Are There Atheists in Foxholes? Yes, but interestingly . . . HD

Two Cornell/Virginia Wesleyan studies analyze whether there were atheists in WWII foxholes. Study 1 shows that 28% of the heavy combat infantrymen surveyed in the Pacific never prayed, but for the others, their reliance on prayer rose from 42% to 72% as battles intensified. Study 2 shows that 50 years later, many soldiers still exhibited religious behavior, but it varied by their war experience. Those facing heavy combat (versus no combat) attended church 21% more often if they claimed their military experience was negative, but those who claimed their experience was positive attended 26% less often. For families or for counselors working with combat veterans, religious involvement may be particularly meaningful for those veterans who had a negative overall military experience. (Video was recorded at a WWII military cemetery in the South Pacific near where Study 1 was conducted). More info: • Wansink, Brian and Craig S. Wansink (2013), "Are There Atheists in Foxholes? Combat Intensity and Religious Behavior," Journal of Religion and Health, 52:3 (Sept), 768-79. • Foodpsychology.cornell.edu/outreach/atheist.html • http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2277773