Bob Schieffer on Atheists in Foxholes

There is a very old prejudice that there are "no atheists in foxholes," a statement that is supposed to express the idea that atheists aren't really sincere. After all, as soon as they are faced with a life-or-death situation, they will quickly abandon their atheism and profess the theism that they always secretly held on to. We even hear this sometimes in the media.

When that prejudice is objected to, it is rare for media figures to actually apologize - but Bob Schieffer shows himself to be just such a rare figure with his mea culpa:

I did hear from scores of atheists, two of whom said they were in the military serving in Baghdad. In various and in no uncertain terms they reminded me that freedom of religion also means the right not to believe and they said my remark unfairly challenged the sincerity of their views. I am a believer and that is central to my life, but they are correct. They have every right to their belief and I would never challenge their sincerity. On this one, we all come to the table with equal expertise. So to all of you who took offense, I can only say that none was intended and I regret a poor choice of words.

Well, he doesn't apologize to the person who said that Schieffer was a "doddering old retard." Just goes to show that it is always preferable to object politely first.

Read More:

• No Atheists in Foxholes?
• What is Humanism?