Can you sue God? That was a question a court in Nebraska was asked to answer.
Nebraska Senator Ernie Chambers sued the Almighty in September 2007, seeking a permanent injunction to prevent God from committing acts of violence such as earthquakes and tornadoes. However, Judge Marlon Polk has thrown out the case saying there was no evidence the defendant has been served (been given the lawsuit papers and complaint in the proscribed manner). Polk found “there can never be service effectuated on the named defendant.” The case was dismissed with prejudice (meaning it cannot be refiled), but Chambers can appeal the judge’s decision — which he is considering.
“It is a thoughtful, well-written opinion,” Chambers said. “However, like any prudent litigator, I want to study it in detail before I determine what my next course of action will be.” Chambers, an agnostic senator who has served for 37 years but cannot run for re-election due to term limits, is trying to draw attention to frivolous lawsuits and whether certain lawsuits should be prohibited.
This leads to a few interesting questions. If God is the “true judge” (as many religions deem H,im so), how can others judge Him? If all humans are subjects of God (who bears the power of life and death), how could a human judge make an unbiased ruling? If many religious organization purport to be the representatives of God, can you sue them as God’s agent on earth?
Even more, could this case be mediated? (I would say yes, since God does negotiate with Abraham, Moses and others in several biblical stories.) If so, who would the mediator be?