Some time ago Nebraska senator Ernie Chambers sued God because God "has made terroristic threats against the senator and his constituents in Omaha, inspired fear and caused "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."
Now the jugde dismissed the case because of God's
unlisted home address
Americans are really crazy...
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Chambers has said that the plainriffs address is not necessary, because God is omnipresent and omniscient he knows already that the writ has been served.
ReplyDeleteIf I was the judge I would have dismessed the case for either:
God would be unable to pay the damages.
It would be impossible to distribute equitably the damages
It would be impossible to fix a sum comensurate with the charges against God. ie: How do we put a value against the untold misery and misfortune He has caused.
In Romania someone also tried to sue God for the damage God supposedly caused to him.
ReplyDeleteThe Romanian courts dismissed the case on the ground that God is not a legal person according to Romanian law and therefor can't be sued. (And not even the Church who supposedly is Gods proxy on earth)
German news site Spiegel Online states that Chambers has resolved to appeal the decision on the grounds that stew states above.
ReplyDeleteTo be a legal person, you need to be either a physical person or a registered company as far as I know. So I think that the court has a solid option to dismiss the case for that reason. However, it may become difficult since they already 'conceded' that non-physicality does not preclude existence. If Chambers or his attorney are able to construct their process on that, I think the court will have to allow the indictment. They can still conclude that the case can't be resolved because God can't pay any damages and not be apprehended for not paying - but that would mean that there is a very simple thing God can't do. If I were the judge (I'm not significantly educated in law) I'd issue a warrant and leave it at that. Praying to or admiring a wanted felon is perfectly legal, so it wouldn't change a thing. Of course silly people like us will point that out from time to time just for the heck of it.
Luigi Cascioli, the Italian who sued the local church / their priest for making fraudulent claims about the existence of Jesus, had his case handed to the Human Rights Court at Strasbourg. The case was dismissed on the formal ground that documentation hadn't been delivered in a timely manner.
It would be intriguing if someday a court resolved to extend the definition of legal persons to non-physical or omnipresent entities. Not that I can see it ever happening. Doing that would basically accept the existence of every god ever invented anywhere in the world, given that not a single one of them can be proven to be deceased. No, I'm sure they don't want to open that can of worms.
ReplyDeletefelix,
ReplyDeletewhere did you think I saw this? :p Der Spiegel has an English version, too, but so far they didn't translate this article.
I'm actually quite a fan of this magazine. It's still independent of Murdoch et al. and it's liberal enough to make conservatives go crazy when they hear the name...
It's worth checking it out, if you want to have an European look at news.
tilia, I agree that generally the Spiegel is very good. Occasionally they have painful slips like that interview discussion between Friedman and Matussek. That was painful to read. On his blog, the Munich philosophy student (soon to be graduate afaik) MPhil and myself commented on that. For anyone interested in a few German perspectives, read his blog .
ReplyDeleteWe really are crazy, Tilia - it's a bit sad :)
ReplyDeleteI like to think that the smart Americans are just too damned quiet. Just as Muslim extremists seem to be the current face of Islam (at least, here in the US), idiots seem to be doing an awful lot of stuff on my behalf as an American.
I's so hard to find a middle-of-the-road opinion these days
-_-
PS. I'm almost certain the suit against God was filed as a reaction to a more serious charge in the opposite direction. I wish I could provide a link for this...
whateverman,
ReplyDeleteI think I'll postpone my final opinion about crazy or not to the day after your election...
Please, please, don't mess this one up.
I'm waiting for Ray to try to use this somehow, the way he tried to use the idiot who wanted him to stop putting out the April Fools bumper stickers.
ReplyDeleteOne of the Mark guys (forgiven37) copied the msn message for Ray in this cuss word post. Maybe he'll see that even if he didn't read any newspaper...
ReplyDeleteOK, here is the article (I usually read "Stern" and therefor missed this article)
ReplyDeleteKlage gegen Gott abgewiesen
Lawsuit against God dismissed
Dissemination of death, destruction and terrorism: Because of those offenses former Senator Ernie Chambers sued no one lesser than God. Now the case was quashed with a bizarre argumentation.
Nebraska - A US-court rejected the lawsuit against God, because the defendant has no address to which the statement of claim could be sent, as the BBC reports.
Der former Senator Ernie Chambers, who put up the lawsuit declared that he want to press charges against the decision.
Chambers has filed a suit because God terrified him and the inhabitants of Nebraska and "caused death, destruction and terrorism among millions upon million of earthdwellers.
Justice Marlon Polk reasoned his rejection of the lawsuit therewith, that a defendant has to have the opportunity to read the statement of charge and this isn't possible without an address.
However Ernie Chambers sees this different. The court has admitted the existence of God - and therewith also his omniscience. "And if God knows everything, he also took notice of the lawsuit", from Chambers according to BBC.
Chambers who was Senator in Nebraska for 38 years want to make clear the bizarre sides of the American justice system in which "everyone can sue everyone, even God."
germanmike,
ReplyDeleteI saw what you did there.
Auto-translation. tsk, tsk.
;)