God was always worshipped and glorified. That’s what a “god” is supposed to be. That is, until Peter Woles came along. Peter was a devout Roman Catholic. Ever since he could remember, he went to Church every Sunday. He believed in the saints, and he believed he had guardian angels. Now he was a successful lawyer in the heart of New York City. Everyday he saw different faces on the crowded street. Everyday he worked and worked and worked. But he loved it. He didn’t think anything could stop him from taking his happy stroll from his high-rise apartment to his workplace. He didn’t think anything could stop him from climbing the ladder of success. Apparently he was wrong. One second. That’s all it would have taken to prevent everything. If he was just one second late or early, everything could have been avoided. But just like every other day, he was on time. He crossed the street, and a cab hit him. It only took a few seconds, but it happened. Peter lay on the ground, unable to move. Beep. Beep. Beep. The machine charted his heart beat. Beep. Beep. Beep. He was now in full traction on his hospital bed. A wheelchair would now be part of him for the rest of his life. He was furious, his dreams shattered. He thought for months while he lay there, alone with just the TV. When he graduated to the wheelchair, he presented his story to the world. He was going to sue God Himself. “But this can’t be done!” cried several reporters, not all of them being as polite with their choice of words. “Oh yes it can. The Religious Community has decided to speak upon Mr. God’s behalf. And I have collaborated with my peers, my new legal team. I have a lawsuit here. Mr. Peter Woles Vs. Mr. God.” Peter said. His appearance was piteous, for he was covered in casts sitting in his wheelchair. The murmuring did not stop. A few months passed. Jury Selection. The jury selection was the most publicized ever. The information sheets were dramatically different. Questions like “Have you been to your place of worship in the last six months?” were heavily weighed. The defense and prosecution attorneys squabbling caused the decision that there would be six atheist jurors and six faith-oriented jurors. By the time the jurors were picked, nine of them had already either written a book or just signed a contract for one. Makeup and styling businesses all over the country were fighting to sponsor a juror. Juror became the #1 word of the year. Never before had a possible juror been on the cover of Times. The selection of the judge, however, was much more noble and secretive. Only the most prestigious of magazines and newspapers were allowed to cover it. A few weeks passed. The gavel crashed against the oak. The trial had officially begun. “Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, my client had put his faith in Mr. God, only to...well, look at him. Mr. God promised to protect him, and look at him. Is that the work of a good business? I will tell you now ‘NO’. The defense will tell you that Mr. God cannot be held liable for these incidents, unfortunate as they are, because they will tell you that Mr. God never legally claimed responsibility. But I will prove to you otherwise in this trial.” The prosecution attorney sat down next to Peter, slyly smiling. Mr. Bennett, the defense attorney, sighed to himself. He got up, in a manner that looked forced, and started speaking. “Good morning. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, I am working on behalf of three very respected religious groups: Roman Catholic, the religion of Mr. Woles, Protestant, and Jewish. These three churches have joined forces to defend their beliefs, to protect their God.” He paused. “Our God. I will prove to you that this lawsuit is absolutely ludicrous! It is against everything a human being would hold decent! I will show you that it is WRONG. And that if there is someone to blame for this, God is not that someone.” The trial went on to become a catfight. It turned int o a media frenzy. Headlines like “Does Faith Hold Up In Court?”, “Lawyers Talk To God In Their Sleep”, “St. Peter? NO. HE’S THE DEVIL”, “God Wins A Point In Lawsuit”, and “Woles: HIGHER THAN GOD?” graced the newspapers, the magazines, the tabloids, and Internet articles everywhere. This was the big one. “GO GOD” and “YOU BETTER BELIEVE IN HELL, PETER” T-shirts and bumper stickers were popular on the people supporting the defense. “GOD NEVER HELPED ME” and “PETER IS NOT GOD: HE’S BETTER” were phrases used on the prosecution’s side. Hours turned into days, days into weeks, weeks into months. The trial was an endless parade of witnesses, evidence, and objections. It seemed like the witnesses did not stop. People came in with their sob stories about how much their lives remained awful even after years of worship to Mr. God. “After years of Billy’s cancer, he still died. He went to Church every week...and he still died!” testified one witness as she sobbed. “And I felt the Glory of Mr. God in my hands!! And with His Might and with His Power I healed that poor sick woman. And she’s happy today.” a faith healer testified, with his preacher-like voice echoing in the courtroom. TV Evangelists on both sides of the lawsuit testified against each other. Websites sprang up, and suddenly www.godsux.com and www.helpgod.com had thousands of hits per day. Court TV could not get enough key shots. And these key shots were seen everywhere: posters, websites, magazines, billboards, and newspapers. The people attending the trial were dressed to receive an Oscar. The American Public could not get enough shots. While peace treaties and wars continued elsewhere, the top headline still remained Woles vs. God. A whole TV show was created to cover the news daily. All states carried it. The demand was high, and the producers were willing to feed the demand. Eventually, “God Trial Fever” as was coined by The New York Times, spread across the world. Those months, 17 in all, led up to the final moment. The decision was passed between the jurors, in a fashion that would give the maximum quality news shots. The bailiff, who looked as sharp as ever, passed it on to the judge, who had just gotten a new makeover. She read it carefully, keeping from the live cameras any clue as to what it said. “And what do you find?” she asked, obviously rehearsed. The Juror answered in the same rehearsed tone, “We find the defendant, Mr. God, liable for all damages to Mr. Woles.” Both outrage and joy filled the world. The Religions would never recover. Not even the revenue from the priest’s and rabbi’s book deals helped out. Next to the holy water lay a sign, “The Church is Not Liable for any damages.”; and over the doors of the Synagogues read “Worship at your own risk.” Numerous places of worship all over the world had to close down due to the payment of the 2.9 billion dollars. Mr. Woles wheeled around his mansion, a smile on his face, a crucifix around his neck.