[I must strongly caution those who would read this that "Priests Of The Woodlands Nations" are not priests of any Christian Church. Indeed, the first Catholic missionary to encounter my culture said our religion was "pagan." This confused my ancestors somewhat as they didn't know what religion was and thought thier family histories were somehow displeasing this strange man. We say priest because that English word comes closest to meaning makadewikonayewinini. I am a priest in the same sense a Shaolin monk is a priest and a theologian because I have modest training in that discipline.]
The theological questions that are raised by a notion
as profound as reviving a cryogenically preserved
human are not simple. These belong to such august
bodies as the College Of Cardinals, the faculties
of philosophy departments at respected universities,
the theological seminaries of the Roman Catholic
Church...the credentialed and published theologians
of our (and future) time. Among those who believe
the soul leaves the body and proceeds as a sentient
entity when the body dies, cryonics raises the most
profound of questions. These are not the realm of
the local Deacon nor can they be addressed by a layman
with a bible in one hand and a Catholic Catechism in
the other. The Nazarene himself may have anticipated
cryonics (...last shall come first...); the great
apologists and philosopher/theologians did not.
If cryonicists are someday successful:
if a human
who has been legally dead, with an internal temperature
way below the freezing point of water, someday gets
up and walks it will be stunning. If he is self aware
and has his memory intact, it would seem at a glance
to defy Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox beliefs.
If he has the ability to do abstract reasoning (the
"knowledge of good and evil") it may establish
his soul is present (or did not exist in the first
place).
However, theology isn't done at a glance. If these
things happen they may actually confirm the
teachings of Jesus of nazareth and they may confirm
the words of John the Apostle, as written on the Island
of Patmos (location recently contested), around the
year 66 CE. That is, the whole body has been resurrected,
is in perfect health, is incorruptable (handy things those
nano-doohickies) and the soul has returned to it.
I do not wish to suggest that I adhere to such a notion.
I suggest that until the Vatican, the Eastern Orthodox
Church and the Cosmopolitan take a position, cryonic
attempts cannot be said to challenge faith or beliefs
of anyone claiming Christianity. Protestants may object
to my preferences for authoritative source but this is
not about religious practice or organizational identity;
it's about theological construct begun by Paul in Rome,
but dependent at its roots on Judaism all the way back
to "Genesis." The Vatican is authoritative in these
matters because that's where the head librarian hangs
out.
The conclusions which are drawn and actually published
by the Holy See are not intended for today and tomorrow.
They must stand the test of centuries. In this case,
the questions cannot even be formally addressed until
the event occurs. As to whether or not the attempts
themselves are a failing of faith, the Vatican has not
spoken. I am not aware of any pronouncement to the
Bishops of the Catholic Church that interment in liquid
nitrogen is to be condemned. Indeed, there is nothing
to prevent a Catholic priest from conducting a requiem
mass for a new cryonaut while standing at the chamber.
Whether or not the cryonaut is going to get up and walk
again is not relevant to the proceedings and Catholic
dogma says he is going to do just that anyway.
The next time you are tempted to respond to a "Christian"
who challenges cryonic attempts on religious grounds in
a newsgroup, try to hold yourself in check. Your antagonist
has not the Papal Imrimatur and you probably don't know
too much about it either.