There are no atheists in foxholes

The statement "There are no atheists in foxholes" is an aphorism used to argue that in times of extreme stress or fear, such as when participating in warfare, all people will believe in or hope for a higher power.^[1]

Origin

The precise origin of the phrase is uncertain. Various sources credit Lieutenant Colonel William J. Clear^{[clarification needed - do you mean William J. Cleary ? -]}, or Lieutenant Colonel William Casey,^[2] but the phrase is most often attributed to journalist Ernie Pyle.^[3][4][5] It has also been attributed to U.S. Military Chaplain William T. Cummings in a field sermon during the Battle of Bataan in 1942.

Usage

While primarily used to comment on the specific experiences faced by combat soldiers, the aphorism is often adapted to other perilous situations such as "there are no atheists in Probate Court".^[6] While the term is occasionally used to imply that all soldiers in combat are "converted" while under fire, it is most commonly only used to emphasise the belief of the sayer that many people tend to seek out a divine power when they are facing an extreme threat.^[1][7] The quote is also referenced when discussing the opposite effect — that warfare will cause some soldiers to question their existing belief in a god due to the death and violence around them.^[8][9][10]

The quote has also been used in non-military contexts. In September 2008, in the depths of the financial crisis of 2007–2010, both Ben Bernanke and Paul Krugman popularized a version of the quote in reference to financial crises. They paraphrased Harvard professor Jeffrey Frankel, who originally wrote in the Cato Journal a year earlier, "They say 'there are no atheists in foxholes.' Perhaps, then, there are also no libertarians in crises."^[11] The sentence is also quoted in the Gustav Hasford's novel The Short-Timers.

Notable counterexamples

During the coverage of his death and subsequent cryonic suspension, Baseball Hall of Famer and combat fighter pilot Ted Williams was reported to be an atheist by his former teammate Johnny Pesky.^[12][13] Richard Tillman, in giving the eulogy for his brother, former NFL player and soldier Pat Tillman, stated that Tillman "wasn't religious.".^[14] Tillman's atheism is confirmed in a documentary about his life.^[15] In his 1988 book "Intellectuals," Paul Johnson states that writer and World War I veteran^[16] Ernest Hemingway "not only did not believe in God but regarded organized religion as a menace to human happiness."^[17] Philip Paulson, plaintiff in several of the lawsuits in the Mount Soledad cross controversy, was an atheist Vietnam combat veteran.^[18]

Joe Simpson, author of the book Touching The Void, explicitly addresses the issue in the film adaptation of his nearly fatal climb of the Siula Grande mountain. Referring to the moment he lay at the bottom of a deep crevasse, dehydrated, alone and with a broken leg, he states: '"I was totally convinced I was on my own, that no one was coming to get me. I was brought up as a devout Catholic. I'd long since stopped believing in God. I always wondered if things really hit the fan, whether I would, under pressure, turn round and say a few Hail Marys and say 'Get me out of here'. It never once occurred to me. It meant that I really don't believe and I really do think that when you die, you die, that's it, there's no afterlife." ^[19]

The Military Association of Atheists & Freethinkers, an atheist organization, opposes the use of this phrase. They have adopted the catchphrase of "Atheists in Foxholes" to emphasize that the original statement is just an aphorism and not a statistical fact. The religious convictions of current U.S. military personnel are similar to that of the general American population, though studies suggest members of the military are slightly less religious.^[20] This organization maintains a list of over 200 of its members who choose to publicly show their service and to show that there are atheists in foxholes, on ships, and in planes.^[21]

James Morrow has been quoted as saying "'There are no atheists in foxholes' isn't an argument against atheism, it's an argument against foxholes."^[22]

Monument

The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Madison, Wisconsin, based organization, has erected a monument to "Atheists in Foxholes" because of its opposition to the statement of "no atheists in foxholes." The monument reads:

"In memory of ATHEISTS IN FOXHOLES and the countless FREETHINKERS who have served this country with honor and distinction. Presented by the national Freedom From Religion Foundation with hope that in the future humankind may learn to avoid all war.”^[23]

References

External links

• A skeptical analysis of the phrase “There are no atheists in foxholes”