Safety and Comfort in Numbers By Derek Cantrell We’re at the point in human history, where psychology, sociology and global share in communications, are shining a light on just how barbaric our various religious systems are. As we move swiftly into an era that provides no room for unproven and often irrational delusion, many may find themselves longing for a replacement for their outdated deity or beliefs. Although we can contribute various acts of genocide, slavery, racism, and sexism to religion, we can also acknowledge that religion provides various psychological comforts to believers, even if the basis of many of said comforts have been scientifically disproven. I propose that mathematics is a belief system which will provide comforts to those who need various amenities that religion could once provide the world. The first is the continuity. Many religious believers enjoy the continuity of their religions. The deities are, and always have been. While gods claim eternal life, mathematics not only claims eternal life, but the eternal existence is proven. One rock has always been one rock, and two of anything identical, has always been more than one of the identical things. At first, these concepts may seem a far cry from deity comparison, but is it? Religions constantly argue supremacy of their particular deity, but all fail to scientifically prove the supernatural existence of these deities, as well as various supernatural acts, or miracles, that are said to be of the deities. Religious believers are also unable to propagate their beliefs outside the human species. Not only does mathematics cross any boundaries of segregation in humanity, it is also understood by
many animals other than humans. For example; your dog may behave aggressively toward another dog, but it is not likely to behave the same if it encounters a group of fifty dogs. Your dog will also prefer five hundred of his favorite dog treats, over one. Although your mutt isn’t likely to comprehend calculus, he does have a concept of math. This brings me to the next comfort offered by religion, which is continuous sets of laws and beliefs. For some, this may fall under a general comfort of continuity, but due to various beliefs, I chose to list it separate from the comfort in continuous deities. Many find comfort in the belief of laws that have always been and always will be. While most historians will argue that there are no religious sets of laws that have existed since the beginning of written history, math again shows evidence as old as time itself. Long before humans, or any living entities were around to ponder them, mathematics boasted properties and laws that are still just as potent today. Not only are they unavoidable and unchanging, but they apply to all of the things in our environment, living or not. The religious find comfort in explanations of the unknown, although by today’s standards, the majority of explanations of things such as knowledge of particular post-death occurrences, have been all but completely disproven by math. While some people of religion, will attempt to challenge my hypothesis of math providing a belief system for the future, due to the fact that math can’t currently prove that their heavens and hells are non-existent; I would reply that they should probably read the next couple of paragraphs, before making such attempts. The religious also find comfort in being privileged to miracles that have eye witness accountability. I would like to start by noting that eye witness accountability is hardly accountability at all. I would also like to
point out that miracles imply that they are supernatural. While I find no scientific data that completely disproves the possibility of supernatural deities or acts, we do have scientific data, founded on mathematics that disproves that snakes ever spoke, the entire Earth flooded for forty days, or that man ever lived to be over seven hundred years old. Since you’re reading English; if you’re religious, I’ve probably just touched on at least one of your scientifically and mathematically disproven beliefs. Many religious people find comfort in the ascent to divinity, through greater understanding of their religion. Math offers no less. As we learn more about numbers and their universal laws, we begin to have an understanding of things from simple statistics, to advanced understanding of entities like black holes, which can devour light and time. I don’t recall any religious deities, making its believers privy to the capabilities and limitations of black holes. Remember, not only does math explain such colossal complexities, but math’s laws govern them. A feeling of being connected is often a benefit of religious belief. If we consider the repression that societies cause us, we can understand that much of our pack animal mentality, is also repressed. A better understanding of who and what you are, will begin to relieve the feelings of loneliness and disconnection. Yes, you are disconnected from many of your innate behaviors and emotions, therefore the biggest disconnect you’re likely to feel, is probably with yourself. This is in the best interest of a religious or governmental society, as they can promise to have the answers for you, as long as you pay tithes or taxes. Religion offers the idea of safety to its believers. Most religious deities claim that without their divine wisdom and teachings, humanity is lost. While this may offer the illusion of safety, in many cases, religious belief offers far more danger than safety. We, as humans, are mammals and as mentioned previously, we are pack animals. While
various societal and religious influences and pressures may contort our true nature, we can get an idea of our true innate behaviors by observing other mammals that are pack animals. A group of one hundred dogs are introduced into the same environment. They have no prior knowledge of one another. Initially there will be scrimmages and competition, that may produce severe injuries or deaths; this behavior will plummet and the group will live primarily in a state of tranquility. The group will never divide into groups and commit acts of genocide. No religious belief is necessary to promote these tranquil behaviors or to prevent the genocidal ones. From an evolutionary and math approved standpoint, it is reasonable to assume similar behavior from humans. If unguided by religion, humans have scrimmages from time to time, but ultimately spend their time in tranquility, promoting their species. The only accounts of genocidal behavior since the beginning of life itself, has been acts of genocide by humans under the indoctrination and propaganda of religion and other fabricated lines of segregation. While many find comfort in beliefs of miracles, there is no proof of such occurrences; and eyewitness testimony by a believer, constitutes no more than delusion. Another problem is that miracles are not common, so they should not logically be expected. While some fields of math propose theories, there is far enough sufficient math to determine if the Virgin Mary appeared in your cheese toast, or if your god did indeed raise the dead, or allow a legless man to walk. The greatest part about math, is that once you find the appropriate formula to determine such things, this formula can be used to determine the origin of future claims. For example, there is sufficient math to determine that humans cannot regenerate limbs or levitate, therefore mathematics can provide
absolute proof, or certainty that a legless man has never again walked, without prosthetics of course. And if you’re a stickler for details, or are attempting to undermine these examples, math can also provide the equation for the possibility of prosthetics, but let’s not try and dismiss the power of math, due to a technicality on my part, let’s attempt to offer comfort to those who need it. This brings me to my next point. While religious leaders often attempt to comfort by offering an updated or personal interpretation of outdated scripture, to an individual; math offers the most accurate, current interpretation of your unanswered questions. While the interpretation may not be sent directly to you from a deity, it is the truth, and it will never promote sexism, racism, or other invisible, fabricated lines. While religion offers priests, preachers, shaman, etc. to guide you; math offers scholars, scientists, engineers, and a host of other intellectuals who teach, explain, and promote their findings. Just as with religion, you have the choice of leaders to guide you, and the choice of embarking on your own personal quest to find the answers to any questions fathomable. And if you’re inspired by constant challenge and a never-ending world of questions, there are higher mathematics that will likely offer challenges and wonders to humanity, until the end of our existence. I’ve offered suggestions for comfort as religion fades into history, and while some may disagree, I do firmly believe that the ideologies and ceremonies practiced today, are not thriving and will never thrive again. I’m not saying that people won’t continue to practice unnecessary ceremony, but the basis of today’s ceremonies are as outdated and disproven as the belief in a flat planet.
Our current governments propagate very similar comforts. I’m disturbed by the idea that genocide today, leads to safety and peace tomorrow. It seems radical when printed, but is the ideology that promotes the Military Industrial Complex of our government. This irrational concept obviously originated from the idea that questioning our leaders results in eternal torment and damnation, while compliance, even in the face of inhumane atrocities, leads to perfection and streets of gold. It may seem at this point that I’m challenging the entire system of society, from religion to government. This is not a misconception, as I am challenging what is obviously broken. I’m not suggesting chaos as a way to live, but like I previously stated: If we, as a country and as a society, would fall to chaos without various confines of god and government, we are the only species in the universe; that would engage in the demotion of its own species. We are in transition from trust in god to trust in government. The propaganda that once made us fear a society without gods’ inhumane laws, is now adopted by politicians. I would suggest that if a potential leader wants our vote, (S)he should be able to mathematically prove his/ her intentions, plans or promises…If not, save it, we’ve heard it already.