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No atheists allowed in foxholes

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Otis Willie PIO The American War Library

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Mar 12, 2008, 11:58:01 PM3/12/08
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No atheists allowed in foxholes
http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/03/10/no-atheists-allowed-in-foxholes/

{EXCERPT} World Magazine, NC According to an Associated Press account, Hall
alleges that Gates permits a military culture in which officers are encouraged
to pressure soldiers to adopt...

http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/03/10/no-atheists-allowed-in-foxholes/

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Tom Delancy

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Apr 1, 2008, 5:31:39 PM4/1/08
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Many Evangelical Christians are as un-American as the Muslim
Jihadists.
But the fanatics seem to have forgotten that the realities of the
foxhole can often convert many believers into atheists too.
It was literally in the foxhole that I began my journey to atheism.

Tom

Christopher A. Lee

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Apr 1, 2008, 5:38:19 PM4/1/08
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On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:31:39 -0400, Tom Delancy <tomde...@yahoo.com>
wrote:

My father was already atheist when he joined the RAF during WW2; his
father and step mother were phony spiritualists, holding seances to
talk to the dead, etc.

He was Lancaster bomber crew over Germany. Many of his friends there
became atheists. When they were in trouble the last thing anybody did
was pray - they were too busy trying to keep the damaged plane in the
air long enough to live. They needed to act as a team and nobody
wanted to fly with anybody who wasted time praying.

What he had to do turned him into a pacifist afterwards.

>Tom

Mike

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Jun 23, 2008, 12:45:43 AM6/23/08
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Responding to Tom Delancy:

Here's my problem with the whole "atheists in foxholes" thing...

Surely the ONLY people in foxholes are those who do NOT believe their
deity will save them from death? Or don't trust their deity to protect
them? Or actually have a problem with the idea their deity might have
decided they should die that day?

Any way up as I can see it, the argument actually evidences that it is
highly unlikely there would be any GENIUNE Xtians in foxholes. Simply
being in a foxhole means you are not a commited believer, and at best
only a Pasqual's Wager investor.


Following on from this, I'm curious if there are any verifiable instances
of Xtians walking into enemy fire, praying to their god to protect them,
and actually surviving. Just one confirmed occurance of somebody other
than an insane idiot surviving through sheer luck would be interesting
here.

--
*===( http://principiadiscordia.com/
*===( http://www.badphorm.co.uk/
*===( http://www.zenwalk.org/

Geoff Lane

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Jun 23, 2008, 1:45:43 PM6/23/08
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Mike <N...@arizona.bay> wrote:
> Following on from this, I'm curious if there are any verifiable instances
> of Xtians walking into enemy fire, praying to their god to protect them,
> and actually surviving. Just one confirmed occurance of somebody other
> than an insane idiot surviving through sheer luck would be interesting
> here.

There's the Gods Army lunatics

http://www.globalpolitician.com/21979-myanmar-burma

"At that time, adult rebels in the God's Army said they believed the twins
possessed animist and Christian powers to lead a guerrilla war and bestow
protection, for the entire group, from bullets and land mines."

They, of course, just made better targets.

--
Two hands working can do more than a thousand clasped in prayer

Paul Ciszek

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Jul 13, 2008, 12:05:10 PM7/13/08
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In article <xXu7k.13879$E41....@text.news.virginmedia.com>,

Mike <N...@Arizona.Bay> wrote:
>Responding to Tom Delancy:
>
>> Many Evangelical Christians are as un-American as the Muslim Jihadists.
>> But the fanatics seem to have forgotten that the realities of the
>> foxhole can often convert many believers into atheists too. It was
>> literally in the foxhole that I began my journey to atheism.
>>
>> Tom
>
>Here's my problem with the whole "atheists in foxholes" thing...
>
>Surely the ONLY people in foxholes are those who do NOT believe their
>deity will save them from death? Or don't trust their deity to protect
>them? Or actually have a problem with the idea their deity might have
>decided they should die that day?

Well, your deity may be able to save you from death, but he can't save
you from the sergeant. So if the sergeant says to go in the foxhole,
that's what you do. Unit, Corps, God, Country in that order.

--
Please reply to: | President Bush is promoting Peace and Democracy
pciszek at panix dot com | in the Middle East by selling Weapons to the
Autoreply is disabled | King of Saudi Arabia.

Christopher A.Lee

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Jul 14, 2008, 6:25:57 PM7/14/08
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On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 12:05:10 -0400, nos...@nospam.com (Paul Ciszek)
wrote:

>In article <xXu7k.13879$E41....@text.news.virginmedia.com>,
>Mike <N...@Arizona.Bay> wrote:
>>Responding to Tom Delancy:
>>
>>> Many Evangelical Christians are as un-American as the Muslim Jihadists.
>>> But the fanatics seem to have forgotten that the realities of the
>>> foxhole can often convert many believers into atheists too. It was
>>> literally in the foxhole that I began my journey to atheism.
>>>
>>> Tom
>>
>>Here's my problem with the whole "atheists in foxholes" thing...
>>
>>Surely the ONLY people in foxholes are those who do NOT believe their
>>deity will save them from death? Or don't trust their deity to protect
>>them? Or actually have a problem with the idea their deity might have
>>decided they should die that day?
>
>Well, your deity may be able to save you from death, but he can't save
>you from the sergeant. So if the sergeant says to go in the foxhole,
>that's what you do. Unit, Corps, God, Country in that order.

I thought it was scary when the officer (Kiefer Sutherland) said that
in "A Few Good Men".

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