What you are doing is linking a very strongly believed and used word to your beliefs, simply and smartly to attract some people you figured may be partially weird (not saying weird is a bad thing exactly) and into vampires, who will then go on ahead and believe possibly everything you are saying.
It might seem like that to the casual observer.
What we intend to do is to offer some simple suggestions for those who are attracted to us so that they can determine the usefulness of those ideas.
We really do not want anyone to just believe what we claim. The entire intent of the Temple is actually quite different from that. We strive to enable true individual autonomy.
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You say it is possible to become immortal, then go off saying you can increase your life expectancy by maybe a decade.
The Temple has identified three methods that can lead directly to immortality, two of which come directly from modern science and the third from our own traditions. There is a fourth that is being considered even as we speak.
We realize that "immortality" cannot be proven since you would first have to live forever to do so (and forever hasn't happened yet!). When we say immortality we refer to the ability to return to full physical life if you ever die.
Life extension is different from that and is probably what you are referring to by increasing "life expectancy". Cambridge gerontologist Aubrey de Grey is one researcher whose SENS project predicts that there are those alive today who can expect to see at least one thousand years of vibrant, healthy, and youthful life.
His is only one of several scientific life extension projects the Temple endorses.
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I may be utterly wrong... and am very open minded to anything and everything there is to make life not so pointless, and interesting.
We live in a culture completely dominated by people who, throughout all of recorded history, have expected that death was inevitable. Death darkens the joy of life and it is only when that shadow is lifted that life can be seen and enjoyed with fresh eyes and eager anticipation of future pleasures and curiosities.
I have seen this transformation in our members who succeed in breaking free of the "deathist" perspective of our culture. We love life! Life is unending in its possibilities.
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I'm an agnostic by the way.. Email back if what you say is true and give me a chance to see for myself you are even a bit of what you say you are
Good. A true agnostic is open to what is real and does not confine himself within a belief or disbelief system.
To see for yourself is what the Temple is entirely about.
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Define your personal view on immortality...
Immortality is not dying dead forever but being able to return to life with a physical body here in this world as yourself.
Life extension is forestalling death, putting it off.
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What exactly do you mean when you say "see at least one thousand years of vibrant, healthy, and youthful life."
Exactly that.
And that is not the final limit by any means.
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You didn't quite answer the way I hoped. Do you mean expect to "live" for a thousand years?
Absolutely.
Three ways:
(1) Our Nightside traditional approach.
This is alluded to in our public literature and at one point described by one of our Adepts to Art Bell on his national radio show a few years ago.
(2) Life Extension that is ongoing (not dying).
Aubrey de Grey has been quoted with regard to his conservative thousand year lifespan estimate. In 18 minutes he discusses the details here:
(3) Being restored to life if dead.
Ray Kurzweil has been public about his intentions to restore his dead father to life once again in much the same manner.
Here is the trailer to his recent biographical movie.
Everything the Temple does is founded on producing solid results.
