According to an Associated Press article earlier today, after a lengthy three-year legal battle over the custom engraving of a state automobile license plate, a United States Federal Court is now going to allow a Kentucky man to personalize a license plate with the phrase "IM GOD".
Court documents now show that a self-identified atheist first set out to get the Kentucky plate back in 2016. But his request was then denied by the Kentucky State Transportation Department on the basis that it violated anti-discrimination guidelines.
Because news outlets reported that similar plates had been approved before, including "TRYGOD" and "NOGOD", Kentucky’s ACLU and the ever litigious FFRF quickly joined forces and got involved to help the man challenge the decision.
In an opinion given this week, on Wednesday, November 13, 2019, by a U.S. District Court in Frankfort, the judge ruled that “vanity plates” are private speech protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Because of this, the court ruled that the state of Kentucky had violated the man’s rights by denying him the personalized license plate he requested.
Now, I do not know where the case will go from here. Who knows? It may well go all the way to the United States Supreme Court. We will see. But I do know this: this case is intriguing on several levels.
To begin with, I find it interesting that a man who does not believe in God somehow still asserts that he himself is God! Now, I admit that I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed. But I’m still not quite able to follow the logic here.
Philosophically, how does a man claim to be God when he simultaneously asserts that there is no God? If a man claims to be God, and there is no God, then how does he even exist? In truth, he has denied his own existence. Yet, if this man who claims to be God does not in fact exist, how then can he conceivably apply for an automobile license plate?*
Theologically, of course, I am also intrigued by any human being who asserts that he or she is God. To begin with, in Psalm 100, verse 3, the Bible affirms that we should: "Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves…"
I am reminded of the time-honored story of God and the Scientist…
It seems that God was sitting in Heaven one day when a scientist said to Him, “God, we don’t need you anymore. Science has finally figured out a way to create life out of nothing – in other words, we can now do what you did in the beginning.”
“Oh, is that so? Please explain…” replies God. “Well,” says the scientist, “we can take dirt and form it into the likeness of you and breathe life into it, thus creating man.”
“Well, that’s very interesting… show Me.”
So the scientist bends down to the earth and starts to mold the soil into the shape of a man. “No, no, no…” interrupts God, “First, you must make your own dirt!”
Beyond this, I am intrigued to know that God is now readily identifiable, and thus both approachable and accountable. Can I therefore now assume that all the prayers of the majority of the world’s population who do in fact believe in God can now be addressed to the Almighty Who dwells in the state of Kentucky?! If so, the two of us have lots of matters to discuss!
Equally as important, can I also assume that any future “Acts of God” which insurance companies refuse to cover can now be brought directly to the attention (and accountability) of the Almighty Who dwells there in the state of Kentucky?! **
You see, with the title comes the responsibility! It is neither easy nor advisable to assume the identity of God! Just ask Herod!*** But given that He has infinite resources, I assume the man in Kentucky who now claims to be God can more than handle the liabilities. (I assume also that, if you are so led, then you can feel free to deluge Him with all your concerns!)
If I sound a little skeptical; it's because I am. You see, I’ve been to Kentucky. It is indeed a beautiful place. But neither Louisville nor Lexington nor any other of its other fine cities has gates of pearl, nor are any of their streets paved with streets of gold, nor are their walls made of jasper. And let’s just be honest here, there is no Heavenly throne there either!
The reality is that Heaven infinitely exceeds anything Kentucky has to offer. Its glory and splendor could never be confined to any U. S. state, even one as beautiful as Kentucky. And neither can an infinite and almighty God be so limited in His nature as to be contained within the identity of any one resident of that beautiful state – especially one who illogically denies there is a God, and thus denies his own existence.
And so, my friends, I myself will not live to see it. But if future generations of human beings are around and reading this blog post a thousand years from now, and if those individuals can verify that someone who claims to be God has been alive and well for a thousand years in Kentucky (or whatever it is called at that time), then please accept my humble apologies!
But I am confident that long before then, anyone claiming to be God will have done the one thing Almighty God Himself will never do – along with me, he or she will have long ago died and been forgotten by this world!
Oh, and one other thing. Like me, he or she will have also stepped off into eternity and met the one true God - the very God he or she both denied the existence of and yet still claimed to be!
And In the process, he or she will have given an account of their logic, as well as their rejection of His Word (which boldly proclaimed that (1) there was a God and that (2) they themselves were not that God). And ultimately, therefore, they will have had to give an account of their arrogant, self-serving assertions!
All I can say is: "God help them!"
STORY SOURCE: https://apnews.com/b508ac7343734476ab6d67344eabdc8d.
SEE ALSO: https://www.foxbusiness.com/money/us-court-rules-kentucky-man-can-get-im-god-license-plate#.
SCRIPTURE SOURCE: https://biblehub.com/nasb/psalms/100.htm.
JOKE SOURCE: https://www.funnyandjokes.com/god-vs-the-scientist.html.
NOTES:
*This could come in handy if he ever has a wreck. He could conceivably claim that his car did not even exist!
**In shades of a famous climactic scene from a 1947 Christmas movie, I can only imagine that the U. S. Post Office will be pleased to know that they will now likely have billions, if not trillions, of prayers to deliver to Kentucky! Soon, no doubt, they will finally and forever be operating in the black!
***According to the New Testament book of Acts, chapter 12, verses 12-24: "21On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. 24But the word of God continued to spread and flourish."
Cf.: https://biblehub.com/niv/acts/12.htm.
Court documents now show that a self-identified atheist first set out to get the Kentucky plate back in 2016. But his request was then denied by the Kentucky State Transportation Department on the basis that it violated anti-discrimination guidelines.
Because news outlets reported that similar plates had been approved before, including "TRYGOD" and "NOGOD", Kentucky’s ACLU and the ever litigious FFRF quickly joined forces and got involved to help the man challenge the decision.
In an opinion given this week, on Wednesday, November 13, 2019, by a U.S. District Court in Frankfort, the judge ruled that “vanity plates” are private speech protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Because of this, the court ruled that the state of Kentucky had violated the man’s rights by denying him the personalized license plate he requested.
Now, I do not know where the case will go from here. Who knows? It may well go all the way to the United States Supreme Court. We will see. But I do know this: this case is intriguing on several levels.
To begin with, I find it interesting that a man who does not believe in God somehow still asserts that he himself is God! Now, I admit that I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed. But I’m still not quite able to follow the logic here.
Philosophically, how does a man claim to be God when he simultaneously asserts that there is no God? If a man claims to be God, and there is no God, then how does he even exist? In truth, he has denied his own existence. Yet, if this man who claims to be God does not in fact exist, how then can he conceivably apply for an automobile license plate?*
Theologically, of course, I am also intrigued by any human being who asserts that he or she is God. To begin with, in Psalm 100, verse 3, the Bible affirms that we should: "Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves…"
I am reminded of the time-honored story of God and the Scientist…
It seems that God was sitting in Heaven one day when a scientist said to Him, “God, we don’t need you anymore. Science has finally figured out a way to create life out of nothing – in other words, we can now do what you did in the beginning.”
“Oh, is that so? Please explain…” replies God. “Well,” says the scientist, “we can take dirt and form it into the likeness of you and breathe life into it, thus creating man.”
“Well, that’s very interesting… show Me.”
So the scientist bends down to the earth and starts to mold the soil into the shape of a man. “No, no, no…” interrupts God, “First, you must make your own dirt!”
Beyond this, I am intrigued to know that God is now readily identifiable, and thus both approachable and accountable. Can I therefore now assume that all the prayers of the majority of the world’s population who do in fact believe in God can now be addressed to the Almighty Who dwells in the state of Kentucky?! If so, the two of us have lots of matters to discuss!
Equally as important, can I also assume that any future “Acts of God” which insurance companies refuse to cover can now be brought directly to the attention (and accountability) of the Almighty Who dwells there in the state of Kentucky?! **
You see, with the title comes the responsibility! It is neither easy nor advisable to assume the identity of God! Just ask Herod!*** But given that He has infinite resources, I assume the man in Kentucky who now claims to be God can more than handle the liabilities. (I assume also that, if you are so led, then you can feel free to deluge Him with all your concerns!)
If I sound a little skeptical; it's because I am. You see, I’ve been to Kentucky. It is indeed a beautiful place. But neither Louisville nor Lexington nor any other of its other fine cities has gates of pearl, nor are any of their streets paved with streets of gold, nor are their walls made of jasper. And let’s just be honest here, there is no Heavenly throne there either!
The reality is that Heaven infinitely exceeds anything Kentucky has to offer. Its glory and splendor could never be confined to any U. S. state, even one as beautiful as Kentucky. And neither can an infinite and almighty God be so limited in His nature as to be contained within the identity of any one resident of that beautiful state – especially one who illogically denies there is a God, and thus denies his own existence.
And so, my friends, I myself will not live to see it. But if future generations of human beings are around and reading this blog post a thousand years from now, and if those individuals can verify that someone who claims to be God has been alive and well for a thousand years in Kentucky (or whatever it is called at that time), then please accept my humble apologies!
But I am confident that long before then, anyone claiming to be God will have done the one thing Almighty God Himself will never do – along with me, he or she will have long ago died and been forgotten by this world!
Oh, and one other thing. Like me, he or she will have also stepped off into eternity and met the one true God - the very God he or she both denied the existence of and yet still claimed to be!
And In the process, he or she will have given an account of their logic, as well as their rejection of His Word (which boldly proclaimed that (1) there was a God and that (2) they themselves were not that God). And ultimately, therefore, they will have had to give an account of their arrogant, self-serving assertions!
All I can say is: "God help them!"
STORY SOURCE: https://apnews.com/b508ac7343734476ab6d67344eabdc8d.
SEE ALSO: https://www.foxbusiness.com/money/us-court-rules-kentucky-man-can-get-im-god-license-plate#.
SCRIPTURE SOURCE: https://biblehub.com/nasb/psalms/100.htm.
JOKE SOURCE: https://www.funnyandjokes.com/god-vs-the-scientist.html.
NOTES:
*This could come in handy if he ever has a wreck. He could conceivably claim that his car did not even exist!
**In shades of a famous climactic scene from a 1947 Christmas movie, I can only imagine that the U. S. Post Office will be pleased to know that they will now likely have billions, if not trillions, of prayers to deliver to Kentucky! Soon, no doubt, they will finally and forever be operating in the black!
***According to the New Testament book of Acts, chapter 12, verses 12-24: "21On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. 24But the word of God continued to spread and flourish."
Cf.: https://biblehub.com/niv/acts/12.htm.