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I have head this before. Atheists pray in foxholes.
Has anyone experienced this in battle or heard of this first hand?
I have never been in an armed conflict, but I have been a volunteer firefighter for over 30 years, and I have been in a number of situations where I could have easily died or been severely injured. The worst that actually happened was some broken ribs and 2nd degree burns on my shoulders and back.
The absolute last thing on my mind in these situations was praying, begging, or whatever you want to call it to some deity, as that will kill you dead.
This is where you clear your mind of all nonsense, and you use your training, your instinct and your knowledge in addition to keeping a calm head, to keep you and your partner alive.
What would I pray to, as I don't believe in any god...In all of these situations I was too busy thinking of ways to save myself to waste my time praying...I'm not sure even a Christian would pray in some of those situations...Perhaps in a foxhole though, where one has no control over what happens, I can see believers desperately praying, but not atheists.
What would I pray to, as I don't believe in any god...In all of these situations I was too busy thinking of ways to save myself to waste my time praying...I'm not sure even a Christian would pray in some of those situations...Perhaps in a foxhole though, where one has no control over what happens, I can see believers desperately praying, but not atheists.
If you don't mind me asking why do you not believe?
Have you ever thought about how or if it could be possible that things could exist?
No, nature tried to kill me a couple of times during my 23 years at sea....We were even caught in a waterspout once.... Then there was the old lady who tried to kill me while I was riding my motorcycle....Does a heart attack count?
As a kid I fell through the ice on a river and washed downstream under the ice....Probably the scariest few minutes of my life....Never prayed once
Wow. Some close calls! The little old lady....really?
My grandmother was in a concentration camp in Germany for helping the Jewish people hide. She said at the time she prayed for help for her family. None came. At that point she stopped believing and told me to never waste my time. I was recently told I had cervical cancer and had to had a hysterectomy. I didn't pray for saving, I thought, ok time to fight, let the medical people do what they can. I am now cancer free. cant say what I would do in a fox hole, but dont see myself praying, see myself fighting for survival and what ever happens happens.
I think one issue is even if it does occur it may not mean much. I do not believe in the Pledge of Allegiance, but I found myself saying it during a memorial for 9-11 victims. Did this mean I'd had a real change of heart on nationalism? No, not really. My main loyalty is still to God and Humanity, it can't/mustn't be contained within the bounds of some ephemeral nation. Especially one created by Masons, Deists, and Anti-Catholics. Still it really upset me at first that I'd done it as it seemed a breach of principle. I decided it was more about solidarity to the victims and a kind of conformity you feel in a group situation.
So if an atheist is in with a bunch of doomed soldiers I think it probably is likely he/she would pray if the others pray. However I think that might simply be the bond among soldiers or a sense of solidarity. The atheist I knew best would pray with my Mom on occasion. Not all atheists are obsessed with their atheism 24-7. I think he felt that praying with my Mom was comforting for her and he was being a good friend. (I think he might have been going through an agnostic phase at that point, but I've heard of atheists who see prayer as harmless if pointless. Lots of people will do "harmless if pointless" things on special occasions to make someone happy.)
Even if an atheist prayed alone when they felt they were in certain doom they could just decide afterward it was a kind of temporary insanity. Soldiers will cry out for their Moms even if there Mom is dead. So an atheist could say it was simply an irrational moment where regressed into childhood and I don't know if I could say otherwise. Although this means it might vary depending on whether the person was raised atheist or became atheist after childhood.
If you don't mind me asking why do you not believe?
In tried for twenty years, but belief in god requires that one has to abandon reason and logic...I was unable to do that.
Quote:
Have you ever thought about how or if it could be possible that things could exist?
Of course I have, but what "things" are you talking about? Lots of things exist beyond our knowledge...New discoveries are made almost daily, but gods, ghosts, holy or not, heaven and hell...I don't think so.
Ricky Bobby on fire: Help me, Jesus! Help me, Jewish God! Help me, Allah! Help me, Tom Cruise! Tom Cruise, use your witchcraft to get the fire off me! Help me, Oprah Winfrey - Talladega Nights
It's kind of like that.
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