Terry Pratchett is my favourite author.
He sadly died in March of this year, bringing to an end one of the most famous and well-loved series of books (The Discworld Series – fantasy satire is maybe the closest definition of the style although he covered many different stories in a variety of clever ways), probably of all-time.
The last book he wrote, The Shepherd’s Crown, sits next to my bed ready to be consumed. I am still waiting for the right moment when I can completely enjoy it with all of my attention.
MY FAVOURITE ATHEIST
Despite being a renowned atheist, I found that time and time again, Terry managed to speak such truth about the world and spiritual things.
Two quotes that spring to mind that show he really got it are:
“Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things.” – Terry Pratchett
and:
“Goodness is about what you do. Not who you pray to.” – Terry Pratchett, Snuff
However, it is from his book titled Carpe Jugulum that I found what I still think is one of the best understandings of Christianity or faith (from an outsider’s perspective) ever and I have shared this with people on many occasions.
The title Carpe Jugulum is a play on the Latin of “Carpe Diem” (Seize the day) and as it is a story about vampires, is more aptly, “Seize the throat”. In this passage a young priest from a religion where the god is called Om is walking along with a witch called Granny Weatherwax who is a wily old lady who uses headology (making people believe in the power they think you have but focusing more on herbs and passed down knowledge than actual magic) to maintain the power people see her as having…
“They walked on in silence. A shower of hail bounced off Granny’s pointed hat and Oat’s wide brim.
Then Granny said, “It’s no good you trying to make me believe in Om, though.”
“Om forbid that I should try, Mistress Weatherwax. I haven’t even given you a pamphlet, have I?”
“No, but you’re trying to make me think, “Oo, what a nice young man, his god must be something special if nice young men like him helps old ladies like me,” aren’t you?”
“No.”
“Really? Well it’s not working. People you can believe in,
sometimes, but not gods. And I’ll tell you this Mister Oats…”He sighed. “Yes?”
She turned to face him, suddenly alive. “it’d be as well for you if I didn’t believe,” she said, prodding him with a sharp finger. “This Om…anyone seen him?”
“It is said three thousand people witnessed his manifestation at the Great Temple when he made the Covenant with the prophet Brutha and saved him from death by torture on the iron turtle-“
“But I bet that now they’re arguing about what they actually saw, eh?”
“Well, indeed, yes, there are many opinions-“
“Right. Right. That’s people for you. Now if I’d seen him, really there, really alive, it’d be in me like a fever. If I thought there was some god who really did care two hoots about people, and who watched ’em like a father and cared for ’em like a mother…well, you wouldn’t catch me saying things like “There are two sides to every question,” and “We must respect other peoples beliefs.” You wouldn’t find me just being gen’rally nice in the hope that it’d all turn out right in the end, not if that flame was burning in me like
an unforgivin’ sword. And I did say burnin’, Mister Oats, cos that’s what it’d be. You say that your people don’t burn folk and sacrifice people any more, but that’s what true faith would mean, y’see? Sacrificin’ your own life, one day at a time, to the flame, declarin’ the truth of it, workin’ for it, breathin’ the soul of it. That’s religion. Anything else is just…is just bein’ nice. And a way of keepin’ in touch with the neighbours.She relaxed slightly, and went on in a quieter voice. “Anyway, that’s what I’d be, if I really believed. And I don’t think that’s fashionable right now, ‘cos it seems that if you sees evil now you have to wring your hands and say, “Oh deary me, we must debate this.” That’s my two penn’orth, Mister Oats. You be happy to let things lie. Don’t chase faith, ‘cos you’ll never catch it.” She added, almost as an aside, “But, perhaps, you can live faithfully.”
Her teeth chattered as a gust of icy wind flapped her wet dress around her legs.
“You got another book of holy words on you?” she added.
“No,” said Oats, still shocked. He thought: my god, if she ever finds a religion, what would come out of those mountains and sweep across the plains?”
(Terry Pratchett,Carpe Jugulum)
This resonated with a quote from Billy Graham who once preached, “The single biggest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and then walk out the door and deny Him with their lifestyles. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
It seems like Terry Pratchett was asking his Christian audience: What if you actually lived out the stuff you say you believe? What would the world look like then? It’s a question I ask of myself and other followers of Jesus every single day.
How about you?