# The Atheist In The Foxhole **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 13, 2006, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-in-the-foxhole/383937 "2006-12-13T06:41:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-in-the-foxhole/383937/61 "2006-12-14T15:21:34Z")
Man that’s rough **Czarcasm** , glad to hear it seems to have worked out. My mother and aunt(disgracefully IMO) tried to sneak in a priest to give my grandfather the last rites. He hid behind them and did his thing. My grandfather saw what was happening, got out of his deathbed and threw the priest out of the room hurling abuse at him all the way. He then got back into bed and died shortly after. Good on ya grandda. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-in-the-foxhole/383937/62 "2006-12-14T15:23:47Z")
Not a peg tube, right? I mean if you’re able to communicate you’re able to take nourishment by mouth… Q ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-in-the-foxhole/383937/63 "2006-12-14T15:55:01Z")
[QUOTE=Czarcasm] Three right! [/QUOTE] Hey, how come I didn’t get a score for my guess? ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-in-the-foxhole/383937/64 "2006-12-14T18:53:21Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] Hey, how come I didn’t get a score for my guess? [/QUOTE] You spelled ‘guest’ wrong. Or wrongly. I never can remember. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-in-the-foxhole/383937/65 "2006-12-14T19:14:08Z")
OK. These are my final guesses. NO WAY AM I WRONG. 1. The Roasty Toasty 2. The aisles of Swearingen 3. Your butt is humungous/ It smells like a fungus/ But I don’t care/ 'Cause you never share! 4. The Scanner Darkly ---
**Author:** ![Auntbeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Auntbeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntbeast)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-in-the-foxhole/383937/66 "2006-12-14T22:07:45Z")
How many foxholes have I been in? Sexual abuse as a child, physical abuse as a child, alcoholic stepparents, brother in prison, husband being a drug addict, cheating on my spouse, a high risk pregnancy, a premature baby… Yeah, god didn’t get me out of any of it. The closest any power came to helping me through it was a very good friend who is a devout catholic. I think for those that have faith, have no concept of what it means to not. I have fervently wished that I could take what seems to be the easy way out and just give in to it, however, I just can not do it. I think how nice it would be to think for a moment that “all is forgiven” or that there is a “higher purpose” or it is “god’s will” or whatever, but my brain isn’t wired that way. Not in life, not in faith and not in love, most certainly not in death. We have a friend that went through something pretty similar, I’m glad you are ok as well. And no, I don’t care if I screamed out “Oh my god” when I was in labor. Shit happens. I don’t want it, don’t need it and don’t care. I also don’t want to argue with you about it, nor do I want you to tell me what YOU think I believe. I want you to do to me what I let you do, believe what you want, live how you want and butt out. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-in-the-foxhole/383937/67 "2006-12-14T23:31:21Z")
I’m glad you’re on the mend, **Czarcasm**. It reminds me of something I read about Lance Armstrong. After his illness, his then-wife had told him that it was the power of God and prayer that got him over his cancer. He told her “No, it was the kick-ass doctors and cutting-edge treatment that I was lucky enough to receive.” She insisted it was God all the same. Maybe that was what got him thinking about divorce. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-in-the-foxhole/383937/68 "2006-12-14T23:36:07Z")
[QUOTE=Auntbeast] And no, I don’t care if I screamed out “Oh my god” when I was in labor. Shit happens. I don’t want it, don’t need it and don’t care. I also don’t want to argue with you about it, nor do I want you to tell me what YOU think I believe. I want you to do to me what I let you do, believe what you want, live how you want and butt out. [/QUOTE] Tell us how you **REALLY** feel, Auntie! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-in-the-foxhole/383937/69 "2006-12-15T00:23:54Z")
Wrist, penis, butt, throat. I came out as an atheist at age 12, 36 years ago, and my dad beat the crap out of me for it. About 10 years ago, I was waiting around a hospital waiting for my mom to die, and never gave prayer a thought. Until another person there offered to pray with me. I had to stifle an angry reply, because I knew she meant well, but I politely declined. I sometimes think America SHOULD have an official religion. I understand that most European countries do have official religions, but also have far larger percentages of citizen atheists. All I can figure from this is that governments can fuck up ANYTHING, so let’s put them to work on faith in god. I have no coreresponding faith in Mankind either. I don’t even have much faith in ME. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-in-the-foxhole/383937/70 "2006-12-15T00:33:17Z")
[QUOTE=bouv] OK, I _think_ I’ve got it figured out: Wrist Dingly-Do-Dong Head Forearm [/QUOTE] _ **Bingo!** _ Let me know when you’re in town, and I’ll pick up the tab down at the Twilight Room. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2006, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-in-the-foxhole/383937/71 "2006-12-16T00:39:16Z")
I’ve been following this tread, so I particulary enjoyed the segment tonight on the NPR show “On the Media” about the use of the phrase “athiest in a foxhole.” [Here’s](http://www.onthemedia.org/) a link to their site. The “God No!” story at the top is the one that addresses it. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2006, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-in-the-foxhole/383937/72 "2006-12-16T08:19:49Z")
Except it wasn’t a lemur, it was a gerbil, and it wasn’t removed from his head but from …, well, I guess if he wants to share that, its up to him, none of my concern… “A spokesman for lemurs said he was glad that no lemurs were involved…” ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2006, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-in-the-foxhole/383937/73 "2006-12-16T10:50:57Z")
[QUOTE=Czarcasm] where the doctor told me I had a blood clot the size of a lemur inhabiting the right side of my brain. At least, that’s what I _thought_ he said, but when you’ve got a blood clot the size of a lemur inhabiting the right side of your brain, you’re bound to misremember the exact details, right? [/QUOTE] At least you haven’t got flies in your eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2006, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-in-the-foxhole/383937/74 "2006-12-16T10:56:01Z")
[QUOTE=mr. jp] At least you haven’t got flies in your eyes. [/QUOTE] Or horse chestnuts in his mouth. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-in-the-foxhole/383937.md?page=3)