In 2007, I watched a documentary programme on television about a number of pet-owners who kept ferrets.
There is nothing particularly unusual about that. People keep all kinds of animals as pets. Like all other pet-owners, these people were overwhelmingly serious about their choice of pet. They formed organised ferret clubs world-wide, held their own ferret shows and ran ferret competitions. The ferrets were allowed to roam around inside the owner's homes, just like cats and dogs do.
What did catch my notice was that several of the ferret owners stated their strong belief that when their ferrets died, they went to heaven. They expected to meet them there one day. There is little doubt in my mind what most people watching the show would have thought of this concept. Imagine tiny animal souls detaching themselves from their dead carcases and floating away to ferret heaven somewhere – it's more than a little quirky. It also raises a number of difficult questions.
Is heaven just for pet ferrets or can wild ferrets go too? Is it the same heaven that human animals go to or do they have a different heaven for ferrets? Do the ferrets have to be “good” to qualify? What about elephants, sharks, turkeys or blow-flies? Could there even be a bacteria heaven? Where is the line drawn?
When the ferret souls get inside the pearly gates, how can the inmates know whether it is a ferret or a human that has just turned up? After all, they left their body behind. Let's be sensible about this. Ferrets don't go to heaven, do they? Of course not. Nor do other animals Most people would think that total nonsense.
Yet millions of so called “mainstream” religious devotees all around the world hold a strong belief that one particular branch of the animal kingdom does just that. Only it is not ferrets but human beings.
Now that is not only quirky, it's downright worrying, because it seems that belief in this quirkiness is almost a prerequisite for holding high public office in this crazy world.