Faith of Universal Structure: A Science-Based Religion

Introduction to the Faith of Universal Structure

The Faith of Universal Structure is a religion that takes its inspiration from the recurring patterns found throughout nature, orienting the desires and thoughts of its adherents toward the attainment of and movement toward what might be called the ideal Structure. Recognizing that all religions evolve over time to incorporate new empirical evidence about the world — for instance, the Catholic Church explicitly acknowledging that the Earth revolves around the Sun — the Faith of Universal Structure takes empirical evidence as its starting point. It uses scientific constants and laws as the means of constructing a system of belief that offers spiritual transcendence and an ultimate "heavenly" goal without discounting the achievements and previous spiritual investigations of humanity.

The Universe as Foundation: Structure at Every Scale

The Faith of Universal Structure begins with the recognition that all things are products of their environment, from a rock to a plant to human personality to the orientation of stars within the Milky Way galaxy. Through the interaction of subatomic particles and the fundamental forces, all things are connected and influence one another. From this observation, one may note that in the midst of these interconnected particles, a structure has emerged at every level — scaling from the most minuscule up to the filamentary structure of the universe, organized by the gravitational interactions between galaxies as they move through the great void of space.

In the midst of this universal void, however, there are galaxies so far removed from any others that they retain a near-perfect shape — so distant that they remain unchanged by the gravitational influence of neighboring galaxies.

The Ideal Galaxy and the Central Myth of the Search

The Faith of Universal Structure views these isolated galaxies as approaching what one might call the ideal structure: the emergent structure inherent in the Universe making itself known, free from the influence of external forces. From this stems the most central of the Faith's tenets — namely, that there exists a galaxy somewhere in the universe in which all things are maintained in perfect harmony, free from outside influence, and that it is the responsibility of all believers to seek it out, even if that search is ultimately never concluded within any believer's lifetime.

In fact, the Faith relies on the impossibility of concluding this Search. Should anyone ever reach the perfect galaxy, it would be rendered imperfect, because the outside influence of the arriving party would inevitably alter its structure. However, this does not render the Search meaningless, because it is through the Search that the Structure is exalted and embodied, and the adherent finds meaning for his or her own life. This represents the single constituent "myth" of the Faith, as it does not include what one might call an origin story — except the story of humanity's increasing understanding of the Universe and the laws that govern it.

Ethics, Diversity, and the Human Super-Organism

This central tenet further shapes the Faith's understanding of all previous forms of human meaning-making, from language to organized religion to any structured attempt at divining meaning, such as reading tea leaves or consulting tarot or playing cards. Specifically, the Faith regards these forms of meaning-making as reflecting the inherent transcendent Structure of the Universe, but in imperfect form — influenced as they are by the imperfections present due to their galaxy's proximity to outside forces. Thus, the Faith does not dismiss these alternate beliefs, but regards them as imperfect and susceptible to misinterpretation and misapplication, while nonetheless considering them worthy of investigation and practice, because all forms of meaning-creation can be seen as embodiments of the Structure.

The Faith celebrates all variations of human experience, form, and belief, provided those beliefs do not hinder or otherwise contradict the Search. This leads to what might be called the ethical or moral standards of the Faith: those destructive impulses that deny the full expression of human creativity and activity — such as religious beliefs or social standards that condemn people on the basis of sexual orientation or ethnic background — are condemned, because they serve to hinder the Search. The Faith acknowledges that only through the harmonious effort of the human super-organism will believers be able to advance technologically to the point where travel toward other galaxies becomes possible.

This ethical concern extends to the environment as well. Scientific research has demonstrated that the diversity of an ecosystem is what allows its constituent parts to thrive. The diversity of genetics, organisms, and personalities gives any given ecosystem a robustness such that it is less susceptible to destruction or eradication by a single negative element. Adherents of the Faith therefore seek harmony with all things. One goal is the advancement of technology to the point where humans might be able to genetically and technologically alter themselves to sustain their own lives without causing undue harm to other lives, whether those be the lives of animals or plants. Thus, adherents look toward the day when humanity has used the intellectual and scientific skill amassed over the centuries to overcome the current limitations of biology, so that humanity may live in perfect equilibrium with its surroundings.