Was Terry Pratchett brought up a Catholic?

[poohcarrot]

Before rejecting any notion of a God-like entity, am I right in assuming Sir Pterry was initially brought up a Catholic?

[Dotsie]

No idea, sorry. Do you think that because catholics make the best atheists?

[poohcarrot]

No. Something I just read in a Discworld book. If he did have a Catholic upbringing, then what I've just read would make a lot of sense.

I know he'd read the whole of the Old Testament by the time he was 12 or 13. Then read Darwin.

I wasn't brought up a Catholic and I'm an atheist.

[Doughnut Jimmy]

Are you going to enlighten us with which bit in which book? Please?

[poohcarrot]

I will do very shortly I promise.

[poohcarrot]

Oooh. I've just found the answer. He was brought up traditional C of E.

(wonderful things these internets)

[Bouncy Castle]

I was brought up CofE by both believing parents, but I don't think the world was created by an "entity" who did the stuff, and had the seventh day with his/her/it's feet up.


Mum is not pleased with my "belief".

What's the catholic that you think TP is?

[theoldlibrarian]

Terry Pratchett is not strictly speaking an Atheist. He is a member of the Humanist association of Britain(although Im not sure thats there official name).
He doesnt condemn the idea of there being a god so much as the human traits that we apply to them. This comes up in the Discworld novels with the horsemen of the apocalypse.

[Dotsie]

I've never been under the impression that TP is anti-gods (whatever his beliefs may be), but he certainly seems to be anti-religion. And I can't say I blame him.

[Tonyblack]

Terry seems to be firmly of the opinon (and I tend to agree) that gods are a creation of man. Without people to believe in them, a god doesn't exist. And the more people believe in a god, the stronger that god becomes.

It has always seemed to me that gods are created to explain the unexplainable. To give hope that death is not the end of existance and to try to give some sort of reason for our existance.

[poohcarrot]

If you don't believe in God, you are an atheist. That is the dictionary definition. You may believe in humanism, witchcraft or a great flying teapot in the sky, but it still means you are an atheist.

[Dotsie]

Surely it means not believing in any god or gods, not just God. If you believe the flying teapot is a god, how is that different to being a member of any other religion? The Christian god is not the same as others, but people who beieve in these gods aren't atheists.

[theoldlibrarian]

The definition of an atheist is not : someone who doesnt believe in a god
it is: someone who believes there is no god

otherwise they would just be an agnostic.
I think tonyblack put it the best. Pratchett's religous views are very similar to those of John Steinbeck.

[poohcarrot]

Are you going to enlighten us with which bit in which book? Please?

Page 26 Pyramids. I thought it was a reference to Catholic priest child abuse.

If you believe the flying teapot is a god, how is that different to being a member of any other religion?

I don't believe the teapot has magical powers or can grant people wishes, I just believe it's a teapot that happens to be orbitting the world.

The definition of an atheist is not : someone who doesnt believe in a god, it is: someone who believes there is no god

otherwise they would just be an agnostic.

As far as I can see there is no difference between your two definitions of an atheist. And I don't agree with your definition of agnostic.

a. You believe in a God.

b. You aren't sure if there's a god or not = agnostic

c. You don't believe in a God = atheist

[Dotsie]

c. You don't believe in a God = atheist

That's not what you said first time, smartypants. So if a person believes that the flying teapot is a god (not a God - that's different), then they are not an atheist.

For an atheist, you are more obsessed with God than any christian I've ever met