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| Illustration from Christianity Today |
A cynic might apply this aphorism to what is going on in our day. We are in effect ‘being fired upon’ by a deadly virus. A study conducted by Pew Research (cited by Christianity Today) shows that the pandemic has strengthened belief in 11 of the 14 of countries - with the US apparently leading the pack:
Americans were three times more likely to report their religious faith had become stronger due to the pandemic: 28 percent, vs. a global median of 10 percent.
I am a cynic by nature. Are atheists truly converted under life threatening circumstances? Is it true that there are no atheists in foxholes?
I wish that were true. But I doubt that a strong atheist will ever pray to a God they believe does not exist. At the same time though, I believe that there are very few true strong atheists. Most are weak atheists or agnostics that might pray to God on the possibility that He does exist when they are in. mortal danger.
The question is whether we are in the equivalent of a foxhole with respect to the pandemic. It's true that COVID-19 is a mortal threat to our lives. It is also true that we are in a foxhole of sorts in varying degrees from complete lockdown to avoiding social interactions. But the threat to our lives is not immediate. Nor is it as certain. Quite the contrary. Most people will never contract the virus. And of those that do, most will survive it. And of the survivors most will survive it without long term effects. And among those many will have little to no symptoms at all.
So why is there an increase in belief due to the virus? And why does the United States have the lion’s share of increase? I believe it is due to something I have always said about Americans. We are a religious people. Even though unlike European nations who have an official religion. We are a secular country with no official religion.
One might have thought that the opposite would be the case. That a country like Germany who is officially Lutheran, or the UK that is officially Anglican, would be higher on the religion scale. Not a secular country like the US. But the Pew study indicates otherwise.
I say, ‘we’ with respect to being a religious country. But it would be more accurate to say that about half the country is more inclined toward religious belief. What used to be called the moral majority. But even if it is only half, it appears that there is still a significantly greater percentage of religious people here than in Europe.
Does that mean the US a more moral country? I think it does. All one has to do is look at the decaying morality of Europe today. They see it as liberating and progressive. I see it as a descent into complete amorality. The US lags far behind such 'progressiveness'.
A far greater barometer of European moral decay can be seen in how their governments behaved during the Holocaust. The righteous gentiles were a tiny minority. it was far more common to find Europeans gladly joining their Nazi occupiers in torturing oft murdering Jews. Or in other cases simply indifferent to it. Even while knowing full well we were being systematically exterminated!
It was Dwight D. Eisenhower, an American general who – when upon entering the death camp he liberated and seeing the shocking sight of dead bodies and emaciated live ones – forced nearby German citizens to visit that camp and help bury the dead – showing them what their country did (As if they didn’t already know!).
While the US had its own share of antisemites in government during the Holocaust, none of them came anywhere near being capable of doing what the Nazis and their willing European collaborators did.
Why are we different? I believe it’s because the founding fathers had the wisdom to understand the principle of freedom of religion. That allowed every religious group to fully embrace their own religious beliefs without fear. I believe that is in part why the US is a more religious and kind nation. Which is why God has granted this nation its massive material success – becoming the envy of the world.
So even though the pandemic has not turned atheists into believers, it made those of us who are believers more devout. Including yours truly. I find myself now being more careful in myown observances. And I find myself concentrating more intently in prayer.
I believe that God controls the world. And that by natural means he is sending us a message to improve our lives. So that in addition to doing everything we can on a physical level to protect ourselves we must do the same on a spiritual level. I believe that most Americans feel the same way. Those that ignore God at a time like this do so at their own peril.