The news of the two consultations has been welcomed by the British Humanist Association (BHA), a charity which campaigns for an end to any mandatory promise to God or another deity or religion.

BBC: Scouts consider oath for atheists

For one, though the presiding deity of the Juna Order for men is Dattatreya, (a three-faced minor god) we are thinking of incorporating Dattatreya's mother Anusuya as our presiding deity.

BBC: Group of Juna Sanyasini Akhara dancing in a ring

Some members of the public joked about wearing masks and goggles to brave the incense fumes and smog to pray for blessings from the God of Wealth, an especially popular deity during Chinese New Year, the newspaper notes.

BBC: China media: Wukan frustration

But in the game of playing God, Dr Bodenschatz is bidding fair to achieve the status of a minor deity.

ECONOMIST: Geophysics