The problem with the "spiritual" world view advocated by people like Ben Mitchell is that they, themselves, do not believe it.

If you believe that human consciousness exists as something separate and distinct from the human body, then why remian trapped in a body that is obviously dysfunctional, as in the case of Terri Shraivo? Given the concept of an immortal human consciousness, would not the destruction of her physical body liberate her "soul" to go on to live a fulfilling "life" in the afterlife?

If not, why not?

Why the buggaboo with suicide? Especially if it is someone who is trapped in an aging body and they are going to "die" anyways.

The fact that the christians insist that people remain in physical bodies until the bitter end suggests that they, as well as us, believe that human consciousness is nothing more than neurostructure and wetware.

At least we recognize this reality, and use it as the basis to develop technologies to expand our lives and personal choices.

[Posted by: Kurt at March 22, 2005 4:55 PM]

Kurt, I've long thought that the Christian traditions that glorify suffering and passivity have a lot to do with the questions you pose.

[Posted by: Reason at March 22, 2005 6:45 PM]

Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses - and perhaps others believe that the Bible does not state that there is an immortal soul. They believe "from dust to dust". So, generalizations about "Christians" may be incomplete.

[Posted by: Dave at March 23, 2005 8:56 AM]

That was my point, Dave.

If there is no immortal soul, the spritualism is completely worthless and a materialist strategy of immortality (anti-aging, cryonics, up-loading, etc.) is the only course of action. The only legitimate "spiritual" argument against biomedical immortalism is the idea that we are of immortal soul.

By acting in a manner contrary to the existance (and logical corollary to) of an immortal soul, the christians undermine their own arguments against physical immortality.

It is this logical inconsistancy on the life and death issue that was one of the reasons why I parted company with christianity in the first place.

[Posted by: Kurt at March 23, 2005 1:37 PM]