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At the March meeting of the Board of Directors of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, the Board elected Christopher Bradford as the new President and CEO of the MTA. Chris is a founding member of the MTA and has previously served as Vice-President and has been on the Board of Directors since its founding. Chris and his wife, Lucy, have eight children. Chris spent most of his youth overseas in the Middle East and Europe, returning to the U.S. to graduate with a degree in Linguistics from BYU. Professionally, Chris is VP of Engineering at Ancestry; he also enjoys performing, especially musical theater and choral music; reading; and philosophy.

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This post is part of a series of personal narratives written by members of the Mormon Transhumanist Association. Each tells their story of how they became a Transhumanist. Guest: Michaelann Bradley.

The central guiding myth of my life springs from one man. Rich Mullins is a Christian pop singer who became very famous in the early 90s for songs like Awesome God and Sing Your Praise to the Lord.[i]

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Voting members of the Mormon Transhumanist Association have amended its constitution to extend the Mormon Transhumanist Affirmation. Together, the Transhumanist Declaration and the Mormon Transhumanist Affirmation define the purpose of the association.

The original version of the Affirmation had three points, all of which remain unchanged in the new version. The new version has six points, two of which appear before the original three points, and one of which appears after the original three points. Here is the full text of the new version:

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Future Day is 1 March, and the Mormon Transhumanist Association invites you to join us for lunch and casual conversation about the future at Costa Vida (1621 N State) in Orem, Utah, at 11:45am on 1 March 2016. Bring your friends and family, and of course your thoughts and questions about the ethical use of technology and religion to extend human abilities.

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Presentation at Sunstone West Symposium on 30 Jan 2016 in Berkeley, CA. Presentation begins at minute 17:04. Text below.

Imagine you’re an infant that just left your mother’s womb. You are being welcomed into the world by eager parents. A plethora of possibilities and opportunities await your exploration. Upon your delivery they look at your nude body and note the aesthetics of your genitalia. The doctor announces, “It’s a girl!” In this fractional moment, a socially constructed gender has become your assumed destiny.

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Dear friends and members of the Mormon Transhumanist Association,

Ten years ago, fourteen of us founded this association: Andrew West, Brent Allsop, Cameron Dayton, Carl Youngblood, Cherie West, Chris Bradford, Cory Funk, Gary Parker, Joseph West, Karl Hale, Leonard Reil, Lincoln Cannon, Marcus Flinders, and Martin Wood. Although we hear from some of these founders more often than others, all remain members of the association today.

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In my previous post I wrote about how the infinite diversity and independence of Mind could be considered one of the most valuable things in the universe. Something which can help us address the rhetorical question posed in Psalms:

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When I first began my circular questioning, asking what Gods within nature would look like, and what kind of cosmos would result in the Gods I believe in from scripture, I had no idea how much it would change my understanding of theology. Perhaps the strangest thing is the beautiful imperfections I now see in the heavens.

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Registration now for the 2016 Conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association!

The 2016 Conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association will be held on Saturday 9 April 2016 from 9:00am to 9:00pm in Provo, Utah, at the Provo City Library. Speakers will present on the themes of Mormonism, Transhumanism and Transfigurism, with particular attention to topics at the intersection of technology, spirituality, science and religion. The conference is open to the public.

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Mormons and Modernism: Modernism, Secularism — and the Mormon Response?

Thinkers as diverse as Charles Taylor, Marcel Gauchet, John Milbank, Mark Lilla, and Louis Dupré have written about the origins of the modern period—the radical change in thought and society from the medieval period to the modern that occurred gradually and culminated in the sixteenth century. Modernism brought us the renaissance, modern science, the birth of the modern state and democracy, as well as, ultimately, what Nietzsche called “the death of God.” In the twentieth century, questions arose about modernism, such as “How should we understand its grand narratives?” and “What have been its costs to human being?” Recognizing both modernism’s difficulties and achievements, if we cannot think against or beyond modernism, can with think within it?