Transhumanism is often portrayed as an inherently secular or even anti-religious movement. Drawing on the founding documents of the World Transhumanist Association (WTA), four membership surveys conducted between 1998 and 2012, and participant observation, this article re-examines that assumption by reconstructing the religious composition of the organized transhumanist movement during its formative years. As a retrospective sociological investigation, the study lies at the intersection of the sociology of culture and the history of ideas. While secular members constituted the majority, the findings reveal a significant presence of Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Pagans, Pantheists, Hindus, Muslims, and other religious groups. The article argues that these traditions interpreted human enhancement technologies through distinct theological and philosophical frameworks rather than rejecting them outright. Early organized transhumanism thus emerges as a pluralistic intellectual milieu in which diverse religious traditions engaged with the promises and challenges of emerging technologies, challenging the widespread view that transhumanism and religion are necessarily incompatible.

Received 03 April 2026. Revised 04 May 2026. Accepted 01 June 2026. Published online 06 July 2026

Transhumanism, Religion, World Transhumanist Association, Participant Observation, Membership Surveys,