Facing Death: Still an Atheist in the Foxhole

[rug]

October 8, 2015
by Linda LaScola

Editor’s Note: Frequent contributor and Clergy Project Communications Chair, Drew Bekius, offers us insights from his personal “Atheists in Foxholes” experience. In addition to showing that God belief isn’t needed to face death, he describes how facing our human vulnerabilities can be inspirational and calming. The following is a condensed version of a post from his personal blog, reprinted with permission.

I’m guessing we’ve all heard the repeatedly overstated “there are no atheists in foxholes” argument — the claim that in war, every soldier turns to God for rescue. The point is that on one’s deathbed, facing the Imminent and Pitch Black Darkness, any one of us would finally repent and cry out to God in prayer.

This is because even atheists secretly know the truth of God’s reality, and deep down, they’re terrified of the hell they can’t completely deny.

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I’d been recently in the hospital. I had contracted a severe bacterial infection that was rapidly subjugating each corner of my body. Wednesday evening, I felt like I might be coming down with a cold. Thursday afternoon, I had a painful inflamed gland. Thursday evening, I noticed some mild swelling and came down with a fever. I woke up Friday to discover my body swelling to double the size, crazy-intense pain, profuse sweating, difficulty walking, and a fair case of disorientation. I decided to cab it to the local immediate care where I was sent to the ER.

There they discovered a bacterial skin infection that in less than 48 hours had made its way into my blood stream. That afternoon, double pneumonia set in. It was moving so quickly that if I had waited just one more day, doctors might not have been able to save me.



Drew Bekius was an evangelical pastor for 12 years before deconverting and leaving the ministry behind. Today Drew is the customer service manager for a downtown Chicago steakhouse and is an open atheist, serving on the Board of Directors for The Clergy Project as Communications Chair. He blogs at DrewBekius.com and is finishing his book The Rise and Fall of Faith: A Once Evangelical Pastor Tells His Story.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rationaldoubt/2015/10/2717/



Iof all the reasons to believe in a god, death is the least of them.

[stone space]

1. What is so difficult for some atheists is not facing our own deaths, but...

...rather facing our becoming killers, and the instruments of the deaths of others.