So, you think there are “no atheists in foxholes?” By the same logic, there would be no atheists in tornadoes, either, right? At least that’s the meme the media would have us believe in the aftermath of natural disasters, when reporters look for miracles in the form of churches, bibles, and religious artifacts and icons that somehow survive the devastation around them.
Today, however, that meme was upended by one courageous survivor of the huge tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma yesterday [May 20, 2012]. Watch the video clip, as Wolf Blitzer tries to cajole a woman into thanking god for her survival. She hesitates and then–pow!–she tells Blitzer that she’s an atheist. In my book, that statement makes her a hero.