The Man Who Sued God Page #6

- Could you tell the court what you saw there?

- Nothing. It was gone.

- It was struck by lightning?

- I believe so.

- Did you see any evidence of storm?

- Yes. Quite a bit of wind damage.

- Acts of God?

- I couldn't say.

I see.

Yet my boat was sunk by an 'Act of God'?

It looked very much like it,

but it's not me who decides.

This committee employed by your company to

decide these matters, they'd be religious experts?

- Not necessarily.

- But they're experts in acts of God?

- Aren't they priests or theologians?

- No, it doesn't work that way.

- Mr. Piggott, you're the general manager

and chief executive of Monarch Alliance?

Correct.

Would you explain to the court the purpose behind

the 'Act of God' clause in insurance policies?

The purpose is to protect

the vast majority of policyholders

against occasional calamities

that may befall the few.

- Does it mean that God caused the event?

- Heavens, no. Although he may have for all we know.

- It's a figure of speech.

- Like 'out on a limb'?

Or 'away with the fairies'.

- It's not to be taken literally?

- Absolutely not.

Consumatum est.

- Thank you, Mr. Piggott.

- Why don't we call things by their real name?

An act of storm, an act of weather,

an act of lightning.

The names of the things that have

ruined the lives of my co-plaintiffs.

Because it's customary

to call them 'Acts of God'

Would that be because 'God' has a certain ring to it?

There's a certain moral authority

- that exists only in the name of God?

- No.

He's knocked off your copyright,

haven't you, Mr. Piggot?

Would you say that the sinking

of the Titanic was an 'Act of God'?

I beg your pardon?

That was before my time.

It was a ship. It struck an iceberg, and...

perhaps you saw the film?

Yes, that's right. The orchestra played

that lovely little tune as they went down...

- I don't think it was one of ours.

- It was deemed an 'Act of God'.

I'm not surprised. An unassessible risk, an iceberg.

Who would have thought?

- And yet the insurance companies paid out.

- Did they?

Yes, they did. In order to avoid the

bad publicity. Now there's a funny thing.

One last thing. Last year your

company declared profits of $6,2 billion.

Yes, something of that order.

Did you remember to thank God for it?

Mr. Myers has given notice that his

opponents have a fight on their hands.

The day belonged to Mr. Myers

as he exploited the Church's position...

Record high temperatures, strong winds and electrical

storms are fanning bushfires in many parts of the state.

Steve Myers kept the pressure on today,

forcing each witness onto the back foot.

These witnesses, insurance company executives,

had trouble justifying...

I quite liked you today, you know that?

What?

- Remind me how you came into my life?

- I talked to Arthur.

- He said you were beautiful, and smart...

- He always was the brains of the outfit.

It was the house I was born in.

When we lost it, it broke my husband's heart.

- The insurance company didn't pay?

- They said it was an 'Act of God'.

- Mr. Ryan?

- No.

The insurance industry reckons that the

'Act of God' is just a figure of speech...

The churches can't possibly agree with that.

- I suppose for legal purposes...

- What about for religious purposes?

For moral purposes?

For philosophical purposes?

Is there such a thing as an 'Act of God'

that isn't meant to be taken seriously?

I shouldn't think so.

It means what it says,

what else?

Do you think my boat was sunk by an 'Act of God'?

Who can say with these things?

The insurance companies

think they can.

But we don't go running around saying when

the weather's bad it's an 'Act of Insurance'.

Did God make the bolt of lightning

which struck my boat?

Yes, and no.

These things do not have easy answers.

If you can't tell me what's an 'Act of God'

and what isn't, and these men can't tell me,

how can some shiny-arse

with a diploma in accountancy?

Quiet, please.

If God does exist,

the Churches must be liable.

The Churches can only win if they

prove God does not exist.

Do you want to tell them?

Aren't you hopelessly compromised, Your Eminence?

Isn't it one of God's commandments,

That we mustn't take his name in vain?

Isn't that exactly what they've been doing?

Using his name to justify a

legitimate legal fiction. A lie.

It comes close to it,

I would concede.

Isn't that blasphemy?

How can you tolerate it?

To be truthful, I suspect we haven't

given it a lot of thought until now.

Do you think it's because the Churches,

whose combined wealth could easily

pay off the entire third world debt,

are massive shareholders in financial institutions,

including the global insurance industry?

What are you doing

in bed with these people?

We are not perfect, Mr. Myers.

We've been on the wrong side

of things very often. We are sinners.

We are blind to much injustice,

we have blood on our hands.

- Guilty, no question.

- I didn't ask for your confession.

Good, it would take eternity to hear it.

I want to know if you recognise

any of the same flaws in yourself?

A little intolerance, perhaps?

A little too much self-luck?

I'm not the one on trial.

And nor is God, I assure you.

My god is an eternal wellspring

of love, hope and inspiration for millions.

He moves mountains.

How does your faith compare with that god?

- It's a poor world without faith.

- I know.

I mean love of God.

I mean feeling God work on your heart.

Have you felt that?

Compared to that loss,

the loss of your boat is nothing.

A speck of dust. Not even a speck.

Who knows?

God might have been trying to teach you that.

It was a sign?

- I wouldn't rule it out.

- Thank you.

- You are excused, Your Eminence.

- I think we might take a break.

The court is adjourned for lunch.

Anna, I'm sorry,

but you brought this one yourself.

That's a joke. Any decent legal system would have

thrown it out and jailed the animal for 6 months

for public nuisance. Instead of that,

he's swanning around like some pop star,

and we're looking at half a billion

in claims if you lose.

At least the cardinal

straightened him up a bit.

That bloody took time to fight after all.

What are you going to do?

Make his miserably life more miserable.

I'm gonna nail the bastard.

- Have we taken care of the girlfriend?

- Ms. Redmond's been taken care of.

- Bye, Anna.

- Good luck, Anna.

Westerly winds from the Red Centre

continue to fan bushfires north of the city,

casting an eerie glow over the

deepening drama of the Myers-God trial.

Your Honour, I'd like to call

Mr. Bart Gidman of Whaleboat Bay.

Retired senior constable Gidman

considered Steve Myers a troublemaker...

- Makes him look criminal.

- I think it's quite a good likeness.

Obstructing a bulldozer, drunk and disorderly,

indecent exposure.

He was having a pee off his boat.

The former policeman also said that

Mr. Myers' domestic arrangements

involving his ex-wife and her de-facto

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