There are no true believers in the fox hole, not after the guy next to you gets blown up, and he was a better person than you?
2006-09-09 18:48:15 · 15 answers · asked by zclifton2 6 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
It is not out of our strength we turned to God, but out of our weakness.
Nor is it out of our righteousness we seek God. We all go there looking for mercy we don't deserve.
Hence, if that could happen to a good guy what could happen to me. God have mercy on me (which I don't deserve), God help me, God, i didn't believe in you a minute ago but I do now. Please save me. Something inside us tells us where to turn when the chips are down. It just does. AKA a foxhole prayer.
2006-09-09 18:51:38 · answer #1 · answered by quarterton2001 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Read Jack London's "Sea Wolf." It plays on this topic a bit.
In a few scenes of the book Humphrey Van Weden (the main character) talks about eternal life. Wolf Larsen (the captain of the ship) states that if people truly believed in eternal life then they would accept death readily. He says that in thier deepest psyche they KNOW that there is no life after this and that is why humans struggle to survive in thier moment of death.
So that would mean that anyone scared and praying to live at the last moments of hellish war in a foxhole are actually demonstrating thier atheism... Interesting thought.
But you could play this against them knowing that they are going to hell, and that is worse than just an end to this life.
Basically the fact that human struggle to live at their last moments shows that the theory that everyone goes on to a better place is wrong, regardless of whether there is a selection for a better place or just an end to life completely.
2006-09-10 04:30:09 · answer #2 · answered by AJ 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There Are Atheists In Foxholes.
2006-09-10 02:09:10 · answer #3 · answered by February Rain 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When you're standing next to the thresold of death and all faith is gone, all can do is hope. When a Marine or soldier has been in the s**t for too long and witnessed many great friends/comrades/brothers drop beside you, praying fades while survival matters the most because its only LUCK & skills that counts. In war, theres no such thing as blessings to survive, its all pure luck because war IS messy hell.
2006-09-10 14:42:52 · answer #4 · answered by souljah_n_lover 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a saying that proves the point that man's instinct for survival included a need for religion and god in particular. Requests by the 'unworthy' to have the laws of the universe repealed in their favor. It's an instinct going back to our cave man days, when the unknown and hostile environment was faced by our ancestors. Obsolete genes do not die overnight, therefore you'll be seeing our species praying to god in times of high anxiety, depression, and other highly emotional states.
2006-09-10 13:01:26 · answer #5 · answered by Its not me Its u 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is a great quote, but I imagine over the centuries there have been many, many soldiers of differing beliefs hunkered down, hoping to survive whichever conflict they found themselves in. Some of them were undoubtedly atheists, and many of them undoubtedly weren't. It takes a different caliber of courage to be an atheist under fire, I imagine.
2006-09-10 01:57:59 · answer #6 · answered by functionary01 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If the guys around you are getting blown up, you are no longer an atheist since you pray to God to get you out of there pretty quickly...
2006-09-10 01:51:18 · answer #7 · answered by am1292 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I would think that that would be the perfect time to start believing. What's the first thing you say when you are shocked or scard. Oh God! And that's right cause deep down I think everyone knows or hopes He would rescue them.
2006-09-10 01:54:30 · answer #8 · answered by gymfreak 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I have heard this. I have also been in conflict. There are some people who have no concept of GOD. We believers just have to shake our heads and realize that God gave us free will
2006-09-10 01:52:24 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I do not know, I have never been in a fox hole. Thank goodness!
2006-09-10 01:50:05 · answer #10 · answered by lidijathebeautiful 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋