Once again the old professor will throw some history your way…..
There is a saying about atheists and foxholes…..we are remembering World War One, 1914-1918 and the world that the war created. The war helped make America the world power it was to become……
World War One had some of the most horrific battles of the modern age……battles where hundreds of thousands are killed and as many are maimed……
The are ten battles that would make a devout person question their beliefs……
World War I is responsible for destroying Christianity as a moral order. Christianity survives today, of course, and even thrives in parts of the world, but it does so in the West as a form of resistance or as a reprieve from the day-to-day grind of life in secular democracies. This was not always the case. What is now known as Europe was once referred to as “Christendom” due to the fact that Europeans by and large operated under a Christian moral order.
This is a tough sell, but look at the Middle East. Today, the Middle East is often referred to as the “Muslim World” and Middle Eastern states are commonly known as Muslim states. Prior to World War I, this was also the case with European countries. This understanding, of Europe as Christendom, became weaker as the 18th and 19th centuries progressed, but large swaths of the world still thought of Europe as Christendom and many foreign affairs conducted by European governments were viewed through the lens of Christianity up until the end of World War I. Christianity enjoyed a cultural prominence in European societies, even the secular ones, that controlled the moral order of European thought and action. Christianity was hegemonic in Europe.
I can see where this war would test a person’s religious beliefs……the amount of dead after each battle would make a sane person question their beliefs and their faith.
In Saner Thought 
I lost my Christianity in Vietnam and became a Buddhist. Chaplains were telling soldiers that the killing was okay because the enemy was evil.
Sounds similar to my experience……I became a Gnostic….chuq
Of course there are Atheists in foxholes; often the foxhole creates the Atheists
I agree but only someone that knows what is meant by the “foxhole”…..chuq
Back when I wrote my food blog I believe you were a visitor……I recognized the “Libertas and Latte”……chuq
That’s an interesting argument in the article. It is worth noting that many kept their faith during and after the slaughter of WW1. Whether Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox, some managed to return home convinced that it had all been a ‘just cause’.
Best wishes, Pete.
I guess the devout could find their beliefs intact…..I was not that lucky…..chuq
I am a foxhole atheist. Three combat deployments to Iraq and even when it got real hairy, it didn’t occur to me to pray to the Easter Bunny, Bugs Bunny, Santa Claus, Harry Potter, or Jesus, because I don’t believe in any of them.
My 2 and half years in Vietnam and I not once did I pray to anyone or thing…..BTW how perfect was Easter on April Fools Day? Thanx for the visit and comment….chuq
Lol! Easter on April fools day, very fitting.
Exactly….2018 was just a great year….LOL chuq
Thanks for serving homies! Idk if this counts, but I had cancer and currently have a lot of questionable spots growing in my lungs and liver. The possibility of dying becomes a very real part of your life and all through it I never looked up with either hate or plead. It feels liberating to deal with this in a common reality with the oncologist and probabilities. It’s my foxhole, and I’m an atheist.
Totally counts, dude. Best of luck.
A great read for skeptics:
The Cure, imagine there’s no religion.
A novel from David Millett
#Novel #SciFi #DMP http://davidmillett.net/Books/TheCure/TheCure.aspx
The crazy thing about this war, if you’re a Christian God knew it was going to happen.
True if so then why not avoid all the death and destruction….thanx for the visit and the comment…..much appreciated…..chuq
I think if I believed In it that would be an excellent question.
It is not God…it is always man…..chuq
I think so.