100 YEARS OLD AND STILL SOLVING GREAT PROBLEMS...

RESOLVING differences between disparate organisations to form a joint framework under which they may proceed together is a difficult task as the talks between the Prime Minister and the DUP have amply demonstrated. But while all this has been going on I have been engaged on a far greater task involving not just the UK but the entire world.

According to Wikipedia, the world’s two leading religions in terms of numbers of adherents are Christianity (31.5 per cent of the world population) and Islam (22.32 per cent). A coalition between them would therefore attract the support of 53.8 per cent which would give them an absolute majority.

Forming such a coalition however seems fraught with insuperable problems, rather like trying to form a coalition between Conservative and Labour, so the best hope would, I think, be for the Christians to seek support from some of the smaller religions.

While Hinduism, with around 13.95 per cent of the world, may seem an attractive option, it seems to me that a better chance of a deal, as well as a slightly larger share of the vote, would be offered by the adherents labelled together as “Secular/Nonreligious/ Agnostic/Atheist” who are said to amount to 15.35 per cent of people on Earth. Together with the Christians, they will therefore add up to 46.85 per cent and would thus only need the support of the Buddhists (5.25 per cent) to gain an overall majority.

There would, of course, be some doctrinal differences to overcome before all sides are willing to put their names to a deal. But it seems to me that none of these is as potentially fractious as some of the issues facing Mrs May and Ms Arlene Foster.

Naturally, in view of the manifestos of the three parties to any agreement, it will be essential to iron out the differences between them on the aftereffects of death. With the Christians offering Heaven, the non-believers dismissing or at least doubting the existence of such a place, and the Buddhists putting their faith in reincarnation, the differences may seem insuperable. But I think a simple solution offers itself: since the nonbelievers insist that death is total oblivion for an individual, they would not have the slightest concern for what happens to them after it. The Christians could therefore offer reincarnation to the Buddhists which won’t offend their own supporters in the slightest as they don’t believe in reincarnation. The Buddhists equally will not envy the post-demise treats offered in a Christian Heaven as they don’t believe in that either.

It’s all quite similar to the idea of a Conservative-DUP coalition when you come to think about it. Just as the Parliamentary coalition is finding that it will have to fudge its beliefs about Irish border controls, abortion, gay marriage and generally flinging money at the Northern Irish economy, the Christian/atheist/Buddhist coalition will have to brush under the carpet little problems like God and vegetarianism. But some parts of the Anglican Church have a famous tolerance of atheists, so I do not see why it shouldn’t work.