Here's one for all the family - a real life example of the Leprechaun conundrum:

Filipino 'dwarf' judge loses case

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
A Philippines judge who said he consulted imaginary mystic dwarves has failed to convince the Supreme Court to allow him to keep his job.
Florentino Floro was appealing against a three-year inquiry which led to his removal due to incompetence and bias.

He told investigators three mystic dwarves - Armand, Luis and Angel - had helped him to carry out healing sessions during breaks in his chambers.

The court said psychic phenomena had no place in the judiciary.

The bench backed a medical finding that the judge was suffering from psychosis.

'Dwarf dalliance'

The Manila trial judge had asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the complaint and return him to the bench, after being sacked in April.

"They should not have dismissed me for what I believed," Mr Floro told reporters after filing his appeal in May.

The judge said he had made a covenant with his dwarf friends that he could write while in a trance and that he had been seen by several people in two places at the same time.

Judge Floro reportedly changed from blue court robes to black each Friday "to recharge his psychic powers".

In a letter to the court he said: "From obscurity, my name and the three mystic dwarves became immortal."

However, the Supreme Court said dalliance with dwarves would gradually erode the public's acceptance of the judiciary as the guardian of the law, if not make it an object of ridicule.


Now, can the theologians amongst us explain to this simple soul why Judge Floro gets canned for believing in dwarven advisors, whereas if he expressed the belief that his god guided his decisions, he would no doubt be destined for the Supreme Court.

Like many other parts of the world, Filipino courts require one to swear on a holy book to one's god that testimony given will be truthful. How is the validity of that unprovable, supernatural superstition stronger than the dwarves of law? Is it weight of numbers - ie because x number of people believe in y, it holds moral authority over z? Or length of tradition?

I am genuinely intrigued.

*having lit the blue touch paper, stands well back*