Comments on: Atheists in Foxholes

By: reddy6ue

reddy6ue — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 04:38:49 +0000

You don’t have to go that far. I faced a life threatening illness in my early twenties. I was a deeply religious person going into the ICU, and an atheist when I came out two months later.

By: believerskeptic

believerskeptic — Sun, 18 Aug 2013 00:19:11 +0000

There are no theists in foxholes.

The soldier, in the line of fire, rejects the idea of a supernatural God saving his or her skin, and instead, sensibly seeks the protection of the foxhole.

By: Rev. James

Rev. James — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 14:35:22 +0000

I remember watching, on the History Channel, a show about Epic Tank Battles. . . I believe it was El Alemein.

One British tanker, when speaking of the horror of the battle, said (and I’m paraphrasing), “It knocked all the religion right out of me.”

In this case, at least, it appears that the exact opposite of “there are no Atheists in foxholes.” The foxhole gave birth to the Atheist, to mangle a saying.

I was once a “believer.” I was even an Altar Boy. I became an Altar Boy because I had recently lost my father – the thing which started my first questioning of god, etc. Thought that becoming an Altar Boy would put me closer to the source, as it were, and help me to gain a better understanding.
It didn’t.

Even as a small child, I had a big interest in science. At an age where not a single classmate could spell Paleontology, much less knew what it was, I was studying to be one.

Science won. As you said, it’s verifiable and replicable.

I’m not Atheist, in the usual way. Nature is my religion. Not in the “man in the sky” way, but in the “plants and animals and people are all connected” way. We here on Earth can’t be the only Life in the Universe – even the most anorexic probability precludes it. The Internet doesn’t run by Divine Intervention.

By: Andrew G.

Andrew G. — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 01:55:58 +0000

It’s just spam. (The payload is the link)

By: Tony

Tony — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 22:30:04 +0000

What are you indicating, man? I recognize everyones got their own viewpoint, but really? Listen, your weblog is cool. I like the effort you put into it, especially with the vids and the pics. But, come on. Theres gotta be a better way to say this, a way that doesnt make it seem like everybody here is stupid!

-Is this supposed to make sense? Or is it just spam?

By: Blah blah blah

Blah blah blah — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:03:46 +0000

Spam deleted. Normally I just delete spam without notice, but others have commented on it, so I’m leaving this notification in place so readers aren’t confused.

By: 'Tis Himself, OM

'Tis Himself, OM — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 01:59:28 +0000

I did six years in the US military. I was an atheist going into the Navy and an atheist coming I was a nuclear mechanic in a submarine which had a collision with a Soviet sub. I was the Engine Room Lower Level watch during the collision. I didn't cry out for Jebus, Vishnu or Huitzilopotchli. Instead I worked on shutting down the starboard side of the plant. Fortunately we'd already had the SUBSAFE conversion so we had backups for all the hull valves, because even Ol' Yahweh would have had problems shutting MSW-1.

By: sunnydale75

sunnydale75 — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 23:53:36 +0000

>>Whatever… Don’t talk about that which you could not even begin to understand – unless you’ve been there.<<

By this logic, most people would have very little to talk about. As I type this, I'm watching one of the home buyer shows on HGTV. I don't understand the intricacies of the housing market, so I guess I can't comment on some of the ridiculous expectations of new home buyers.

I'm not a lawyer or a doctor, so I probably shouldn't comment on the trial of Michael Jackson's lawyer.

I'm not a musician, and I don't know the first thing about muscial composition, so I can't comment on Michael Jackson's music.

I don't understand any of the complex structures of the universe, so I can't comment on them.

I can't talk about the ridiculousness of people getting irate that Kim Kardashian is getting a divorce after 72 days since I know nothing about her marriage or the lives of people who got angry at that news (heck, I can't talk about marriage at all, since I've never been married, and the US isn't exactly the most gay marriage friendly country at present).

I think I can stick to that which I do know: bartending. I've been doing it 12 years now, so I know some stuff. Oh wait, even though I worked at a higher end restaurant, my wine knowledge isn't as advanced as many others. In fact, there are some things about wine that I "…could not begin to even understand" so I can't talk about that either.

Sheesh. What's left to chat about?

Tony

By: sunnydale75

sunnydale75 — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 23:36:45 +0000

On January 7, 2010, I came home from work to discover that one of my dearest friends died. His name was Micah and the depth of our friendship was such that others would consider the two of us soul mates (agreement on matters of both great importance and sheer triviality; an unceasing desire to be around each other; finishing each others’ sentences; being able to annoy one another where NO ONE else could and more; it’s actually hard to quantify what our friendship was like–while we were both gay, our friendship was everything most people associate with couples, save the lack of sexual chemistry). I came home to discover his body at roughly 11pm on Thursday, January 7. I don’t think I’ve ever cried as hard or as long as I did after that. I remember specifically thinking, wishing even, that I could believe in heaven and an all loving god. I wanted to believe that my friend was in a better place and that one day I would be able to see him again and enjoy his presence.

I couldn’t.

I simply could not make myself believe in something that absurd.

In my case, at least, being confronted with the death of a close loved one did not make me renounce my non-theist status. If anything it made me appreciate the time I had with him and the short time I have on this planet.

Tony

By: Israel Walker

Israel Walker — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:32:56 +0000

Oddly, I’m the only member of the MAAF that’s commented. There’s a lot of atheists in the military, and yes some serve in combat positions. There are also religious crazies, but AmeriChristian viewpoints are sort of required for promotion. The religious indoctrination is mostly from middle and upper level officers and upper level enlisted people.