Different people have different views on what it means to be a 
“religion.” Many believe that a religion must require belief in a 
supernatural agency or God, but this would overlook such movements as Unitarian-Universalism and Theravada Buddhism that are usually 
classed as religious but do not emphasize belief in a supernatural 
power. The U.S. courts generally take a broad view. As a case in 
point, in 1965 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, U.S. v. Seeger, that “a 
sincere and meaningful belief” that occupies a place in the lives of 
its possessors parallel to that filled by orthodox beliefs in God is, 
in effect, a religious belief.1 Some objective grounds for 
considering Venturism a religion are: it is concerned with what is of 
ultimate significance; it is concerned with what ought to be, both 
from the standpoint of definition and of implementation; and it is 
concerned with the attainment of human immortality. Serious 
Venturists certainly find their commitment to be “sincere and 
meaningful,” and it can occupy a place parallel to belief in a Deity 
for adherents of traditional faiths.

Venturism addresses the problems of life, everything from extreme 
inequality throughout humanity to damages to our environment that may threaten our future existence. Included are the present natural 
limits on human life and health and how these might be circumvented to make life much better than it is now or ever has been. The position of Venturism is that it is up to human beings to solve life’s problems through reason, logic, science, and technology, 
“inspired by love and guided by knowledge,” as Bertrand Russell aptly 
phrased it.2 We have a firm conviction that all life’s problems 
should be approached rationally, with the intention to bring about 
and sustain what is good and right and what ought to be, for time 
without end. Our rational approach includes the idea that science and 
technology are progressing so that future capabilities for good will 
be greater than today’s possibilities. We thus hope that now-terminal 
illnesses will be curable and the aging process itself will be reversible so that persons can live indefinitely in a state of good health. We also advocate the low-temperature preservation of individuals who today experience clinical death, a practice known as cryonics. Through cryonics we think that such persons may eventually be resuscitated in good health and enjoy the benefits of greatly extended life.

The Venturist organization-the Society for Venturistm-has been 
recognized by the U.S. government as a scientific, religious and 
educational organization. Today we find, among thoughtful people, a 
weakening or collapse of mystical beliefs as the scientific evidence 
makes those beliefs increasingly untenable, coupled with recognition 
that, nevertheless, there are basic needs religion fulfills. 
Religion, after all, is the only thing that seriously attempts to 
address all the deep problems of life, and we need to address these 
problems now as much as in any previous age, if not more. As is true 
in some religious traditions such as Unitarian-Universalism, 
Venturist members can be atheists or have different religious beliefs 
according to their background. The community they create is their 
own. In 2012 the Venturist organization became a church. We hold 
monthly meetings that are announced online, and members are welcome to set up local meetings and have done so from time to time. 
(Meetings can be announced on our blog and information shared at 
sister organizations such as Longecity.)

The classification of the Society for Venturism as a religious 
organization and a church has advantages for our community. One 
practical consequence emphasizes the seriousness of our commitment to what is of greatest importance: we try to help our members who are experiencing clinical death receive optimal cryonics care. We also 
have a solemn commitment to do what we can to protect those in 
cryopreservation and help them return to life and good health, when 
that becomes possible. Venturist cryonicists receive a do-not-autopsy 
card affirming that they are a religious objector to autopsy and 
other procedures that would interfere with their cryopreservation in 
the event of clinical death.

Our ethic is based on enlightened self-interest, extrapolated over 
infinite time. We hope to be immortal. To safely interact with our 
neighbors and to realize maximum benefit over this vast span of time 
will require an extraordinary code of conduct, one we expect to 
evolve even as we ourselves evolve. We cannot imagine what all the 
complexities of this evolutionary process will be, but we think its 
success will require extraordinary benevolence. Hatred and hostility, 
after all, are dangerous habits, even in the brief span of present 
natural life, and seem all the more inappropriate as we contemplate 
an open-ended existence. Indifference, while an improvement, still 
does not seem the safest nor the most beneficial course to follow, 
but instead a condition of unity and harmony is far better.

Accordingly, we advocate the highest moral standards in our dealings 
with others. We advocate respect and love for others, practicing the 
Golden Rule, and being willing to defend others against danger. We do not think people should be absolved of responsibility for wrongdoing, but that toleration, mercy and forgiveness also have their importance.

We also recognize the beauty and value of the natural world, and in 
fact see ourselves as an important part of nature, broadly interpreted. This interpretation must take account of human nature as well as that portion of nature that is manifest in our surroundings. Humans, alone among earthly life forms, know they are alive, and know they are mortal. The wish for immortality is deeply rooted in human nature, despite the efforts of some to deny it. We are trying to realize that wish, and thus to uphold and nurture that very important facet of our human nature. In so doing we are not advocating violence to “nature” as a whole. This is our world, and we wish to protect and appreciate its beauty for what we hope will be endless tomorrows.

Venturists support the various ways humans are working to end aging and now-terminal illnesses, ranging from medical breakthroughs to developments in artificial intelligence that could bring about the assistance of scientifically talented automata. Cryonics meanwhile is seen as a stepping-stone to the future for those who will not live long enough for medical breakthroughs that would give them indefinite life-spans. As a cryonicist one also supports research into organ preservation to help match organ donors to patients more effectively today.