What the Desire for Immortality Tells Us

Recently, The Economist wrote among those intrigued with "the idea of living forever" are "a motley crew of fringe scientists, cultish groups and tech billionaires."

The article is a review of The Price of Immortality, a book by journalist Peter Ward. In it, he highlights a quirky, quasi-religious group called "The Church of Perpetual Life," based out of Pompano Beach, Florida. Its adherents mainly talk food supplements and cryonics, while espousing the hope that science will one day grant eternal life.

The quest for immortality will always be, to some degree, religious. Even for people with limitless resources, like billionaire tech moguls like Jeff Bezos, the lines between science, science fiction, and an existential crisis can be blurry.

Part of the longing is that no matter how many toys we have, there's something more than our materialistic age can offer. As C.S. Lewis said, "If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world." This is part of what Ecclesiastes calls the eternity put in our hearts by God.