A landmark case has made its way to the World Court after years of wrangling, a case, whatever the decision reached, of incalculable implications inherent in the matter being argued, never confronted previously, to wit: which religious entity shall be deemed the Licensee under Intellectual Property Right law (hereinafter called IPR) to the Word of God.

Legal teams throughout the world have been preparing themselves for this moment (once the probability of suits arose), when, before the High Court here in The Hague, opening arguments may be heard in only a few months' time. Even before the trial begins there have been mass meetings and protest marches in almost every capital city of the world, although as yet there is no clear notion to protest.

To many, the hurdles that needed to be taken, to get to this day, seemed insurmountable. One of the most difficult was that presented by the WAO (World Atheist Organization), which has consistently denied the authority of this Court (and whose Founding Articles deny that there is a God and thus a Word). At the highest levels of governmental and religious bodies, decisions have now been taken that effectively remove atheists as parties to the deliberations about to begin, on the basis that the WAO has in essence barred itself.

The problem of depositions has been a daunting one, since neither God Himself (nor the Devil, for that matter) have been able to be subpoenaed. Of eyewitnesses to miracles of any nature there are none, at least none alive. (To call for questioning of claimants to visions, etc., unverified as yet, could be construed as leading to the suborning of perjury.) As for data to be used as underpinnings to the legal arguments in the case, it is rumored that more than forty tons of historical and religious books, tracts and documents have been introduced as evidence pertinent and relevant to the case, with teams of thousands classifying and sorting these materials with the aid of the new astonishing technology to make the information digitally accessible.

The financial stakes themselves are beyond comprehension, running by some estimates from hundreds of billions of dollars to several trillion, since whichever claimant, if any, wins -- all other litigants may be held liable for infringement if unauthorized use can be proved.

Attempts have been made to assemble the most arcane and secret materials from Ethiopia and Israel, the Ark of the Covenant from Egypt for example, even material from Iraq, where it is said there is a cache of such materials in at least one of the Presidential Palaces. These attempts have met with uniform failure, no government or denomination willing to permit such sacred properties, primary materials for the most part, to leave their lands.

In the meantime there have been unusual troop movements (even for wartime) in New Delhi, Karachi, Russia (especially around Moscow and Novgorod), in Rome, Jerusalem, and Mecca. Observations of Chinese troop movements at first hand are difficult at best but it is rumored that there is substantial activity to the north near the border with Uzbekhistan. Only Japan among the industrialized nations seems calm, and in fact the yen has risen dramatically against the dollar in recent months.

Knowledgeable authorities have themselves raised the question as to why this case is being heard now, today, which is past the millennial year, and should have been heard in 2001, while others argue it was 2000 which was the millennial year. These experts speak of a paradox. As corporations (so their reasoning goes) became leaner and meaner, firing millions of workers who had staked their lives and energies on establishing careers in such enterprises, the faith in the System itself has been shaken for a large portion of the world's population. This has led (the paradox) to a sea change in religious activity, as more and more of the disillusioned have turned to faith (as the US government itself) instead of money as the bulwark of their world. They posit further that: since what the huge masses of people want above all is rock-bottom security in whatever form, as disillusion with the System grows, only religions of the strictest forms of fundamentalist belief will thrive. Such experts have argued that this notion needs to be factored into our equations concerning our war on terrorism.

The litigants are too numerous to enumerate since the stakes are so high. As further complication to assess the sheer numbers of such litigants the delegations have already split internally into factions and sub-factions, each claiming under IPR the right to be appointed Licensee, exclusively authorized to use, deliver, preach, publish (among, but not limited to, other rights, electronic rights for example, and rights to inventions as yet not even on the drawing board) the Word of God.

Although evidentiary support is severely limited despite the heavy documentation cited above, the Lubovitchers for example contend that there are in fact evidences, hearsay now, although noted in ancient writings, of some burning bushes, stone tablets (of dubious provenance, some say) and a drowning Army, that point to them exclusively and irrefutably as authorized to speak the Word of God.

The Catholic Church (the Pope has sent a thousand-person legal team) rebuts this view with what it claims are evidences no less weighty (the physical existence of which is again testified to in writings): namely a boulder mysteriously moved, some water turned into wine, the crucifixion of a Jew.

The Islamic delegation, not necessarily tied to Taliban extremists, claims unique authority to speak the Word of Allah, rejecting notions of an Almighty by any other name regardless of whether that is Yahweh, Y-H, El, Jesus, God, or any of the other hundred appellations used. It is said the followers of Islam have the weakest case (but some of the greatest numbers) among the major contenders, since they have no miracles to offer, even of the scantiest evidence, but solely a written prescription and regimen for living life.

In no case has any delegation provided handwriting that can be judged by experts in such matters as the Hand of God.

The turmoil being occasioned around the world at this moment is but a forerunner, some say, of the massive disjuncture to come, no matter how the decision comes down or even if no decision is reached and no matter for how long a time the war against terrorism continues (some suggest decades). The price of gold has not only stabilized but seems to be inching higher. Food is being hoarded even now, some say. All signs point to the opening arguments being made on some date near December 31st or, if the Court cannot accommodate to such a moment juste, then at some other point during the new millennium, which only adds to the world's uncertainty at this crucial time, no one (except televangelists) mooting either a bang or a whimper.

back to top