Chapter 1: The Divine Discovery

In September, a plugin developer named Aleksey Vaneev made a remarkable assertion: while creating an algorithm for a white noise generator, he believed he uncovered a theoretical proof of God's existence. He shared his findings on GitHub, stating:

"I've seemingly stumbled upon a 'backdoor' in the realm of mathematics. The implications of this discovery are debatable, and I'm not imposing any specific interpretations, but rather drawing my own conclusions..."

To illustrate his claims, he even shared an animated visualization of his code on YouTube:

How could someone assert they've discovered a proof of God while developing a white noise generator? Let's delve into the insights provided in his GitHub README file:

Historically, cryptography has relied on permutations intertwined with various mathematical operations, as most hashes and ciphers utilize such constructs. Vaneev sought a fresh perspective by investigating how mathematical entropy could influence hashing. This led him to assert he found a "backdoor."

He elaborates in detail in the README, ultimately concluding (emphasized words are mine):

"In the author's view, the program 'reads data' directly from the entropy pool, which is 'embedded' into mathematics from its inception, akin to any mathematical constant (like π). This raises a provocative and perhaps contentious proposition: 'intelligent impulses' or even the 'human mind' (as a musician might perceive these impulses) existed long before the 'Big Bang' occurred. This revelation could be the most significant, yet unsettling, discovery in human history, as it raises profound questions that delve into religious territory."

These findings from the 1-bit PRVHASH suggest that if abstract mathematics encompasses not only a framework for manipulating numbers and variables but also contains fixed, readable information, then mathematics doesn't merely "exist" but has "formed," as it doesn't evolve aside from human discoveries of new rules and patterns. Since physical processes adhere to mathematical principles, this implies that a Creator or Higher Intelligence exists in relation to the universe. For the author, this conclusion is definitive.

Personally, I've often pondered the implications of constants on the existence of an immensely high intelligence at the core of everything, making this concept quite intriguing.

You don't necessarily need to comprehend the intricacies of his code to agree or disagree with his conclusion. At its essence, he argues that since mathematics is static and predates the universe's inception, it must have been in place prior to the Big Bang and, by logical extension, must have been intentionally created.

It's worth noting that one could argue against his conclusion, but to do so successfully, your premise must be sound. This isn't an isolated instance.

Francis Collins, the leader of the Human Genome Project and a recent director for the National Institutes of Health, was so struck by the intricate, logical design of DNA that he co-founded a Christian advocacy organization called Biologos, promoting the link between God and science.

I’m not overly familiar with Biologos, aside from their efforts to counter fundamentalist ideologies, which I appreciate. They advocate for evolution as a divine process, dispelling the notion of a literal six-day creation.

Collins now serves as President Biden's science advisor, and I can only imagine the fascinating discussions they might have while sharing a drink and throwing darts at a Marjorie Taylor Greene dartboard.

Collins, among others, posits that God’s communication—His true language—manifests through science and mathematics, both of which are immutable aspects of our universe, in contrast to the domains they govern, such as biological constructs and evolution.

However, the term "intelligent design" has been misappropriated by extreme fundamentalists to promote a narrative of a malevolent God, which does not reflect the static truth: God, as portrayed throughout the Bible, simply "is." Moreover, the original Hebrew descriptions of God were gender-neutral, as I’ve recently learned from sources like Sarah Ruden's excellent translation of the Gospel.

Yet, patriarchal religious leaders historically framed God as male, assigning the pronoun that has become ingrained in our lexicon.

It's important to recognize that the interpretation of God shaped by the patriarchal Christian empire significantly diminished the feminine essence of early churches following Jesus's crucifixion.

Christianity has faced significant challenges since then.

The concept of God being male is as implausible as a man being a God. Nevertheless, some individuals continue to create self-aggrandizing narratives.

For 2,000 years, Christianity has largely perpetuated a culture of judgment and hatred rather than love. Current statistics indicate that a majority of people in Europe and North America now reject Christianity.

Chapter 2: The Cosmic Perspective

As we exist in a universe that continually expands, comments made within articles about the remarkable James Webb Telescope often resonate:

"I maintain that the greatest challenge to traditional religious beliefs is the Webb Telescope. Why would a deity create countless celestial objects and vast distances while placing His followers on a minuscule speck of dust? Surely, God does not favor America over other nations, nor does He prioritize Earth over the cosmos."

The answer is clear: God does not show favoritism. If there are other sentient beings in the universe—of which I believe there are—they likely have their own conception of God. Just as you might, and as dolphins might perceive their own version of divinity, perhaps not recognizing Jesus Christ if he were to appear before them.

I recall a friend humorously asserting that his God was Mr. Potato Head; while he believed in a higher power, he struggled to embrace Christianity fully.