A Crime Against god

"Is it true that god is dead?"

"No, but god is dying."

"Why is god dying?

"Because someone tried to kill god."

"Who would do such a thing?"

"Why would anyone do this?"

"Forget about those questions, what do we do now?"

"There is no emergency protocol to follow when god is dying, is there?"

"Could it be hidden in one of the holy books—you know, something that a religious scholar might know?"

"We are three wise men, but we've never read about anything like this in our sacred writings going back millennia. That god could have an ending is unfathomable to us, as scripture tells us that god is by definition eternal."

"What about the astrophysicists whose eyes have penetrated the depth of the galaxies beyond any of our imaginings?"

"We have studied only a fraction of what we think exists and that's at the gigantic end of the mass spectrum. We've seen no evidence that demonstrates conclusively and unequivocally the existence of god, so we would not be able to comment on god's demise."

"And you quantum physicists who study the fundamental nature of reality in particles or waves (or whatever) that cannot be seen but can only be inferred from your theories and their mathematical representations, can you tell us what has happened to god?"

"No, not with any degree of certainty. In fact, it is almost certain that we will never be able to comprehend more than the probability that god exists, that god is dying or that god is dead."

"How about you philosophers? You've been talking and writing about god, in one way or another, for as long and perhaps even longer than the holy men? What can you tell us about the state of god?"

"Perhaps the only thing that all of us can agree to is that none of us has an exclusive and comprehensive understanding of god, however that idea has been constituted throughout human history. Some believe that the concept of god extends to everything that we don't know and can't know because of our imperfect and incomplete apprehension of reality. Others maintain that god is our creation, a fiction intended for the organization of groups of human beings and the regulation of human behaviour. A few would support the view that god can only be revealed as an occult phenomenon—beyond the natural world—and only as god chooses. Since we lack consensus, all we can offer is metaphysical—or as some would say, metaphorical, while others would say, nonsensical."

"Thank you for your circumlocutionary response. We sense the very real limitations of language and understanding when we listen to you. Is there anyone else who can speak of god?"

"As historians, we can speak of the gods that humans have revered, feared, worshipped, killed for and so forth. One of our lot achieved notoriety for a very insular view that he expressed symbolically whereby he declared that one particular religion has a history of bloody borders. We judge that remark to be non-scholarly as it betrays a bias, which with but a cursory understanding of human history can be refuted given that every religion has used force against others ... of different religions and even the same religion. Unfortunately, historians are often—some say always—politically aligned, which renders our accounts vulnerable to the critique of power. We are unable to state with authority which if any of the gods of humanity is real."

"Again, we are grateful for such succinct answers, however ineffective they may be in advancing our knowledge of god in the present circumstances."

sotto voce

"Thank god the physicists didn't lecture us with their mathematical models."

"Indeed, and that the holy ones didn't take us for a tour of pre-history."

Addressing all, once again,

"Does anyone have anything to say for or against god ... something that hasn't already been said and something that might actually move this conversation beyond its starting point?"

"Did anyone ask the police? I mean, if we're talking about the untimely and suspicious death of god, shouldn't there be an investigation?"

"As an officer of the law, I stand ready to take your witness statements. But let me add that what I have heard so far is less substantial than even circumstantial evidence and that's not likely gonna help solve this mystery. I need to determine whether in fact a crime has taken place—for example, is god dead and was an attempt on god's life in fact made—and if so what were the motive, means, and opportunity. I need dates, times, places, corroborating testimony, etc. and if you can provide any of these, please come to my office and we can speak privately about the facts of the case. With all due respect to those who have already spoken, I'm only interested in the facts. Just the facts. If anyone is gonna theorize, then that will be me, but only when my investigation has turned up something to theorize about. And let me add one last thing: god, if you're still with us and are capable of giving testimony, I need to hear from you most of all."