Authors

Carl Youngblood co-founded the MTA in 2006 and has served as its President and CEO since 2021. He is engaged with the Association’s efforts to explore the intersection of Mormon theology and transhumanist philosophy. Among the many initiatives that Carl has been involved with, he has designed and built the Association's current website, which unifies all prior content in a single location using inspiring visuals and animations. Youngblood’s professional career spans more than two decades of full-stack software development at the intersection of Silicon Slopes and Silicon Valley. He was an early employee at Omniture (acquired by Adobe), a founding engineering leader at Divvy (a Utah-based unicorn startup), co-founder of Blockscale LLC (a blockchain services firm eventually contracted into Coinbase), and Senior Solutions Architect for Amazon Managed Blockchain at AWS. His technical fluency ranges from scalable web architecture to blockchain infrastructure—the kind of deep engineering experience that grounds his theological speculation in working knowledge of the systems he writes about. Under his leadership, the Association has developed its mission of promoting abundant human flourishing through the compassionate use of science and technology, fostering dialogue across secular and religious audiences and arguing that each has something essential to learn from the other. His writing, collected on his blog From the Depths , spans over a decade of conference presentations and theological essays: meditations on participatory resurrection, the alignment of artificial intelligence read through the Grand Council narrative, intelligence as eternal and multifaceted, and religion as social technology. He writes, as a colleague has observed, with warmth and accessibility on questions of momentous practical consequence—how to navigate faith crisis without losing faith’s power, how to think about resurrection as something we actively participate in rather than passively receive. Youngblood’s distinctive contribution to transhumanism is the integration of serious technical expertise with serious theological reflection. He embodies the Mormon transhumanist conviction that scientific and spiritual development are not parallel tracks but a single path—that the learning required to build better systems is continuous with the exaltation Mormon theology envisions, and that human ingenuity, rightly oriented, is itself a divine imperative.

Eric Steinhart is a Professor of Philosophy at William Paterson University and the author of Your Digital Afterlives: Computational Theories of Life After Death . His work centers on metaphysics, employing contemporary analytical and logical methods, while also exploring historical metaphysical systems such as Neoplatonism and the philosophy of Leibniz. He is particularly interested in the intersection of formal sciences and theology, with a focus on alternatives to Abrahamic religions. Steinhart’s background is diverse. He grew up on a farm and initially trained as a computer scientist and mathematician, working as a software designer for several years, during which time he obtained patents for some of his algorithms. He later pursued advanced degrees in philosophy, and his earlier philosophical work included analyses of Nietzsche and metaphor, using possible world semantics. His research extends into the realms of metaphysics and computation, and he is featured in the documentary film Chronotrip , which deals with the concept of time travel. He affirms the existence of transfinitely endless hierarchies of sets, computers, languages, games, strategies, and minds. Steinhart’s current philosophical interests align with themes of eternal progression, alternative religious movements, and the application of evolutionary theory to cosmology.

George Quayle Cannon (1827–1901) was one of the most influential leaders in the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and later as First Counselor in the First Presidency under four successive church presidents. A skilled orator, prolific publisher, and astute politician, Cannon shaped the church’s public image and theological discourse during a critical period of its development. Born in Liverpool, England, Cannon immigrated to the United States with his family at age fifteen following their conversion to the LDS faith. After his parents’ deaths, he was raised by his uncle John Taylor, who would later become the third president of the church. Cannon crossed the plains to Utah in 1847 and soon demonstrated exceptional abilities as a writer and leader. In 1849, he was called on a mission to California, and later served in Hawaii, where he learned the Hawaiian language and translated the Book of Mormon into Hawaiian. Cannon’s publishing career began in San Francisco, where he edited the Western Standard. Returning to Utah, he founded the Deseret News and later established the Juvenile Instructor magazine. He served as editor of the Millennial Star in England and built a publishing empire that produced books, pamphlets, and periodicals defending and explaining Latter-day Saint beliefs. His editorials and writings helped articulate church doctrine on subjects ranging from plural marriage to the nature of God. In 1860, Cannon was ordained an apostle at age thirty-two. He also served six terms as Utah’s delegate to the U.S. Congress (1872–1882), where he advocated for Utah statehood while defending the church against anti-polygamy legislation. Though he was eventually denied his congressional seat due to polygamy charges, his political experience proved invaluable to church leadership during the difficult years of federal prosecution. Cannon’s theological contributions reflect themes resonant with transhumanist thought. He taught extensively about human deification and eternal progression, declaring that ‘the object of man’s existence is that he might become like God.’ He envisioned humanity’s potential for infinite development and wrote of the transformative power of knowledge and technology in advancing God’s purposes. His writings on the resurrection emphasized the perfection and glorification of the human body—ideas that anticipate contemporary discussions of human enhancement and transcendence.

Hippolytus of Rome (c. 170–235 AD) was an early Christian theologian, prolific writer, and ecclesiastical leader whose work represents one of the most ambitious attempts to systematize Christian doctrine in the ante-Nicene period. His precise origins are debated, but he was active in Rome during the late second and early third centuries, where he functioned as a prominent teacher and, according to some sources, may have served as a rival bishop during a period of schism. He is venerated as a martyr and saint in both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, and he is believed to have died in Sardinia following exile under the Emperor Maximinus Thrax. Hippolytus was extraordinarily productive. His surviving works include The Refutation of All Heresies , The Apostolic Tradition (a crucial early source on Christian liturgical practice), biblical commentaries, and a range of theological and polemical writings. He wrote in Greek at a time when Latin was beginning to dominate Western ecclesiastical culture, placing him at a transitional moment in the history of Christian thought. His engagement with philosophy, scripture, and the competing religious movements of his day reflects the intellectual intensity of a community still working out the implications of its own claims. What gives Hippolytus particular resonance for those interested in the theology of human transformation is the directness with which he articulated the Christian doctrine of theosis—the teaching that human beings are called not merely to serve God but to become divine. His writings speak of the human person as capable of being “deified and begotten unto immortality,” of becoming a “companion of God” and “co-heir with Christ.” He frames this not as a distant abstraction but as the actual destination of faithful human development: obedience and fidelity in small things open the way to the entrusting of greater ones, a logic that binds moral growth to ontological transformation. In this, Hippolytus stands in the same broad current as Irenaeus and Athanasius, carrying forward the ancient Christian conviction that the gap between humanity and divinity is meant to be closed—not by abolishing the distinction between Creator and creature, but by the creature’s genuine participation in divine life. That conviction, ancient as it is, resonates with the Mormon transhumanist understanding of theosis as a real, progressive, and ultimately practical aspiration.

Joseph Fielding Smith (1838–1918) was the 6th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving from 1901 until his death. He was the son of Hyrum Smith and nephew of Joseph Smith. Born in Far West, Missouri, Joseph F. Smith experienced the trials of early Church history firsthand. As a young child, he witnessed the aftermath of the Carthage martyrdom. At age nine, he drove an ox team across the plains to Utah with his widowed mother. At fifteen, he was called on a mission to Hawaii, where he had a transformative vision of the afterlife. He taught that Jesus’s work was not finished with his death and resurrection but continues until all who can be saved are redeemed. This expansive vision of salvation includes work for the dead and the promise that the faithful become saviors on Mount Zion alongside Christ.

Maximus the Confessor (c. 580–662 AD) was a Christian monk, theologian, and scholar who developed sophisticated theology of theosis, teaching that humanity is destined to participate in the divine nature through Christ. Born to a noble Byzantine family, Maximus initially served as a court secretary before becoming a monk. He became the leading opponent of Monothelitism, the doctrine that Christ had only one will, arguing instead that Christ has both divine and human wills. His theological writings explore how God became the Son of Man so that humans might become sons of God. Maximus taught that through the Incarnation, Christ makes possible the deification of humanity without the loss of human identity. For his opposition to imperial theology, he was tried, mutilated (his tongue and right hand cut off), and exiled, dying shortly after in 662 AD.

Micah Redding is a multifaceted individual with a diverse background. He experienced his formative years as a preacher’s kid before transitioning into a career as a rock musician for eight years. He has also had a mysterious experience involving a high-speed pursuit of a spy plane. Currently, Micah focuses on software development and writing, exploring the intersection of human values and technology. He is particularly interested in exploring Christian views of resurrection and how they apply to transhumanism. Micah is a key figure in the Christian Transhumanist movement. He is a founder, board member, and the Executive Director of the Christian Transhumanist Association.

Nikolay Fyodorovich Fyodorov (9 June 1829 – 28 December 1903) was a Russian Orthodox Christian philosopher, religious thinker, and futurologist who founded the intellectual movement known as Russian cosmism—a direct precursor to modern transhumanism. Born as Nikolay Pavlovich Gagarin, the illegitimate son of Prince Pavel Ivanovich Gagarin, he studied at the Richelieu Lyceum in Odessa before serving as a teacher and later joining the Rumyantsev Museum as a librarian in 1878. Called the “Socrates of Moscow,” Fyodorov was respected and admired by Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Vladimir Solovyov. His major contribution to philosophy was the “Common Task”—humanity’s collective mission to regulate the forces of nature, defeat death, and resurrect ancestors through scientific means. He advocated for radical life extension, physical immortality, and the literal resurrection of the dead, insisting that knowledge without action was worthless. Fyodorov opposed intellectual property and never published during his lifetime. His selected articles were printed posthumously as Philosophy of the Common Task (also known as Philosophy of Physical Resurrection ). His ideas influenced diverse figures, from rocket pioneer Konstantin Tsiolkovsky to composer Alexander Scriabin. He died of pneumonia in 1903 in a shelter for the poor; his grave was destroyed by the Soviet government in 1930. Fyodorov’s synthesis of Orthodox Christianity with scientific ambition for immortality and resurrection makes him a foundational figure for understanding the religious dimensions of transhumanist thought.

Origen of Alexandria (c. 184–253 AD) was an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and theologian. He was one of the most influential figures in early Christian theology and philosophy, known for his allegorical interpretation of Scripture. Born to Christian parents in Alexandria, Origen became head of the catechetical school there at age eighteen. He was extraordinarily prolific, producing biblical commentaries, theological treatises, and apologetic works. His Contra Celsum is a major defense of Christianity against pagan criticism. Origen taught that through communion with the divine, humans may rise to become divine—not only in Jesus but in all who believe and enter upon the life that Jesus taught. While some of his speculative ideas were later condemned, his influence on Christian thought, particularly on human potential for transformation and union with God, remains profound.

Shannon Avana is an artist, technologist, and visionary thinker whose work explores the intersections of human consciousness, digital identity, and the future of humanity. She gained significant recognition within the Mormon Transhumanist community following her presentation at the 2014 Religion and Transhumanism Conference. Bridging the “Quantified Self” movement with the theological concept of resurrection, she proposed that our digital footprints and biological data serve as modern precursors to a technologically mediated form of eternal life. Central to Avana’s philosophy is the belief that art is a vital tool for capturing an individual’s unique essence. While raw data maps our physical trajectories, she posits that creative expression captures the subjective experience, suggesting a path toward a “technological resurrection” where human complexity can be reconstructed from the archives we leave behind. As a practicing artist, Avana continues to explore how LDS theology—with its emphasis on eternal progression—harmonizes with advancements in biotechnology and artificial intelligence. Her legacy is defined by her ability to humanize technical concepts, viewing technology not as a cold, mechanical force, but as a medium for profound spiritual and personal expression.