I came across this term “transhumanism”. It interested me, so I did some research into it.
Let us start with “humanism” to get a better understanding of where they are going with “transhumanism”. Humanism assumes that the homo sapien is it, the apex specie. To the upset of some, I define humanism as “Man is God”. To understand that, we need to understand “God” is the apex power or entity that exists.
For millennia, for thousands of years, mankind, also known as humans, have looked at their environment and made “gods” or “powers” for those things they could not explain nor control. And it was ever this way until humankind developed enough resources and peaceful or controlled territories to allow for unimpeded, unhindered study and research. With the advent of research and analysis, humankind began to reflect on all that is and began to posit theories. One of those theories that emerged was humans were the apex specie in the cosmos.
Now, under the pantheology system that existed before hand, there were many mythologies or cultural theologies that had “man” descending from the great, unexplainable powers or personification of deities. Many of the NAZI Party leadership of Germany of the 1900s adhered to this occult theology of Aryanism or a master race of pure people, superior to other races, and being descended from the “gods”. The Shinto religion of Japan is similar in that there are claims of descent from their deities. The Greek pantheology has many examples from their literature showing claims of descent from deities.
With humanism, the shift posited was humankind was its own deity or god or power and not an external source. Humanism or “secular humanism” presupposes there is no deity other than humankind. This made way for “evolution” theories and atheism or there being no gods or deities.
As a side note, humanism and secular humanism are supporters of “eugenics” – the social and scientific process of breeding out or removing undesirable characteristics from humankind. Davenport and Sanger are more notable American proponents for eugenics and “birth control” to improve the overall human stock and to remove the “less than” strains of humankind. The Planned Parenthood organization has turned eugenics into a business model under the guise of helping with birth planning and choices, and regularly seeks US federal funding through their lobbyists in Washington, DC.
Many cultures have practiced their versions of human exceptionalism versus “less than” humans. India has its “caste” system. Russia had its noble and serf system. Most of Europe had a noble peer-freeman-peasant-feudal system. Most cultures used these systems of superior-inferior humankind variants to justify slavery and genocide.
Superior humanism worked best for those who had the resources to exert their “superior” humanism on others. If you had the better metallurgy and numbers of healthy warriors, you could exert your superior humanism on others and take their stuff or take them as vassal slaves to your superiority. Human history is full of examples of exerted superiority of one human group against another. Persian expansion in southwest Asia, Greek and Roman expansions around the Mediterranean and southwest Asia, European colonization of Africa, Spanish conquest of America, various Chinese conquests of east Asia, British conquest of Australasia, and others are examples of “superior” human groups exerting their dominance over another human group.
Humanism also posited different human groups as actual different specie groups of human; also known as “racism”. The theory and practice became so prevalent that to “marry outside one’s station” was culturally not done; to the point of death of the perpetrators. In many nations, marrying someone of a “different race” was illegal. The goal was the perpetuation of the purity of the specie. Those of “mixed race” were looked down upon by all; even those of the supposed lower races. “Mixed people” became a third class of humans in some cultures.
Humanism became its own deity. The previous positions of polytheism were no longer considered. Humankind became the “God” or deity; regardless of whichever, whatever deity or theology was practiced culturally. Humanism became the superior theology. Humans would improve or evolve into a “next level” or “superior variant” of the current strain; and this only by conscious, concerted effort by those deemed superior and worthy.
This led to a theory for “transhumanism” being posited: a belief that the humankind can evolve beyond its current limitations through self-development, scientific analysis, and technologic enhancement.
What was originally posited as anthropologic and psychologic theory has become a religious and sociologic fervor to the point of a zeal that accepts no other option. Humankind no longer looked to their gods for transcendence. Humankind looked to themselves as their own transcendence toward being gods themselves. Transhuman theory left the halls of academy to become mainstreamed sociologically acceptable entertainment; which normalized the acceptance of theory as plausible, acceptable, and desirable. Since transhumanism was now “okay” with society, it then also became “okay” to experiment with the theory inside and outside of the laboratory.
Transhumanism’s position is still that “Man is God” and humankind is the apex specie in the cosmos; there fore, it is incumbent and demanded of the specie to improve upon itself. It is mankind at the Tower of Babel, from the Jewish biblical account, trying to make a “name” for itself; rejecting external theism for internal theism.
Many stories, articles for magazines, books, online publications, and video media have popularized the “superior human” or humans who have transitioned from normal to extra-normal, superior. The publisher Stan Lee and partners popularized many “superior humans” in magazine format called comic books. Later in Stan Lee’s life, these comic book superheroes became live-action movies further normalizing, deifying superior humans. Some had external stimuli that changed them; chemical, radiologic, spiritual, or technological. Others had internal stimuli that changed them; their superior entity or alter-ego of themselves. DC Comics came up with their term for these superheroes. They called them “metahumans”. They just became a better version of themselves. George Lucas, the filmmaker and storyteller, came up with his version of superheroes. Lucas called them Jedi or Sith.
Transhumanism further segments society into those worthy and those who are not. The long term goal to develop a better, transcendent human who will be transcendent on all levels. They would be gods to themselves. Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek TV series initially proposed an utopic society of scientists and engineers searching the galaxy for what is out there and ways to improve humankind. Subsequent writers for the television series, books, and movies showed a universe less utopic and more a cosmos of conflict. And, it is out of these discoveries and conflicts that humankind continued to evolve; Adonis, Tristan, Q, Wesley Crusher, and others. Subsequent writers for Lucas’ Star Wars cosmos had Jedi adherents transcending into the Force.
Transhumanism is humankind’s search for significance and hope for a future that may be reachable, attainable, but more likely for future generations. It is utopic piety – a hope for a better future for the specie by improving upon the apex specie currently known and accepted by humankind.
The reality of anthropologic history is humankind in the absence of a moral foundation that values others for who and what they are has been one of exerted dominance, subjugation, and genocide. There have been some bright spots, but remember this… The Great Wall of China was built by slaves. Hadrian’s Wall in Britannia was built by slaves. The pyramids of Egypt, Persia, and Mesoamerica were built by slaves. Slaves come from the subjugation of other human groups.
Humanism, secular humanism, and transhumanism only value those who have the power. Everyone else are victims.
In the pantheon of world religions, humanism and transhumanism follow the same model: there is a power greater than the lessers and all must be subservient to the power greater than themselves.
Judeo-Christianity is the largest and fastest growing religious group in the Earth today. An estimated 2.5 billion people of the estimated 7.8 billion people on Earth adhere to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Why do I bring this up when so many atrocities have been perpetrated in the name of Christianity? I bring it up, because many of these perpetrating the atrocities were Christian in name only. They did not adhere to the teachings of the Bible. It was a politically expedient social construct to use that label.
This will bother some people.
Humanism and Transhumanism make themselves to be “God” – the apex power in the universe; however, that is not the case.
The God of the Judeo-Christian Bible is different in human history from the pantheon of other powers or deities or gods. The word “god” comes from the German word “Gott” or “Godd” meaning mighty one, power, or deity. Latin “deus”, Greek “theos” are other examples for “god”. The biblical Hebrew words are “el” or “eloah” or “elohim”, the latter being the plural. In Genesis 1:1, the God of the Bible introduces Himself as “Elohim” with the letters aleph and tov. Aleph is the first Hebrew letter and Tov is the last Hebrew letter. Essentially, the God of the Bible stated as fact that “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” In the Hebrew, “God” is the English for “elohim aleph tov” [אלהים את]. The God of the Bible started the conversation by stating He is “all powers a to z in one”, and He created it all. Then He went forward with action, signs, wonders, miracles, proofs that He is who He said He is.
Why do I bring this up?
Humanism and transhumanism seek to make themselves “powers” unto themselves; to transcend the current human condition to be something greater, to be something more.
The God of the Bible already did that for humankind. He made humankind in His own image and likeness.
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
-Genesis 1.26-28 King James Version
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
-Genesis 2.7 King James Version
The One who is “all powers” personified made humankind in His image with the goal that humankind would be like Him and be with Him.
Jesus Christ prayed this in the Garden of Gethsemane before He was judged and crucified.
“I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
-John 17.14-24 King James Version
The reason Christianity is the largest and fastest growing “religion” in the Earth is the God of the Bible is Who He says He is; therefore, all else He has said is true.
Where humanism and transhumanism seek to evolve humankind, the God of the Bible seeks to take those who are made like “elohim aleph tov” – all powers personified – and teach them how to live a life worthy of being like Him.
Historically, the God of the Bible created opportunities be like Him and with Him. Those in the Earth before Noah and the Ark went from being in His Presence all of the time to having a mind to pursue evil, to chase after self or harm others all of the the time. Then, God gave a reset. Within three hundred years of the reset, humankind decided to make a name for themselves, exalt themselves, and built a tower to themselves in Babel. The God of the Bible scattered them. Then the God of the Bible gave humankind a set of rules and laws through the children of Israel and Moses. They failed, again, to build a relationship with the God of the Bible, and life became about the rules and their own desires. But, the God of the Bible still cared for His sons and daughters and prophesied one anointed to be the salvation of His people, His offspring.
The name we know as “Jesus” is the Hebrew name “Jehoshua” – God [or YHWH] saves.
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
-Matthew 1.18-21 King James Version
“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.”
-Luke 1.26-31
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
-John 3.14-17 King James Version
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”
– John 12.32 King James Version
“…I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”
-John 20.17b King James Version
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
-Acts 16.31 King James Version
The God of the Bible made a way for humankind to reconnect and live with Him: Jesus and the Cross.
All that is required now is belief that what Jesus did at the Cross was enough to repair the relationship with the God of the Bible and begin again the development into His image and likeness, to be with Him eternally.
Where humanism and transhumanism seek to exalt humankind through humankind’s own ability, the God of the Bible seeks to exalt humankind after His own ability and to make humankind like Him.
“Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”
-John 14.11-14 King James Version
“I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world does not see Me any more. But you see Me. Because I live, you shall live also. At that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.”
-John 14.18-20 Modern King James Version
Humanism and transhumanism deny the existence or capability of the God of the Bible.
The God of the Bible seeks a life with you, those made in His image and likeness.
It is up to you to decide which life you want.
…
To those who deny or discredit the God of the Bible and Christianity as just another construct of humankind, simply put Him to the test. Ask Him to show up in your life.
I am well studied and willing to research many things. I have found many evidences in history, in theological discourse, and in personal experiences that the God of the Bible is who He says He is and Jesus Christ is Lord. And all of those things the Judeo-Christian Bible says are true are true.
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Doc Rogers writes.... 