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An excerpt from a recent Canadian Press article:

"The old adage that, "there are no atheists in foxholes" appears to be holding true here in Afghanistan. Even though religion and the Canadian military are not officially linked, it's a fact that when lives are on the line, soldiers' thoughts turn to a higher power."

It's a fact now, is it? Statistics and official surveys beg to differ, but I'll humor this if need beand it needs be. So, according to this 'fact', if someone becomes lodged in a tight combat zone with bullets and mortar shells flying overhead, they will arbitrarily denounce their faith and start praying to the 'One True God.' This is quite a bold assertion on the part of the Canadian Press, especially considering the other 'fact' that Atheists have served America's military, proportionately, just as much as any other religious group.

There's nothing like being asked to go to a 'Club Beyond' meeting just because you look like you should be Christian; and every time you pass your church-going friend, you have to come up with some lame excuse for why you didn't go. Here's my excuse: "God is dead. Hail Satan." Moments like these help me conceive some rather twisted ideas, such as 'Club Below.' Please don't make me organize an Atheist club like that, because if you do make me, I most certainly will make it. There are plenty of ways to prevent this from occurring and I'd hate to see anyone getting offended at my infidel behavior. One preventive measure would be getting those little stereotypes out of your head. I'm not a Satan-worshipper and I can hold a rifle just as good as younot that Satan is such a bad guy anyways. All he was ever alleged to have done was move out of heaven and give an apple to some naked chick. See what I mean about the stereotypes? People get this preconceived notion that Satan is some evil horned beast who's out to get you, when in reality, he's just an average Joe trying to have a good time. Writers for the Army Special Forces Manual seem to get the idea:

"Elephants are considered an endangered species and as such should not be used by U.S. military personnel Elephants are not the easygoing, kind, loving creatures that people believe them to be. They are, of course, not evil either."

Of course.

Atheists are one of the most marginalized and wrongfully distrusted minorities around, and statements such as "there are no atheists in foxholes" don't help to alleviate the alienation at all. Without having to pray to Your Preferred Deity, things are much easier to accomplish. There aren't any disturbing images of an omnipotent figure holding a shovel over my head, and there aren't any fears of what comes after death. I'm not here in this body to shove my beliefs down anyone's throat, but those beliefs are as plain as this: I was born out of little pieces of nothing. I live to put out big pieces of something. I die and, again, become little pieces of nothing. This way of life is simple and rewarding, because everything I do is an after-effect of my own hard work, rather than the result of some divine mandate. My immortality lies in my output during life, and what I leave behind is what I become after I die. Just because I follow this philosophy, however, doesn't mean I can't fight just as hard as any other service member.

Learn more about this author, Travis Gosselin.
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