The People vs. God

The People vs. God is a riveting courtroom drama in which "The People" ("the Plaintiff"), ostensibly all humans, sue God ("the Defendant") for the pain, evil and suffering that are a part of human existence. The Plaintiff is represented by Lucius HellMan, Esq. The Defendant is represented by Misha-El Angelini, Esq. The Plaintiff and the Defendant present an array of expert witnesses – from cosmologists and biologists to philosophers and psychologists – arguing for their respective positions. Nothing is off limits in this no-holds-barred battle. Among the issues raised by the Plaintiff and addressed by the Defense: If the Creator is all good and all powerful, why does he not prevent or eliminate the evil and suffering in the world? Why are innocent people subjected to pain, disease and deprivation? Why do animals have to suffer? Does the Old Testament not show a violent, merciless God? How can a God who condemns his creatures to eternal suffering in Hell be called loving? How can Christians coherently claim that a man is God or that God is one and three? What about Christianity's crimes against humanity? Has not science already shown religion to be false?

The People vs. God is a lawsuit. "The People" ("the Plaintiff"), ostensibly humanity as a whole, are suing God ("the Defendant") for the pain, evil and suffering that are a part of human existence. The Plaintiff is represented by Lucius HellMan, Esq. The Defendant is represented by Misha-El Angelini, Esq. The court proceedings follow the structure common to jury trials. After the Judge issues instructions to the jury, the Plaintiff's counsel makes an opening statement. This is followed by an opening statement from the Defendant's counsel. The Plaintiff's counsel then brings his expert witnesses who present evidence in support of the Plaintiff's Complaint. These experts are then examined by the Plaintiff's counsel and cross-examined by the Defendant's counsel. Next, the Defendant's counsel introduces his expert witnesses who present evidence in support of the Defendant's position. These experts, in turn, are examined by the Defendant's counsel and cross-examined by the Plaintiff's counsel. Once the expert testimonies are completed, the Plaintiff's counsel makes a Closing Statement following which the Defendant's counsel makes his Closing Statement. After the Closing Statements, the Judge instructs the jury to enter into deliberation until it reaches a verdict. The expert witnesses testifying on behalf of the Plaintiff or the Defendant include cosmologists, physicists, biologists, logicians, philosophers, psychologists and theologians. The domains under discussion include modern cosmology, physics and biochemistry, evolutionary biology, genetics, linguistics, mathematics, philosophy, psychology, sociology, comparative religion, theology and history – to the extent that these domains pertain to the Complaint. The expert witnesses were required by the Court to use language intelligible to the lay public with minimal technical jargon. Given the identity of the Defendant and the nature of the Complaint, the media dubbed the case "the Lucifer Lawsuit" under headlines like "Satan Sues God."

R. A. Varghese is the author and/or editor of numerous books on the interface of science, philosophy, and religion. His Cosmos, Bios, Theos, included contributions from 24 Nobel Prize-winning scientists. Time magazine called Cosmos "the year's most intriguing book about God." Cosmic Beginnings and Human Ends, a subsequent work, won a Templeton Book Prize for "Outstanding Books in Science and Natural Theology." Varghese's The Wonder of the World was endorsed by leading thinkers include two Nobelists and was the subject of an Associated Press story. He co-authored There is a God—How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind with Antony Flew. He subsequently edited The Missing Link, a study of consciousness, thought and the human self that includes contributions from three Nobel Prize winners and scientists from Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, and Yale. He also authored Metaverse of Mind – the Cosmic Social Network.