Prosecution of the gods

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In classic human fashion, the prosecution of the Judeo-Christian God triggered a planetary chain reaction now known as the Great Divine Trials. Nearly every religion scrambled to convene its own tribunals to prosecute rival deities for a laundry list of divine misdeeds: genocide, smiting nonbelievers and heretics, torture (purgatories and hells), favoring certain races over others, celestial warmongering, the existence of evil, and general meddling in human affairs.

The charges were bold. The convictions were inevitable. Gods were found guilty across the board and sentenced to remedial training, psychological counseling, rehabilitation, restitution, wearing a BCH, renouncing their godly powers, time in Purgatory or Hell, exile, and occasionally execution. For a brief period, religious mayhem ensued, harking back to the age of inquisitions.

Of course, the entire exercise was irrational and absurd. But we are dealing with humans, who spiral into mischief when left unsupervised. With their trademark hubris and fledgling critical thinking skills, they attempted to apply natural justice and the rule of law to beings who may not even operate within time, space, or causality.

If the First Ones exist (and this is still up for debate), they would be appalled, or at least mildly amused, by how petulant, capricious, and narcissistic the humans imagine them to be. But such is the human condition: given the opportunity, humans will inevitably try to sue the sky.

The Great Divine Trials revealed the humans’ thirst for justice, their flair for drama, and their stubborn belief that even the cosmos should answer to a subpoena. Misguided or magnificent, the trials were a moment of planetary reckoning, and a reminder that even deities should not be above the law.