Atheists in foxholes
jewel March 3rd, 2008
This post is a bit of a continuation of A question of faith. That post, like this one, was written to answer an assumption made by an acquaintance regarding atheists. The assumption that this post deals with is the myth that there are no atheists in foxholes. Here I’m not just referring to atheists in the military, but rather a more broad foxhole; that of rough times in ones life.
My acquaintance said that faith got him through rough times – going to work when he really hated his job, marital strains, etc. He could not conceive anyone being able to make it through life without asking god for help. He made the assumption that I simply had never had anything particularly bad happen to me. Oh, I have – and much worse, I might add than the examples he gave me, not that I am going to go into detail here. And faith didn’t get me through any of it. My strength of will did. What’s the alternative? Die? I’m not done living yet, thank you very much.
At one point during the conversation, he gave me a confused look and asked me if I’ve ever had a job I hated. Of course I have. Faith didn’t get me to work, but rather a sense of responsibility that I had bills to pay and the desire to be able to use that job as a reference for future jobs. I’ve also been in destructive relationships and faith didn’t get me through those either. Nor did faith get me out of them. At some point you just decide you’ve had enough and stop the cycle. I also told him that everyone should taste rough times so that they can better recognize and appreciate the good times. I look upon my life as a cycle of learning about myself and other people.
People are far stronger and more resilient than they give themselves credit for. Sure, none of us are an island. We cannot always depend solely on ourselves to get through hard times or enjoy the good times. That’s where friends and family come in. There’s also the option of counseling, if you choose that route. A belief in god is not only not necessary for good mental well being, but in my opinion having that belief can have negative effects on ones self reliance and self esteem. And also, contrary to what he, and many other people I’ve encountered in my years, choose to believe, it is very much possible to lead a good, well adjusted life without religion.
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Many people fall back on religion simply to avoid taking responsibility for their own lives. If your life sucks, they say it’s because it’s God’s will. never mind that maybe you’re an alcoholic who can’t hold down a job.
Or if your home is destroyed by a tornado, it’s God’s will. The fact that you were living in a mobile home in the middle of Kansas has nothing to do with it.
Yeah, I’ve found that to be true, too. And, ironically, I’ve been accused by Christians of being atheist because I didn’t want to take responsibility , which is just weird.