Because we can never witness or perceive the creator of all that can be measured, it is easy to assume there is no way to relate to or describe the universal origin. The comparison to zero’s foundational role in math not only gives us logical proof for the creator, but it also gives us a method of description free of contradiction. Without it, our attempts at understanding will confuse more than they clarify.
We say God is Absolute, Infinite, Perfect, Eternal, Omnipresent, Omniscient, and Omnipotent. The moment we try to describe these attributes, we distort them with imagination and personification. Descriptions that fit the created cannot be used to describe the creator. All of the theological paradoxes, conundrums, and contradictions are results of such attempts.
God is Absolute.
Instead of understanding this through zero and absolute value, we confuse it with being All-Good. In math, we learn that positive and negative aren’t states of reality. They’re just perspectives. Absolute value is neither, but it is expressed as positive by default. Just as zero defies perspective, our values and morals cannot be applied to God. There is no reason to imagine God has limits or invent a rival to God in order to explain the existence of evil or suffering.
God is Infinite.
Instead of seeing this as immeasurable and without beginning or end, we imagine something larger than life. In math, infinity is used to represent the potential for expansion, not because reality is unlimited, but because its limits go beyond our cognition. Actual infinity is completely immeasurable because it has no finite traits. Contrary to popular belief, zero doesn’t represent “nothing”. It represents the infinite reality that has no attributes we can witness or measure.
God is Perfect.
Instead of understanding it is without flaw or negative, we distort this by thinking of a morally or physically ideal being. Perfection has no flaw, no deficiency, and no surplus. We get so caught up in the positive that cancels out the negative, we miss that perfection is neither. In math, zero is free from the negative, which would make the positive useless. Absolute value shows us every value has an equal and opposite perspective. Zero is free of such pairing because it represents the perfect and has no opposite.
God is Eternal.
Instead of recognizing the absence of beginning or end, we imagine something that lasts forever in time. Such a reality would still be bound by the laws of time. In math, zero is the foundational constant. It may be ignored or overlooked, but it can never be originated or eliminated.
God is Omnipresent.
Instead of recognizing the unseen foundation that makes the existence of everything else possible, we imagine a shadowy figure that is constantly lurking and monitoring our activity. Zero is unavoidable and is present wherever there is value, measurement, or computation. It defines all numbers and balances all equations. The mismatch between omnipresence and a personified God should’ve been a clue that trying to imagine the creator is flawed and contradictory.
God is Omniscient.
Instead of seeing God as the source of all information, which makes ignorance impossible, we think of awareness and learning. Agency and intellect imply change or adjustment. The creator of time has no need to witness or remember because every event is as if it has already occurred.
God is Omnipotent.
Instead of realizing that it means unable to be defied, we mistake it for the ability to do anything at any time. As the origin, none of what was originated has the ability to go contrary to its parameters. Perfection has no room for improvement, so the idea that God would act or change is not just illogical. It’s unnecessary.
Let’s break the tendency of thinking in terms of the most positive when trying to describe God. Consider the lack of any negativity instead. Zero in math isn’t supreme due to its abundance of positive characteristics. It is free from flaw and without an opposing equal.
Just as zero cannot be described by using other numbers, the creator cannot be described in ways that fit the created. You may assume comparing God to zero is an insult, but it is actually what keeps us from trying to compliment God in insulting ways.
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