OWL: A Free Country in Free Space]

From: "Monart Pon"
To: "Space Studies Institute" ; "Space Settlers"

Sent: Friday, April 27, 2001 1:04 AM
Subject: [spacesettlers] [Fwd: OWL: A Free Country in Free Space]

> Hello Space Visionaries,
>

Hello Monart,

> I want to thank Arthur Smith, of the Space Studies Institute List, Mike
Combs,
> Lucio Coelho, and Ryan Healey, of the Space Settlers List, for your
gracious
> responses to questions raised by some discussants on the OWL
> (Objectivism@WeTheLiving) list recently about moving to and living in
space.

You're welcome.

[snikt]
> I've included below my post to OWL that sparked the discussion there
recently,
> for you and your lists to ponder over.
>

Thanks for sending that. The part above the religious movement trying to get
into space is quite interesting, and I'm commenting it below.

[snikt]
> ARSEC's purpose is: "to promote the Social Kingship of Jesus Christ in the
next
> great endeavor of mankind. As we stand on the threshold of the Third
Millennium,
> we look to the present and future needs of human civilization, seeking to
> promote authentic Catholic doctrine and morals in the construction of
> Christendom on a New Frontier. Our Goal is the promotion of an authentic
> Catholic approach to the scientific study, exploration, development, and
future
> colonization of Space, while placing ourselves at the service of both
Catholics
> and non-Catholics in the witness of our Holy Faith. To this end we at
ARCSEC
> will strive to pray, study, work, and build up the human community in
communion
> with the Roman Pontiff, who is the Vicar of Christ, both on Earth and in
the
> heavens. We understand that there are many needs that need to be
addressed, such
> as poverty, hunger, disease, throughout the world. But as Catholics we
recognize
> there is a more urgent and fundamental need to evangelize, for God did not
make
> the Universe to be a permanent home for mankind, but a place to prepare
him for
> the world to come. And so, wherever mankind goes, there the Gospel must be
> brought and proclaimed, on Earth and in the heavens. Thus ARCSEC's primary
goal
> will be the spiritual welfare of its members and the promotion of the
spiritual
> welfare of men and women in the study, research, exploration, development
and
> future colonization of Space, seeking in this manner to be a leaven in
this new
> society for the good of all."
>
> Shades of post-Columbian settlement of the Americas! "Those who don't
learn from
> history are doomed to repeat it."
[snikt]

I laughed a lot reading the statement above! ;-) But ok, I agree that that
is a serious matter. Also, I remember that one or two years ago I read some
news about a Jesuitical faction saying that, if there are extraterrestrial
intelligences, then it is the obligation of the Holy Church to teach them
the gospels... I can't help but laugh when that statement makes me think
about caricature images like a priest reading the Bible to little green
men...

However, even though I'm openly against religions, I'm also against
restrictive policies for migration to space. The High Frontier should be
open to *anyone*, even religious freaks. But I think that this freedom for
entering space will be easier to achieve if the first ones to get in there
are Rationalists. (Or Objectivists. I'm not sure about what objectivist
philosophy is all about, but it seems to be a branch of rationalism...) It
is easy to imagine that, should religious groups dominate access to space,
then they would impose restrictions to the "infidels" like you and me.

But somehow the vision of a religion-dominated space civilization does not
look the most likely thing of the world in the foreseeable future... Perhaps
because some of them still believe that Earth is flat and that the sky is a
crystal dome...

Lucio Coelho