Lem wrote: ↑Sat Mar 13, 2021 4:39 pm
It may be so for you, but it is not universal at all. You defined it as "an additional psychological asset," as though it were absolutely unique. I disagree. It does not exclusively require faith in god for everyone to engage in something that calms one down and helps one focus. It may work for some, but so do a lot of other things. This is not a rant against religion, simply a statement of fact. I am surprised that there is such an insistence that religion is so unique that there is literally nothing else in existence that can provide all of the things an individual may draw from a belief in it.
Well stated, Lem. SGT Alvin York was the most decorated American soldier of WWI. He often credited his bravery and success in battle to his belief in God and to prayer on the battlefield.
In his best known action, then Corporal York's unit was lured into an ambush and ended up effectively surrounded by flanking German machine gun positions. Under fire, York used a bolt action rifle to methodically stalk and kill or incapacitate more than two dozen German soldiers in several different machine gun nests, finally capturing the astounded German unit commanding officer who surrendered after watching every one of his well armed men fall to a single American.
York was an honorable and religious Tennessean whose application for conscious objector status had been denied. His belief in God is reflected in his following quotes:
SGT Alvin York wrote:"The fear of God makes a hero; the fear of man makes a coward."
"When you have God behind you, you can come out on top every time."
While York humbly gave the credit for his accomplishments to God, a neutral observer would note that he was raised in a large family in rural Tennessee where hunting and marksmanship were integral to his life from an early age, and he excelled at it. Pitted against German conscripts who believed that fear of their machine guns would cause a surrounded enemy force to simply surrender, someone with his unique skills had a great psychological advantage. York prayed alright. But then he fell back on his long practiced skill set of stalking and killing animals. His accomplishments may have miraculous, but they were not divine.
Combatants on both sides in WWI included men who were also humble and devout believers in God. They no doubt also prayed in their trenches and foxholes and bravely faced the enemy with all the skill they could muster. These prayers were not answered for nearly 10 million of them who ended up dead, of for more than 10 million who were wounded. Total military and civilian casualties in WWI are estimated at ~40 million. I dare say most were God fearing Christians who no doubt also prayed for God's blessings.