I've been watching the "Closer to Truth" videos on the subject of God. Thanks to Matthew Price for pointing them out to me. The videos follow a series of questions. While I don't entirely agree with all the answers suggested in the videos, I have found them thought-provoking. Here are some thoughts on the first few questions.

On the Mormon Transhumanist Association Response blog, Vblogger asks how the pursuit of science, if not limited, can be reconciled with faith in Jesus Christ. Do we need the grace of God? If we can figure things out on our own, why do we need Christ?

The Mormonism that has inspired me from childhood is the ecumenical Mormonism. It doesn't pretend to exclusive access to God, and it welcomes truth from any source, whether it be Mormon, non-Mormon or non-religious.

Too many Mormons, like many persons of most other religions, are sectarian in their outlook. They tend to see evil everywhere, and they tend to deprecate or altogether ignore the positive contributions of persons outside their religion. This saddens and sometimes angers me. It creates unnecessary divisions, inefficient social interactions, and weakens us as a human family.

That's not to say we should avoid voicing disagreements. To the contrary, let's voice and argue them passionately, yet constructively and humbly, recognizing that we are each limited and expect continually to learn from others.

On the "Mormon Transhumanist Association Response" web site, Vblogger, who is a Mormon, questions why Mormon Transhumanists think we should try to use science and technology as means for transfiguration and resurrection to immortality. He demonstrates that the scriptures teach that God has already transfigured or resurrected persons in the past, and he asks: why would it make sense to use gradual means, like science and technology, to accomplish something God's already accomplished before.

Neuroscientist David Linden challenges the timeline (but not the feasibility) of Ray Kurzweil's predictions, and argues that "The Singularity is Far". I'm skeptical.

In his book "Physics of the Future", Michio Kaku outlines six roadblocks to the Singularity. The roadblocks are at least as speculative as the technological singularity, and we can reasonably speculate our way around them. Below are Michio's proposed roadblocks, followed by my thoughts.