Atheists, Foxholes, And How Combat Impacts Religiosity
Tom Jacobs of Pacific Standard reports on a new survey that analyzes how combat affects religious belief in the short and long-term. The researchers concluded that those who retrospectively associate their wartime experience with bravery and valor are less interested in religion than those who associate their combat with fear and misery. “When compared with veterans who did not experience combat, heavy combat was associated with a 10 percent increase in church membership for those who claimed their experience was negative, but an 8 percent decrease for those who claimed it was positive.”