I've been thinking about what everybody has been saying about transhumanism. It's an interesting topic because it highlights an extremely important part of Christianity that is crucial to understand for anyone considering becoming a Christian. I'll admit I have not read books on the subject so I was reluctant to join the fray but there are a few things I cannot get out of my mind. I will probably need some help from you all towards a better understanding of transhumanism.
>>2503
>>2505
You have in your mind an image of helping people. Of relieving their suffering and overcoming disabilities. Yes, certainly. Christ healed the sick and lame. He made the blind to see and even raised people from the dead. Partly this was to demonstrate that he was the real deal but it was also because Christ saw people in distress and had compassion on them. Many Christians have emulated this and non-Christians have done so no less. It appears to be a part of humanity to do this. In no way is this wrong. We ought to care for the sick. We ought to promote good health. We ought to apply our knowledge to help the disabled. I wear glasses. Without this augmentation I would not get far in the world. Are glasses wrong? Was Satan whispering into the ear of Snell? No, of course not. Medicine is a wonderful benefit to humans and has allowed millions of people to live out lives dedicated to loving others. I will not disparage it or even make a "too far" argument.
Now we come to the crossroads. The seems to me to be the most important part of this topic but it hasn't been adequately explored in this thread. There is a question we must ask ourselves. It's a highly relevant question to the world today. What is the highest thing to pursue? For what can we sacrifice everything else? What would you die for? The answer of the world seems clear. Everything can be sacrificed for the sake of human lives and there is nothing we would exchange our lives for. This appears to be the answer of transhumanism also. The single, overriding goal is to prevent death. Or, put another way, human life is the fixation. If you want to see a world where this is the prevailing ethos, look out your window. We are not even allowed to get sick anymore. Our demonic elites, of course, don't believe this (they care about power) but the common man does. And since tyranny is enforced from the bottom up rather than the top down, this is now the law of the land. Saving lives is more important than God. More important than virtue. More important than loving your neighbour. More important than your family. Saving your life is more important than living your life. You may say that these are the growing pains: that once we have rid ourselves of aging things will be better. I do not think this is the case but you are the expert on transhumanism so you tell me. Are those who push and encourage this kind of thinking the same as those who inspire us with their endless toil to improve lives and make people well? When you read their writings, do you get the sense they are written by someone who loves humans and humanity or do you get the sense of someone who hates humanity and wants to be rid of it? Do they write with compassion for individual humans or do they write with grandeur for an abstract humanity? Again, I am not familiar with their works so I don't know. I do have my suspicions though.
Christianity is not about healing the sick. We do not hold so tightly to our lives that we would sacrifice all else to save them. Our greatest concern is our sins which you can understand as things that harm our relationship with God and with other people. We are sinful people and our faults, if left unchecked, only grow stronger over time. Our pride turns from disdain of others to contempt. Our greed turns to consuming lust for money. Our virtues require constant upkeep whereas our vices pull us down with no effort on our part. We are fighting a losing battle. This is why, contrary to your statement that it is "a hideous and monstrous imposition," death is actually a mercy. It prevents us from ever reaching a point where we literally become demons and are unsaveable. Imagine if George Soros were immortal. If you think he's Satanic now, try again in a thousand years after he's been stewing on centuries of hatred.