Legal case against God dismissed

Reposted from:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7673591.stm

A US judge has thrown out a case against God, ruling that because the defendant has no address, legal papers cannot be served.

The suit was launched by Nebraska state senator Ernie Chambers, who said he might appeal against the ruling.

He sought a permanent injunction to prevent the "death, destruction and terrorisation" caused by God.

Judge Marlon Polk said in his ruling that a plaintiff must have access to the defendant for a case to proceed.

"Given that this court finds that there can never be service effectuated on the named defendant this action will be dismissed with prejudice," Judge Polk wrote in his ruling.
Mr Chambers cannot refile the suit but may appeal.

'God knows everything'

Mr Chambers sued God last year. He said God had threatened him and the people of Nebraska and had inflicted "widespread death, destruction and terrorisation of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants".

He said he would carefully consider Judge Polk's ruling before deciding whether to appeal.

The court, Mr Chambers said, had acknowledged the existence of God and "a consequence of that acknowledgement is a recognition of God's omniscience".

"Since God knows everything," he reasoned, "God has notice of this lawsuit."

Mr Chambers, a state senator for 38 years, said he filed the suit to make the point that "anyone can sue anyone else, even God".

TAGGED: LAW, RELIGION


RELATED CONTENT

Bideford Town Council prayers ruled...

- - BBC News 20 Comments

"There is no specific power to say prayers or to have any period of quiet reflection as part of the business of the council."

MLK Jr. on Prayer in Schools

Ed Brayton - Dispatches from the... 5 Comments


MLK Jr. on Prayer in Schools

Wife and daughters died in 'honour...

Guy Adams - The Independent 82 Comments


Wife and daughters died in 'honour killing', court told

Beyond Reasonable Doubt? [Also in...

Richard Dawkins - New Statesman 62 Comments

This article was published in New Statesman, 23rd Jan 2012, under a different title. [Also in Polish]

Religious freedom under threat from...

David Shariatmadari - The Guardian 55 Comments


Religious freedom under threat from courts,
professor warns

South African church billboard banned...

Paul Sims - New Humanist 92 Comments


South African church billboard banned following atheist complaint

MORE

MORE BY BBC

Catholic Church in anti-gay marriage...

BBC - BBC News - Scotland 97 Comments

"Governments do not have the authority to say what marriage is or to change its nature or to decree that people of the same sex can marry."

Time travel: light speed results cast...

BBC - BBC News Science & Environment 45 Comments

Physicists have confirmed the ultimate speed limit for the packets of light called photons - making time travel even less likely than thought.

Vatican recalls Irish papal envoy after...

BBC - BBC News website 54 Comments

"The fact that I have had thousands of messages from around the world speaks for itself about the impact and the way people feel," he said.

UPDATE: FALSE STORY Jerusalem rabbis...

BBC - BBC News website 154 Comments

A Jewish rabbinical court condemned to death by stoning a stray dog it feared was the reincarnation of a lawyer who insulted its judges, reports say.

BBC - Everything and Nothing

BBC - Youtube - wedontknowanything 93 Comments

BBC Richard Dimbleby Lecture 1996 -...

BBC - YouTube - GodTheHypothesis 47 Comments

MORE

Comments

Comment RSS Feed

Please sign in or register to comment