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Human Rights  » There ARE Atheists in Foxholes!

There ARE Atheists in Foxholes!

Nov. 9, 2005

The expression "There are no atheists in foxholes" is widely

used by religious leaders, politicians and the media.

It is a false and bigoted statement.

"There are atheists in foxholes," says atheist Jason Torpy of

Ohio, a retired U.S. Army captain.

Torpy joined the Army in 1994 right after graduating high

school. He now serves as president of the Military Association

of Atheists and Freethinkers, an Internet-based support network

for non-theistic service members.

On Nov. 10-11, Torpy will join other atheist veterans and active

duty service members to participate in a Washington D.C. event

honoring those who have served in the United States Armed Forces

and who do not believe in God or gods. On Friday, Nov. 11, there

will be a Veterans Day "Atheists in Foxholes" parade and rally

on the national mall, starting at 11 a.m.

World War II journalist Ernie Pyle is often credited for coining

the expression "There are no atheists in foxholes." The canard-

turned-cliché implies that an atheist will quickly turn to a god

or gods for assistance in times of duress. Some atheist veterans

refute that implication with first-hand experience.

"As a member of the Army for more than 20 years, I have faced

danger -- along with thousands of other atheists who have served

-- and have never felt compelled to call upon any invisible

deities in the sky for protection," said U.S. Army Master Sgt.

Kathleen Johnson, an atheist on active duty at Fort Hood, Texas.

Retired U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Warren Allen Smith, an octogenarian,

also refutes the claim that danger turns atheists into

"believers". After being drafted into the Army during World War

II, Smith led his company onto Omaha Beach in 1944.

"I was one of those 'atheists in a foxhole'," Smith said. "With

Bertrand Russell, I am well aware that when we die we become

food for the worms. And, well, after Omaha Beach who's afraid of

worms?"

The author of Who's Who in Hell and Celebrities in

Hell, Smith now lives in New York City. He will join a

roster of distinguished veterans and freethought leaders to

speak during the "Atheist in Foxholes" Veterans Day rally.

Another veteran slated to speak, is Hans Kasten, an American

prisoner of war who was forced into slave labor by the Nazis

during World War II.

In spite of what images the event's title might evoke, Master

Sgt. Johnson said the "Atheists in Foxholes" march is not about

war.

"It's about debunking the pernicious myth that patriotic and

courageous military service requires religious faith," she said.

The rally is also intended to give freethinkers the chance to

show support for the members of their community who have served

or are serving in the armed forces. Master Sgt. Johnson said it

is important for the community to know that atheists in the

military face harassment and discrimination because of their

lack of religious beliefs.

"The military is very much about 'god and country'," she said.

"And religious rituals are incorporated into pretty much every

significant military event and ceremony."

That's partially why Master Sgt. Johnson founded the Military

Association of Atheists and Freethinkers in 1997. She is also

the military director of American Atheists, the national

organization sponsoring the Veterans Day events to honor

military atheists.

One of the endorsing organizations of the "Atheists in Foxholes"

event is the Institute for Humanist Studies (IHS), an Albany

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N.Y.-based think tank that promotes the non-religious philosophy

of humanism. IHS President Larry Jones is slated to speak at the

welcome banquet on Nov. 10, and IHS Executive Director Matt

Cherry is slated to speak at the Nov. 11 rally.

Cherry said that the expression "There are no atheists in

foxholes" is one of several myths about atheists perpetuated by

the media.

"When someone says there are no atheists in foxholes, or in

hurricanes, they are saying there are no true atheists," Cherry

said. "When the media describe me as a 'self-declared atheist'

-- but don't call the Pope a 'self-declared Christian' -- they

are saying that I am deluded and he is for real. They are saying

'atheism' isn't for real."

Retired U.S. Army Captain Torpy also noted that the saying is

not only insulting to atheists but to those who follow a

religion, as well, because "it implies that fear, rather than

belief or love, is a legitimate basis for faith."

For information about the Nov. 11 "Atheists in Foxholes" march

and rally in Washington D.C., visit:

http://www.atheistfoxholes.org; see also: www.atheists.org.

For information about the Military Association of Atheists and

Freethinkers, visit: http://www.maaf.info.

About the author:

Duncan Crary is the director of communications at the Institute

for Humanist Studies. He is the editor of the Institute's weekly

e-zine, http://www.HumanistNetworkNews.org. The Institute for

Humanist Studies promotes humanism, a non-religious philosophy

based on reason and compassion. IHS advances human rights,

secular ethics and the separation of religion and government

through advocacy, innovation and collaboration.

http://www.HumanistStudies.org