[extropy-chat] Religion: A discussion

[Robert J. Bradbury]

I would urge people who want to enter into any discussion of
modern Christianity to have viewed the series:
  "From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians"
series from PBS/Frontline.  E.g.:
   http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/

It provided me with an education.

Google also turned up "The Real Jesus":
  http://www.mystae.com/restricted/reflections/messiah/jesusx.html
and
  http://www.mystae.com/restricted/reflections/messiah/early.html

which contain *way* too much information for me to want to wade
through.  I would propose however if there is that much discussion
about a topic that one might conclude that we have no good basis
for rational discussion (because if after 2000 years the debate has
not been resolved it isn't likely to be resolved soon).  It isn't
like the pyramids where I can walk up to them and touch them.

Of course this raises the question of whether or not it is extropic
to even engage in a discussion about religion.  Can one ever hope
to resolve the perspectives and achieve a consensus?

So I'll raise an interesting question -- what is the value of humans
who will believe anything they are told?  It raises an interesting
issue -- as extropians we value information -- but how much should
we value information which does not contribute to the long term
complexification of the universe (or worse contributes to a long
term increase in entropy?)

Robert