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 of an origin for all that is finite, but it also gives us a method of description that is free of contradiction. Without it, our attempts at understanding will confuse more than they clarify.
We say God is Absolute, Perfect, Infinite, 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,
which is without opposite or equal. In math, zero is the foundational reference point used to define all other numbers. It can be neither positive nor negative because those attributes don’t change its value. Since the absolute can never be negative, it gets conflated into Omnibenevolence or being all-good through personification. One problem that can arise from such contradictory thinking is confusion about suffering or the existence of evil.
When learning about absolute value, we learn that positive and negative are opposing perspectives of an absolute reality. God is the Creator of all, so there is no need to invent a rival to explain the existence of evil. Just as every action has an opposite and equal reaction, every perspective has an equal opposite that makes them both relevant. Morals based on bias and perspective could never apply to the author of balance and perfection.
God is Perfect.
Personification causes us to conjure up a morally or physically ideal being, but true 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 positive nor negative. Because zero is absolute and without an opposite, there is no potential for negativity.
The biggest issue with trying to personify the perfect is that it implies activity. An active God can’t be perfect because action itself is an attempt to improve. There can be no improvement to perfection.
God is Infinite.
Pointing out how this applies to zero can be tricky because we already have infinity, and they are not the same. Infinity has two distinct meanings that can get easily mixed up because they are both considered limitless. The symbol for infinity represents the potential for something to go on indefinitely, but it is still finite. Zero has no finite traits, so it is actually infinite even though we can define it.
Thinking of God as being too big for description brings contradiction with it because any size implies being within the confines of creation. Some people may struggle with how we define zero because we can only know what it is according to what it isn’t. The benefit of comparing God to zero is that we can describe God according to what zero means to math itself. Contrary to popular belief, zero doesn’t represent “nothing”. It represents the infinite reality that has no attribute we can witness or measure.
God is Eternal and Omnipresent.
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, which goes against the idea of God being its Creator. In math, zero is the foundational and forever constant. It may be ignored or overlooked, but it can never be originated or eliminated.
Zero precedes any measurement, is present whenever and wherever there is counting, measurement, or computation, and is the only possible value that can be present when there is no counting, measurement, or computation. This is the source of the concept that God is Omnipresent.
Personification causes us to imagine a shadowy figure that is constantly lurking and intervening in our affairs. 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 and Omnipotent.
God is the source of all information, which makes ignorance impossible, but we think of awareness and learning when considering omniscience. Agency and intellect imply change or adjustment and the possibility for error. It is easy to assume the comparison to zero implies God is some mindless object. Mindless? Yes, but it is a mindlessness that created the mind. Besides, the Creator of time is not confined by it, so there is no need to witness or remember because every event is as if it has already occurred.
Instead of realizing that God’s role as the Creator of all means God is unable to be defied, we mistake it for the ability to do anything at any time. As the origin, God defines every characteristic of everything, so none of what was originated can 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 by using superlatives. Consider the lack of any finiteness and 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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