brain.

And don't gimme no "we only use 5% of our brain" crap. We use all of our brain, we just can't use it all at the same time. That would be the equivaent of having a grand mal epileptic seizure.

Our brains have a certain amount of hard-drive space(all the automatic functions)-a VERY small amount, and TONS of RAM-everything else, everything we "know" is stored in a part of the brain that is wiped "blank" over time if it isnt used.

[Japher]

Would immortality destroy religion?

Che, you seem to think that religion is a kin to the fear of death... Is that so? I question that. In one sense I do, but religion has always threatened lives to ensure their influence... If one can still be killed even if they 'could' live forever would this change?

Another thing. Older people tend to become religious as they approach death. Yet, is this because of the "fear" complex or does this have something to do with wisdom and hope. If it is wisdom, would this not come with age regardless of life span?

Just something to chew on.

[pchang]

another question

Would meeting God on a consistent basis ruin religion? I would say yes.

[Japher]

What if you met god, and you got a bad impression of him?

What if he is a pompous egocentric oaf, and the only reason he hasn't been around since Moses was because he "forgot" all about us?

[Dr Strangelove]

Immortality might get rid of the hypocrites. Then again there are a number of religious leaders who do what they do for the sake of the power they get.