"How are you fallen from heaven?
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How are you cast down,
you who dared to confuse the worlds!"

(Isaiah)

Now we believe we have demonstrated that Lucifer did not simply err, but that he willfully and deliberately undermined the best interests of his younger siblings during the time he had been entrusted with their nurture and care. He did this in three ways: First, he denied the reality as well as the authority of the Father. Second, he betrayed the trust vested in him while challenging the authority and veracity of those who remained faithful to that trust. Finally, he actively sought to thwart Gods' purpose with respect to the progressive development and ascendancy of human kind.

Lucifer's technique involved a cruel, sometimes subtle deception as a means of encroaching on his fellows. Now what exactly do we mean by encroachment? The local lexicon defines the word as a gradual invasion by stealth, an infringement or an intrusion. Though this is a workable definition, in this case there is also a sophistry component that we will term "self-aggrandizement." This latter concept describes the means whereby Lucifer's victims become willingly self-deceived.

Throughout these arguments we will also make frequent use of the term iniquity to mean that Lucifer did not, as defense counsel suggests, just stumble into his transgression. The idea at the heart of iniquity is a bit complex. So, to build a conceptual framework, we must first underscore what we already know, that we are not a race of automatons. We possess free will and along with this choice endowment comes responsibility and the potential for error, evil, sin and iniquity.

While we are free to choose, there are certain preconditions. Though we are the final arbiters of our own destiny; pre-destination and fore-ordination are reality factors. To put it another way, each child of destiny has the power to accept or reject the divine plan. Whether we achieve our first, best destiny is entirely up to us.

Within our wide range of choices are contrastive perfection and imperfection, the mature and the immature, the complete and the incomplete. Between life and death stand the committed and the uncommitted. To every race on every inhabited planet across a far flung universe of universes, Our Creator's message is consistent; "I set before you life and death, therefore choose life."

The first point of law is life, "therefore choose life." We are, first and foremost, commanded to live. Evil, the reverse, would run contrary to survival. Now we often have problems thrust upon us or difficulty letting go of certain things, attitudes and patterns of thought that tend to eclipse or impair an abundant life. Anything that prevents us from living the most abundant life possible is actual or potential evil by this definition. Figuring out what's good and what's evil is part of the growth process, right? Is experience a necessary part of life? Yes! Is there the potential for error? Yes! Are you responsible for your decisions? Of course! Are you unjustly held accountable for everything that goes wrong in your life? Hardly! This case is not so much about the things beyond our control or programmed responses, as it is about gaining control through our free will choices.

Our Father did not create evil although he did create the gift of free will. In so doing he created the potential for evil. Evil did not originate with Lucifer either, though we would maintain that he orchestrated a wholesale conversion of potential evil to actual evil through his persistent choice and promotion of evil.

Although this case is not just about evil, we will review its effects. Learning to prove all things and adhering to that which is good is an essential part of life. There will undoubtedly be errors, bad habits and perhaps even compulsion to overcome. But once we've identified actual or potential evil and continue to choose it, or refuse to let go of it, well, that's sin. I'm afraid we've all engaged in a little of that.

You've heard or read that all have sinned. You've also heard it said that the wages of sin is death. So why aren't we all dead? If justice reigned supreme throughout this universe we probably would be. Fortunately, for all of us, true justice is tempered with mercy and divine justice will not destroy what mercy can save. Mercy takes into account the fact of our weaknesses as growing, imperfect beings. This case is not just about sin either, though we will also consider this phenomenon.

Iniquity, that's what this case is about. It's not about addiction, compulsive behavior or bad habits. It's not something you stumble into, get goaded into or lured into. It's not something we reluctantly choose or are forced to accept in a time of weakness or out of ignorance. It is not an attempt at choosing the lesser of two evils. Iniquity is willful defiance. It is when evil or sin is deliberately chosen because it is contrary to the law. It is the central issue in this case.

Lucifer engaged in iniquity through a deliberate and direct assault on the organizing principle of the universes. He attacked the unifying and coordinating qualities we've come to know as truth, beauty and goodness. Where Our Father sows love, Lucifer would have us sow hatred. Where we would reap love, Lucifer would have us reap ill will. Where our rightful inheritance is family unity, Lucifer advanced chaos.

Some believe that unity is purchased through uniformity. Others hold that unity is only achieved at the expense of honest deliberation. And so I put these questions to you in light of these historical considerations: Was the Lucifer Rebellion quashed? No! Was any effort made to suppress? No! That's not the way we do things here. From the start of the Lucifer rebellion it has been the policy of this government that each individual would be left free and unmolested in his or her choice.

The rebellion was permitted to run its full course. Or, as they say on the planet we are about to consider, "The dragon was loosed for awhile." Why? Because we are dealing with a universe full of free-willed individuals who must be afforded every opportunity to make an informed, deliberate, wholehearted and final choice. Again you may ask, why? It is because the Father desires only the devotion that is voluntary and sophistry proof.

Now that all of the evidence is currently before you, we will review with a special emphasis on one small evolving sphere. Of all the worlds that were quarantined as a result of the Lucifer Rebellion, the clearest example by far of its harmful effect is the planet we have used as our case study throughout this trial. I would again direct your attention to a tiny evolving planet on the back-road to infinity, known to its inhabitants as Earth.

Our Beloved Sovereign's bestowal upon Earth served to augment his Divine Right with Supreme Authority. He became wholly and unreservedly dependent on Our Father and the Family of Man. He lived such a life as he imposes upon the children of His Creation. And His Administration is now the embodiment of Universe Wisdom. It was in this voluntarily assumed humble estate, and upon a confused and disordered planet that the Son of God, as the Son of Man, confronted the forces of darkness.

While to us Earth is known as the world of the cross, it is more than just a marker in space. It has profound meaning to an entire universe. Though it's also more than just a marker in time, to the people of the planet, time is reckoned from the days of Our Lord. Some groups on earth think of it as the fulcrum of time. And, the oldest language in use on the planet is Chinese where the word symbol for Earth is a cross on the horizon. From the time this prophetic element was first introduced to the language of the realm, through present day, the lessons of the cross continue.

We have seen the evidence and we're all aware of what has happened throughout the turbulent history of Earth. Certain megalomanic clergy, royalty and military leaders have jockeyed for position, often in an attempt to exercise total control over human kind. Such struggles for domination continue and most, but not all, are easy to recognize as such. In these arguments though, we will focus our attention on the fleeting shadow of insurrection, the hidden sophistry and the subtle deception.

To accomplish this, we will indulge in a somewhat circumscribed world view. I now direct your attention to a point in time on the planet's western hemisphere where, for the most part, issues of personal freedom are freely debated. The European dark ages are giving way as new opportunities emerge. You may also recall there was a struggle on the North American continent where we witnessed a man by the name of Patrick Henry shouting "Give me liberty or give me death." Following this rallying cry, there was a much-heralded triumph of liberty over oppression that resulted in the birth of a promising new nation. Since that time, within the very same nation, we have seen the concept of liberty take quite a beating, usually in the very name of liberty.

This is where sophistry comes into play. This is where we must learn to recognize the subtle deception we spoke of earlier in these arguments. Look, we each have a pretty basic understanding of liberty. We think of freedom, independence, emancipation, self-determination, autonomy, etc. All very good concepts and each related, in its own way, to the gift of free will. This is fertile ground for quality growth and a testing ground for us all.

With respect to the sophistry, to the subtle deception, this is where it all begins. And this is also where it ends. For at the very heart of iniquity stands Lucifer, the self-proclaimed "God of Liberty." For his cause and for these proceedings the true meaning of liberty is pivotal. As he promoted and claimed credit for liberty, the idea of gratefully receiving God's gift of true liberty was eclipsed by Lucifer's insatiable appetite, and his propensity for taking license in the name of liberty.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, at what point does responsibility kick in? To put it another, more personal way, has another individual ever violated you? If so, wasn't that person just exercising their freedom? At what point does their exercise of freedom adversely impact you and violate your rights? At what point should another person's freedom be conditioned or curtailed?

On Earth the concept of freedom is treasured. And yet there is so much confusion concerning this very concept that liberty is in serious jeopardy. And this is largely because of a gradual and unrecognized encroachment made possible through an adulterated concept of liberty featuring the routine divorce of rights and responsibility. It is often overlooked due to the failure to make a distinction between liberty and license.

On Earth that population's inability, combined with its unwillingness to recognize and expose certain sophistries, led to a definite retrograde motion where societal evolution is concerned. The most basic human institutions have been destabilized to the point that they are widely regarded as untrustworthy. Much of what was once foundational is no longer deemed desirable. An impetuous leadership has dismissed mature and dependable systems of values in favor of poorly defined, baser sets.

That's the broad sketch, ladies and gentlemen. There will be a lot of clarifying detail offered as we proceed throughout this presentation. But first, I want to say a few words about the special mandate guiding my team.

In this, the argument phase of Lucifer's trial, we have been asked by the court to represent the interests of, and advocate for, the innocent children of a vast universe. That is precisely what we intend to do with special emphasis on the consequential damages. This will take some time, so make yourselves comfortable.

As it is with the breakup of any family, it is the children who have suffered the most. It is the children who are often used for leverage by unscrupulous and self-indulgent elders. These children emerge out of balance as victims of process and control. They have so much taken from them because they are too young, too inexperienced, and lack the power to protect themselves.

Ours is a serious mandate. Though we will take you through many of the same issues reviewed by the other parties to this case, we are concerned with the flow downs, the fallout and we are re-examining these issues to understand the effect on the innocent child. Our beloved Sovereign addressed this issue on Earth two thousand years ago when he said, "As for he who causes these little ones to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were tied about his neck and he were cast into the sea."

We will focus on the children and their increased likelihood of stumbling as a result of Lucifer's self-indulgent behavior. We will leave the question of Lucifer's punishment for the remedy phase.

It would be difficult, if not impossible, to truly advocate for children without considering the plight of those engaged in, and charged with, responsibility for their care. We're telling you this now so you will understand why this review will often venture into areas that seem to be more about the adults than the children. Just remember that we must view the problem in the context of nurture and parenting. And that it takes healthy informed parents to best serve the interests of their children.