Inventing Religion

I have been known to joke that if I believed in the supernatural I would become a Mormon because it is a religion that was invented right here in America.  Speaking of Mormons, another joke, not invented by me, is to ask what is the difference between a religion and a cult.  The answer: about a hundred years.

I recently listened to the National Public Radio (NPR) "Hidden Brain" episode Creating God.  The show mentioned that religions frequently require costly rituals, a dedication of time or money, to show commitment.  It reminded me of my own personal efforts to create a made-in-America religion, Optihumanism, in which members can demonstrate their commitment by signing up for cryonics.

Here are some aspects of Optihumanism which give it an evolutionary edge over other memes:

• Democracy and community
• Reality-based knowledge acquisition
• Immortality through children and future medicine

Here is an aspect of Optihumanism which puts it at a disadvantage:

• No absolution