{"id":49,"date":"2012-07-01T21:57:46","date_gmt":"2012-07-02T01:57:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/truthsyoucanuse\/?p=49"},"modified":"2012-07-01T21:57:46","modified_gmt":"2012-07-02T01:57:46","slug":"are-there-atheists-in-foxholes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truthsyoucanuse\/2012\/07\/are-there-atheists-in-foxholes.html","title":{"rendered":"Are There Atheists in Foxholes?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A young disciple once asked his rabbi: \u201cDo you believe God created everything for a purpose?\u201d \u201cOf course,\u201d the rabbi answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why,\u201d the student asked, \u201cdid God create atheists?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The rabbi paused and stroked his beard. He then spoke softly and intensely. \u201cSometimes we who believe, believe too much. We see the cruelty, the suffering, the injustice in the world and we say: \u2018This is the will of God.\u2019 We accept what we should not accept.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is when God sends us atheists to remind us that what passes for religion is not always religion. Sometimes what we accept in the name of God is what we should be fighting against in the name of God.\u201d (This teaching is attributed to a variety of sages, including Jonathan Sacks and Rav Kook)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Avoiding Self-Righteousness <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What a powerful answer. Atheists challenge what the faithful often take for granted. They prevent us from giving easy answers to important challenges.<\/p>\n<p>In an age of soundbites and talking points, we need such serious and courageous conversations. Doubt, as Paul Tillich pointed out, is not the opposite of faith. It is an element of faith. Doubt makes faith meaningful. If we welcome it with open hearts and open minds, we help stop righteousness from becoming self-righteousness.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A young disciple once asked his rabbi: \u201cDo you believe God created everything for a purpose?\u201d \u201cOf course,\u201d the rabbi answered. \u201cThen why,\u201d the student asked, \u201cdid God create atheists?\u201d The rabbi paused and stroked his beard. He then spoke softly and intensely. \u201cSometimes we who believe, believe too much. We see the cruelty, the&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":507,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Are There Atheists in Foxholes?  - Truths You Can Use<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truthsyoucanuse\/2012\/07\/are-there-atheists-in-foxholes.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Are There Atheists in Foxholes?  - Truths You Can Use\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A young disciple once asked his rabbi: \u201cDo you believe God created everything for a purpose?\u201d \u201cOf course,\u201d the rabbi answered. \u201cThen why,\u201d the student asked, \u201cdid God create atheists?\u201d The rabbi paused and stroked his beard. He then spoke softly and intensely. \u201cSometimes we who believe, believe too much. 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He then spoke softly and intensely. \u201cSometimes we who believe, believe too much. 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His book, What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Jewishness of Jesus was a 2015 best-seller. His upcoming book of devotions\u2014Shalom for the Heart\u2014takes short biblical passages and show they way they can help us make better choices and live with fewer regrets. With Rabbi Moffic, you will find an open, accessible guide to life\u2019s deepest truths. A husband and father, he graduated from Stanford University in 2000, and was ordained a rabbi in 2006. He leads a congregation in suburban Chicago. 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