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
N.Y.-based think tank that promotes the non-religious philosophy
of humanism. IHS President Larry Jones will speak at the welcome
banquet on Nov. 10, and IHS Executive Director Matt Cherry will
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."
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