Foxhole Faith and Funk Religion: Anglo-American Perspectives from Two World Wars

The role of combat as a religious stimulant was widely observed and debated during both World Wars. Through a consideration of American opinion in World War II, especially in the light of British opinion a generation earlier, this paper illustrates that, however similar expressions of combatants’ fa...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Snape, Michael 1968- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Wiley-Blackwell 2015
In: New blackfriars
Year: 2015, Volume: 96, Issue: 1062, Pages: 223-238
Further subjects:B World Wars
B British Army
B Religion
B Chaplains
B US army
Online Access: Volltext (JSTOR)
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Summary:The role of combat as a religious stimulant was widely observed and debated during both World Wars. Through a consideration of American opinion in World War II, especially in the light of British opinion a generation earlier, this paper illustrates that, however similar expressions of combatants’ faith may have been across time and space, their perceived value was very much dictated by their wider religious context, and particularly by the existing assumptions and priorities of religious observers and pundits. This meant that, in the American context of World War II, appraisals tended to be much more positive than in the British context of World War I, adding considerable substance and longevity to the claim that ‘there are no atheists in foxholes’.
ISSN:1741-2005
Contains:Enthalten in: New blackfriars
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/nbfr.12122