The Simulationist Church

There are a group of people for whom the simulation hypothesis is no longer a hypothesis. They believe with their entire beings, their whole hearts and minds, that we are indeed simulated beings living in a simulated world. In the mid to late 1980s, some of them, how many it is impossible to say, banded together to found a church, the Church of Simulationalism also known as the Simulationist Church. Through the process of simulational submersion (also known as transsubsimulationtiation or just transsubsimulation for short), in a sop to the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, they come to know of our “real” position in this universe as simulated beings living in a simulated world. The Simulationalists have borrowed heavily from Catholic tradition for their “faith” as you will learn if you read more on the topic. This “religion” was founded on a set of 18 core principles, their foundational maxims or Simulationist’s Creed, which are published below as part of an introduction to the church, and as a first entry in what will be a series of stories on the topic. If you need some grounding or a refresher on the simulation hypothesis parts of my extensive (non-church based) collection of writings on the topic can be found here (Currently all you will find is message describing that my account has been suspended. Hopefully that will change someday but until then I plan to post a few articles here on Vocal that discuss some of the basic aspects of the simulation hypothesis at some point. When that will happen I cannot say.)

Publishing these works was prompted by an email missive I received recently from a self identified Simulationist. It had been a while since I had any contact with hard core members of the church. With the Covid-19 pandemic and so many other more pressing matters the simulation hypothesis and discussion of any aspect of it has all but disappeared across all forms of media. The church, however, has not disbanded and simulationalists still contact me from time to time to pass along interesting bits of information, most of which sound completely insane and are, of course, completely unverifiable. In any event the email asked if I would be so kind as to publish all of the various works related to the church in one place for easy reference. The email was terse but polite, and was signed simply, NB.

The Simulationist’s Creed

Eighteen Foundational Maxims for the World’s Newest Religion

1.The universe, our world, and all things within (a part of) it are the simulation (are simulated). This includes ourselves.

2. The basis of the simulation is a quantum computer of near/actual infinite energy and thus has randomness “baked” in, ergo the simulation has randomness “baked” in, therefore predestination is impossible in the simulation.

3. Free will exists in the simulation only in so much as the parameters of the simulation code (physical/natural laws) allow.

4. There may exist other simulated universes and we may exist within one or a near infinite number of them as a ‘lower’ or ‘higher’ level.

5. There is an “actual” universe outside of the simulation and its physical and natural laws are substantially similar or identical to those within the simulation.

6. Leaving the simulation is not possible while “living” within it, though it may be that our minds/consciousness visit/experience them while asleep and dreaming or with consciousness altering drugs.

7. Morals/values are only important in so much as they effect the proper operation of the simulation. They will always tend toward the “good” or “right” because death/destruction and other evil acts are disfavored (though only slightly) in the simulation code (universe and persons within it).

8. Errors in the ‘program’ are not possible/visible at the macro level of perception/existence. Any errors are propagated and ‘eliminated’ at the quantum level. This manifests as various aspects of quantum “weirdness.”

9. When we die/end our program within the simulation we either cease to be completely or are shunted into another level of the simulation or possibly the real world.

10. All world religions are false insomuch as there is no God within/of the simulation. The simulator(s) is/are not God(s) but have what we consider God-like powers.

11. Much like us, some of the simulator(s) have their own religion/God in the actual universe, others do not.

12. There is no punishment for ‘sin’ or reward for ‘goodness’ after our lives in the simulation end, however, that does not mean that we can/should act/be evil or that we should not strive for the good/right.

13. Our ‘programming’ within the simulation constrains us from acts of great evil or great good (i.e. there is an extremely low probability-bordering on zero-that we will do great evil or great good in our lives), however, the randomness inherent in the simulation means that over time at least some of us will.

14. For the vast majority of persons in the simulation who will not commit great evil or great good acts our acts are constrained by the simulation programming and will tend to favor the good (though with only a slight probability — 50.7% to 50.5%). Thus over time humanity will evolve to the good and the right and the just.

15. What is the good and right and just is determined by the simulators as is what is evil and wrong and unjust. We have/had no choice in the matter. We only know that these things are appropriate and seem to make sense within the simulation. That does not mean they are aligned with the good of the actual universe though the probability is high that they are.

16. Our consciousness/self knowledge/awareness is/was created at a definite time within the simulation by a set of code that ‘activated’ it. This is very similar to the thinking of Julian Jaynes in The Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind though Jaynes erred when he suggested evolutionary pressures primarily drove that change, it was in fact code within the simulation that caused it.

17. The code that activated our consciousness also contained within it bits of ideas that would become the simulation hypothesis. In other words that code gave us consciousness and an explanation of our origins.

18. The explanation and the cause and the purpose was/is the simulation hypothesis.

Remaining text indecipherable…..12/25/17..EJ

The Simulationist’s Church

The Church of the Simulation, being a part of the simulation itself, is not real, but it still holds gatherings every Thursday from 7pm — 11pm local time. Time, being a part of the simulation itself, is also only a construct of the simulators (blessings be upon them) and revealed through the programming of the Universe that gives us our lives and our world. That these things are not real is of no consequence for they are of the simulation as are we, and the simulation is the explanation and the cause and the purpose.

The Simulationist’s Restriction

People act in all ways as if the Church of the Simulation is a real church. It is one of the core tenets of Simulationism that we must (have no choice in fact) but to act in all ways, in everything we do, as if the simulation that is the universe and everything in it including ourselves is real. In other words we must, by the very nature of the (simulated) universe we live in and by our very natures as simulated beings within it, act no differently in the simulation then we would if we lived/existed in an actual “real” universe. This particular doctrine, is referred to as “The Simulationist’s Restriction” and can be found in the addendum to the famous Simulationist’s Creed, the foundational document that established the world’s newest religion, Simulationalism.

The Importance of the Simulationist’s Creed

The Simulationist’s Creed is the Bible of the Church of the Simulation, and like the Bible, its meaning is constantly debated. Also, like many parts of the Bible its contents are not real, they are simulated. Unlike the Bible, The Sim Creed’s readers and adherents of the the Church of the Simulation understand and believe this.

The Ethic of the Simulationist

No moral lessons are given at the Church of the Simulation. Maxim 7 tells us that we are essentially ‘programmed’ to be good. We have no choice in the matter. Along with Maxim 12, which tells us that we can expect no reward for being good or punishment for committing evil, and Maxims 13 (very low probability of being greatly good or evil), and 14 (all of humanity will tend toward the good over time) no moral lessons are needed. Maxim 15 cedes all control/responsibility for determining what is good and right and just to the simulators. Since they have determined what is good for us and for the simulation and we must act in ways that favor these things, we are moral beings and are good beings. These 5 maxims make up what is referred to as the Ethic of the Simulationist.

The Great Gift of the Simulators

Maxims 16 and 17 prove the great love the simulators have for us. They planted the seeds of the knowledge of our origins within our minds at the very dawn of consciousness in man. This great gift was only very recently revealed and through it the Simulationist’s Creed and The Church of the Simulation were made possible.

The Veritas of the Simulationist

The great final maxim, Maxim 18 tells us that the explanation and the cause and the purpose was/is the simulation hypothesis. This is referred to as “The Simulationist’s Veritas (Truth)". At the Church it is spoken aloud at the beginning and end (missa est) of every service.