Are There Atheists in Foxholes?

Are there atheists in foxholes? This question was brought up in a discussion on my Facebook wall a couple weeks ago. Well, there was a small study done. Take from it whatever confirmation bias you prefer.

Something I found interesting about it: “In Vail’s view, this suggests people who strongly reject religious belief find other ways of dealing with “the psychological problem of death,” such as devoting themselves to some secular cause that will endure beyond their lifetimes.”

In other words, atheists work harder to leave behind something in this world as a way to be immortal when faced with the real fact that they will no longer exist. That is yet another reason I'm atheist. I'd rather focus on this world and making it better, even after I'm gone, than focusing on my salvation after I'm dead. I want to do the best I can with the tools I currently have to bring the earthly salvation to those who live after me. After thinking about it a bit, I can also see the political parallel and why it would make sense that I'm generally a social liberal and a fiscal conservative.